Orlando Hotel Shuttle Malfunctions

My wife and I got home in Toronto after a great Eastern Caribbean cruise on Freedom of the Seas, but the airport - hotel shuttle the night before was less than stellar. We used ChoiceAir for our flight and hotel arrangements, but due to a minor mix-up we were not able to secure a transfer from MCO to our hotel. After discussing the situation with the RCCL sales consultants, we decided to book a transfer ourselves using Mears Transportation, who have a solid reputation. The arrangement was paid in advance, and no questions were raised with respect to our arrival time.

Our flight arrived at MCO just after 11:30pm on Saturday, and it took until about 11:55 for us to collect our luggage and get to the Mears slots. On the way, we passed their counter inside the terminal where an agent, who was busy closing the counter, was quite rude to my wife, clearly annoyed by the intrusion. A second staff member was packing up the kiosk outside the terminal and would not even stop to speak to me.

Another couple, who had arrived approximately 5 minutes before us, had already phoned the dispatcher and been told that a vehicle would be there in 20 minutes. Three calls (each of which promised the same 20 minute arrival time) and more than 90 minutes later, a vehicle finally showed up with no explanation or apology, but with a passenger in the seat behind the driver with no luggage.

We finally arrived at our hotel after 2:00am.

I do not doubt that Mears has earned their reputation by providing better service than we received, however I would be quite hesitant to book them again if I were arriving at MCO late in the evening.

I do not doubt that Mears has earned their reputation by providing better service than we received, however I would be quite hesitant to book them again if I were arriving at MCO late in the evening.

Definitely reach out to the company and let us know how they respond.

OK...not sure how this relating to airline travel though. :confused:

OK...not sure how this relating to airline travel though. :confused:

It's completely related, as it pertains to transportation to/from an airport before/after a cruise. When one arrives at an airport, one generally needs transportation of some kind to go somewhere, be it the port, home or a hotel. Perfectly reasonable to ask or tell other fliers about said transportation, particularly at an airport that serves the cruise industry, as MCO does.

Did your hotel not have a shuttle? I probably would have taken a cab after about 15 minutes and disputed the charge with my credit card company.

I recommend you write a letter to Mears letting them know about your experience, including the rude agent. They are a Large transportation company, handling all the transportation for Disney World and Disney cruises out of PC, and there was no excuse for that. Even if you are not on a "Magical Express" you have every right to expect prompt and courteous service from their agents.

It's completely related, as it pertains to transportation to/from an airport before/after a cruise. When one arrives at an airport, one generally needs transportation of some kind to go somewhere, be it the port, home or a hotel. Perfectly reasonable to ask or tell other fliers about said transportation, particularly at an airport that serves the cruise industry, as MCO does.

Still don't see it myself. Seems to be an issue pertaining to a transportation company and in this case the journey just happens to involve an airport.

Just as an update, Mears did reach out this morning and they have agreed to refund the cost of our transfer.

They acknowledged that things were not handled well, and made no excuses. To my mind that action by itself resolves my concerns.

As far as whether or not this thread relates to air travel or not, I believe that those of us who are members of this forum have an obligation to each other to report issues that could have an impact on our cruises. Had we not flown into Orlando the evening before, we could very well have missed our boarding time due to a 1 1/2 hour delay at the airport after arrival.

I'm sorry if all of you don't agree.

.As far as whether or not this thread relates to air travel or not, I believe that those of us who are members of this forum have an obligation to each other to report issues that could have an impact on our cruises. Had we not flown into Orlando the evening before, we could very well have missed our boarding time due to a 1 1/2 hour delay at the airport after arrival.

 

I'm sorry if all of you don't agree.

If someone doesn't agree, they can report it and ask the moderator to move it.

However, don't think you can compare your 90 minute delay at MCO the night before your cruise to missing the ship if you flew in the next day. Wasn't your delay getting to your hotel due to the transportation you booked not showing up on time?

This has nothing to do with you flying in the next morning.

I think people need to be more proactive. And, as already posted, I am not sure why you just didn't take a cab and ask for a refund. It seems a better solution than hanging out at the airport for so long.

Just as an update, Mears did reach out this morning and they have agreed to refund the cost of our transfer.

 

They acknowledged that things were not handled well, and made no excuses. To my mind that action by itself resolves my concerns.

 

As far as whether or not this thread relates to air travel or not, I believe that those of us who are members of this forum have an obligation to each other to report issues that could have an impact on our cruises. Had we not flown into Orlando the evening before, we could very well have missed our boarding time due to a 1 1/2 hour delay at the airport after arrival.

 

I'm sorry if all of you don't agree.

Glad it all worked out. Regarding whether this is Cruise Air related or not, there have been many other threads started that have far less to do with Cruise Air than yours does! Seems like the critics are out in full force on most Cruise Air threads. No surprise there :D

It's completely related, as it pertains to transportation to/from an airport before/after a cruise. When one arrives at an airport, one generally needs transportation of some kind to go somewhere, be it the port, home or a hotel. Perfectly reasonable to ask or tell other fliers about said transportation, particularly at an airport that serves the cruise industry, as MCO does.

No, it is not related to airline travel. The airline got them to Orlando and home again. This is a shuttle issue that would be better in the "Florida" section, where we get daily questions and discussions on the best way to get from the airport to the port and hotels. :rolleyes:

No, it is not related to airline travel. The airline got them to Orlando and home again. This is a shuttle issue that would be better in the "Florida" section, where we get daily questions and discussions on the best way to get from the airport to the port and hotels. :rolleyes:

You're entitle to your opinion. Mine is that shuttle transport at a major cruise port airport is related. Indirectly, but still related. :rolleyes:

Just as an update, Mears did reach out this morning and they have agreed to refund the cost of our transfer.

 

They acknowledged that things were not handled well, and made no excuses. To my mind that action by itself resolves my concerns.

 

As far as whether or not this thread relates to air travel or not, I believe that those of us who are members of this forum have an obligation to each other to report issues that could have an impact on our cruises. Had we not flown into Orlando the evening before, we could very well have missed our boarding time due to a 1 1/2 hour delay at the airport after arrival.

 

I'm sorry if all of you don't agree.

I am very glad to hear that Mears reached out and provided a refund.

As for whether this thread belongs in Cruise Air or the Florida Forum, I think it could go either way. I wouldn't stress over that part!

Of course it's a cruise air issue.

I just used a car service to transfer between LGW and LHR (on my way to a cruise) and I picked the service to use based on recommendations from other cruisers here on CC which was very useful - I was confident that the transfer would happen and the service I received was, indeed, first class.

Transfers to/from airports to pre/post cruise hotels or cruise ports are an integral part of cruising for many cruisers - if a particular service is unreliable, I want to know about it!

How about we just say this thread is more cruise-related than quite a few others. Here is an obvious example from last month:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2097492

I am sure some will rationalize why that thread qualifies and others don't (and v.v.). Who really cares? :)

At least its more interesting than yet another "Can I make my flight leaving at (insert ridiculously early time here)? thread. :p