How to Use Lyft and Uber Disney World 2022 Guide, Minnie Vans Return

Last updated June 16th, 2021Both Lyft and Uber at Disney World are extremely easy to use and provide for the simplest way to navigate around the Walt Disney World Resort. Whether you choose a Disney World Uber or Lyft you will have a much faster transportation experience than if were to take a taxi or even use a rental car at Disney World.

With the recent increase of popularity for Uber and Lyft at Walt Disney World in recent years, infrastructure has been put in place to create an even better ride-sharing experience for Walt Disney World guests.

In our guide we will provide info on how to save money on Uber and Lyft with our coupon along with the best Disney World Lyft tips and Uber Disney World hacks.

During my recent 2022 trip we used Uber and Lyft to supplement the official Walt Disney World transportation when we wanted to get to our destination more quickly.

Minnie Vans at Walt Disney World have also returned. Scroll to the bottom of the article for info on the Lyft-powered Walt Disney World ride service.

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In this planning guide:

How to Use Lyft and Uber in Disney World

Follow our easy step-by-step guide to using Uber and Lyft at Disney World.’

1. First download either the Lyft or Uber app and sign up for an account.
2. You can get $20 off your first Uber ride when you use our discount code “gavind714ue” or sign up through our link. You can get $20 of credit for Lyft if you use our discount code “GAVIN341751”. Even if you have already used one of the apps before there is high chance that someone in your group hasn’t yet so why not get that extra Uber Disney World discount. And then once you are signed up for the app you can give your own code out for people to use and then you will get a credit to your account too!
3. Once you are ready to go and all signed up for an account, you will be presented with a map screen where you can drop a pin or type in the address where you want to be picked up.
4. Uber and Lyft both classify their types of cars and services into different categories that include a shared carpool, a car that can fit four people, and a car that can fit 6-8. You can also select a luxury or regular type of car as well. You can see the varying prices for these levels of cars. Unless you have a large family of 5+ people, the regular UberX or Lyft regular will be sufficient.
5. Once you pressed the button to call the driver, you will see a time show up on the screen and information on the Uber or Lyft driver appear in the bottom third of the screen.
6. You can track the car as it approaches on the map and contact the Uber driver via the contact button below their name if they get lost or are taking longer than expected.
7. At the end of your ride you will be billed for the trip and will have the option to rate the driver and leave a tip. Tips are not expected and the feature only recently came to the Uber app.

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Pros of Using Disney World Uber or Disney World Lyft

Part of the fantastic experience of visiting Walt Disney World is the fantastic “Disney bubble” that is created during the vacation. That’s why we stay at a Disney World hotel on property and really don’t leave. You’re immersed in the magic.

1. Stay Immersed in the Disney World Magic: With that in mind, taking Uber or Lyft keep you immersed without having to deal with the difficulty of driving that you if you got a Disney World rental car. You also won’t have to worry about parking fees or filling up gas tanks.
2. Direct transportation: Next, while Disney World has a fantastic transportation system, waiting for buses and monorails can be exhausting especially if it is late at night and you would need to make a couple of transfers before getting back to the hotel for the night. Sometimes there will also not be direct transportation to your destination. For instance, we often like to eat at a different hotel at night before returning to our own. There is not direct bus transportation between hotels so the ride sharing apps really come in handy.
3. Front of park access: With Uber and Lyft becoming more common options for guests, Walt Disney World Cast Members are becoming familiar with it, too. Cast Members at parking stations will allow the drivers to pass to the very front of the park drop off if the driver makes it known they are there for a guest drop-off and show an ID. The Minnie Vans have even better access and can go places that not Lyft and Uber Disney World cars cannot.
4. Quick Uber and Lyft pickup time: The concentration of Uber and Lyft drivers around Walt Disney World has increased in recent years. With that said, the average wait time for a Lyft or Uber Disney World pick up anywhere in the resort is only around 5 minutes. The longest wait for Uber we saw during our recent Spring 2022 trip was 6 minutes.
5. Safety with drivers and background checks: In addition to the Uber and Lyft background checks for every driver, there is a five star rating system. When you finish a Walt Disney World ride, you can give your driver a certain number of stars based on the experience you’ve had. Uber drivers face the risk of being dropped from the service if their rating goes below 4.5 stars. You read that correctly. An Uber driver needs to hold at LEAST a 90% positive rating! This is the difference between the horrid stories everyone has of New York Taxi Cab Services and Uber.
6. NOTE: Due to COVID changes, you can only have people ride in the backseats of Uber/Lyft cars. This means that vehicles that typically would have fit a party of four now only fit a party of three.

