Transportation to US/IoA

[ItsOnlyMoney]

There will be 6 of us going from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Universal.
Can we fit in a cab and would this be more economical than the Mears van? or not?

 

[macraven]

Mears will be $20 a person rt.
might be a wash either way.
if you get a cab at dtd, cab could be cheaper than getting it from AK.

 

[goofy4tink]

There will be 6 of us going from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Universal.
Can we fit in a cab and would this be more economical than the Mears van? or not?

A cab will probably be cheaper....and you can get a van cab, so fitting shouldn't be an issue. You don't say how many adults, how many children...all adults would be $120 r/t, using Mears. I'm sure a cab, or car service, would be less.

 

[Alicatt]

There will be 6 of us going from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Universal.
Can we fit in a cab and would this be more economical than the Mears van? or not?

We used MH (Murray Hill) Transportation in May for 6 of us from POR to Universal. They sent a minivan. It was $90 round trip, not including tip. The service was good and it was nice being able to choose the pick up times and have a private vehicle.

 

[escriven75]

We've always booked a package when we've visited Universal and with the package we'd book the round trip meet n greet transport. However, we booked the hotel separately this time so I'm trying to find the best option for our transportation to/from airport and hotel. I don't know if you can use the same meet n greet transport if you're not booking a package. Does anyone know if you can still book this same service if you're not booking a package?
The hotel gave me a number for Destination MCO. Has anyone used this service? Is it reliable/timely/safe and is it a private pick-up so we will not be making additional stops? I hear many mentions of a Mears shuttle, the hotel did not suggest this option. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

[mickey1968]

I am planning a solo visit to USF/IOA in November and think I may do the shuttle rather than rent a car this trip. Right now I am thinking I could do just one day for both parks because I mainly just want to see the Harry Potter stuff and a handful of other rides. No coasters except Mummy.

Anyway, has anyone booked for only one day service and then decided while there that you want to come back the next day as well? Do they have 24-hour reservation line for Mears? Can they schedule with that short of notice?

TIA

 

[goofy4tink]

I am planning a solo visit to USF/IOA in November and think I may do the shuttle rather than rent a car this trip. Right now I am thinking I could do just one day for both parks because I mainly just want to see the Harry Potter stuff and a handful of other rides. No coasters except Mummy.

Anyway, has anyone booked for only one day service and then decided while there that you want to come back the next day as well? Do they have 24-hour reservation line for Mears? Can they schedule with that short of notice?

TIA

You can call the night before to book transportation for the following day.

 

[mobulldog]

thanks

 

[DONALD38]

After reading a lot of responses on this thread, we decided to just get a Taxi for there and back to USIOA. The cost will basically be the same, maybe a couple dollars more. This way we are not on a buses schedule and not making several stops at other resorts and parks before getting there and back to our resort on the way back.

 

[JamieLM]

Great info, thanks! I'll be staying onsite at Caribbean Beach and will need to make arrangements with Mears. Can the front desk help me arrange my transportation 24 hrs in advance or do I need to call a specific number to book? Can I also book earlier than 24hrs?

 

[mum of two pirates]

So is it still $18 round trip from the Disney hotels to U.S. and I.A. Thanks Mum

 

[LuzzBightyear]

We have 6 going to Universal from Boardwalk...the taxi fare estimator says $34 from Epcot to US, so I assume it is roughly the same from BWI.
But since we have 6, sounds like we need a van cab. Are the rates for those more than a regular car?
Also, are these vans typically waiting outside Disney resorts and Universal Studios? Or do you need to call one when you want to leave? Or do you reserve ahead of time?

 

[rKrispyt]

We're exploring our options for a trip from All Star Movies to US/IoA. We had planned to do the Mears shuttle but then encountered a lot of horror stories about it so I'm currently exploring the option of Uber. I see that if the rest of my party signs up through my link, I'll get a $10 credit for each of them, plus they'll each get a $30 credit for their first ride, so...my math shows that it'd be free or as little as $10 round trip based on the quote I was given.

I've never used Uber before so I'm wondering if anyone here has tried it yet in Orlando to get from Disney to Universal in time for park opening? Were there higher rates or anything based on traffic? Was it hard to get something that early?

