Why so much hatred for SuperShuttle?

[LALA8971]

We have used them for 2 trips. We had a small issue with the driver during 1 leg from SNA to DLR, but the other 3 rides were great. The driver we had that time was a complete jack***. He may have thought he was in a Sprint Cup race........scared the crap outta me and I am a pretty aggressive driver. My Dad finally yelled at him and he slowed down, a little. We complained to SS and they ended up giving us a small refund.

 

[GoBears 1980]

SuperShuttle is the biggest, so it stands to reason they will have the most complaints.

It also depends very much on whether you are in a shared shuttle or an exclusive van.

If you have children under 8, I don't believe SS provides car seats like some other service do.

I know Karmel is well respected, but they don't provide car seats either. I believe 4Most Coach and Zippy can, if requested in advance.

I've had nightmare experiences with SS in the shared service, but when I have used their Execucar service (not much more than a private SS van) I have had zero issues.

 

[NannyBeBe]

If one looks at the reviews of the various shuttle companies, you will find they all have bad reviews along with the good ones. For our trip, we have decided to use the Disney Express. At least we'll be in a bus and feel somewhat safer.

 

[Comicbookmommy]

As others have said, I believe it is luck of the draw. A year ago I almost missed my flight because they picked up SO MANY other people from their hotels after picking me up. I asked the driver to please hurry, and to drop me off first as I had the earliest flight (I asked around) but he didn't listen and went through all the other drop offs before getting to my airline. I had to run to my gate and was almost shut out. It was horrendously stressful! And I called them to get a recommended time to meet the shuttle and get to the airport in time, but still almost missed my flight (3.5 hours before flight; Anaheim to LAX)

I won't risk that again, especially if I have my kids with me, so we'll always use another service.

 

[bcwife76]

We've used them a few times (without our kids with us) and they've been ok, not fabulous. The last time the driver was a d*ck. I get out, hand him my credit card and he snarks at me and rolls his eyes "we don't take credit cards". I just stared at him. "yes you do and I don't have any cash on me." He took my card, grumbling about how long it would take to get authorized. I think it was all of 2 minutes and he was back for me to sign the paper, practically throwing it at me. I gave him a $1 tip and said "thanks for being such a peach" then walked into the terminal. yeah, I'll probably look at different shuttle companies for our upcoming trip.....

 

[DizMe]

Any shared shuttle service is going to have good and bad reports. The reason SS is so popular is (a) they are the best known, (b) they are pretty cheap, and (c) you can prepay online, including tip, if you choose. If you have a party of 1-4, SS shared van is a good deal. I've used them many many times and would not hesitate to do so again. I usually take a taxi back to the airport (I use SNA) because I almost always have a voucher for $35 flat rate. Karmel is a lot more expensive because it isn't a shared ride, I believe. For some, that's preferable. I prefer to pay $10 and take my 15-minute ride on SS. When I travel with my family of 5, we take a taxi. I never prepay anymore--it isn't worth saving $1 to me. At one time, I could save $3 each way for each person using a coupon code online, but they did away with that deal and now it's $1. I just walk up to the shuttle station and tell them I want to go to X hotel and they direct me to a shuttle. Sometimes it's SS and sometimes it's something else; I don't care because they all cost the same from the shuttle station at SNA and the rides seem exactly the same to me. Again, I'm talking about the shared shuttles, not dedicated rides or towncars.

LAX is a whole different situation from SNA, so you have to be specific about which airport. SNA has cheap shuttles that are easy to use. LAX shuttles cost more and can be more of a hassle. Shuttles don't circle the airport at SNA, but they do at LAX.

 

[minnie mum]

I just walk up to the shuttle station and tell them I want to go to X hotel and they direct me to a shuttle. Sometimes it's SS and sometimes it's something else; I don't care because they all cost the same from the shuttle station at SNA and the rides seem exactly the same to me. Again, I'm talking about the shared shuttles, not dedicated rides or towncars.

So at SNA you don't actually need to pre book your shuttle from the airport? Just show up? I'm assuming I'd still need to pre book the return trip. I'm so used to having our own car at DL and WDW, so I'm new to this.

 

[bumbershoot]

The thing about threads like this is that YES people who have bad experiences are complaining, but we are ALSO giving our POSITIVE reviews of other places. So this isn't just the "people complain more than that praise" thing; we are praising as well.

Disneyland Resort Express is OK, as long as you understand it has nothing to do with Disneyland, has a schedule that it follows (we always land at LAX just as one takes off so we get to wait an hour for the next one, and our luggage always gets there in no time at all, and there are no main waiting areas at LAX...plus I NEVER see celebrities there, which is a huge bummer for me, so there's not even any fun to be had LOL), and it's going to take awhile. We take the time waiting (at LAX) to walk up to Terminal 1 so we are first on. Then we get to say hello to all the terminal shuttle pickup spots we just walked past and that gets old, but it's better than being at the last one and not getting a seat.

