To Mears or Not to Mears?

[Ragon]

Ok, I'm leaving in 25 days and have made all my Ps, desided which days to go where, but I still lack one important detail. Should I or should I not use Mears?
There will only be two of us traveling and we really dont what to spend a lot of money getting to our hotel. However, I have heard that it sometimes takes 2 hours from the time you buy you Mears tickets to get to the hotel.
Also, if we do you use Mears where do we buy the tickets at?

[smeedell]

I was able to buy our Mears tranportion from my travel agent before leaving for our trip. I think you can purchase your transportion from the Mears desk located near the baggage claim.

I have never had a problem using Mears; it has never taken me longer than an hour from airport to resort. Its best to get your bags quick and be first on the van, the van fills quickly.

[faline]

We used Mears for a number of years before we discovered the pleasures of limo service. We have always founds Mears to be relatively pleasant and efficient. Depending upon arriving planes and the number of arrivals who are using Mears, wait times can vary as can travel time to your resort. No matter which resort we were staying in, it just seemed to be our luck that we were the very last to be dropped off.

Additionally, if Mears has a lot of people scheduled to return to the airport at roughly the same time as you, you might find that they send a full size bus to do the pickup. In this case, you then may travel to several of the resorts before going to the airport. Also, the pickup time you are given will be earlier than you might otherwise have with a limo service (you have to allow for all those other stops).

We ued limo service for the first time a couple of years ago. It is such a pleasure to be picked up at the airport and brought directly to your resort. Our last trip was supposed to be a quick and inexpensive trip; however, I couldn't bring myself to give up that limo service (and it was only 2 of us).

[mjstaceyuofm]

We've used Mears everytime we've gone so far and have no real complaints. The service is usually pretty quick and friendly. But, from what I understand, Ibex towncar is an Intercot supporter (see link above) that provides great service as well. Actually, if you have a larger party, it makes more sense to use their service as opposed to Mears and have them use a van to pick you up... We intend on using it next time we go to WDW.

[Toughbug]

My advice is to take the Mears shuttles. We did this twice with the kids, four of us, and it took about an hour to get to the ASSp or ASMu which were the last stops. It cost about $80 for the four of us. The ticket booth is right outside the baggage claim area and the shuttles load right there. Now, knowing about the limo services that are available for that price, I would book one of those services. But for two people, I would think I would be a little more frugal and take the Mear shuttles. The cost for both, by the way, is for round trip. The Mear shuttles are a good, reliable way to get where you want. Just know what you are getting and you won't be disappointed.

Have a great trip!

[TiggerRPh]

I still would avoid Mears....an hour transit is typical and I feel like it's a cattle car for me. If you want friendly service that takes you (yes you, only you) to your resort within a half hour....use one of the towncar services. I recommend Ibex, not only because they sponsor this site, but I have used them personally and had great service.

[Roland]

I have only had a problem once with Mears in that it took longer than the typical hour to get to a resort and the price is right for a round trip.

Other really like the towncars because of that personalized service, but it does come at a price. Seems like for a group of two, Mears is the way to go. More than that, probably the towncar.

[ChipnDaleGal]

If money is your main concern then I would go with Mears. They do a great job, although it can eat up a lot more time. For me, it has become worth the extra money to have a townecar. We are always so anxious to get on our way and the townecars definitely save time. Gives you extra time on your return day too, which we always try to squeeze every drop out of. Ultimatley, the only thing that really matters is the fact that you are on your way to WDW. Have a great time!!

[Ragon]

Thanks everyone for your advice. I'm going to look in at the prices for towncars and Mears. If the price for a towncar is over $20 I'm going to use Mears. Time is important to use. I know we will be ready to get to our hotel and eat lunch. Again thanks.

[Jasper]

I would double check the prices on Mears vs. Ibex or some of the other town car services. We have usually found that Ibex and Mears are virtually the same price for two people and Ibex is cheaper for more than 2 people.

Just a thought to make sure you are using the correct info.

The other thing to do is rent a car. With only two of you it should be possible for you to rent a compact car for around $40.00 or less for a single day. If you do this though, make sure you use American Car Rental (Please check my facts on the name of the correct rental car company.) because they have a drop off and pickup location on Disney property. You take Disney buses to get to or from the rental place.

The only downside to this are the hours the location at Disney is open. If you are returning a car it is no problem but if you are picking one up, you can sometimes end up renting the car for 2 days instead of 1. When you do that, you are now starting to get into Mears or Ibex pricing.

[Beast_fanatic]

Originally posted by Jasper:
If you do this though, make sure you use American Car Rental (Please check my facts on the name of the correct rental car company.) because they have a drop off and pickup location on Disney property.

That would be National Car Rental.

[Ragon]

Thanks everyone for you advice. After much thought I went with Happy Limo. Their prices were the cheapest that I could find for a town car.

[faline]

I've used Happy Limo a number of times and am scheuduled with them for our upcoming trip. They have provided us with excellent service!

[sarahrebel]

Thanks for the great info everyone. I'll be traveling to the airport with 5 other people - anyone know offhand what the cheapest way to go would be? Are there other options than Mears & Ibex? Website addresses would be appreciated.

[Buddha]

I would not take the Mears mini vans to the park. You may save money, but it can drive you crazy. Its being packed on a van with people all chomping at the bit to get to WDW. Depending on how they drop you off you may be in for a long van ride. I came in at 11 pm and hit my room door at 1 am. It takes only 20 or so minute from MCO to the gates of WDW.
I suggest a limo (Towncar) service Ibex or somehthing. 80-90 dollars RT and its direct airport to hotel. Quick and painless. Not to mention some towncars can stop at a store on the way in.

[jillluvsdisney]

I THINK A TOWNCAR IS WORTH THE &&. MEARS IS OK BUT IT CAN TAKE A LONG TIME DEPENDING ON WHAT HOTEL YOU ARE AT. THE DON'T HAVE SHUTTLES THAT GO TO ONE SPECIFIC RESORT, USUALLY THEY STOP AT A COUPLE ECH TRIP. DEPENDING ON WHAT TIME OF DAY YOU ARE ARRIVING THE TIME SAVED WITH A TOWNCAR WOULD BE WORTH IT. WE ARRIVING AUGUST 7TH AT 3PM. WE'D LIKE TO GO TO EPCOT THAT DAY . IF WE TAKE A SHUTTLE AND THEN CHECK IN CATCH A BUS TO EPCOT ECT WE MIGHT HAVE A FEW HOURS AT BEST. ANOTHER THING TO THINK ABOUT, ON THE DAY YOU LEAVE IT SEEMS LIKE MEARS GETS YOU TO AIRPORT REALLY REALLT EARLY.

[Beast_fanatic]

Originally posted by sarahrebel:
Thanks for the great info everyone. I'll be traveling to the airport with 5 other people - anyone know offhand what the cheapest way to go would be? Are there other options than Mears & Ibex? Website addresses would be appreciated.

Per the IBEX web-site: If your party includes 5 or more we are able to transport you with an air conditioned passenger van.

You can reach their web-site by using the link in the upper right hand corner of the page.

[Disney-4-Me]

We just used Ibex in April. I have used Mears in the past but on this trip there were 13 of us traveling. The cost was about 1/2 for each of us as Mears would have been. We were picked up on time from the airport and taken right to our hotel door. Time is very important to me when we are on a Disney vacation so I wanted to make sure there wasn't going to be a lot of waiting. They were very prompt!