Cons of Using Walt Disney World Uber or Lyft

When traveling from the airport to Walt Disney World, you will be charge a small additional fee that is added when the app sees that you are getting picked up inside the airport. We recommend utilizing the Magical Express on your way into Walt Disney World and using an Uber or Lyft when you return to the airport.

Another con of Uber/Lyft is their surge pricing. This one is pretty major. Surge pricing is enabled when the drivers are being used near capacity. If there aren’t enough drivers to keep up with the current demand, surge pricing takes effect and the rides become a bit more expensive (around 1.5 to 2 times the normal cost). This enables the ones who needs rides the most a chance to still get around.

The app will notify you when surge pricing is active in case you’d like to wait a few minutes for the traffic to calm back down. You can also set it to notify you if the surge ends. While still cheaper than the ordinary taxi, surge pricing can put a damper into a rather great service. On the bright side, with the recent flood of drivers to the Walt Disney World area, surge pricing is becoming less and less common. If it happens, you can expect it around 8-10 am, and 9-11pm, when most of the park guests are arriving and leaving from the resorts.

Disney World Uber and Lyft WDW Tips

Where to Get Dropped Off with Uber at Disney World

While you can get to all of the Disney World theme parks with Uber and Lyft, there are a couple of trips to use when entering the destination for your trip.

Magic Kingdom: The standard pickup/drop off location is the “Ticket and Transportation Center”. To avoid being dropped off across the lagoon from the Magic Kingdom, enter the Contemporary Resort as your destination and enjoy a short walk to the entrance (there are competing reports, but you may have to have a dining reservation or mobile order pickup in order to be dropped off at the Contemporary). Or if you don’t want to walk you can get dropped off at the Ticket and Transportation Center (the app will automatically take you here even if you just put in ‘Magic Kingdom’ as your destination) and then pick from taking the monorail, ferry, or bus to the park. This tends to be the easiest way to being one of the first guests inside Magic Kingdom rather than relying on the Disney transportation.

Epcot: Enter “Epcot Bus Stop” into the app and you’ll be taken to the bus drop off area of Epcot. The park is then to your left!

Animal Kingdom: Animal kingdom features a rather long road leading to the park entrance so the pickups/drop offs can take a bit longer for this one. It’s still straightforward. Simply enter “Animal Kingdom” into the app, and you’ll be taken to the taxi drop off area. Once you are dropped off, you will be directly in front of the security area.

Hollywood Studios: Again, all you need to enter into the app is “Hollywood Studios”. This will take you to the main parking lot. This tends to be the simplest of the parks to use Lyft or Uber Disney World. Some guests have recently been taking a rideshare to the Speedway gas station just a few minutes next door so they can then walk to the gates which allows you to arrive earlier than the parking lots open.

During our Spring 2022 trip we only used Uber to be dropped off at Animal Kingdom. For Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios we used the official Walt Disney World transportation successfully. For Epcot and Hollywood Studios we were able to utilize the Skyliner from the Caribbean Beach Resort where we were staying.

Be Kind to Your Driver

The same way that you can submit a rating of your Walt Disney World Uber and Lyft driver, they rank you after every trip. This rating stays with your profile and displays every time that you request a ride.

My mom is very proud to have a perfect five star score–especially after one driver was so excited because he had never met a “five-starrer” before! Anyways, be sure to be nice to the drivers and they will be nice to you.

I also enjoyed talking with our Uber/Lyft drivers throughout our trip. We met some really nice people and exchanged Disney experiences and stories.

Inform Your Driver Of Your Exact Location

When a driver accepts your pickup request, they are able to see your location via GPS. With all the modern enhancements of GPS, sometimes it can act a little strange. The best solution is to inform your driver with as much information as possible. Immediately after requesting your ride, you can message the driver exactly where you are, what you’re wearing, and how to get to you. This can greatly speed up the process.

Make it a habit to check the seats before you leave the car. Nothing would be worse than forgetting an essential bag during your Disney World vacation.

