We’ve said that we miss Disney’s Magical Express approximately 14 million times, but we’ll say it again for good measure — WE MISS DISNEY’S MAGICAL EXPRESS!
Yes, it was very nice that the service was free for Disney World hotel guests, but we also very rarely had any issues with our trip. Now that Disney’s Magical Express has been done away with, many people are using Mears Connect (which has since merged with the Sunshine Flyer as well) to get to their Disney World hotel. BUT, many of our readers have been giving the service just one star — here’s why.
Late Buses/No Shows
Many of our readers shared with us on our reviews page that their biggest grievance with Mears Connect was how late the buses were. Guests are told there are buses every 20-30 minutes running from the Orlando Airport, but one reviewer shared that a bus took 75 minutes to show up.
Even worse than that though is that multiple readers have shared with us that their Mears bus never showed up for them. This is typically at their Disney World hotel when they’ve scheduled to be brought back to the airport. One reader said, “our bus to take us back to the airport never showed up. Us and another party were supposed to be picked up at 5:10 and the tracking link wasn’t working. At 5:30 we called and were assured the bus was coming. At 5:45 a Mears Connect Van driver showed up (not there for us-she was there for another group) and we explained our situation. Luckily she had a few extra seats and was able to call her supervisor and get us on the van. We pulled out of the resort at 5:55, 45 mins after our bus was supposed to be there, and we don’t know if that bus ever showed.“
Lack of Communication
Other readers shared with us that the lack of communication with Mears Connect is atrocious and caused way more stress than needed. One AllEars readers said that, “When getting picked up for the airport the link provided no info on our bus until 20 minutes past when we were supposed to have left for the airport.”
Another reviewer shared that they were waiting outside for 40 minutes, then were charged $16 as a no show. There was “no attempt made to call me, nor was I given a number to call the driver.” When a different reviewer’s bus never showed up, they were assured another one was on the way. However, when that shuttle showed up, the driver had never been informed that he would need to pick up additional passengers. During the ride, “his radio was on and I heard multiple drivers saying they were adding people to their stops because of no show buses, so this must be a common occurrence.”
Buses Take Forever
Now, it’s important to add in some buffer time when you’re traveling with a service like this, but Mears Express appears to run so far behind that it has caused multiple customers to nearly miss their flights, or in this case, a dining reservation. Check out this review from an Anonymous reader detailing their trip.
A different reviewer shared that their family was rushing to get to the bus stop at their hotel by 11:30 to be early for their 11:50 bus. However, the bus didn’t show up until 12:30, and when they called multiple times, they were just being told the bus was “on its way.”
According to these reader reviews, Mears Connect may give you some issues. The AllEars team has not personally reviewed Mears Connect, but we want to remind you that taking a rideshare to and from the airport and Disney World is an option. You still may run into some delays with traffic, but you’ll be dropped off where you need to go without needing to wait for others to be dropped off first!
In a statement from Mears, the company said they strive to provide 5-star service and experiences to 100% of their guests. Mears reviews all feedback, addresses any areas of concern immediately, and changes processes to improve the guest experience when necessary. If you have any feedback on the service, Mears asks that you reach out to [email protected].
We’re always here to help you plan your next Disney World trip, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for the latest news!
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Have you used Mears Connect? Tell us about your experience below!
I have used Mears. Once to take us to a one day round trip to Universal Orlando in 2010 & the other time was to take me one-way to MCO in 2024. I had no issues with both of these services. Mears also was my free airport roundtrip service for a trip to Universal Orlando Resort as a part of my vacation package in 2021. I believe this free service is no longer part of a Universal Orlando hotel & theme park vacation package. I had bo issues w/ Mears for this trip also. Plus the manager personally went & got a wheelchair & wheeled me to the correct airport gate for my Universal resort bus. Someone who is willing to go out of the way and do that for a customer that has mobility issues is a okay person in book.
The last time we were there we used Sunshine Flyer we had no issues. This concerns me if this is truly an issue we will be stuck. We have to use the bus as there is no other transportation offered for wheelchair users that I can find?
The last time I used Mears the buses were taking so long to pick us up from the airport that the employees started calling us Mears taxis. One family at a time.
The time before that, it was 3 hours from the time my flight landed until I arrived at my resort.
One time might be a fluke, but twice means we’ll never use them again.
We have been going to WDW for 30 years with family and this is one of the things I hate the most…Fastpass being second. The first time we took The Sunshine Flyer back to the airport and was late (picking up additional passengers) and boarded 5minutes before takeoff. 😰 No Disney fun on the bus, late, no auto luggage to your room!!!!! Bring it BACK!!!
I guess I am the only one that had a perfect experience with Mears. I arrived in Orlando airport in the morning and there was no line for Mears. My bus was waiting and left within 3 minutes of me sitting down. On my return I received a text at around 5 AM letting me know my bus was nearby and it arrived 10 minutes early. Made 2 stops on the way to the airport to pick up additional passengers and arrived in plenty of time for my flight. As perfect as Magical Express and Magical Express never included a text alert.
The first time we used Mears to get back to the airport it was an hour late. The website insists on you popping a phone number in the booking form, however, we leave our mobiles on airplane mode whilst we are in Florida just in case someone rings from back home in Britain & it costs us a fortune. We were worried that they might phone or send a text that we couldn’t access. They do take an email address but nothing came through on that. It makes the end of your holiday stressful.
I can’t say I’m surprised. Any type of group transportation will have delays. Even with Magical Express I have experienced delays. The last one was so bad we arrived at the airport 2 hours late and nearly missed the flight home. I will always do private car services from now on. Saving a few hundred dollars but having so many potential headaches in not a good trade-off when you’re spending a ton of money for the vacation in the first place.
If I am not mistaken, the DME was operated by Mears. We tried the Sunshine Flyer and it was just not the same (not sure why that is. It was the same bus company) . This past month we used Uber. And , while a higher cost, was far better. But if you think about it, having all these Ubers and Lyfts is really adding to the number of vehicles on the road. More traffic can’t be doing a whole lot for trip times from and back to the airport. So it might be a good thing, and another headache, to try and plan your flight arrival and departure times to avoid rush hour.