Disney Minnie Vans Question

[GeorgiaHoo]

A couple of questions about the Minnie van service. We'll be staying at Yacht Club in November and are definitely interested in using this, especially to get to MK and perhaps AK.

1. Does anyone know if this is going to be a permanent service now?
2. Cost? I thought I read somewhere that it would run $20 a trip. Is that correct?
3. What has the experience been getting to/from MK? We'll definitely take this to MK and would like to get picked up from MK at park close. Has anyone had difficulty or a long wait getting a van back to Yacht Club at park close?
4. Same questions re: AK.
5. Welcome any additional thoughts anyone might have.

Thanks in advance!

 

[vacationer1954]

1. There has been no announcement indicating that it is temporary, and it is a rather substantial inve$tment so I cannot imagine that it is temporary.
2. I believe you are correct.

I haven't used the service yet so I cannot help with your other inquiries.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

I have a question about the lyft app that you use to reserve the Minnie van. I just downloaded the app but don't see the option to request the Minnie van. Does that option show up if you're physically on property? I'm not there yet but will be there in a few weeks.

 

[FCDub]

I have a question about the lyft app that you use to reserve the Minnie van. I just downloaded the app but don't see the option to request the Minnie van. Does that option show up if you're physically on property? I'm not there yet but will be there in a few weeks.

You will need to visit one of the participating resorts in order to activate the Minnie Van feature of the Lyft app, apparently.

 

[JimMIA]

You will need to visit one of the participating resorts in order to activate the Minnie Van feature of the Lyft app, apparently.

I believe this is correct. You have to get a code from a CM to activate the Minnie Van feature.

It wouldn't show on your app at home anyway. The rideshare services offer different vehicle platforms in different markets, so the app only shows those that are available in your area.

 

[jods]

I stayed BC 2 weeks ago. I got a pop up on MDE about a week or so prior to my trip inviting me to lyft and minnie van. I downloaded the lyft app and was good to go. If you had the app already, you still click on the link to add Minnie van. I'm guessing I got this pop up because I stayed BC. We used it to get home from MK. Best 20 ever. The bus line was insane. It had a spot on the bus loop at MK. Took less then 3 minutes for it to come. Someone saw me waiting and downloaded the app but it wasn't an option for her. If you don't get the pop up ask about it when you check in. It gets charged to a credit card, not your magic band. For fun, I just opened the app and Minnie van was still there even though I'm in MY. I'm assuming it will disappear when it notices my location.

 

[delilah30]

I downloaded the Lyft app 5 days before my stay at the Beach Club. The morning of my trip I logged into MDE and a pop up asked if I wanted to participate in the Minnie Van trial. I was still at home. I presses yes and could see minivans floating around and Lyft cars. We only took the Minnie Vans to and from Magic Kingdom (there were only 3 of us and no car seat needed) and we took regular Lyft everywhere else- including back to MCO. I found a coupon online for Lyft for $5 off each of your first 10 rides. The coupon does have a date of expiration once you load it but it worked on the Minnie Vans too. Hope this helps

 

[AngiTN]

Same answers I posted for you already but others may find them useful so I'll post here again

Just so happens we used them getting to both those parks.

Went to MK last Sunday night (8/27), departing from BWI, about 7:00 PM. We were going for HEA. We waited about 10 min for a car. There had just been a very strong storm that probably impacted our wait time. The driver said the parking lot where they stage the vehicles had flooded (was half way up rims on the vehicles) plus they are currently housed in temp trailers and due to the storm were unable to access their trailers (metal+lightening=bad things). Drop off/pick up point at MK is Bus Stop 11. This has been the same spot since Minnie Van began. It is not expected to change. Driver did mention that the app will sometimes try to send you to TTC for pick up but it's wrong and to ignore it and go to bus stop 11 for pick up (this is because for other Lyft categories, it is done at TTC).

Monday (8/28) we used Minnie Van to go from MK to AK at 12:45. (because it was my birthday and I was doing a Minnie themed day). Wait was about 3 min. Driver did call to confirm we knew to go to Bus Stop 11. Drop off/pick up at AK had just changed, according to our driver. Personally, it's a bad change. They no longer use the regular Taxi/Car drop off point, which is right near the entrance. Now, they are going in where the buses go and drop you right next to the last bus stop, next to where the bus drivers stage at AK. So you have the longest possible walk to the entrance. When we do any additional trips to AK we will not be using Minnie Vans if they continue this drop off spot. I'm not paying more to walk further. We used Lyft to go back to the resort and it was so much better to walk right next to the trams and catch our ride.

