cab

[phee]

this is my first post (yippee!) and i don't travel much, so please excuse any lameness!

- how much does a cab ride cost from/to the parks and POR?
- is the cost per ride or by person in the cab? 2adults, 12yo, 9yo.
- i read somewhere, something about making sure the cab you took was a licenses.....official.....something like that. something about the prices being fixed. please correct me if i'm wrong! but how do you know? do they have a special sticker on the cab? on the hood, door, roof??
- are tips expected? how much?
- does the fare remain the same through out the day?

so many questions, so little time!

 

[Chip 'n Dale Express]

In case you didn't know, Disney offers complimentary bus transportation to and from all of the Disney theme parks from Riverside. Buses run every 15 minutes, give or take, and are quite convenient.

 

[Redbudlover]

I use the buses when convenient and a lot of the times they are. Just an average trip to and from one park, I would advise using the bus. To go from resort to resort I take cabs. To leave Illuminations I take the boat to the BC and grab a cab back to POR. You can wait a long time for a bus after Illuminations. That said my experience is not to worry about what cab you take. Average cost of a cab is $10 - it is by the ride. Sometimes less and sometimes more. From AKL it is more - it is a long way, for example to the POLY. When I add up my cabs it is always a lot less than what I would pay for a rental car. And with a car you have to park - sometimes pretty far away. Cabs are right there. Fares are the same regardless of times.

 

[VAgal76]

Listen to Tyler! You really won't need to take a cab unless you're running late for a dining reservation at one of the parks. The buses are pretty efficient and I believe there is a boat that will take you to DTD. No need to incur extra expenses if you don't have to.

However, to answer your questions:

*I've not gotten a gypsy cab while in the world. They are the usual yellow cab variety there at the resort and parks.
*I'm guessing you'll be looking at $20 fare to MK (drop off at TTC then you'll have to hop on the monorail, bus or ferry) or AK and less for closer attractions from POR.
*A couple of bucks or so is pretty typical for what I tip the driver.
*The charge is not per person - same price for all people. 4 people riders max in a cab - otherwise they can call a taxi van for you. Vans are seen quite a bit at Disney with the large groups that run amuck. Fares are no different in a van vs sedan.
*Fares do not change throughout the day. They are calculated by mileage and time if you are sitting at a light, etc.

Many cab drivers don't speak english very well - be prepared for that. Finally, the best advice I can give - Always look like you know where you are going and what you are doing. It tends to lower your cab fare.

 

[Edd]

Let me see if I can answer a few of your questions. Are you staying on the property? I am assuming Port Orleans if you are. At WDW all transportation is provided free for you by buss transportation. If you want transportation other than bus you would have to take a taxi, but in your case I don't think you need to use taxis on WDW property.

Taxis do not charge per person. They are metered and in a sedan you could carry 4 persons. The price on the meter when he shows you the total applies to your whole group.

If you take a taxi at WDW use only the taxis that have Mears Checker cab written on them. They are legal and the only taxis allowed to pick up at Disney. If you go to Sea WQorld take only the Mears Yellow, Checker or City cab. They are sitting in a line waiting for you to to signal you need a cab. Make sure they turn the meter on and take you back to WDW. They meter should run about $18.00 to $23.00 to WDW.

If you take a Checker cab to Universal you will get dropped off where you will later pick up a Mears Yellow cab or Mears City cab. They do have Diamond Cabs but in your case I would ask the taxi starter for a Mears cab. The taxi starter is the fellow who assigns you a cab. When he asks you where you are going tell him and say "I would like to ride in a Mears taxi." He will put you in a Mears cab.

In no case allow the driver to flat rate you. In other words he will quote a price and ask if you want to pay that or to run the meter. Tell him to run the meter. At the end of your ride he will push a button that totals the two figures on the meter together. That is what you pay the driver. If you feel he took care of you well you might want to tip him. It is up to you. If he was a good driver give $3.00 to $5.00 extra. By the way the price back to Disney should be the approximate same price you paid to get to Universal. I would say $30.00 to $32.00 for a Universal run.

 

[phee]

thanks all. we're planning to be at the world the week before christmas. i know about the disney transportation, but i'm a bit worried about crowds (= transportation nightmare). i read posts going both ways, so i just want to be prepared. would hate to think a cab ride being a way out of the long bus lines only to find out we can't afford it. also trying to compare to renting a car. we plan on spending one day at kennedy space center (my trade off with DH. pretty good deal considering we're at the world for 8 days ). options. too many options!!!! more questions to follow.....