Mears Connect Experience

[Lewisc]

If the current loads continue for the Mears Connect service, it can’t continue, under the current conditions

Not to mention high enough loads for 2 competing services.

 

[Lewisc]

DME and MEARS should be the same since Disney had very little to do with dme. TOTALLY run by Mears.
The catch as you mentioned, it now cost money that guest have to fork over.

DME produced the volume which produced a system that worked. My understanding is Disney CM checked guests in and dispatched the buses, even if they were empty, if they had been sitting long enough.

Pre DME Mears would wait longer in order to fill a bus.

Low 30s was a R/T fare, PP was overcharged or possibly paid a huge premium for signing up at the last minute

 

[TinkB278]

Has anyone used the premium mears connect service yet? Curious about how it differs.

 

[seashoreCM]

A stumbling block for delivery of luggage from airport to rooms is the chain of responsibility if the luggage got delayed or lost prior to reaching Orlando.

I think that BAGS, Inc. back in the day (pre-pandemic) charged $30. for the first bag per customer they took the responsibility to fetch from the carousels and delivered to (example I saw) the Rosen Hotel on International Drive. I think that Disney accepted the responsibility for lost or damaged bags and in so doing, got a much cheaper rate for luggage delivery from BAGS to go with Magical Express. I do not foresee Mears setting up a baggage claim department.

 

[Lsdolphin]

We used the Mears Connect to return to airport on Wednesday afternoon. Our flight was at 7:00 pm we were picked up at CSR at 4:00 pm we were only passengers boarding at CSR. Driver made one additional stop at AK picking up an additional 6 passengers and we went directly to MCO from there.

 

[Evita_W]

A stumbling block for delivery of luggage from airport to rooms is the chain of responsibility if the luggage got delayed or lost prior to reaching Orlando.

I think that BAGS, Inc. back in the day (pre-pandemic) charged $30. for the first bag per customer they took the responsibility to fetch from the carousels and delivered to (example I saw) the Rosen Hotel on International Drive. I think that Disney accepted the responsibility for lost or damaged bags and in so doing, got a much cheaper rate for luggage delivery from BAGS to go with Magical Express. I do not foresee Mears setting up a baggage claim department.

BAGS inc still does this and the prices are in that range. And they do deliver to Disney hotels, but then you also have to pay bell services.

 

[The Foolish Mortal]

I will add my eperience:

Arrived at MCO friday eveing. Got our bags, walked to the Mears boarding area. There was one other family checking when we got there, but nobody else. Chekin took, maybe, two minutes. After that, we immediately walked onto our bus. One other family already on the bus. As soon as we were on, the bus departed. We were dropped at Grand Florididian, the first stop. The entire process was smooht and quick

 

[JoJoGirl]

Used Mears Connect for my trip Jan 30 - Feb 5. Experience was very good.

Jan 30: Plane landed around 7:45. Received a text from Mears with my boarding pass. Checked in at the Mears podium at around 8:00 pm - received another text with my vehicle number and driver’s name, among other information. Only a couple of other families in the loading area, it looked as if they were loading a few buses simultaneously. Within 5 minutes or so I was boarded. It was a former ME bus - the outlines of Mickey and friends were still visible where the wrap had been removed. Waited another 10ish minutes for a few more passengers. Dropped at 3 resorts: AofA, somewhere else (maybe Pop?) then YC. I was the only person left on the bus for YC. Driver was very polite and helpful. Arrived at YC and was in my room unpacking before 9:00.

Feb 5: Pickup was scheduled for 8:55 am for a 12:00 pm flight. At 7:40 am I received a text with my boarding pass and another two texts with my bus number, driver’s name, and a link to track the bus. Loved the tracking feature - I could see the bus approaching so wasn’t worried about my ride. 8:50 am - bus pulled up, again a former ME bus. I was the first passenger. Two more stops - the Wyndham Grand and Pop Century. Bus ended up being about 1/3 to 1/2 full. Arrived at airport on side B with two hours to spare before my flight.

Everything went very smoothly. I would be comfortable using Mears again.

 

[scrappinginontario]

We didn’t take Mears back to MCO but do want to mention something we experienced Saturday as we were leaving Pop that I don’t remember happening in the past. (Possibly it did and I was unaware).

What we noticed at Pop was the sheer volume of transportation companies dropping off and picking up making that area extremenly busy and almost chaotic. There were times when there were 4 charter buses lined up waiting their turn. The small ‘island’ where you wait to be picked up was crowded with people and luggage. Add to that the number of smaller vehicles lined up closer to the curb, handling Individual families and it just gave the entire area a feeling of confusion.

We were picked up at 3:00 on a very busy day (900 rooms checked out of Pop that day) so it might not normally be that way.

In the past DME carried a good number of families so there were less companies all doing the same thing.

What have others experienced? Was our situation unusual due to the busyness of the day?

 

[Ross Kratter]

We didn’t take Mears back to MCO but do want to mention something we experienced Saturday as we were leaving Pop that I don’t remember happening in the past. (Possibly it did and I was unaware).