As for how to get access to request one, only my Lyft app could request the Minnie Van. Because only I have a MDE account. DH's app could not (he wanted to get the Minnie Van for my birthday).
The day we checked in at BWI I got a notice from MDE about linking the Minnie Van via Lyft. I already had Lyft so it just added the level of service while we were there. If you don't have Lyft yet, it prompts you to download the app. Since DH didn't have MDE or an account his never did that so he didn't have Minnie Van as a service option. Just being on property didn't activate the service. It needs the connection via MDE. He could have had someone at the resort add it manually but hadn't done it so he was not able to use his account for requesting a Minnie Van. So bottom line, you need MDE account on same device as Lyft or someone at resort will need to manually set Lyft app up to access Minnie Van service.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Same answers I posted for you already but others may find them useful so I'll post here again

Just so happens we used them getting to both those parks.

Went to MK last Sunday night (8/27), departing from BWI, about 7:00 PM. We were going for HEA. We waited about 10 min for a car. There had just been a very strong storm that probably impacted our wait time. The driver said the parking lot where they stage the vehicles had flooded (was half way up rims on the vehicles) plus they are currently housed in temp trailers and due to the storm were unable to access their trailers (metal+lightening=bad things). Drop off/pick up point at MK is Bus Stop 11. This has been the same spot since Minnie Van began. It is not expected to change. Driver did mention that the app will sometimes try to send you to TTC for pick up but it's wrong and to ignore it and go to bus stop 11 for pick up (this is because for other Lyft categories, it is done at TTC).

Monday (8/28) we used Minnie Van to go from MK to AK at 12:45. (because it was my birthday and I was doing a Minnie themed day). Wait was about 3 min. Driver did call to confirm we knew to go to Bus Stop 11. Drop off/pick up at AK had just changed, according to our driver. Personally, it's a bad change. They no longer use the regular Taxi/Car drop off point, which is right near the entrance. Now, they are going in where the buses go and drop you right next to the last bus stop, next to where the bus drivers stage at AK. So you have the longest possible walk to the entrance. When we do any additional trips to AK we will not be using Minnie Vans if they continue this drop off spot. I'm not paying more to walk further. We used Lyft to go back to the resort and it was so much better to walk right next to the trams and catch our ride.

As for how to get access to request one, only my Lyft app could request the Minnie Van. Because only I have a MDE account. DH's app could not (he wanted to get the Minnie Van for my birthday).
The day we checked in at BWI I got a notice from MDE about linking the Minnie Van via Lyft. I already had Lyft so it just added the level of service while we were there. If you don't have Lyft yet, it prompts you to download the app. Since DH didn't have MDE or an account his never did that so he didn't have Minnie Van as a service option. Just being on property didn't activate the service. It needs the connection via MDE. He could have had someone at the resort add it manually but hadn't done it so he was not able to use his account for requesting a Minnie Van. So bottom line, you need MDE account on same device as Lyft or someone at resort will need to manually set Lyft app up to access Minnie Van service.

Thanks for the AK info (and wasn't sure I'd seen that before or just glossed over it). Agree that the drop off point is a bad change -- when we took a cab there last trip for morning EMH we were dropped off right near the entrance. Very convenient.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Same answers I posted for you already but others may find them useful so I'll post here again

Just so happens we used them getting to both those parks.

Went to MK last Sunday night (8/27), departing from BWI, about 7:00 PM. We were going for HEA. We waited about 10 min for a car. There had just been a very strong storm that probably impacted our wait time. The driver said the parking lot where they stage the vehicles had flooded (was half way up rims on the vehicles) plus they are currently housed in temp trailers and due to the storm were unable to access their trailers (metal+lightening=bad things). Drop off/pick up point at MK is Bus Stop 11. This has been the same spot since Minnie Van began. It is not expected to change. Driver did mention that the app will sometimes try to send you to TTC for pick up but it's wrong and to ignore it and go to bus stop 11 for pick up (this is because for other Lyft categories, it is done at TTC).

Monday (8/28) we used Minnie Van to go from MK to AK at 12:45. (because it was my birthday and I was doing a Minnie themed day). Wait was about 3 min. Driver did call to confirm we knew to go to Bus Stop 11. Drop off/pick up at AK had just changed, according to our driver. Personally, it's a bad change. They no longer use the regular Taxi/Car drop off point, which is right near the entrance. Now, they are going in where the buses go and drop you right next to the last bus stop, next to where the bus drivers stage at AK. So you have the longest possible walk to the entrance. When we do any additional trips to AK we will not be using Minnie Vans if they continue this drop off spot. I'm not paying more to walk further. We used Lyft to go back to the resort and it was so much better to walk right next to the trams and catch our ride.

As for how to get access to request one, only my Lyft app could request the Minnie Van. Because only I have a MDE account. DH's app could not (he wanted to get the Minnie Van for my birthday).
The day we checked in at BWI I got a notice from MDE about linking the Minnie Van via Lyft. I already had Lyft so it just added the level of service while we were there. If you don't have Lyft yet, it prompts you to download the app. Since DH didn't have MDE or an account his never did that so he didn't have Minnie Van as a service option. Just being on property didn't activate the service. It needs the connection via MDE. He could have had someone at the resort add it manually but hadn't done it so he was not able to use his account for requesting a Minnie Van. So bottom line, you need MDE account on same device as Lyft or someone at resort will need to manually set Lyft app up to access Minnie Van service.

