Transportation to/from airport from Universal Resort

That sounds like me on my second trip to Universal. After a disaster with the Universal shuttle headed back to the airport on that trip, I always splurge and go with Tony. Although, to be fair, I think that there is a different company running the Universal shuttle know. Just be aware that the shuttle is NOT run by Universal, but a third party company and make sure that you get a contact number for the company in case there are issues.
yikes, what happened?
Anyone with experience with Tony taking to MCO, how early does he pick up before your flight?
I asked Tony to get me to the airport a little earlier than he recommended, and glad I did. You never know what you’ll run into or how long the mco security queue is. In this case freeway was backed up. I think I left at 3:30 for a 6:30 flight.
 
Is Ron still working transportation? We would like to use him in a few weeks to get to HRH.
 
yikes, what happened?

My apologies for those who have heard this story before---

A few years ago (4 maybe?), my friend and I did a super low budget/super short trip to Universal. She and I were flying in from different cities and meeting up at the airport, but I was going home on a completely different day than she was (she was staying in Florida to see family). On our previous trip, we had used a private car service (not Tony), but we wanted to save money on this trip so we booked the Universal shuttle.

The trip to the hotel was okay. There was a relatively short wait at the airport and then one stop at another Universal hotel before ours. Not a huge deal!

My trip to the airport was a nightmare. We got to the hotel in plenty of time for my pickup. I said goodbye to my friend, who left with her family, and waited and waited and WAITED for the shuttle. When it was about 15-20 minutes passed my pickup time, I asked some of the bell services staff nearby and they knew nothing. This is where you have to understand that the shuttle is a third-party service and the hotel is run by Lowes NOT Universal so there is no communication between the three parties. After another few minutes, I dug through my stuff to find the paperwork that I got at the airport when we got the shuttle information, finally finding a phone number. So I called the dispatcher who said someone would be there in 10-15 minutes. And I waited. I called again, similar answer. No shuttle! I called a third time, now freaking out as my flight time got closer and closer (to add insult to injury, I was on the last possible flight home and HAD to be at work in the morning). Finally a shuttle shows up. And the driver proceeds to search the hotel for another couple that he's supposed to be picking up for 5+ minutes. After a slight meltdown on my part because I now had 45 minutes before my flight was due to board, the driver finally understood my problem and broke all sorts of speed records (and probably a number of traffic laws) to get me there in time. Combining curbside baggage check, pre-Check through security and forgoing the dinner I had planned on picking up before my flight, I made it, but I was an absolute mess. Not exactly the best way to end a vacation!

The most disappointing thing was that the next day I called both Universal and the shuttle service and, while the customer service rep at Universal was appalled, no one followed up with me about what happened. I wanted nothing more than a sincere apology, but that didn't happen. I wound up following up with them a few weeks later and got my shuttle fee returned (wow, it was like $15), but no one (besides me) was disturbed by what happened. THEN I looked up the shuttle service's reviews and realized that the company as a whole was a hot mess and that things like this happened quite a bit. I know that I saw a while ago that I think I heard that the original company declared bankruptcy so I'm not sure who is running the shuttle now, but know that it is NOT Universal.

For our next trip (and every trip thereafter), we've used Tony and have never looked back. It is just worth the extra money for me.

(P.S. You might ask why I didn't ditch the shuttle and take an Uber. Well, this was a few years when Uber wasn't quite as common place, I had never used it before so I was nervous about it, and the shuttle kept saying that it was coming)
 
My apologies for those who have heard this story before---

A few years ago (4 maybe?), my friend and I did a super low budget/super short trip to Universal. She and I were flying in from different cities and meeting up at the airport, but I was going home on a completely different day than she was (she was staying in Florida to see family). On our previous trip, we had used a private car service (not Tony), but we wanted to save money on this trip so we booked the Universal shuttle.

The trip to the hotel was okay. There was a relatively short wait at the airport and then one stop at another Universal hotel before ours. Not a huge deal!

