Mears vs Sunshine Flyer

DMIL is planning to fly down to join us and has been given outdated Disney info about the Magical Express. Which service should I recommend to her? The Flyer has been advertising to me all over the place, but I see a lot of people on here choose Mears. Any opinions?

I had a positive experience with Sunshine Flyer, so booked them again for an upcoming trip. Probably can’t go wrong with either. Mears has the experience. Sunshine Flyer is trying to break in, so their customer service is on point.

2 Likes

When we used Mears in June it was mostly because we were on a late arrival and Sunshine isn’t 24 hours.

Also if using Mears to depart Disney be very sure to arrive at your meeting place 15 or 20 min early. If there was no one visible, they barely paused at the resort before moving on.

1 Like

We had very positive experience with Sunshine Flyer during our November trip. Highly recommend!

1 Like

I took Sunshine Flyer Sat 11/26 and would not take them again. It is outside and people were standing everywhere with no order, they just call out a resort and you follow them to a bus. Check in process was someone with a clipboard at a makeshift podium, they only glanced ant my email but didn’t scan the QR code. Luckily our resort was called right after we got there… everyone else who was waiting looked miserable. Their pick up schedule was not ideal either; they only had a 7:40am or 11:40am pickup at our resort, they didn’t have an option in between. We cancelled and took a Lyft back to the airport ($40 including tip for Lyft XL). If your MIL can handle Lyft or Uber rideshare, that’s what I would recommend. Otherwise Mears because at least it’s inside with orderly lines for each resort.

1 Like

What time of day did you arrive? We are checking in on a Saturday also, but early AM. Hoping not for chaos. I remember having a hard time finding them because the check in person was holding a tiny
8 1/2x 11 sign, but once I did the workers were friendly and helpful. That is what stood out to me most about their service. Fingers crossed it’s not a mess this time. I will report back later.,

2 Likes

The service has really slipped as the year has progressed, which is sad. I find the reports of poor experiences outweighs the good ones now, which is opposite of when they started

The thing is I think all of the transportation vendors are overwhelmed by the demand that has been created by the elimination of DME. I think they are just the latest - probably because the early reviews were so overwhelmingly positive.

I don’t know who to recommend for shuttle service anymore. I try to recommend car services if folks are open to it but I get that those are pricey. For myself, I’ll Lyft thank you.

4 Likes

We arrived at the Sunshine Flyer area at around 11:30am. The look my husband gave me when we walked out the doors to the mob of people waiting outside… I believe he asked me “Why (then some swear words) would you switch things up?”

1 Like

The “kids ride free” thing maybe created more demand than they were equipped to handle with the set up they have outside. (And honestly that promotion is why I booked but never again.) It’s probably not so different than Mears operations, but at least the waiting inside in lines labeled by resort gives the semblance of order. I was also surprised with the lack of return trip times. Our flight out was at 11:45 and it made no sense to me that the only choices for a bus from WL were 7:40 or 11:15. They did refund when I cancelled the day before and the refund hit my account a couple of days later.

3 Likes

I used Florida Towncar in July, and I have to say they were wonderful. Pricey, but worth it to me. I would imagine that they aren’t anymore expensive than Uber or Lyft for the distance. You pay once and it covers arrival and departure.

Really? IME Uber and Lyft seem to run $35-$45 each way depending on demand. If I can get a car service for that price I just might

2 Likes

I guess that Uber or Lyft is cheaper, then. It was worth it to me, though.

1 Like

Darn. Hoped you had given me a new cheap option

It’s a flat rate of $115, which covers both ways. Between midnight and 6 am there is a $10 fee. They have car seat rentals, not that you need them… they will also make grocery store stops for a little bit extra.

I think it’s a good deal over a bus, personally. No lines and they are there when you need them.

1 Like

So depending on time it’s close actually

2 Likes

Yes. The only caveat is that they only take cash or travelers checks.

1 Like

I didn’t even know traveler’s checks were still a thing.

2 Likes

Me, either. LOL!

If you have a DeLorean, why do you need a car service? :thinking::rofl:

5 Likes