Hah, just saw you answered this at EasyWDW too. Thanks much!

 

[tinkerbella16]

Monday (8/28) we used Minnie Van to go from MK to AK at 12:45. (because it was my birthday and I was doing a Minnie themed day). Wait was about 3 min. Driver did call to confirm we knew to go to Bus Stop 11. Drop off/pick up at AK had just changed, according to our driver. Personally, it's a bad change. They no longer use the regular Taxi/Car drop off point, which is right near the entrance. Now, they are going in where the buses go and drop you right next to the last bus stop, next to where the bus drivers stage at AK. So you have the longest possible walk to the entrance. When we do any additional trips to AK we will not be using Minnie Vans if they continue this drop off spot. I'm not paying more to walk further. We used Lyft to go back to the resort and it was so much better to walk right next to the trams and catch our ride.

Thanks for the great info! We arrive tomorrow and I was wondering about AK. This is a bummer, as we planned on taking the Minnie Van on 9/5 from AK back to our resort at the Beach Club so we could get to our B&C dinner ADR in plenty of time and not have to worry about the buses. Guess I will report back if it is still in that spot - which it probably is lol.

 

[SG131]

I just thought I'd add my Minnie van experiences from the past week. I loved the service, however, the fleet is very limited. I think the driver said 25 cars. Their goal is to build that up to 100 cars in the next year. The service is extremely popular and as a result it can sometimes be hard to get a ride.

We luckily got a ride around 8am for a breakfast at another resort, however, on the way back the app was unable to find a minnie van and after about 15 minutes of trying we had to resort to alternate transportation.

We tried to take this another day for breakfast around 9am and again could not find a ride. I should've planned extra time in case the minnie van didn't work out. We barely made it to the restaurant.

The forth time I tried for a ride in the middle of the day and it worked great. So 2/4 times we were able to find a ride and the drive was great. However, with the demand high and supply low I would leave time in the schedule in case you need to change your plans. If you don't mind taking a regular lyft car as an alternate you shouldn't have any problems. We needed the car seat so that's why we opted for Minnie Van.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

I just thought I'd add my Minnie van experiences from the past week. I loved the service, however, the fleet is very limited. I think the driver said 25 cars. Their goal is to build that up to 100 cars in the next year. The service is extremely popular and as a result it can sometimes be hard to get a ride.

We luckily got a ride around 8am for a breakfast at another resort, however, on the way back the app was unable to find a minnie van and after about 15 minutes of trying we had to resort to alternate transportation.

We tried to take this another day for breakfast around 9am and again could not find a ride. I should've planned extra time in case the minnie van didn't work out. We barely made it to the restaurant.

The forth time I tried for a ride in the middle of the day and it worked great. So 2/4 times we were able to find a ride and the drive was great. However, with the demand high and supply low I would leave time in the schedule in case you need to change your plans. If you don't mind taking a regular lyft car as an alternate you shouldn't have any problems. We needed the car seat so that's why we opted for Minnie Van.

Thanks! I was concerned that there might be limited availability, especially at peak times. Seems like a great service if you can get it but part of the reason I don't like Disney buses is the wait, so certainly not going to wait more than a few minutes for something I have to pay additional for.

 

[jlundeen]

Hello everyone...we're hoping to use the Minnie Vans for our trip in October, but with some concerns now that availability may be limited. Since I've never been an Uber or Lyft customer, I am not familiar with how these companies do business, as far as scheduling a ride. (Assuming that the same will apply to the Minnie Van service). Can you reserve in advance - so for example if we know we will be leaving a park after closing, can we book ahead of time so we would know that we would be able to use the Van? Or is it first-come/first-served?

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Hello everyone...we're hoping to use the Minnie Vans for our trip in October, but with some concerns now that availability may be limited. Since I've never been an Uber or Lyft customer, I am not familiar with how these companies do business, as far as scheduling a ride. (Assuming that the same will apply to the Minnie Van service). Can you reserve in advance - so for example if we know we will be leaving a park after closing, can we book ahead of time so we would know that we would be able to use the Van? Or is it first-come/first-served?

We don't use Lyft right now but Uber you cannot reserve in advance - there's an app and when you are about ready to go you schedule your pickup and they are usually there within a few minutes. In the DC metro area where we live there are PLENTY of cars. If Disney really only has 25 vans then I could see wait times being a huge issue - you can't schedule in advance but instead use the app to schedule your pickup, but if all the vans are engaged then you are out of luck for a bit.