My trip to the airport was a nightmare. We got to the hotel in plenty of time for my pickup. I said goodbye to my friend, who left with her family, and waited and waited and WAITED for the shuttle. When it was about 15-20 minutes passed my pickup time, I asked some of the bell services staff nearby and they knew nothing. This is where you have to understand that the shuttle is a third-party service and the hotel is run by Lowes NOT Universal so there is no communication between the three parties. After another few minutes, I dug through my stuff to find the paperwork that I got at the airport when we got the shuttle information, finally finding a phone number. So I called the dispatcher who said someone would be there in 10-15 minutes. And I waited. I called again, similar answer. No shuttle! I called a third time, now freaking out as my flight time got closer and closer (to add insult to injury, I was on the last possible flight home and HAD to be at work in the morning). Finally a shuttle shows up. And the driver proceeds to search the hotel for another couple that he's supposed to be picking up for 5+ minutes. After a slight meltdown on my part because I now had 45 minutes before my flight was due to board, the driver finally understood my problem and broke all sorts of speed records (and probably a number of traffic laws) to get me there in time. Combining curbside baggage check, pre-Check through security and forgoing the dinner I had planned on picking up before my flight, I made it, but I was an absolute mess. Not exactly the best way to end a vacation!

The most disappointing thing was that the next day I called both Universal and the shuttle service and, while the customer service rep at Universal was appalled, no one followed up with me about what happened. I wanted nothing more than a sincere apology, but that didn't happen. I wound up following up with them a few weeks later and got my shuttle fee returned (wow, it was like $15), but no one (besides me) was disturbed by what happened. THEN I looked up the shuttle service's reviews and realized that the company as a whole was a hot mess and that things like this happened quite a bit. I know that I saw a while ago that I think I heard that the original company declared bankruptcy so I'm not sure who is running the shuttle now, but know that it is NOT Universal.

For our next trip (and every trip thereafter), we've used Tony and have never looked back. It is just worth the extra money for me.

(P.S. You might ask why I didn't ditch the shuttle and take an Uber. Well, this was a few years when Uber wasn't quite as common place, I had never used it before so I was nervous about it, and the shuttle kept saying that it was coming)
Yikes! I would have been going crazy too. I’m usually doing the same thing as you, I’m meeting up with a friend from a different city. Arriving we try to coordinate flight arrival time and take shuttle together. But for upcoming trip my airline canceled that flight run, so I’m now arriving a day earlier.
I’ve only used this service on last trip since it’s only me. When I go with my adult daughter I’ve used Tony. But for single person you can’t beat $35ish r/t.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I’ll be on the ball returning to airport to make sure my pickup is ontime.
 


Can anyone tell me a bit more about Tony and his service? Based on the referrals here, I contacted him about our transfer for this spring. His rate is only slightly lower ($30) than the rate we'd pay for a luxury van through Mears. There's a part of me that leans towards spending the extra $30 so that I have an established company backing up the service need, vehicle, etc. I'd love to hear a bit more about how he operates.
 
Can anyone tell me a bit more about Tony and his service? Based on the referrals here, I contacted him about our transfer for this spring. His rate is only slightly lower ($30) than the rate we'd pay for a luxury van through Mears. There's a part of me that leans towards spending the extra $30 so that I have an established company backing up the service need, vehicle, etc. I'd love to hear a bit more about how he operates.

Tony is the BEST!!! With him, instead of getting an impersonal "company," you are getting a "person" who cares about your wants and needs. Tony will go above and beyond to make sure that you are comfortable (meets you at luggage claim, gets your luggage for you, chats with you about your trip, is willing to make a grocery stop, etc.). Tony also has a number of drivers that work for him so it isn't just him driving and if you don't get Tony (although he does try to do at least one leg of the trip personally for most customers), all of his other drivers have the same commitment to customer service as Tony. If you want to feel like a good friend is picking you up at the airport, go with Tony.

