On Property Transportation Advice, Please

[okduke]

Thank you for considering my post, fellow Disney fanatics. My wife and I have been to WDW several times. We learned a while ago that we liked renting a car so we wouldn't have to wait on buses to get around. We are scheduled to be at the parks in early January 2022 and we do have a car rented. Another thing to know about us is that we are not super fluent at Uber, but maybe we need to be. We (particularly me) also tend to push ourselves physically harder than we should. Occasionally, it has been all we can do at the end of the day to get to the tram that takes us back to our rental car.

But that is the question, right now. The lack of trams can potentially add a significant number of steps to both ends of a day. And part of the time saved by driving (instead of riding a bus) is lessened by the time that these walks can take. So, I'm wondering if anyone that usually drives is choosing not to do so now. I'm also wondering about the viability of relying on Ubers to get us to, from and around the parks. I recognize the potential cost, but we are spending $500 on our rental car so we have several Ubers to to pay for before the cost increases.

Please share your thoughts or experience with this older, less mobile Disney freak.

 

[CarolynFH]

We too are older and usually have a car, because we usually drive to Orlando. We drive to most of the parks for convenience (although sometimes the walk between the tram and the car is farther than the walk between the bus stop and the park entrance!) - but we rarely drive to MK, mostly because of the extra step of crossing the lagoon, either via monorail or ferry. Rideshare drop off for Epcot, DHS and AK is pretty close to the park entrances, even closer than the bus stops, but for MK it’s at TTC. So taking rideshare to MK would eliminate the long walk through the parking lot but not the ferry or monorail ride to get to the MK entrance. As I said, we usually have our own car, not a rental, so using rideshare wouldn’t really make sense, but in your case I think rideshare in place of a rental car would be very reasonable.

 

[sndral]

I was intimidated to try Uber/Lyft - but a mechanical issue w/ my car @ home forced me to learn how to use Lyft & I became a fan after that. You might try using Uber/Lyft at home first to assess your comfort level. I especially like the map feature where you can see your pick up car actually heading towards you lol.
We’ve used both Uber & Lyft a couple of times @ WDW to supplement WDW transportation & it has worked out fine & was much cheaper than the old days when we’d occasionally use a taxi.

 

[Marthasor]

I, too, was Uber resistant and loved the Minnie Vans that, unfortunately, are no more. We used Lyft last week to transfer from Swan to VGF. YMMV, but our driver was very professional and his car was immaculate. Certainly much cheaper and easier than renting a car.

 

[Lehuaann]

We use Lyft because that is what Disney used for Minnie Van. Looks like you are going at a good time (early January) to test it out with low crowds.

Piggybacking on what others said, they are not allowed to drop off at your room/building location, only the resort front lobby. And for MK, it will be the TTC.

 

[LeeLee'sMom]

Love using Uber when the need arises at the parks. Price is right when you just want to go somewhere and not have to wait for several buses, etc.

 

[OKW Lover]

Another thing to know about us is that we are not super fluent at Uber, but maybe we need to be.

No reason to be "super fluent" with Uber. Use the app once or twice and you'll be an expert. One thing to keep in mind is that Ubering to the MK actually drops you off at the TTC, not the entrance to the MK. From the TTC you can take the ferry or monorail to the MK. But you do still avoid the potential long walk from the lot to the TTC.

So, I'm wondering if anyone that usually drives is choosing not to do so now.

Being local we drive. Even before moving here 7+ years ago, we still drove to the parks.

 

[_19disnA]

There is also a preferred parking option that costs more but puts you closer to the park so less walking then regular parking.

Having a rental car also gives you more flexibility if you decide to go off property to eat/shop/sightsee. Online taxis get pricey if you plan to use a lot of them and at peak times they charge more compared to slower times.

 

[joelkfla]

Rideshare drop off for Epcot, DHS and AK is pretty close to the park entrances, even closer than the bus stops

I don't think that's true any longer for DHS; it had been moved out to the far end of the charter bus area (unless it's been moved back that I'm not aware of). Still, closer than the most of the parking lot.

 

[CarolynFH]

I don't think that's true any longer for DHS; it had been moved out to the far end of the charter bus area (unless it's been moved back that I'm not aware of). Still, closer than the most of the parking lot.

Oh, sorry if that's the case. We haven't been there since June, when the rideshare dropoff seemed to be near the bus stop, but it certainly could have moved since then!

 

[Lewisc]

We use Lyft because that is what Disney used for Minnie Van. Looks like you are going at a good time (early January) to test it out with low crowds.

