Lyft and Uber - Our transportation means

[keithlu]

We stayed at best western Kissimmee during our 7 day trip to orlando. We were no more than 20 mins from disney, universal and sea world.
We did not pay much for transportation because of the promotions from both the rideshare services. Me and my spouse both signed up separately for lyft and their promo was the best of two. Lyft has special promo - LYFTDISNEY (updated) which gave us 5 rides for $10 each. We got 10 in total and the free promo covered pretty much everything on our daily commute. (Two seperate phones means two accounts, both can use the same credit card to avail this offer.)

With Uber, I signed up first and then referred my spouse receiving 2 free rides upto $20 each. We used this big promo from airport to hotel. We also signed up capital one card which gave 20% discount each fare
If you are prepared enough then you won't have to spend a lot on transportation. We preferred lyft more than uber because of their availability and promos. Which one do you prefer?

 

[keithlu]

LYFTDISNEY (updated)

 

[nacho113]

Seriously, if you are going to need a vehicle/transportation this much while in the Orlando area, I would suggest that you rent a car.
For the occasional ride between resorts while staying onsite, Uber/Lyft are excellent choices but if you are needing Uber 2 or more times everyday, a rental is a far better choice.
There is so much competition in the rental car industry at MCO that a weekly rental for a compact to full size vehicle can usually be had for $100 and quite often less.
With a rental, you are on your own schedule, no apps, no waiting, no tips, no surge pricing...just sayin'

 

[Jamie297]

Seriously, if you are going to need a vehicle/transportation this much while in the Orlando area, I would suggest that you rent a car.
For the occasional ride between resorts while staying onsite, Uber/Lyft are excellent choices but if you are needing Uber 2 or more times everyday, a rental is a far better choice.
There is so much competition in the rental car industry at MCO that a weekly rental for a compact to full size vehicle can usually be had for $100 and quite often less.
With a rental, you are on your own schedule, no apps, no waiting, no tips, no surge pricing...just sayin'

Don't forget to add in parking fees at the parks and your resort if you are staying off site as well as the hassle of finding your way around. Uber and lyft combined with the Disney transportation system once we were on site worked very well for us.

 

[Chucky!]

Seriously, if you are going to need a vehicle/transportation this much while in the Orlando area, I would suggest that you rent a car.
For the occasional ride between resorts while staying onsite, Uber/Lyft are excellent choices but if you are needing Uber 2 or more times everyday, a rental is a far better choice.
There is so much competition in the rental car industry at MCO that a weekly rental for a compact to full size vehicle can usually be had for $100 and quite often less.
With a rental, you are on your own schedule, no apps, no waiting, no tips, no surge pricing...just sayin'

A bit different if you are international and need the Loss Damage Waiver insurance, as well as parking and then paying for fuel. (Also don't like driving on the wrong side of the road!)

We did an off-site stay last Spring, both DH and I got new users codes for Lyft and Uber and we never paid full price to go anywhere. Honestly we paid prices like $4 and $7 to get to and from hotel and parks. Much less hassle than renting a car for us.

 

[keithlu]

Don't forget to add in parking fees at the parks and your resort if you are staying off site as well as the hassle of finding your way around. Uber and lyft combined with the Disney transportation system once we were on site worked very well for us.

Thats true.

 

[keithlu]

Seriously, if you are going to need a vehicle/transportation this much while in the Orlando area, I would suggest that you rent a car.
For the occasional ride between resorts while staying onsite, Uber/Lyft are excellent choices but if you are needing Uber 2 or more times everyday, a rental is a far better choice.
There is so much competition in the rental car industry at MCO that a weekly rental for a compact to full size vehicle can usually be had for $100 and quite often less.
With a rental, you are on your own schedule, no apps, no waiting, no tips, no surge pricing...just sayin'

I doubt a weekly rental for $100. Dont forget Insurance + gas + parking are also addons.
Just did a search on avis.com and its about $200 for a week for an economy car.

