What's the most economical way to get to Universal??

[Kitty 34]

Someone on the Universal Board said a cab is cheaper than Mears! I find that hard to believe but I know very little about transportation outside of WDW!! Please help!!

 

[TravelSheryl]

From where to Universal and for how many people? Mears charges per person and a cab is the same price for up to 4 people.

 

[Kitty 34]

There will be four of us.

 

[TravelSheryl]

You still haven't said from where to Universal. If from the airport, a cab will definitely be cheaper than Mears. I think even Tiffany Town Car might be cheaper than Mears with 4 people.

A general rule of thumb with van services that charge per person vs. cabs is that once you have at least 3 people, a cab is the better option. It can even be a better option when there are only 2 people sometimes. Of course, there can be exceptions to this is some places, but it has always been the case when I've inquired.

 

[Kitty 34]

We would be going to Universal from the Dolphin. If I remember right, someone said it's $10 per person to go with Mears. That's $40. Tiffany, I think is more than that. How about a cab?

Thanks Travelsheryl for your responses!!

Kitty

 

[TravelSheryl]

I do not know how much a cab would be from the Dolphin to Universal, but I can assure you it wouldn't be anywhere near $40. Just ask any cab driver at your hotel. There are always cabs around.

 

[Kitty 34]

Thanks Travelsheryl!! Sounds like we'll probably take a cab. One more teenie tiny question....how much do you tip a cab driver? I haven't taken a cab since my days in Chicago, a longtime ago!!!

 

[Meagansmom]

Suggestion - we are renting a car from our Disney hotel to go to Universal. I was told that it would be approx $47.00 for a day. There will be five of us. I figured $5.00 per person each way. I think that is pretty cheap. I would say a taxi is going to cost you approx $20.00 each way. I like the rental car a/c we can come and go when we want. Like I said just a suggestion. They do have rental cars right at the Dolphin.

 

[mattlm]

Rent a car? Hertz will pick up at pretty much any of the Disney resorts for free from their Kissimmee location. I think that Enterprise will to. You could do it for less than Mears and have use of the car for the rest of the day.

 

[TravelSheryl]

Renting a car for the day is a great idea if you plan to use it for more than just going between your hotel and Universal. If you have no other use for it, a cab is far more convenient and you won't have to pay for parking, not to mention getting in a hot car when you leave.

It is customary to tip 15% or a little more for a great driver. I never tip less than $2, even if the trip is $5.

 

[Kitty 34]

I thought about renting a car but I think getting a cab would be a lot less hazzle---my DH trying to drive around Orlando wouldn't be a pretty sight!!

 

[GrumpyOne]

The most economical way would be to walk.

 

[Bo'sMom]

I highly doubt a one way taxi cab ride to Universal from Disney World would be $20.00. We took a cab to the Belz Outlet and it was $80.00 roundtrip...just to the airport alone, is $45.00 one way. Check the prices before you decide on a cab. They are outrageous!

 

[TravelSheryl]

Regardless if the cab fare is more than $20, it will still be cheaper than paying for 4 people to ride Mears. Disney to Universal is much closer than Disney to the airport.

 

[CarolA]

I am not sure I agree with TravelSherry that it would definitly be much cheaper to go by cab then mears. The other unknown factor here is your time of travel. If you get caught in Orlando traffic in a cab the meter keeps running. So you pay to go nowhere. With Mears you have the flat fee. The other think I don't know is if Orlando charges an additional rate per person. In New Orleans last week there was a $1 charge for each person over 1 and a $2.50 start up charge. So the charge for 4 people would have been $5.50 before I left the hotel. Does anyone know if Orlando has this type of charging system?

 

[TravelSheryl]

New Orleans has had that additional charge for years (I thought it was assessed only when there were more than two passengers though; maybe it's changed recently), as I am originally from there.

According to the Orlando Airport website, cabs from the airport do not charge additional passenger fees so I would suspect they wouldn't elsewhere in the city.

CarolA, now I know where you encountered all those rude travelers.

 

[Kitty 34]

Maybe I'll walk!! LOL!

 

[Lewisc]

Universal offers free shuttle service from some hotels with some of their attraction tickets. I'm not sure if the S/D is one of the hotels or if can get better discounts on the tickets if you don't get the free shuttle.

It's probably not worth the time it will take, but Orlando has buses that will get you there www.golynx.com.

A cab or a rental car (particularly if you want to go the outlet mall) is really the best solution.

 

[Kitty 34]

Thanks LewisC for that information!

 

[bexareaglecheryl]

We took Mears shuttle from AsSports to Universal. I would recommend it. We had to pick up from All Star Music too. You will have to stop at other resorts at WDW for further pickups. I suspect that since there is such a high volume at the All Stars there may be more stops for the Dolphin (lower volume) you never know. You can call the night before to make your reservations and they come at several times during the day. The trip was super fast and the bus stop to get on and off is quite near the escalators up to the moving walkway to UF or IOA.

It was slightly confusing at park closing and there was a madhouse to get buses organized for departure, but it took less than 10 minutes and for the price it's great. If you don't want the hassle of driving from WDW in Orlando and then paying for parking at Universal then Mears is the way to go.

I had heard so many negatives and positives about Mears before I decided on them. I was glad I did.

I would not use them to get to or from the airport however.