Over our many trips, there was one time that Tony ran into issues with our return trip to the airport - his previous pick-up's flight was late and then there was bad traffic due to an accident. Just one of those "everything is going wrong" days. But it was handled perfectly - Tony was in touch with us BEFORE our pick-up time and he told us to grab a taxi (we got a Lyft since I had the app on my phone). He was in touch with us a number of times during our trip to the airport to make sure that everything was going okay. He actually met us at the drop-off area for our airline, got our bags and took them inside for us, AND refunded the entire round trip fee, which was completely not necessary, but he wouldn't budge on it. Of course, I made sure that he got a VERY nice tip the next time that we came to Florida.

It's hard NOT to gush about Tony's level of service. On the rare occasions that we rent a car when going to Florida (primarily when I do runDisney events), there is something a bit disappointing to not getting a chance to see Tony as he is so much part of our vacation experience.
 


Wow - quite a testimony. Thanks for the reply.

I always feel a little bit crazy when I sing Tony's praises, but he really is one of the good guys. And I know from talking with a friend who used his services in December, as an independent contractor, he has been hit VERY hard by the pandemic so giving him my positive reference is the least that I can do.
 
Can anyone tell me a bit more about Tony and his service? Based on the referrals here, I contacted him about our transfer for this spring. His rate is only slightly lower ($30) than the rate we'd pay for a luxury van through Mears. There's a part of me that leans towards spending the extra $30 so that I have an established company backing up the service need, vehicle, etc. I'd love to hear a bit more about how he operates.

We just used him for the second time in November and he’s honestly the best of the best. He’s on time, friendly, professional, and goes out of his way for you. You email him with all of your info and he then works with you to accommodate your schedule. He’ll send you the invoice and you can pay directly from that. As the date gets closer you’ll hear from him again, and then once you land you just tell him where you are at the airport and he picks you right up. He also took us from RPR to our next stay at OKW, picked us up exactly when we needed him too and drove us directly to our building at the resort. He’s fantastic and the sweetest man. I highly recommend him!
 
I just booked Tony for our trip coming up in March. He responded within a few minutes and we are confirmed! Grocery stop too!

what would be a good place to stop for groceries? We really just need a case of water, some fruit, and some sort of iced coffee. Lol I suppose he will offer up suggestions.
ok officially excited!

I’ll report back after our trip!
 
what would be a good place to stop for groceries? We really just need a case of water, some fruit, and some sort of iced coffee.

There is a Publix relatively close to the highway from the airport that Tony usually stops at. There is also a liquor store in the same plaza, if that is a need. I think he will go some place else if you request it, but we've always found the Publix perfect for our needs. (P.S. They also have a fairly good selection of pool toys, flip flops, towels, etc. if you realize that you've forgotten something)
 
Been away for a while, but I just want to chime in and praise Tony Hinds too. Thanks to the recommendations here, we have used his service 8 times (stupid COVID broke the streak). Riding in glamor? No. Getting you, your family, and your bags to the hotel with a stop at the Publix (if asked beforehand)? Yes, and in spades. Totally trust Tony and his co-driver (gosh, I really need to learn his name!). They call when your plane lands (usually a couple of minutes early and I have a message to call back), and one of them is waiting with a sign at baggage claim. They help with bags, and get you on your way. After so many trips, I totally recommend them over a chain service. They also schedule a pickup for return to the airport during the initial drop-off. One year a hurricane was bearing down on our departure day, and they called to suggest an earlier pickup to get to the airport. Awesome customer service. Tony Hinds all the way for us. Totally nice and safe drivers too. I can't imagine any complaints, unless a ride in a limo is wanted.
 
Tony is a gem!

Presently, you have to call him when after you get your luggage and let him know when you walk out the door

He will pick you up outside.

Tony is picking me up today.
Woot !

That's what we had to do in November and I accidentally gave him the wrong location. :blush: Oops! He was so great about it and didn't even blink when we finally figured out where I was. :p
 

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