Piggybacking on what others said, they are not allowed to drop off at your room/building location, only the resort front lobby. And for MK, it will be the TTC.

Disney only used Lyft to handle app related issues. Guests requesting a Minnie van getting an available Minnie Van assigned. Billing the passenger. Unlike Lyft, and Uber, Minnie Vans were driven by Disney CM driving vans leased to Disney..

Uber and Lyft are very similar. The suggestion is install both apps. Dynamic pricing might cause fares to be double and even triple a normal fare. When that happens there might be dramatic difference in pricing.

 

[wfjny]

We too are older and usually have a car, because we usually drive to Orlando. We drive to most of the parks for convenience (although sometimes the walk between the tram and the car is farther than the walk between the bus stop and the park entrance!) - but we rarely drive to MK, mostly because of the extra step of crossing the lagoon, either via monorail or ferry. Rideshare drop off for Epcot, DHS and AK is pretty close to the park entrances, even closer than the bus stops, but for MK it’s at TTC. So taking rideshare to MK would eliminate the long walk through the parking lot but not the ferry or monorail ride to get to the MK entrance. As I said, we usually have our own car, not a rental, so using rideshare wouldn’t really make sense, but in your case I think rideshare in place of a rental car would be very reasonable.

Exactly the same here. We drive to Disney, so we have our car. We drive to most parks, but tend to bus to MK if we are staying on property.

However, our DVC Home is BLT. If we are there, we tend to walk to MK, monorail back. We also tend to monorail to EPCOT.

 

[Lewisc]

Car rental rates are $$$. Most hotels are now charging for parking. Offsite guests, excluding AP holders, have to pay $$$ to park. Ride share makes a lot of sense, for many guests.

 

[Lehuaann]

Disney only used Lyft to handle app related issues. Guests requesting a Minnie van getting an available Minnie Van assigned. Billing the passenger. Unlike Lyft, and Uber, Minnie Vans were driven by Disney CM driving vans leased to Disney..

Yea, I didn’t get into all that since it’s now irrelevant. Op asked about Ubers, so wanted to share Lyft having a past connection with Disney, which is why we use it

 

[MrsHammer]

There is also a preferred parking option that costs more but puts you closer to the park so less walking then regular parking.

Having a rental car also gives you more flexibility if you decide to go off property to eat/shop/sightsee. Online taxis get pricey if you plan to use a lot of them and at peak times they charge more compared to slower times.

View attachment 613050

How much is Preferred parking if you are a resort guest? I'm thinking that standard parking is free for resort guests, so how does that work with preferred? Do you pay a $25 upcharge for the preferred or full price with no resort guest discount?

 

[need2travel]

We're technologically challenged & resisted using Uber for the longest time. We finally used it for the first time back in July & loved it. Very easy to download & set up the app & very easy to book a car for a pick up. We used them almost every day after that-relatively quick & much cheaper than a taxis. We're converts!

 

[maxiesmom]

We didn't rent a car this trip, because of the lack of trams. We also stayed at the Swan, so we had 2 parks (Epcot and the Disney Studios) where the lack of trams wasn't a problem. The boat drops you off close to the parks.

 

[MikeF;NJ]

How much is Preferred parking if you are a resort guest? I'm thinking that standard parking is free for resort guests, so how does that work with preferred? Do you pay a $25 upcharge for the preferred or full price with no resort guest discount?

The next paragraph on the Disney page attached above was

Standard theme park parking is included for registered Guests of Disney Resort hotels and select Annual Passholders. These Guests can also choose to enjoy preferred parking by paying the difference in cost between their included standard parking and preferred parking (difference is currently $20-$25 per day*).

And the asterisk is to indicate that Preferred Parking prices vary seasonally.

 

[badiggio]

There is also a preferred parking option that costs more but puts you closer to the park so less walking then regular parking.

Having a rental car also gives you more flexibility if you decide to go off property to eat/shop/sightsee. Online taxis get pricey if you plan to use a lot of them and at peak times they charge more compared to slower times.

View attachment 613050

Flexibility yes,but otherwise i have to disagree.it's not any faster ,considering traffic and where you park.The 500 for a week's rental ,gas and parking fees preferred or not,is a lot more than you would pay for uber's ,taxis.Not worth it imo, IF you're staying onsite

 

[_19disnA]

Partly depends on if you are the go-go-go type at Disney or enjoy a more relaxed approach. Honestly, you will wait longer in various ride lines then for Disney transportation, so I guess it depends on your vacation style.