Transportation Help Needed Please! About This Page:

[karyntay07]

Hi everybody!

You were so great in answering my last question, I couldn't help but ask one more! I promise I'll stop after this one because, well, all my questions will be answered .

I know that there are several different ways to get from WDW to IOA, however I don't know which one is most reliable and cost effective. The reliability factor is much more important than the cost, but of course I would like to keep the cost in mind. I have heard some awful stories about the Mears bus, did you have a good experience/bad experience? I just heard about the Lynx bus - how does this system work? I went to the website but it is all somewhat confusing, so I figured I would ask if anyone has used the system and if they liked it or not. Of course the third option is to take a taxi - I decided not to rent a car, it would be too much hassle.

If you were staying at the POFQ, how would you get to IOA? (This question has been plaguing me since January!) Thanks for any advice you have!

[judyjo]

We have always used Mears to get to Universal/IOA and never had a problem. They were always on time. Some drivers are more friendly than others-nothing magical, but not a bad experience either in the roughly 8 times we've used them.

[Shell_of_the_South]

Check out this sticky thread - it has some info on transportation that might be helpful:

Transportation from Disney to Universal?

[Sandra Bostwick]

ALot of it depends on how much time you have.

The shuttle-type rides (like Mears) can use up quite a bit of time. I have never experienced Lynx, so I can't comment on that, but I've used shuttles in general. Even if you only have to wait 20 minutes each way for the shuttle to arrive, and if you only spend 30 minutes (a hopeful estimate) dropping others off, that is over an hour right there waiting, which is valuable time on vacation. That does not even count actual travel time. Also, with the shuttle-type rides, you pay per person, so that can add up.

You could drive your own rental car, but if you plan to use Disney transportation inside the parks it is kind of a waste. Renting a car for only one day can be pricey.

I like to call a car service. The PassPorter book lists some good ones. You tell them the time you want to leave and they are RIGHT there. You pay per car, so if you have several people a nice town car can actually be cheaper. You don't have the extra stops and they'll even make a stop at a food store or some other point of interest if you like. Also, the drivers seem to be just plain nicer than some of the shuttles (though the drivers on Disney transportation can be quite magical!)

I just ask myself how much that extra hour+ is worth in $$. It puts paying for car service in a perspective, especially if I only have a short vacation.

Hope you have lots of fun and travel safely, whatever you decide!

[Sandra Bostwick]

Oh, I forgot to mention, one UPSIDE of the time spent visiting other hotels/resorts to pick-up and drop-off others with a shuttle is that you get to see what they look like. Especially at Disney, that can be a real fun excursion in itself.