Reviews of Sunshine Flyer
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/01/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
I have mixed feelings about Sunshine Flyers. It all started when I didn't receive my confirmation text with boarding pick up time from my Disney Resort. I was given a general time frame of when they may show up which made it difficult to plan my schedule for the day. They did punctually call me the moment they arrived which was beneficial, and we were able to grab our bags and meet them. The outside of the bus looked incredible, however there are major issues with the interior such as missing cup holders,and broken arm rests that had metal sticking up that you could cut yourself on. For their first day in operation, I expected a new and or like new bus and experience to match. The workers were friendly but I was definitely disappointed with the quality of the interior of the bus. We got to the airport on time which is the goal of Transportation, but I feel that compared to Mears (which we used when arriving in Orlando), Mears was slightly a better experience overall.
Pros:
Arrived to airport on time. Friendly staff. Helped load luggage.Cons:
Interior was in disrepair. Pickup time was subjective as we didn't properly receive notifications due to a "system wide malfunction".Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/05/2022
Rating: (2) Not Recommended
BUS NOT PAINTED LIKE A TRAIN
Pros:
It was timely.Cons:
The bus was NOT painted to look like a train! There was no train theming inside the bus. The driver wore a train engineer’s costume….that’s it! Highly disappointed with 3 young grandchildren that were expecting the train.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/06/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
First I was told after I Received my confirmation in Jan that a follow up would be three days prior for pickup. I did not, I got it at 4:57am on day of! Plus, I figured 3hrs prior which was 1p they gave me the time of 12:20. I called and they stated they’d be thee at 12:15 and leave at 12:20p. Well that did not happen either….then they argued with me and said my time was 12:31p.
Your departure aboard The Sunshine Flyer to Orlando International Airport tomorrow from Disney's Art of Animatio will start at 12:20 PM
Call 866-353-5937 or respond to this message for additional assistance or modifications. As you see that was the text I received from them. Plus, they have several buses that do not have the train on outside (Mears had to tell me that it was the Flyer you could not tell it was my bus-Mears even offered us a free ride)and there was no one dressed up like a conductor either. And they showed up close to 1p (over 30min late), so why did I have to leave park early rush thru my lunch? I can not recommend nor plan to take this bus again….
Where’s the Magic bus it was fun, exciting and no worries!!! That was a “big mistake”DISNEY taking away the free transportation! In there favor they did answer the phone not put you on hold and they were only 5 days into services, the bus was not brand new from what I saw either. Driver was very friendly. In conclusion Sunshine you need to get your business together and keep your promises and you just might make it in the transportation world…….Good Luck!
At this time recommend by me is a no
Pros:
Answering phone great not put on hold! Price reasonable $34 for two adults.Cons:
Did not keep promises, did not notify 3 days prior, bus (not a train) was white #157, no conductor, driver was nice! Was over 30 min late……Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/09/2022
Rating: (10) Recommended
Ok so. Overall, the process of booking was great. The website was a little difficult to navigate, but I called their support line, and they were able to book me over the phone! It took around 5 minutes, and I was all set! I called the line a few more times and everyone I spoke to were friendly and kept checking in with me if I was on hold while they answered my questions.
When I got to the airport bus area, they were very accommodating and friendly. The bus was beautiful and there was wonderful information and trivia during the ride. We did have a few stops before our resort, but it went very smoothly.
I received a text message for my pick-up time from the hotel, it's my understanding that it's an estimated time not exact, because how could they plan for traffic and redlights, right? The way back was just as wonderful as the trip in! We made it to the airport 2 hours before out flight and had no trouble at all making our flight.
I wish the Sunshine Flyer the best in their future endeavors and want to thank Mark, Raven, Mary, and our excellent driver for their help and wonderful service.
Pros:
Incredibly friendly, available via phone every time I've called, beautiful buses, made my flight. They have stepped into the shoes that Disney left and are doing a pretty good job.Cons:
There is always room for improvement in the communications area.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/09/2022
Rating: (10) Recommended
Nothing went wrong with the trip. The kids loved the bus!
Pros:
Clean and newCons:
nothingReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/12/2022
Rating: (10) Recommended
The train themed buses was everything! The kiddos loved it! Buses seemed brand new and much nicer than old DME service.
Received a text message upon arrival at MCO with instructions on getting to the check-in location. Staff was very friendly and we were on our way within 15 minutes. We were the last stop with only two stops prior to us.
On our return departure we received an email and text with our scheduled pick-up time. The bus showed up within 10 minutes of scheduled time. We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to make our flight.
