Mears counter question

[WDW4us2006]

Hi - I have a reservation through Mears to the Marriott World Center for a conference prior to my WDW trip. I am very familiar with MCO - have both rented cars and taken DME but never Mears shuttle. My questions are:
Has anyone used this service recently?
Are there counters on both sides of the terminal (A and B)?
I have a confirmation with a bar code - do I just scan it somewhere? Are there kiosks? Or do I have to wait at the counter to check in for my reservation?
Anything else I should know?

Thanks!

 

[shoreward]

There are Mears counters on both the A and B sides, just past the rental car counters.

You will need to bring your confirmation to either counter and scan the bar code or enter the confirmation number. A receipt, for your records, and a boarding pass will be given to you. If you already have your bags, go outside to the designated boarding area, to which the Mears counter rep can direct you. There will be a counter there, where you will present the boarding pass. A pager will be handed to you, which will flash when your shuttle is ready. After turning in the flashing pager, a driver will escort you to the vehicle, collect your boarding pass, and load your bags. It's customary to tip that driver, especially if you have bags.

This may sound complicated, but it's not bad. The service is usually reliable. The wait for a shuttle can be up to about 20 minutes. I presume you are taking the shared shuttle; if so, be prepared to have other stops before yours. On the other hand, you may be the lucky one to be dropped off first.

To save time, I usually head over to Mears for the boarding pass, prior to collecting bags. The last time I did that, I waited no more than a few minutes for my bags to appear on the carousel. Collecting my boarding pass before bags also meant that I didn't have to haul the bags around the airport as much.

 

[disneyseniors]

Don't know if this is helpful, but we had only one experience with Mears while staying onsite. The night before, we went to concierge and had them book a Mears transport for us for 7am the next AM going to Universal. We waited til 7:30 am that day and no one ever showed up!!!! We had to get a cab (no smart phone so no Uber). Once burned, , we will never trust Mears again. We barely made it in time for park opening as it was.

 

[writerguyfl]

The information shoreward provided is right on target. It does sound complicated, but it's not really pretty easy. Additionally, there's an on-site Mears employee available on both sides (A and B) 24/7. Just ask if you have questions.

To provide counterpoint to disneyseniors comment, I used the Mears shared-van service dozens of times when I lived in Orlando. Never once had a problem. And, I used the service earlier this year to get to one of the Disney Springs Hotels from the airport. My flight arrived just after dawn, so the Mears desk wasn't staffed. There was a sign that said to check in with the person outside. Walked about 20 feet, presented my paperwork, and was on a van about 15 minutes later. I was fortunate in that I was the only passenger, so it was a quick trip. The driver was professional and pleasant.

So, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend using Mears.

 

[WDW4us2006]

Hello and thank you guys so much for your information! Thought I would let you know that I used the shuttle today and it worked exactly like you said it would. Super easy! I was the only one at the counter when I arrived, got my boarding pass, picked up my luggage, went outside, and was on a shuttle in like five minutes. Thanks!