OK, but who is Tony Hinds?

[NYEmomma]

I've seen so many good reviews on here about Tony's transportation services so I went ahead and emailed him for our trip. He replied really promptly and I thought the price was reasonable ($210 for MCO to POR, POR to Endless Summer, Endless Summer to MCO) so I'm ready to go ahead and book.

But I know DH and he's going to think I've lost my mind when I tell him I just booked transportation with some random dude from the internet, lol. So give me the lowdown on Tony so I don't look like a crazy person. What's his story? How did y'all find out about him?

 

[macraven]

I found Tony back in 1995 on the internet boards when he was a driver for a popular transportation company many used

He did well and eventually set up his own transportation company.

He and his team of drivers, have been fair and reliable to all their customers.

He and his team have been dependable

 

[shellsbell]

I've seen so many good reviews on here about Tony's transportation services so I went ahead and emailed him for our trip. He replied really promptly and I thought the price was reasonable ($210 for MCO to POR, POR to Endless Summer, Endless Summer to MCO) so I'm ready to go ahead and book.

But I know DH and he's going to think I've lost my mind when I tell him I just booked transportation with some random dude from the internet, lol. So give me the lowdown on Tony so I don't look like a crazy person. What's his story? How did y'all find out about him?

I just booked Tony for the our June trip and it is the 4th time we have used his service. Learned about him here on disboards… such a gentleman, his staff has always been wonderful and professional, never been disappointed!

 

[sam_gordon]

I found out about him here (disboards). We used him to go from POP to Port Canaveral, then from the Port to Daytona airport. His prices were reasonable, he was very friendly and prompt. We're using him again for a cruise in July.

He used to have a very basic website, but I can't seem to find it any more.

 

[MillauFr]

Why not just use Lyft or Uber?

 

[CarolynFH]

I read multiple posts about Tony Hinds here on the WDW forums as well as on the Universal Orlando forums. We used his service in January, from MCO to one resort and then back from a different resort, and were very pleased. On the way home we had an early flight and needed to leave our resort at 6:30 AM - his driver was a few minutes early, which we appreciated, first because we'd rather leave earlier than later, and second because the PreCheck line at MCO turned out to be longer and slower than we've ever seen it, and we were glad to have the extra minutes!

 

[Lewisc]

Why not just use Lyft or Uber?

Car services will frequently offer a complimentary grocery stop. Car services offer a guaranteed price. Ride share prices are sometimes double the typical prices. Guests taking very early flights have reported 20 minute waits for ride share

 

[gottalovepluto]

Why not just use Lyft or Uber?

I always used to but used a car service last trip and it’s gonna be hard to go back.

-The car was waiting at the airport, the driver was at my luggage carousel (my last Lyft at MCO I was cancelled on around 4 times right as the drivers hit the airport and then it was wait another 10 mins for the next one )
-The driver was safe (rideshare drivers to/from MCO rarely make me feel safe with their driving)
-The car was waiting at the hotel for my return trip vs me ordering & timing it for the trip back to MCO. It dropped some stress from my return home day.

I used Tiffany Towncar, think it was like $180 roundtrip + tip. Felt it was money well spent that trip. Idk if I will do that on a solo trip but when traveling with my fam it just made it easier.

 

[Princess Merida]

We started using Tony when our love for Universal began 2 years ago. Now we use him on all of our Orlando trips since magical express is gone. I am much more comfortable using his service than Uber or Lyft with kids in tow. He makes a stop at the grocery store for no additional charge on the way which is very convenient. There is also a liquor store in that shopping center that you can run into if you drink alcohol. We have probably used him six times now and have family that uses him as well. There have been no issues thus far and his drivers have been almost as fantastic as he is.

 

[Farro]

I found out about him here (disboards). We used him to go from POP to Port Canaveral, then from the Port to Daytona airport. His prices were reasonable, he was very friendly and prompt. We're using him again for a cruise in July.

He used to have a very basic website, but I can't seem to find it any more.

How do you get a hold? I tried googling and I don't see a website with any info. Wondering about price.

 

[mamamia2005]

We booked through Tony for our December trip for a pick up from MCO.
His driver John called me the evening before to confirm final arrangements.
When we arrived at MCO we were through immigration (we are from the UK) much faster than anticipated, so we had to wait a few minutes for John to arrive. I had text him to let him know we were really early! But it wasn't an issue, and he was pleasant and helpful.

 

[sam_gordon]

How do you get a hold? I tried googling and I don't see a website with any info. Wondering about price.

aobh607@gmail.com​

 

[Farro]

aobh607@gmail.com​

Thank you!!!

 

[NYEmomma]

I booked him this morning and told DH all about him - he's a small business that started back in the 90s as a driver for a larger transportation company and then struck out on his own. And surprise, surprise, DH LOVES the idea and is all about it - wanting to support small business and the "little man" who broke out on his own and came up with his own business model that's very successful, so I'm stoked.

As for why not using Uber/Lyft, we're a family of 5 + luggage so getting a ride to fit us isn't going to be simple or guaranteed. I'd also rather make arrangements now so that I don't have to think or worry about it when we land.

I also appreciate that Tony offered to add in our Disney transfer to Universal to our package. That's not something you're going to get with Mears Connect or Sunshine Flyer. I figured we'd need to figure out an Uber situation for that - possibly having to take 2 vehicles. I REALLY appreciate having all 3 of our legs figured out and paid for 60 days out from our travel.

As others mentioned, Tony does include a stop for a grocery pick-up as part of the service and while we won't need that, I think that's an awesome perk.

I've got my fingers crossed all goes well - he's so highly recommended that I don't doubt it will but it's been a VERY long time since we've had to arrange transportation of any kind.

 

[macraven]

Tony Hinds cell is
407 406 9093

 

[NYEmomma]

How do you get a hold? I tried googling and I don't see a website with any info. Wondering about price.

To give you a rough idea, MCO to POR, POR to Endless Summer, Endless Summer to MCO over the course of 8 days for a family of 5 + luggage was quoted at $210. Considering the fare for us on Sunshine Flyer to and from MCO was going to be over $150 and it wouldn't be door-to-door direct and we'd still need to add in the Uber for POR to Endless Summer, I think it's an absolutely fair price.

 

[G719]

I found Tony back in 1995 on the internet boards when he was a driver for a popular transportation company many used

He did well and eventually set up his own transportation company.

He and his team of drivers, have been fair and reliable to all their customers.

He and his team have been dependable

In 2018, we booked Tony because of the reviews here. A few months after that trip, we were cleaning out some old boxes of pictures and mementos. In the box was a card with Tony's name on it that my husband got from a hotel front desk in 1994. He had asked the hotel for a recommendation on how to get back to the airport! I thought that was such a crazy coincidence.

 

[DaviVascaino]

Any idea of price for a family of 4 from MCO bwv ( or any Disney resort) round trip?

 

[macraven]

Send Tony a note and he will reply back of his fees for your transportation needs

 

[Lewisc]

Tony doesn't have a website or office staff. He prefers cash. His prices are a few dollars less then most.

Mears has higher overhead. Their prices are a few dollars more then most.

Some of the low ball compamies charge for car seats, grocery stops, credit cards....