Let me tell you a little story about my last trip to Disney World. I landed at Orlando International Airport, and as soon as my feet hit that iconic green carpet, I knew what I had to do. I had to get myself to Disney World!
Orlando International Airport
Now, several years ago, I used to be able to stroll right down to the Disney Magical Express zone, hop on a bus, and go straight to my Disney resort…for FREE. Yeah, that’s not a thing anymore (shocker). Instead, you’re on your own, people. YOU decide how you’re getting from the Orlando Airport (or any airport in the area) to Disney World. I recently tested two of the most popular options, Mears Connect and Uber, and I’m here to give you my honest thoughts on both services.
Uber
Let’s start with my trip from the airport to my hotel, Disney’s Pop Century Resort. After my flight landed in Orlando and I got my bags, I was ready to call a ride. I strolled out the doors, pulled up my Uber app, and requested a ride. Within seconds, Uber found a driver! SCORE! I only waited about five minutes for my driver to circle the airport and pick me up.
Orlando Airport
The ride was seamless! I called the Uber at 5:22PM, my ride arrived at 5:27PM, and I was dropped off at 6:03PM. Once we got to the resort, I was taken right to the front of Pop Century. My driver helped unload my bag from the trunk, and I was on my way to my room in no time. Easy, eh? Well, here’s where I tell you how much I paid for my ride. For that roughly 30-minute ride, I paid $64.98 BEFORE a tip.
©Uber
Keep in mind that rideshare services like Uber and Lyft use a system called surge pricing, so depending on the time (and location) of your ride, you may pay a little more for the same trip.
Rideshare sign at EPCOT
Mears Connect
Fast-forward a few days, and it was time to go home. Boo! This time, I decided to use Mears Connect to go from my resort, Disney’s Pop Century Hotel, to the Orlando International Airport. This is the closest thing to the old (free) Disney’s Magical Express Service that currently exists. OK, now it’s time to compare it to my Uber ride. Same distance, same price? NOPE! Not even close.
Mears Connect
My ride to the airport with Mears was, drumroll, please…$16 (before tip)! Now, there are a few caveats since this isn’t a true apples-to-apples comparison. For one, my ride with Mears was NOT private; I shared the bus with about five other families.
Inside a Mears Connect bus
Additionally, it was not a direct ride to the airport. The bus stopped at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort before going to the Orlando Airport. Depending on where you’re staying, you may make multiple stops at other Disney hotels before leaving Disney World.
Caribbean Beach
At the airport, the bus also stopped at Terminal C before dropping me off at Terminal B. So, yes, you have to be a little more patient if you’re using something like Mears Connect. Still, I got to the airport at least two hours before my flight took off, so it’s not like I was on a time crunch.
Terminal C
The Verdict
Let’s be honest. People don’t like sharing. People also don’t like waiting. So, you might think I am Team Uber over Team Mears, given all the extra stops you have to deal with on the bus. But, come on, it’s $16! For one person, the difference between a ride on Mears Connect is WAY cheaper than an Uber ride. It’s a no-brainer for me — I prefer Mears!
Mears Connect bus
Here’s where things may look different for you, though. Number one: you might have a family of four (or more). Suddenly, your cheap ride via Mears is not so cheap. In fact, as a family of 4+, you could end up paying about the same price as an Uber ride. In that case, it might make more sense to just call an Uber; it’s a direct, private ride to the airport, after all.
Mears Connect at Orlando International Airport
Really, if price is the biggest factor for you, the decision might come down to the number of people in your party. While services like Uber and Lyft use surge pricing, the price isn’t based on the number of people in the car. Mears, on the other hand, charges a per-person ticket price.
Mears Connect is one of the airport shuttle services available.
The good news is that Mears offers child rates for those ages 3–9, and children under three ride free. So, if you feel more comfortable riding on a bus than in an Uber, this might be the better choice! Ultimately, there are pros and cons to both services. Price it out before you leave and see what’s best for your family.
Don’t want to go through all of the stress of booking your Disney World trip alone? Reach out to our friends at Small World Vacations! Their experienced agents monitor your reservation for possible future savings, compare discounts and figure out which one works best for your travel party, dates, resort, and touring plans. And, they share expert tips and first-hand advice with you about your magical vacation.
Small World Vacations
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The difference in cost is irrelevant. When visiting WDW, time is money. With an Uber, you can arrive at the resort and begin to get settled while you would likely still be waiting to depart the airport on the shared bus. When looking at the overall costs of visiting, Uber is a no-brainer in improving the vacation experience.
We went mid September and an Uber for 2 people latest morning Monday was about $26 before tip. The return mid day Wednesday was only $18 before tip. More convenient, faster, cheaper.
Comparing an Uber ride from the airport to a resort to a Mears bus ride from a resort to the airport is comparing apples to oranges. I took an Uber ride recently for the first time, airport to Pop Century. I didn’t use Mears because I had a park ticket for that day and wanted to get there as quickly as possible. That was my priority! I didn’t want to waste time waiting around for a bus to be ready to leave the Mears location and start for my resort. But at the end of my vacation, I took the cheaper Mears ride from the resort to the airport, because time didn’t matter then. Mears allows plenty of time to get to your plane ride. If you have a park ticket for your arrival date, Uber at the beginning and Mears at the end makes sense.
Last year, for the first time, we used an Uber driver. As someone with mobility issues, it was a heaven sent experience. My ability to climb the steps up into the Express bus worsened year after year. Bus drivers were really helpful and most passengers were kind, but I hated causing problems. We are three older sisters, the other 2 who have take on my issues so the Uber driver actually helped them in the long run, too.
You selected UberX, which is more expensive. With a regular Uber, you’d pay half that, or less. The last time I took Mears, it took almost 2 hours to get to my resort. They stopped at 4 other resorts before mine.
The cost of your ride also depends on the time of day. Last August we used an Uber to get from the resort to the airport at about four in the afternoon. The cost was $36 before tip. Well worth it to be dropped off right where I needed to be.
We had a bad experience with Mears when we traveled in September. Like you, our return trip to the airport was seamless but our trip going to the resort from the airport was the opposite. We waited close to an hour from the time we checked in to when our shuttle arrived. Not to mention they line you up in groups and theres nothing to do but stand and wait. After a day of travel that’s the last thing we wanted to do… It’s a good price but we will probably let do a private shuttle/uber the next time.
Nothing compares to the Magical Express! You walk from the plane directly to the Magical Express. You luggage was picked up for you and delivered right to your room at the resort. We watched a WELCOME VIDEO to the WDW and short cartoon. AND IT WAS FREE! It really started your trip Totally Magical made you feel like you wanted to stay at Disney and not go running off to Universal. Disney really needs to rethink bringing back the Magical Express and the family valuesl
Nice catch on the Uber X – yeah that will cost extra!
Having said that, I like riding Mears with the kids as some Uber drivers aren’t very safe and I have to load in a car seat and booster in the Uber which is annoying.
Avec un enfant, nous n’avons pas le choix. Uber n’a pas de siège auto…