Everthing you wanted to know about Uber/Lyft at WDW

[Gus V.]

We've used it plenty of times in the past. I never request a vehicle until I'm at a pick up point. I won't ever make a ride wait for me. So I won't request till I'm there.
That said, after what I went through this weekend I will no longer recommend someone rely on them, I will suggest they have a back up plan. Clearly there was not enough to meet demand. What would you have done had you never gotten paired with a vehicle? Needing 2 car seats?

I definitely would be frustrated and probably wouldn’t use them again for a while. For us, buses were always an option. I only hope things improve since we really like this service. I would think availability will improve if they are adding new Minnies.

 

[JimMIA]

The issue with MinnieVans -- which has been pointed out on numerous occasions by multiple posters -- has always been scale. There are literally hundreds of Uber, Lyft, and taxi vehicles providing the same service 24/7. There is no way MV will be available "on demand," anywhere, any time, with 20-30 vehicles and only working 18 hours a day. Just ain't happening.

The key, as Angi noted, is to have a Plan B. Minnie Van is a novelty, like your favorite ride. You don't do it all the time, every time.

For actual transportation, you look to realistic resources: Disney's excellent bus service, Monorail, boat, Uber, Lyft, taxi, etc. If you put all your needs in one basket, your disappointment is self-inflicted.

 

[Gus V.]

Yes, I guess anything Disney related always needs a plan B. As I previously stated, our experience was a positive one during our trip, and hope they continue to be that way in future trips.

 

[JimMIA]

Just a reminder to prudent consumers:

Have both the Uber and Lyft apps on your phone, and compare prices and pickup times. Prices DO vary between the companies regularly, as does driver availability. If you don't price-check, you are going to pay too much unnecessarily.

Just FYI, Uber recently raised Orlando rates 10 cents per mile, and I believe 3 cents per minute. Drivers get zero of that; it all goes to Uber.

It's not clear if, or how, the increase will affect the fares you pay because Uber uses "up-front pricing" anyway. It may have no effect right away.

But be a smart consumer and check.

 

[hsmamato2]

Don't bother trying to pre-schedule.

"Scheduling" only really means one thing: your ride gets calendared to be dispatched to all Uber drivers 15-20 minutes or so prior to your requested pickup time. If the driver who accepts the ride is right there (and they may well be), the most likely outcome is that you get hit with a $10 cancellation fee and have to start all over.

For a ride like that, you could just order the ride whenever you are ready to load up and go. The drivers should receive a "Long Trip Notification" that your ride request is a 45+ minutes, but they won't know where you are headed.

If I were you, I would download UZURV and use that service to schedule that ride. A long ride like that, requiring XL, is exactly what UZURV is designed to facilitate. I'd do the scheduling the day before.

With that service (which I think will cost you $3), the driver will know your pickup location, your dropoff destination, times, distance, etc. So there will be no surprises. There is also the ability to offer some "incentive" for the driver to take your request -- like $3 to cover their UZURV fee, or more if you don't get positive responses quickly..

Drivers indicate their interest in your ride, and then you have the ability to review each of their driver profiles to learn more about them, what kind of car they have, etc. Don't jump at the first driver who responds. Take your time and choose. Then you select a driver and coordinate with them. There are also meaningful consequences for drivers not showing up as scheduled, so there is some protection there.

Just be sure your ride is conducted through the Uber app. Cash rides are illegal under Florida law, and you would also be riding with zero insurance. Using the Uber app, you have $1 million insurance coverage as required by Florida law.

would UZURV be useful for our Uber situation? fam of 5 arriving MCO at aprox. 10 pm on a Friday night, needs a carseat and has their own booster? I was going to go with mears b/c I was worried about availability of Uberxl with a carseat then

 

[hsmamato2]

Question...the mears site says pickup has to be 3:45 before flight time....is this right? I would think 3 hours is standard and fine(?)

 

[JimMIA]

would UZURV be useful for our Uber situation? fam of 5 arriving MCO at aprox. 10 pm on a Friday night, needs a carseat and has their own booster? I was going to go with mears b/c I was worried about availability of Uberxl with a carseat then

Yes. Any special situation like that is custom made for UZURV, and well worth the $3 they will charge you.

However, there is a complication. MCO operates on a queue, which means that a driver can't just drive around the terminal picking people up. So to get picked up by the pre-arranged driver of your choice, some arrangements will have to be made.

I strongly advise against just making arrangements and then paying cash for a ride. First of all, that's illegal under Florida law and could get the driver arrested. Equally important, you would be riding with ZERO insurance.

