How much do you use Uber/Lyft at WDW?

[BamaGuy44]

We’ve started using rideshare a fair amount over the last few years, even though we stay at resorts with good free transportation options.

And the cost of a few rides during a week stay is such a tiny fraction of the overall trip cost it’s barely noticable.

Here’s our typical usage. Not saying it’s a brilliant strategy or even a good one. I know many like to have their own car and drive everywhere. We’ve done that too. I know some hate the idea of paying for transport they could get for free. Totally get it.

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From airport to hotel and back if it’s just DW and me. Usually $40-50 plus tip each way and we’re in a car in 5-10 minutes after we pick up our luggage, steps away from baggage claim. So far we’ve never had any big surge price, though it’s possible. For a bigger group or if we need a car seat, we use a car service.

From hotel to parks 2-4 times. Usually to try and get there early for rope drop, and we don’t want to line up for Disney transportation 90 minutes+ before early entry starts. We can grab a car 45-60 minutes before and be there in plenty of time. Cost is usually $8-15 each time. We will take Disney transport on the way back since we’re in no big hurry and it’s not during the mad morning rush. Rarely drive and park at the parks even when we have a car. Just rather not deal with the parking lots, especially the ones without trams.

Occasionally from hotel to another Disney hotel for Ohana or other resort dining. Not every trip though.

We rarely venture outside the bubble but we would use rideshare for that if we did.

Not counting airport transit, which we’d have to pay for no matter what, we’re usually well under $100 total for rideshare. Well worth it for us to save some time and some crowded, chaotic bus or monorail rides.

Curious how much others use it, if any.

 

[kes601]

We usually take the first bus to the parks and are probably the only people on it at least half the time. We rarely close out a park so aren't overly concerned with crowded buses at the end of the night. The time we take rideshares the most would be if we are at Epcot and decide to exit the International Gateway and walk to Beach Club and take an Uber/Lyft from there back to our resort. We'll also use it if we've gone to a resort for lunch / dinner.

 

[SaraSpringsIsHome]

Never have. We drive down, but once we’re on property we tend not to drive except maybe to Disney springs. Maybe we’ll feel differently when we stay at RIV in October or AKL on December, but we haven’t felt the need staying at BWV or BCV.

 

[Sandisw]

We always use to AL in mornjng, to and from DS, and plan for needing it back from Epcot or HS if the Skyliner goes down!

 

[vakamalua]

Q: When staying at a property like OKW, do you have to go up to the Hospitality House to pick up a ride share?

 

[ZerasPride]

We use Minnie Vans more and more to get around especially for resort to resort dining. It is not cheap but I build the cost into our trip. I have paid anywhere from $30-$50 per trip with tip so average around $40 per trip. Ridiculous? Yes. Part of our vacation experience? Yes again.

 

[han22735]

We use it for the airport transfers, then if we are walking up to the bus stop and we see AK/HS/EP bus driving away and we were going to any of those we typically uber. MK is different having to go to the TTC. We will wait for the next one.

 

[Brian Noble]

With the demise of ME, I now always rent a car. My employer allows me to use their negotiated National rate for personal travel, so the incremental cost over just paying to get us to/from the airport is not that much. For the past several years, I've also been my family's permanent Designated Driver, so that removed the other reason we'd have someone else cart us around.

I tend to drive to most destinations not named Magic Kingdom. Unless I am staying at Wilderness Lodge, I will usually make that drive once per trip to enjoy the ferry. I will still sometimes use Disney transport now and again, but I no longer use ride shares unless (a) we have to split up and (b) "regular" Disney transport requires a connection to make the trip.

I will also sometimes take Disney transport to Disney Springs, because getting in and out of the garages can be a cluster. But if I am at SSR, I just walk or if I am completely wiped out, boat.

 

[BamaGuy44]

Q: When staying at a property like OKW, do you have to go up to the Hospitality House to pick up a ride share?

Never stayed there but from what I understand they can come right to your building.

 

[chuff88]

We’ve started using rideshare a fair amount over the last few years, even though we stay at resorts with good free transportation options.

And the cost of a few rides during a week stay is such a tiny fraction of the overall trip cost it’s barely noticable.

Here’s our typical usage. Not saying it’s a brilliant strategy or even a good one. I know many like to have their own car and drive everywhere. We’ve done that too. I know some hate the idea of paying for transport they could get for free. Totally get it.

————-
From airport to hotel and back if it’s just DW and me. Usually $40-50 plus tip each way and we’re in a car in 5-10 minutes after we pick up our luggage, steps away from baggage claim. So far we’ve never had any big surge price, though it’s possible. For a bigger group or if we need a car seat, we use a car service.

From hotel to parks 2-4 times. Usually to try and get there early for rope drop, and we don’t want to line up for Disney transportation 90 minutes+ before early entry starts. We can grab a car 45-60 minutes before and be there in plenty of time. Cost is usually $8-15 each time. We will take Disney transport on the way back since we’re in no big hurry and it’s not during the mad morning rush. Rarely drive and park at the parks even when we have a car. Just rather not deal with the parking lots, especially the ones without trams.

Occasionally from hotel to another Disney hotel for Ohana or other resort dining. Not every trip though.

We rarely venture outside the bubble but we would use rideshare for that if we did.

Not counting airport transit, which we’d have to pay for no matter what, we’re usually well under $100 total for rideshare. Well worth it for us to save some time and some crowded, chaotic bus or monorail rides.

Curious how much others use it, if any.

We always did Magical Express when that existed (RIP) but now that it's gone we're going to try out Mears Connect. For some reason getting a rideshare at the airport always feels stressful to me, and we got on Mears Connect for $63 total round trip for the two of us, and I don't think I can beat that on a rideshare. It just seems easier.