 

[AngiTN]

Hello everyone...we're hoping to use the Minnie Vans for our trip in October, but with some concerns now that availability may be limited. Since I've never been an Uber or Lyft customer, I am not familiar with how these companies do business, as far as scheduling a ride. (Assuming that the same will apply to the Minnie Van service). Can you reserve in advance - so for example if we know we will be leaving a park after closing, can we book ahead of time so we would know that we would be able to use the Van? Or is it first-come/first-served?

While there are options to schedule Lyft and/or Uber there is not an option to do this with Minnie Vans. They are currently first come, first served only.

 

[jlundeen]

We don't use Lyft right now but Uber you cannot reserve in advance - there's an app and when you are about ready to go you schedule your pickup and they are usually there within a few minutes. In the DC metro area where we live there are PLENTY of cars. If Disney really only has 25 vans then I could see wait times being a huge issue - you can't schedule in advance but instead use the app to schedule your pickup, but if all the vans are engaged then you are out of luck for a bit.

While there are options to schedule Lyft and/or Uber there is not an option to do this with Minnie Vans. They are currently first come, first served only.

Thanks, that's kind of what I thought would happen...a great idea but released before they can fully accommodate it....

 

[JimMIA]

Hello everyone...we're hoping to use the Minnie Vans for our trip in October, but with some concerns now that availability may be limited. Since I've never been an Uber or Lyft customer, I am not familiar with how these companies do business, as far as scheduling a ride. (Assuming that the same will apply to the Minnie Van service). Can you reserve in advance - so for example if we know we will be leaving a park after closing, can we book ahead of time so we would know that we would be able to use the Van? Or is it first-come/first-served?

You could schedule Uber or Lyft in advance...but don't. There is no need, and there is a chance you'll get messed up. Just about any time you want a ride at WDW, there will be Uber/Lyft cars within a couple of minutes from your location. Response is VERY quick.

Using the apps is very simple. You just download the apps from the iTunes Store or Google Play, and install them on your phone. Then you set up your account with each company, including entering credit card info for billing. I recommend that riders have both apps on their phone for two reasons. First, sometimes one company will be a little less expensive than the other, or one company may have a type of service you need that the other company doesn't offer. The other reason is that there are some markets served by Uber that are not served by Lyft.

When you want a ride, you simply open the app, enter your destination, select the class of service you want, and request a ride. You will see an estimate of your fare before you order the ride, and in most cases that is exactly the price you will pay.

A driver will accept the ride, you will be given an ETA, the driver's name, picture, and information about their car. You will be able to see the driver's vehicle coming to pick you up on the app. You identify yourself to the driver, verify the driver's name and picture, and off you go. At the end of the ride, you simply say thank you and exit the vehicle. The cost of the ride is billed to your credit card.

After the ride, you will have an opportunity to rate the driver (5 stars is an A; 4 stars is an F...seriously, it is. If a driver's average stays below 4.6, they get fired.). Once you do your rating, you will have an opportunity to leave the driver a tip (which will also be billed to your credit card). Tips are NOT included in the fare, are not required, but are always appreciated.

Usually the next day, you will receive an email receipt for the ride and that receipt will also reflect any tip you leave (a plus for business travelers needing documentation for expense reports).

And finally, here's a link to Rideshare Rob's excellent thread about Uber/Lyft at WDW: https://www.disboards.com/threads/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-about-uber-lyft-at-wdw.3443634/

 

[shm_helene]

Monday (8/28) we used Minnie Van to go from MK to AK at 12:45. (because it was my birthday and I was doing a Minnie themed day). Wait was about 3 min. Driver did call to confirm we knew to go to Bus Stop 11. Drop off/pick up at AK had just changed, according to our driver. Personally, it's a bad change. They no longer use the regular Taxi/Car drop off point, which is right near the entrance. Now, they are going in where the buses go and drop you right next to the last bus stop, next to where the bus drivers stage at AK. So you have the longest possible walk to the entrance. When we do any additional trips to AK we will not be using Minnie Vans if they continue this drop off spot. I'm not paying more to walk further. We used Lyft to go back to the resort and it was so much better to walk right next to the trams and catch our ride.

Thank you for this.... AK was the park we planned on using it for...

 

[Spencer Wright]

Hello everyone...we're hoping to use the Minnie Vans for our trip in October, but with some concerns now that availability may be limited. Since I've never been an Uber or Lyft customer, I am not familiar with how these companies do business, as far as scheduling a ride. (Assuming that the same will apply to the Minnie Van service). Can you reserve in advance - so for example if we know we will be leaving a park after closing, can we book ahead of time so we would know that we would be able to use the Van? Or is it first-come/first-served?

I recommend using Lyft. I used it a couple of times last trip staying at the AKL (which is in a far corner of WDW) and always found a ride in about 5-7 minutes. Therefore booking in advance is not necessary in my opinion.