UnMagical Express

[Kerrio929]

landed in MCO Thursday 1/22 around 5:30 and took ME to the Contemporary. Apparently the ME driver was pretty new bc he made a wrong turn near the Hess station and ended up turning onto a one way street going the WRONG way. And he didn't notice until a man sitting near the front told him. He then proceeded to back up on that one way road while cars were coming at us. It was beyond scary. He finally corrected the bus and got us to our hotel but not a word was said, no "sorry about that" or anything. It was so disappointing.

 

[maxiesmom]

landed in MCO Thursday 1/22 around 5:30 and took ME to the Contemporary. Apparently the ME driver was pretty new bc he made a wrong turn near the Hess station and ended up turning onto a one way street going the WRONG way. And he didn't notice until a man sitting near the front told him. He then proceeded to back up on that one way road while cars were coming at us. It was beyond scary. He finally corrected the bus and got us to our hotel but not a word was said, no "sorry about that" or anything. It was so disappointing.

Next time, get his info. I would file some sort of complaint, he obviously needs more training before driving. I would have been scared too to be going the wrong way on a one way road!

 

[nkereina]

Not defending that, but maybe he was filling in for someone? We arrived on a Friday around 5:30pm and DME was dead. Our driver was given 3 different hotels to stop at and from overhearing some conversations, it sounded like their routes switch up all the time depending on needs. Perhaps this driver doesn't drive the CR route much. Many drivers, and employees in general, aren't even from the Orlando area.

Last trip, we sat on the DME bus for a good 35 minutes before finally pulling out. It was another 40 minute drive (rush hour traffic & construction), and then a good 30 minutes unloading the two stops before ours. That was probably a worse experience.

 

[Brer Chump]

He then proceeded to back up on that one way road while cars were coming at us. It was beyond scary.

No reason to be scared, despite the incompetent driver, you had mass on your side.

 

[goofy4tink]

I would have noted the time this happened, where exactly, and the bus number, if you could get the drivers name, great. But having the bus number should suffice. Then, I would have sent an email off to Disney. You could have tried talking to someone at the resort, but when it comes to transportation issues, resort CMs don't offer much help or interest!

Even if it had been a sub, he should have known better than to go down a one way street the wrong way!

 

[tasha99]

Bleh. I used ME once and hated it. My daughter said it smelled of dashed hopes and lost dreams (aka dirty diapers). Going the wrong way just adds to it--never again.

 

[SuzyQue]

Even if it had been a sub, he should have known better than to go down a one way street the wrong way!

Agreed! I can think of absolutely no reason this should EVER happen!

 

[delilah]

In my experience, ME has been pretty good the few times I have used it. My last visit, I used Mears, which is the same company, for transportation to Lowes Portofino which is at Universal. The drivers from Mears were pretty good both ways. The other guests on the shuttle were another story. It was a small shuttle and was completely full at the second stop, which was the Hard Rock hotel. The guests getting on were totally put out that they needed to share the ride with the guests from Portofino. They were downright rude and nasty. They had loads of stuff and carried on that the other passengers had luggage, too. I was so embarrassed for the poor driver and tipped him extra to have put up with their nastiness. I wonder what they thought he would do, throw the other passengers off so there would be room for their entourage or what? And then they didn't like it that we needed to get off first, so, they needed to get out and get back in and wait for our luggage to be unloaded.

 

[perditax]

Nothing I have ever read about DME makes me want to use it. Taxi or rental car seems so much faster, and you actually have your luggage when you check in.

 

[maxiesmom]

For me the best part of DME has always been the luggage handling. If I could get away with packing in my carry-on only, I would skip it and use a Towncar. Or at least do what I did last trip use DME from the airport and pay for a towncar back to the airport. My bad experiences with DME have all been returning to the airport--rude drivers, guests arguing that they needed to be on that bus as they missed their scheduled one, and the last time it was spending almost 90 minutes on the bus before heading to the airport.

 

[sam_gordon]

To me, the benefits of using DME:

1) The cost
2) Someone else drives
3) The cost
4) They get your luggage
5) Did I mention, the cost

@perditax... you'll probably save about 15-30 minutes each direction by using a taxi. A little less with a rental car. Also, you can get your own luggage and take it with you on (actually under) the bus if you'd like to have it when you check in.

 

[siskaren]

To me, the benefits of using DME:

1) The cost
2) Someone else drives
3) The cost
4) They get your luggage
5) Did I mention, the cost

I also like the fact that I don't have to deal with driving on unfamiliar roads that are probably filled with a lot of other drivers who are on unfamiliar roads. And I don't mind stopping at other hotels; it gives me a chance to see hotels that I probably won't ever get to stay at due to cost.