We take the buses to and from the parks. I'm usually up early anyway, and it's easy enough and free. I'm also not desperate to get to the parks right at open, so I don't mind waiting.

We've used Lyft when we've gone to Universal Studios, which usually ends up being $30-40 each way with tip. Last time we did that was in 2021 though, and we're not planning Universal time for either of our next two trips.

The big time we use rideshare is after dinner. We do a lot of dinners at resorts other than the one we're staying at, and it's just too big of a pain to take a bus back to a park and then another bus back to the resort. By then we're usually ready to be in bed, so we'll get a rideshare to get us back to our own resort. Even though they were super expensive, we used the Minnie Vans in 2018 when they were new because we liked the extra Disney touch, but I've also had good experience with the regular rideshare drivers in the area.

 

[chuff88]

Never stayed there but from what I understand they can come right to your building.

Haven't stayed there, but used rideshare at both Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs, which are pretty spread out, and we did not have to go to the main lobby. The driver was able to come to the parking lot/drop off area closest to our building.

 

[MyDogTink]

Used Lyft often last week when it was extremely hot. And the times I forced my husband to do the monorail for the “experience” didn’t go over well.

It’s something we will budget for on future trips because the average with tip was $13.

We tend to do short trips so time is valuable.

 

[Pens Fan]

We use it quite often - especially for going in between resorts for dinner. Even if we have a car, which we often do, it's nice not to worry about having a cocktail or two and having to drive back to our resort. We have also used it to get to DS in the evening occasionally. It can be rough finding a seat on a bus if you're trying to get there for a 6 or 7 PM reservation, as so many other people are doing the same thing. Sometimes it's just easier to pay the $10 or whatever and grab a ride share. We typically grab the bus back to the resort though.

Also, one night we were in Epcot until closing. I was wiped out and we were back in the Japan pavilion after watching Harmonious. Instead of traipsing all the way back to the front then standing in line for a bus, we walked over to the Beach Club and grabbed a ride share from there. That one was a bit pricey though, so I'm guessing it's a pretty popular option. As a plus, it was Christmas season so we got to enjoy the gingerbread carousel.

 

[tomandrobin]

We use Uber/Lyft often during our WDW stays. Its nice to use for going out to Dinner, not being dependent on the wide variations in waiting times of the Disney transportation system. We split between using Uber/Lyft or private transfer back and forth to the airport....depends on how many people are with us.

 

[VicarJT]

We use Minnie Vans more and more to get around especially for resort to resort dining. It is not cheap but I build the cost into our trip. I have paid anywhere from $30-$50 per trip with tip so average around $40 per trip. Ridiculous? Yes. Part of our vacation experience? Yes again.

We also use Minnie Vans when we are not using Disney transport, usually when we are going to a resort for a meal. My spouse uses her ECV, and Minnie Van transport saves us much time and aggravation.

 

[Sandisw]

We also use Minnie Vans when we are not using Disney transport, usually when we are going to a resort for a meal. My spouse uses her ECV, and Minnie Van transport saves us much time and aggravation.

I forgot that Minnie Van can accommodate the ECV! Good to know for times when I am with my guests who use one!

 

[Dawn68PA]

Q: When staying at a property like OKW, do you have to go up to the Hospitality House to pick up a ride share?

We use Minnie Vans almost daily and always stay at OKW. They will come right to your door. I assume all of them would. I know the Taxi's do that too.

We usually take the auto-train to WDW, occasionally we drive. Either way we love having a car in case we want to venture off-site. We rarely do except for a grocery store trip.

We choose Minnie Vans over any other service for one reason - the cast members. They are always informative, give cool backstory info, tips for our stay - they are the bomb! We took another service twice - never, ever again. I look forward to Minnie Vans every trip. Sometimes we'll take a bus - if I know it won't be crowded - but if we *think* it's a crowded time, or we show up for a bus and there's a lot of people, we do the Minnie Van. We build that cost into our trip.

 

[Nursemanit]

3-5 times a week - Use it to DS from the parks for lunch and sometimes to AK and back.

 

[BamaGuy44]

We use Minnie Vans almost daily and always stay at OKW. They will come right to your door. I assume all of them would. I know the Taxi's do that too.

We usually take the auto-train to WDW, occasionally we drive. Either way we love having a car in case we want to venture off-site. We rarely do except for a grocery store trip.

We choose Minnie Vans over any other service for one reason - the cast members. They are always informative, give cool backstory info, tips for our stay - they are the bomb! We took another service twice - never, ever again. I look forward to Minnie Vans every trip. Sometimes we'll take a bus - if I know it won't be crowded - but if we *think* it's a crowded time, or we show up for a bus and there's a lot of people, we do the Minnie Van. We build that cost into our trip.

It's a great service, no doubt. Hard to swallow the extra cost for us usually, but we'll use it occasionally. We plan to use it during our trip next month at least once, because it will be DGD's first trip and she will get a kick out of it.

 

[keishashadow]

Curious how much others use it, if any.

We always rent a vehicle at MCO. Admitted type A, a car is a need, not a want for me.

generally, eat many meals offsite, where we take turns being the designated driver. If not, we use uber or Lyft, rare.

a great option at hoop de doo, quick bus ride back from the drop off Point. Minnie van prices out double, sometimes triple the price. No thank you. We book HDD on a PM EMH night at MK, then, catch a bus back to whatever resort

use it to go to Sea world when there will be adult beverages involved (Howl o Scream, Xmas, any of the festivals. At Universal, we stay onsite, transport to parks is via boat or bus.