Our Experience with Mears Connect

With so many people disappointed with the loss of Disney's Magical Express, we thought we needed to try each new service provided to guests when landing at the Orlando International Airport in order to be able to report back with our thoughts. As travel agents we have the ability to book our clients now on Mears Connect which is a pretty easy process with a very low price tag (stay tuned for our Sunshine Flyer Review next week). 
For those who have traveled to Walt Disney World before, they will find Mears Connect eerily similar to Magical Express. It is even located exactly where you would have gone to board in the past, with the same set up for lines and all. Not only does this assist you with some comfort already knowing where to go but gives a little nod to our prior memories of DME (don't forget DME was owned and operated by Mears).

After your Starstuff Travel agent books your reservation you will receive a QR code to show upon your arrival, similar to when you scanned your Magic Band. Then you will enter the line for your specific resort before heading to the bus. It is just about the same exact process as Disney's Magical Express. While we highly recommend you have a standing reservation, they do allow walk ups. 

The difference we found was in our shuttle. We had a much nicer ride than the normal DME bus. It was a smaller shuttle, so we had less stops to make along the way, allowing us to get to our resort much faster. I believe it was a Ford Transit Connect Van or something very similar. We had leather seats and we really enjoyed our transfer.   

Many Disney fans have expressed their opposition for having to pay for "extras" they never had to pay before, leaving them feeling nickeled and dimed. In our opinion, we give this option a thumbs up for both convenience and pricing. We would happily pay the few dollars to be in a nicer ride, and get to our resort quicker. Please enjoy a short video we have below from our experience earlier in the month. 

For more information on adding this to your Walt Disney Word vacation, reach out to your Starstuff Travel planner today.