Highly recommend. The extra conductor on our trips gave out conductor hats and souvenirs to the kiddos.
Pros:
Train themeCons:
NoneReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/12/2022
Rating: (9) Recommended
What a wonderful way to start our Disney trip! It was fantastic.
Pros:
They even called me to tell me the bus was going to be a few minutes late!Cons:
They only work out of Terminal B and we had to walk all the way from Terminal AReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/12/2022
Rating: (4) Not Recommended
Pick up from the airport to our resort was east and quick. We received a text that said our pick up from our resort back to the airport was at 8:50am. We walked to the bus at 8:46 only to see our bus driver driving away. I called to check to see if that was our bus. Customer service said it was our bus, and confirmed that the bus driver only waited a minute or two (remember, this was BEFORE our given time) and then left. They refunded us, but we quickly realized that an Uber was much cheaper. It was really disappointing. I would recommend if their pick up times were accurate.
Pros:
Friendly, quick, easy to bookCons:
Incorrect times were givenReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/14/2022
Rating: (5) Not Recommended
I decided to try this instead of the mears service for my February 2022 trip.
Regarding booking, the website is confusing regarding what time you are to put where (departure time of flight vs departure of shuttle, etc). I emailed to clarify, and the response made it seem that they didn’t understand my question. In the end I let it be and figured I would double check when the trip got closer that they had all the correct information.
When arriving to the airport, the setup is very casual— it’s a new company and it definitely seems they are working on ramping up and getting things settled. You walk down a long hall at the airport and eventually reach someone holding an iPad with the sunshine flyer logo on it. Check in was simply giving my name to someone holding a clipboard. Everyone was nice! Our driver was not dressed as a conductor, but was friendly and interactive on the trip there. I did have a “train” bus on the way there. The trip was efficient and met my needs.
On the way back, I did not have a themed bus and the driver was not wearing a themed outfit. I personally don’t mind this, but would have been disappointed if this was my reason for booking them over a different service. I did need to make an edit to my pickup location— it was easy to contact them, but I did have to reach out multiple times before receiving a confirmation. They were very willing to make the requested changes even day of which was nice.
The busses themselves— or at least the two I was on (one with the train outside and one with a plain sticker on the outside that says sunshine flyer) were perfectly acceptable but definitely not new— had broken cup holders, for example.
Overall, in the future I would save the $2 and go with mears— simply because I didn’t find there was anything that made the extra cost worth it. If they were the same price, I would probably chose sunshine flyer because I am truly rooting for them! 🙂
My primary piece of feedback for the company would be to make sure people know that only some busses look like trains on the outside, and that only some drivers are dressed as conductors— because I think kids in particular would be really looking forward to that and it would be nice to be able to prepare if there’s a good chance that won’t be the case, to avoid disappointment. And, clarification on the website for booking of what time to put in (again, for return flight, distinction between time of departure of flight and departure of shuttle from the hotel, which is confusing/inaccurately stated during booking— or at least at the time that I booked).
I hope things continue to improve, they have just started out and I know things will get better and better as they learn and grow!
Pros:
- efficient service to and from WDW + MCO - friendly and helpful staffCons:
- variable experience in terms of theming - inaccurate information during booking on the website is confusing - did not receive confirmation of changes and had to request changes multiple times before changes were made to reservationReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/28/2022
Rating: (8) Recommended
My daughter and I were running the Disney Princess 5k and booked the Sunshine Flyer for our airport travel. The email we received said our pick up time was between 5 and 6pm (this is based on your flight arrival time that you enter when you book the Flyer). We arrived Wednesday around 5:25pm, gathered our luggage and proceeded to the lower level. We walked right past the gentleman holding an iPad that displayed the Sunshine Flyer logo and ended up circling back. He directed us outside to the bus stop. One bus was just pulling away and another was right behind it but not going to our hotel. We waited about 20 minutes for another bus to come but that was not a problem. The buses run back and forth continuously during operating hours. When the bus arrived, the driver was very congenial and helpful. Our bus was in great shape and we enjoyed a pleasant ride to our resort. The initial email showed our \"departure\" time as 1pm Saturday, which was about the time our flight was scheduled to leave. I was concerned about this and called Friday to ask about it. I was informed I would get an email later that day with pickup time, but it would be around 3 hours before our flight. Sure enough, I got an email saying buses would pick up around 9:45am at our resort. The return trip was also very pleasant and we arrived with plenty of time to get checked in, through security and to our gate. I would definitely use the service again, it was super convenient and very reasonably priced.