 

[nacho113]

I doubt a weekly rental for $100. Dont forget Insurance + gas + parking are also addons.
Just did a search on avis.com and its about $200 for a week for an economy car.

I'm not saying that Uber/Lyft are bad, I love Uber and use it frequently when I travel for business.
I'm just saying that a rental car is a viable option if you need transportation everyday.
With the rental car, you are on your own schedule, no calling, apps, waiting, surge pricing, tips.
Pick what works best for you and your own situation.

Not sure what your dates are but $100/week is definitely do-able unless you are looking for something in high demand (ie: a minivan in the summer vacation period). Yes you have extra costs, gas, parking etc. Our credit card has rental insurance so we don't buy the rental company's .

For our fall vacation this year we have a Full-Size vehicle booked with Alamo Sept 10-23/16 (13 days) and price is currently $222.14 (suspect it will drop a fair amount lower over the next 5 months, I will cancel and re-book as needed)

When I look back on my old Alamo reservations from the past couple of years, we have paid approx $100/wk or less (even had a one-way before a cruise with similar prices). See below:
Feb 1-8/14 MCO, Alamo Full size - $86.41 total for 7 days
April 3-8/14 TPA to MIA, Hertz Premium - $74.25 total for 5 days
Sept 26-Oct 7/14 TPA to MCO, Alamo Convertible - $208.93 total for 12 days
Jan 13-27/15 MCO, Alamo Full-size - $194.22 total for 14 days
Sept 22-Oct 5/15 MCO, Alamo Premium - $184.93 total for 13 days

 

[keithlu]

I'm not saying that Uber/Lyft are bad, I love Uber and use it frequently when I travel for business.
I'm just saying that a rental car is a viable option if you need transportation everyday.
With the rental car, you are on your own schedule, no calling, apps, waiting, surge pricing, tips.
Pick what works best for you and your own situation.

Not sure what your dates are but $100/week is definitely do-able unless you are looking for something in high demand (ie: a minivan in the summer vacation period). Yes you have extra costs, gas, parking etc. Our credit card has rental insurance so we don't buy the rental company's .

For our fall vacation this year we have a Full-Size vehicle booked with Alamo Sept 10-23/16 and price is currently $222.14 (suspect it will drop a fair amount lower over the next 5 months, I will cancel and re-book as needed)

When I look back on my old Alamo reservations from the past couple of years, we have paid approx $100/wk or less (even had a one-way before a cruise with similar prices). See below:
Feb 1-8/14 MCO, Alamo Full size - $86.41 total
April 3-8/14 TPA to MIA, Hertz Premium - $74.25 total
Sept 26-Oct 7/14 TPA to MCO, Alamo Convertible - $208.93 total
Jan 13-27/15 MCO, Alamo Full-size - $194.22 total,
Sept 22-Oct 5/15 MCO, Alamo Premium - $184.93 total

Booking 5 months before travel most probably will get a good price. I agree that rental or ridesharing is a personal preference. We just find ride sharing no hassle business.

 

[nacho113]

Booking 5 months before travel most probably will get a good price. I agree that rental or ridesharing is a personal preference. We just find ride sharing no hassle business.

Usually we find our best price in the last couple of weeks before departure.
Once we have our flight booked, the rental car is next.
With the rental car, I book something I can live with then check back frequently. Re-booking when prices drop and keep watch right up to departure day.

When I'm travelling for business I typically don't rent a vehicle since I'm only in town for a day or 2.
I love Uber for this and I find it to be a great alternative to taxis.

When I'm on vacation, a rental car is my preferred mode of transportation for the freedom it offers.
I know what you mean about driving in a different country though, driving on the wrong side of the road in England last year was "interesting" to say the least!

 

[keithlu]

Did your GPS work in England?

 

[leebee]

I doubt a weekly rental for $100. Dont forget Insurance + gas + parking are also addons.
Just did a search on avis.com and its about $200 for a week for an economy car.