What we noticed at Pop was the sheer volume of transportation companies dropping off and picking up making that area extremenly busy and almost chaotic. There were times when there were 4 charter buses lined up waiting their turn. The small ‘island’ where you wait to be picked up was crowded with people and luggage. Add to that the number of smaller vehicles lined up closer to the curb, handling Individual families and it just gave the entire area a feeling of confusion.

We were picked up at 3:00 on a very busy day (900 rooms checked out of Pop that day) so it might not normally be that way.

In the past DME carried a good number of families so there were less companies alldoing the same thing.

What have others experienced? Was our situation unusual due to the busyness of the day?

I have noticed similar congestion at all of the resorts - lots more buses, especially Mears Connect and Sunshine Flyer.

 

[focusondisney]

We didn’t take Mears back to MCO but do want to mention something we experienced Saturday as we were leaving Pop that I don’t remember happening in the past. (Possibly it did and I was unaware).

What we noticed at Pop was the sheer volume of transportation companies dropping off and picking up making that area extremenly busy and almost chaotic. There were times when there were 4 charter buses lined up waiting their turn. The small ‘island’ where you wait to be picked up was crowded with people and luggage. Add to that the number of smaller vehicles lined up closer to the curb, handling Individual families and it just gave the entire area a feeling of confusion.

We were picked up at 3:00 on a very busy day (900 rooms checked out of Pop that day) so it might not normally be that way.

In the past DME carried a good number of families so there were less companies alldoing the same thing.

What have others experienced? Was our situation unusual due to the busyness of the day?

Sorry, OT but I wanted to say I’m so happy to hear you finally got to take your vacation! I hope it was worth the wait, lol!

 

[motherof5]

Took Mears Connect - Standard today (1/3). I always have taken Magical Express for all of my previous trips.

Timeline:
1:11am - Checked in at Mears (same location as old Magical Express)
1:13am - Got on Mears bus (same layout as magical express busses/all luggage went underneath per usual)
1:30am - Bus leaves Airport (about 10-15 passengers)
2:01am - Bus arrived at Pop Century (second stop after AoA)

Overall, pretty much same experience as Magical Express (without the fun Disney videos). Wait time is on par with what I’ve experienced with Magical Express though keep in mind, I tend to arrive late night hours so the crowds/frequency of busses are different. The number of hotels per queue seems to infer that on a busy day, a bus would stop at ~5 different resorts for one bus. My flight arrived 3 hours after the expected time and I had no problem checking into Mears. While checking in, it showed my return bus pickup time from my resort to the airport would be 3 hours prior to the flight (about the same as Magical Express).

What is cost per person? How far in advance should you book?

 

[StageTek]

What is cost per person? How far in advance should you book?

I popped over to the Mears Connect website and found this:
Standard Service: Round Trip $32/Adult - $27/Child
They have and Express Shuttle option.

You should book as soon as you book your flight.

 

[jhglassman]

Have a trip planned for September and I was wondering.

What is the advantage of taking Mears rather than Uber? It sounds more expensive and you still have to wait and pick up your own luggage. I don't mean to judge anybody who has opted for Mears, but is there some obvious advantage that I'm missing?

 

[Turksmom]

Have a trip planned for September and I was wondering.

What is the advantage of taking Mears rather than Uber? It sounds more expensive and you still have to wait and pick up your own luggage. I don't mean to judge anybody who has opted for Mears, but is there some obvious advantage that I'm missing?

It depends how many in your party and amount of luggage. For one person, it would be a lot less expensive to use Mears than an Uber.

For our family of 4, plus luggage, we'd most likely need 2 Ubers, so Mears would be either slightly more or slightly less, depending on Uber pricing and availability. We booked Mears just to make it easier.

For a larger party, it would probably be more expensive than booking a private van

 

[TinkB278]

Has anyone taken the mears express/premium service? Curious about how much better it is.

 

[FrannyFrogs]

I had booked Mears Express for our April trip, but I just cancelled it.

Apparently Express service is a shuttle van, and they will put other people in the van with you (although your party will load last, so you get your direct ride).

I found that even at $200 round trip (the pricing when I booked it; I think it's now $250), I can book a private car service with a nicer vehicle, a free grocery stop, and which picks me up at the MCO terminal where I arrive for less money!

 

[jhglassman]

It depends how many in your party and amount of luggage. For one person, it would be a lot less expensive to use Mears than an Uber.

For our family of 4, plus luggage, we'd most likely need 2 Ubers, so Mears would be either slightly more or slightly less, depending on Uber pricing and availability. We booked Mears just to make it easier.

For a larger party, it would probably be more expensive than booking a private van

Thanks. Makes sense.

 

[motherof5]

I popped over to the Mears Connect website and found this:
Standard Service: Round Trip $32/Adult - $27/Child
They have and Express Shuttle option.

You should book as soon as you book your flight.

Thank you!

 

[AndreaDM]

Have a trip planned for September and I was wondering.

What is the advantage of taking Mears rather than Uber? It sounds more expensive and you still have to wait and pick up your own luggage. I don't mean to judge anybody who has opted for Mears, but is there some obvious advantage that I'm missing?

also for anyone needing car seats, especially multiple ones, it’s a much easier option than trying to find rideshare options that offer car seats.