Frequently Asked Disney World Lyft and Uber Questions

How much does it cost to Uber from Disney World to Universal?

Taking Lyft or Uber from Disney World to Orlando will likely cost you between $10-$15 for your trip.

Taking one of the shuttles or a taxi will cost you between $30-$40. Uber or Lyft are by far the best option for transportation. Renting a car to drive from Disney World to Universal will cost you $50-$80 for the day plus the gas and $20 parking fee at Universal Studios.

How much does it cost to Uber from the Orlando Airport (MCO) to Disney World?

Taking Uber of Lyft to Disney World will likely cost you around $20 for your trip. The trip should be about 20-30 minutes. Using our coupon promo code of “gavind714ue” for Uber or “GAVIN341751” for Lyft would make that trip to the airport practically free.

Using Disney World’s Magical Express service (free for those staying on property), that trip will likely take you about 45 mins to an hour. However, beginning Jan. 1st 2022 Disney’s Magical Express will be ending so it’s likely many more guests may rely on rideshare services to get to/from their hotel.

Can Uber and Lyft pick you up from the Orange County Orlando Airport (MCO)?

Until recently ride-sharing services were not allowed to pick up passengers from the Orlando Airport. This has changed and you are allowed to use the app for travel from the airport to Disney World or your hotel.

Is it worth it to use rideshare around Disney World?

Yes, it really is especially if you don’t want to wait for Disney World transportation. On our last trip we used rideshare many times when we had just missed a bus back to the resort (meaning a 20 minute wait until a new one arrived) or if at park closed the lines for transportation were long. It was worth it to budget a little extra money just towards rideshare which helped give me control over my destiny without needing a rental car. We used rideshare to also hop between Disney Springs and other resort hotels for dining reservations which is a much more efficient way than taking multiple busses. Plus if you do have some type of reservation, a rideshare will ensure you get there in a timely fashion as opposed to Disney’s transportation which might leave you waiting for a longer amount of time.

Walt Disney World Minnie Vans-Service Returns in 2022

Walt Disney World has shared that the popular Minnie Van service will return to the resort starting on June 29, 2022. Though Disney has not changed the official date, as of June 15, 2022, the Minnie Van cars have been spotted in the app and out in Walt Disney World. The Lyft-powered ride share service functions directly from the Lyft app, but rather than an ordinary Prius you’ll be picked up by one of these SUPER CUTE Walt Disney World vehicles driven by one of Disney’s top rated frontline Cast Members.

The only change since the Minnie Vans were previously in service is that now guests will not be able to take the service from the airport to Walt Disney World Resort. Disney has shared that nearly 75 drivers who worked on the service before COVID are returning.

Since they were introduced in 2017, Minnie Vans have become one of the easiest ways to get around Disney World–not to mention how cute they are.

This service is a special option inside the Lyft app. You follow the exact same instructions for using the app that are explained above, however you will need to activate the Minnie Van option by visiting the concierge of your Walt Disney World hotel or activating the service via your My Disney Experience app. More details soon if this activation will change at all when the service returns.

Unlike the surge pricing in the Uber and Lyft apps, the pricing for Minnie Vans stays consistent. This new service is locked in with a $25 fee and will take you directly from your pickup location to your destination. Though usually more expensive than normal Uber and Lyft rides (sometimes about 1.5x the price), it can work out to about the same price (or in rare cases, even cheaper) when choosing to take a Minnie Van. The new service is definitely less expensive than a taxi at Disney World. The true beauty of this new ride-calling service is that the cars can get closer to your destination than any of the other ride-sharing cars. They have the ability to travel in the bus lane that is reserved for Walt Disney World vehicles and can carry six people.

The cars themselves are comfortable and are the latest Chevy Traverse SUV or another Chevrolet van for the wheelchair and ECV friendly service cars. Some of the kindest top Cast Members from throughout the entire resort will serve as your Minnie Van drivers. When they were working on this new program, they picked out the top rated Cast Members who would be the most reliable and conversational.

Another important feature of the Minnie Vans to mention is that they include two car-seats for your children at not extra cost. This was always the limiting factor of taking Disney World Uber as most cars did not have car seats for the kids in Disney World. There are also cars that accessible for guests with disabilities and can accommodate wheelchairs.

Plan Your Walt Disney World Vacation Now!

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