If you have children under 8, I don't believe SS provides car seats like some other service do.

I know Karmel is well respected, but they don't provide car seats either. I believe 4Most Coach and Zippy can, if requested in advance.

Not everyone would use a rented car seat, though, preferring to use a seat whose history we know. So that doesn't matter to everyone.

So at SNA you don't actually need to pre book your shuttle from the airport? Just show up? I'm assuming I'd still need to pre book the return trip. I'm so used to having our own car at DL and WDW, so I'm new to this.

SNA, as I recall, has a big shuttle area. You go to the shuttle area and get your pre-reserved shuttle or get in a line for the next shuttles available. I joined a couple Dis'ers on a trip once and two of us got to SNA at the same time, met up, got in line and got on a shuttle (if I'm remembering correctly!). Easy.

 

[DizMe]

So at SNA you don't actually need to pre book your shuttle from the airport? Just show up? I'm assuming I'd still need to pre book the return trip. I'm so used to having our own car at DL and WDW, so I'm new to this.

That's right, you don't have to prebook. Just walk out to the shuttle station and tell them where you want to go. The shuttle driver will usually give you his card and tell you to call for the return trip, so yes, you have to call ahead but you don't have to prepay (and you don't have to use the same shuttle driver!).

 

[minnie mum]

That's right, you don't have to prebook. Just walk out to the shuttle station and tell them where you want to go. The shuttle driver will usually give you his card and tell you to call for the return trip, so yes, you have to call ahead but you don't have to prepay (and you don't have to use the same shuttle driver!).

SUHWEEEET! Thank you very much for the info. Another thing I can scratch from my to do list.

 

[GoBears 1980]

Not everyone would use a rented car seat, though, preferring to use a seat whose history we know. So that doesn't matter to everyone.

Not to everyone, but some and not many people understand California's child seat laws, which are some of the toughest in the U.S.

People also need to differentiate by how many people they have, do they want shared or private and what is their tolerance level for slow service (on a shared service).

 

[TechGuy]

SS varies a lot. I travelled for work frequently and SS was my normal "to airport" ride. The age/condition of the vans vary and the quality of the drivers vary even more. With a shared van, you will stop at every location for pickup or drop-off of everyone in the van, based on some routing systems in the SS computer. I have had very courteous drivers that safe safe and effective I've had rude and agressive drivers that use the shoulder and sidewalks as roadway in construction zones. This can be said of nearly any driver based business.

In the end, you need to decide can you manage the lack of control you have vs. the cost and convenience.

I always make a reservation going to an airport (and let them determine what time I need to be picked up, they know the traffic and other reservations on the van) and I never make one to leave an airport. I assume I will get one after I get my luggage.

 

[DizMe]

SS varies a lot. I travelled for work frequently and SS was my normal "to airport" ride. The age/condition of the vans vary and the quality of the drivers vary even more. With a shared van, you will stop at every location for pickup or drop-off of everyone in the van, based on some routing systems in the SS computer. I have had very courteous drivers that safe safe and effective I've had rude and agressive drivers that use the shoulder and sidewalks as roadway in construction zones. This can be said of nearly any driver based business.

In the end, you need to decide can you manage the lack of control you have vs. the cost and convenience.

I always make a reservation going to an airport (and let them determine what time I need to be picked up, they know the traffic and other reservations on the van) and I never make one to leave an airport. I assume I will get one after I get my luggage.

I don't, but I fly the same route so often I am not afraid to change the time. SuperShuttle is EXTREMELY conservative with the time to go back, and that's fine if you're ok waiting 2 1/2 hours in the airport. I would rather stay longer at DLR and not sit around too long, so if I take the shuttle back to the airport (which I only do if I'm traveling alone--otherwise I get a cab), I opt for a time that gives me about an hour at the airport before my flight.

 

[bumbershoot]

Not to everyone, but some and not many people understand California's child seat laws, which are some of the toughest in the U.S.

I always forget that not everyone lives in WA. CA upped their law and now it matches WA, except that they allow kids to sit in the front seat earlier than in WA. In WA, unless you absolutely must allow it, kids under 13 need to stay out of the front seat. My poor kid, who is almost as tall as me, is only 11. He's bigger and stronger than my teensy grandma ever was, and she got to *drive*!

 

[DizMe]

I always forget that not everyone lives in WA. CA upped their law and now it matches WA, except that they allow kids to sit in the front seat earlier than in WA. In WA, unless you absolutely must allow it, kids under 13 need to stay out of the front seat. My poor kid, who is almost as tall as me, is only 11. He's bigger and stronger than my teensy grandma ever was, and she got to *drive*!