I'm not arguing that car rental can get expensive, but it's easy to bring down rental costs by using membership IDs and coupon codes. Mousesavers.com has a terrific tutorial on how to do this. If you don't know what/if you qualify for discounts, use carrentalsavers.com. They have an option called SmartBook (on the right side of their home page) where they will find the best deals for you. I'd NEVER rent from Avis, though. They and Hertz usually are the most expensive options for rentals. Right now I have a reservation for an SUV through Dollar for 6/29-7/6 for $219, including all taxes, etc. Could have had an economy car for $89, but we wanted something bigger as we'll be touring around the area, not just using it as cheap shuttle transportation.

***Also remember that car rental prices change in the blink of an eye. My SUV that I talked about above is now at $300 through Alamo, which is the cheapest carrentalsavers is currently showing. However, through Avis, that SUV is $540!! I always grab the cheapest rate I am comfortable with and then keep checking, checking, checking. When prices drop I make a new reservation and cancel the old one.***

Insurance- Most individual auto insurance policies cover rental vehicles, and most major credit cards will act as secondary coverage. Check your policies to make sure you are covered. I haven't EVER paid for rental insurance. The agents will try to pressure you, and say "what about coverage for loss-of-use days, you are responsible for those" but once again, most car insurance policies will cover this. Don't let a car rental agent coerce you into purchasing insurance coverage that you do not need.

Parking- Yup, it's expensive at Disney... $17 a day. If you are staying at a Disney hotel, parking at the resorts and theme parks is free, and if you have an annual pass (or are traveling with someone who has an AP) you just need to show that at the parking gate and parking is free. I know... not something that everyone has access to, but it's a possibility.

Convenience- something you don't get with either Disney transportation or Uber/Lyft. To us, having our own car outside our door, being able to come and go as we please, being able to explore, is a convenience that is worth paying for!

 

[nacho113]

Did your GPS work in England?

Didn't take my GPS since it only has North America maps.
I did get a couple of good maps and plan out my routes before we left.
When we arrive I bought a local sim card for my cellphone with a data plan, it was very reasonable (I think something like 15 -20 British pounds -$30-$40 for 3GB data and unlimited local calling and text). We used google maps on the phone if we were ever unsure where we were or if we changed our plans.
Best money we spent on the trip. Bought the Sim right on the airport just after we arrived, definitely recommended if you're planning a trip to the UK or Europe

 

[keithlu]

Update: Lyft Code is still good and they are offering 50% rides from Mon-Thur rides. Uber promo has expired so I removed the link.

 

[keithlu]

Till memorial day, they have another another coupon code - MEMORIAL50

 

[keithlu]

New lyft Code for next long weekend - JULY4TH50

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I'll have a rental car on my next trip. Still planning to ride share to Universal Citywalk to watch a band perform. No parking fee and no worries about having any adult beverages. It's a no brainier for me

 

[bryanb]

I've been to Disney both with a rental car and without. There are definitely benefits to both.

With a rental car, you can feel the vastness of the property in a different way. Dealing with the massive parking lots in the hot sun, riding on parking lot trams with day-guests, having to remember where I left my unfamiliar car, navigating across the whole place again and again.

But on the positive side, there were things I loved. Keeping an extra shirt in the car turned out to be an enormous benefit after getting caught in a brief downpour, saving a trip back to the resort. Leaving a gym bag in the trunk made it much easier to drop into the water parks. Having a place to store souvenirs and flip flops when park hopping instead of lugging those around (or renting those expensive lockers).

On the other hand, Disney transportation let you shut off your mind a bit once you were on the right bus. I like the idea of occasionally calling an Uber or Lyft as a middle ground to having your own car, especially when hopping from resort-to-resort. Or to destinations that require a bus layover (like ESPN or Blizzard Beach).

 

[keithlu]

Code updated