 

[Off to Neverland 7]

My DBF and I used Uber to get from Universal to Disney. We both downloaded the Uber app and each received a promo code for a $30 credit for a ride. We used one credit to get from the airport to Universal Cabana Bay (we stayed there one night to go to WWoH an hour early) and it only costed $6.40 for the ride including tip. Then the next day, we used Uber again to get form Cabana Bay to Animal Kingdom Lodge and that ride only costed us $0.39. The nice Uber driver wouldn't accept my tip. You can also send friend codes to each other to get more $30 credits. It's awesome and totally help make the ground transportation affordable.

Off To Neverland



Disneyland Resort annually Spring Break 1993-2000
Caribbean Beach Resort July 2001
Paradise Pier Resort 2009, November 2014
Grand Californian April 2010
Pop Century Sept 2012 & Sept 2013
Disneyland Hong Kong July 2013
Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Villas & Universal's Cabana Bay Sept 2014
Pop Century & Disney Dream Feb 2015!!

 

[goofy4tink]

We're exploring our options for a trip from All Star Movies to US/IoA. We had planned to do the Mears shuttle but then encountered a lot of horror stories about it so I'm currently exploring the option of Uber. I see that if the rest of my party signs up through my link, I'll get a $10 credit for each of them, plus they'll each get a $30 credit for their first ride, so...my math shows that it'd be free or as little as $10 round trip based on the quote I was given.

I've never used Uber before so I'm wondering if anyone here has tried it yet in Orlando to get from Disney to Universal in time for park opening? Were there higher rates or anything based on traffic? Was it hard to get something that early?

I'm not sure what 'horror stories' you've heard, or where, but I've used the Mears shuttle on many occasions and it has worked very well. I've used it to get to US/IoA to check into Royal Pacific for the night...got there by 7:50, and was able to check in and get to IoA for the last 30 mins of their early morning deal. It's never taken me more than 35 mins to get to US/IoA from a WDW resort...going back can be longer but it's not a huge deal.
Just wanted to put that out there.

 

[rKrispyt]

I'm not sure what 'horror stories' you've heard, or where, but I've used the Mears shuttle on many occasions and it has worked very well. I've used it to get to US/IoA to check into Royal Pacific for the night...got there by 7:50, and was able to check in and get to IoA for the last 30 mins of their early morning deal. It's never taken me more than 35 mins to get to US/IoA from a WDW resort...going back can be longer but it's not a huge deal.
Just wanted to put that out there.

Well I had actually planned to use the Mears shuttle but a friend in our party looked into it recently and found a facebook group that had a lot of scary stories about no shows and being transferred all over when calling to follow up on a no show, eventually taking a cab. Other stories about it taking forever to get there because they stop at Sea World first? When she told me that, I googled and came across a lot of stories of no shows. Figured it might not be worth the risk.

 

[goofy4tink]

Well I had actually planned to use the Mears shuttle but a friend in our party looked into it recently and found a facebook group that had a lot of scary stories about no shows and being transferred all over when calling to follow up on a no show, eventually taking a cab. Other stories about it taking forever to get there because they stop at Sea World first? When she told me that, I googled and came across a lot of stories of no shows. Figured it might not be worth the risk.

I have never stopped at SW on the way to US/IoA when using the Mears shuttle. I have also never experienced any no shows either. Yes, there are multiple stops, some not even in WDW. But it's a shared shuttle, so you have to expect that. It has never taken me more than 45 mins to get from my resort to US/IoA. Perhaps I've been lucky.

 

[Nikki21]

Has anyone had any luck getting in early when they used their Dreams Unlimited ticket?

When I went last year (Sept 2013), I handed the security guard (CM?) at the turnstile my Dreams Unlimited voucher and he let me in with the other on site guests.

Does this still work? or is it hit or miss?

thanks!

 

[captaindavidhook]

I have never been on any of the Mears shuttle's so was wondering, if I asked them on the way back to take me to DTD instead of my Disney resort would they do that for me? I have a late dinner reservation and it would make more sense to go form Universal to DTD then back to my resort. Perhaps if not, it just might be easier to get a cab instead.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have never been on any of the Mears shuttle's so was wondering, if I asked them on the way back to take me to DTD instead of my Disney resort would they do that for me? I have a late dinner reservation and it would make more sense to go form Universal to DTD then back to my resort. Perhaps if not, it just might be easier to get a cab instead.

The last time I used Mears to get me back to my resort, there was a couple that asked if it would be possible to go to DTD instead of their resort (SoG). The driver asked if anyone minded making that stop. Since we were in a van, there were only about 6 of us, and no one minded. So that's where we went. I would just ask.