This made me laugh!! It also reminded me of the time I saved up at 16 and bought my first car. It was a 1950 Chevy BelAir. It was big and I was not! The steering wheel was huge and the seat only went forward so far. I actually drove around looking through the steering wheel . That lasted less than a year before my parents decided not to invest any more money in the constant repairs.

 

[TechGuy]

As to getting to the airport "too early", I guess I would rather be "early" to the airport and have a stress free trip as opposed to getting there "late" and being stressed I am going to have issues in the security line or miss the flight due to an accident on the freeway.

I am sure I am in the minority on this one and I try not to book my flight on the same day I am in the park. I have not used a shuttle in LA in the past 15 years or so but have in many other cities. We have been driving to Anaheim recently and will this trip.

 

[Kittyskyfish]

DH and I use SS every year when we go to DLR. Based on my email receipts, this year will be the 8th round-trip with SS and so far, we haven't had any unexpected problems with their service.

Waiting:
Yes, we have to wait at the airport for the shuttle and often we circle LAX for passengers. The longest we've ever spent transporting ourselves from curbside at LAX to the Fairfield Inn was 1 hour and 20 minutes, which was caused by a lot of single party passengers that needed to go north of the DLR area - that meant more stops than usual. Usually it's about 45-55 minutes...if I remember correctly.
Returning to the airport, SS has always been punctual. The company provides return time options that I can schedule, which are very conservative, anywhere from 2.5 - 3.5 hours prior to the flight departure. I agree with @TechGuy that for us, leaving early is preferable for us because no one can predict an accident or problems with TSA security lines.

Crazy Drivers:
One was really fast and I held on tight for that ride, but normally they are unremarkable or a little speedy. Some are pleasant, some are boring, one was really interesting and DH held a conversation with him the entire ride. I thought they'd exchange phone numbers! lol

I think it comes down to expectations and how fast you want to get to the hotel and parks. SS shared ride isn't the fastest way to go, but it's inexpensive and gets you there in a reasonable amount of time. It's not the way to go if you want to get to your hotel directly with zero delays.

 

[DizMe]

As to getting to the airport "too early", I guess I would rather be "early" to the airport and have a stress free trip as opposed to getting there "late" and being stressed I am going to have issues in the security line or miss the flight due to an accident on the freeway.

I am sure I am in the minority on this one and I try not to book my flight on the same day I am in the park. I have not used a shuttle in LA in the past 15 years or so but have in many other cities. We have been driving to Anaheim recently and will this trip.

I agree with @TechGuy that for us, leaving early is preferable for us because no one can predict an accident or problems with TSA security lines.

Actually, I think I am in the minority on this! But (a), I would be a lot more conservative going back to LAX (which I don't do) than SNA. SNA is usually only about a 20 minute shuttle trip. I usually leave DLR 2-2 1/2 hours before my flight, depending on day and time. And (b), I've been doing this several times a year for about 12 years so I have a good grasp of how much time I need to allow. I would be more conservative if it wasn't something I did all the time. I've never yet missed a flight, but there's always that chance, and I totally get wanting to make your trip as stress free as possible. I'm also only an hour's flight and some minutes away from home.

 

[TechGuy]

It sounds like you mainly are doing this with just yourself.... and the flight to NorCal, being so frequent, means you have the option to wait an hour or two for the next open seat. I know I never worried about it when I was "commuting" to LA (from Sacramento). Southwest flies at least 7 flights a day between the two cities, each airport.

I don't like being at the airport early but I really don't like extra stress on vacation. AND... like you said, the rules are different for SNA over LAX. It's a simple drive to SNA, LAX feels like a cross country trip.

 

[DizMe]

It sounds like you mainly are doing this with just yourself.... and the flight to NorCal, being so frequent, means you have the option to wait an hour or two for the next open seat. I know I never worried about it when I was "commuting" to LA (from Sacramento). Southwest flies at least 7 flights a day between the two cities, each airport.

I don't like being at the airport early but I really don't like extra stress on vacation. AND... like you said, the rules are different for SNA over LAX. It's a simple drive to SNA, LAX feels like a cross country trip.

Yes, exactly! I forgot to say that I usually fly by myself, not with the fam. And that's exactly the route I fly--SW between SMF and SNA.

It's funny because I am normally such a worry wart about flights. I do sit a long time at the airport to avoid possible problems with traffic, security etc at every other airport, LOL. I heard from someone on DIS once about adjusting your return time with SS so you don't have to sit in the airport so long, and once I tried it I kept up with it.