With Uber or Lyft, you are covered by a $1 million insurance policy on your ride. Mears is self-insured, but I'm confident that the local requirements for that status are quite rigorous and you'd be well-covered. With a cash ride, you're on your own.

 

[JimMIA]

just bumping for new folks.

 

[GirlDreamer]

My husband wants to go to Disney's Wilderness Preserve during our trip, but I don't know how easy that will be using uber or lyft. I'm worried that even though we might be able to get there with a ride, will we have any problems getting a ride back? The address is: Disney Wilderness Preserve, 2700, Scrub Jay Trail, Poinciana, FL 34759, United States

 

[joelkfla]

My husband wants to go to Disney's Wilderness Preserve during our trip, but I don't know how easy that will be using uber or lyft. I'm worried that even though we might be able to get there with a ride, will we have any problems getting a ride back? The address is: Disney Wilderness Preserve, 2700, Scrub Jay Trail, Poinciana, FL 34759, United States

I haven't been there, but on the map it's only 2 miles away from the community of Poinciana, which is home to a large number of Disney cm's, so it should be OK as long as you can get a cell signal there. I also put it into the Uber app as a pickup location, and it came up with a 9 minute wait for an UberX right now.

 

[GirlDreamer]

Thanks, that's good to hear. They do have visitor centre, so I'd think that in worst case scenario we could get them to call a taxi for us.

 

[MommaOfTwoMice]

Never used Uber or Lyft before. Thinking this may be a great time saving option for our upcoming trip in less than 2 weeks. Think of using the service from WL to AKL for dinner one night and again from WL to the Boardwalk area for our ADR at Flying Fish another night.

 

[shrinkintexas]

I posted earlier, so wanted to give an update.
Just returned from a cruise. We were at Port Canaveral. Hired a driver for the day. (don't know if I can give his name, but would if asked). He picked us up at the port, took us to HS. Waited for us and picked us up at the front entrance. Drove us to Animal Kingdom. Again, waited for us. Picked us up at the gate, and took us to Epcot. Picked us up at the gate and had us back to the ship in plenty of time. Great day with a wonderful, private driver!

 

[JimMIA]

Never used Uber or Lyft before. Thinking this may be a great time saving option for our upcoming trip in less than 2 weeks. Think of using the service from WL to AKL for dinner one night and again from WL to the Boardwalk area for our ADR at Flying Fish another night.

It's very easy, but we can give you better info if you tell us how many in your party, and whether you will need any child seats (children younger than 6 in Florida).

I'd recommend you put both Uber and Lyft on your phones and compare prices/pickup times. The companies prices are not always identical, and one may be more convenient. You'll also get some kind of promotional offer for each new account. Also be sure to add the Minnie Van option to your Lyft app since you are staying at WL.

 

[MommaOfTwoMice]

We are a family of 4, no child seats needed. Kids are 8 and 10.

 

[JimMIA]

We are a family of 4, no child seats needed. Kids are 8 and 10.

OK, you would probably be fine with UberX or regular Lyft. Both of those carry 4 passengers, and the vehicle could range from very small to a large SUV or minivan, depending on the luck of the draw.

If you need or want more room, you would order UberXL or Lyft Plus, both of which would be SUVs or minivans.

You can get fare estimates on both apps, and you will be given estimated fares on both before you order your ride, so there will be no surprises. I checked estimated fares on RideGuru (which provides estimates for all classes + taxis) and got to following:

• WL to AKL: UberX or Lyft - $11-$12; UberXL or Lyft Plus - $19-$20
• WL to BW: UberX or Lyft - $10-$11; Uber XL or Lyft Plus - $16-$17

The other option, of course, is Disney's Minnie Van -- which is ordered and paid through the Lyft app. You will get that set up on your app at WL. For the above rides, Minnie Van will be a little more than XL, but it's an option. All Minnie Van rides are currently $25 from any location on Disney property to any Disney location. Minnie Vans do NOT transport riders offsite -- so if you wanted to go offsite for dinner, for example, you would use Uber/Lyft.

 

[Stefani P.]

Am I correct in assuming that I can pretty much always get an Uber or Lyft?
I am flying into Sanford Airport in 2 weeks and not arriving til close to 10pm.
I was just going to rely on one of tgose services to get me to Pop.

 

[joelkfla]

Am I correct in assuming that I can pretty much always get an Uber or Lyft?
I am flying into Sanford Airport in 2 weeks and not arriving til close to 10pm.
I was just going to rely on one of tgose services to get me to Pop.

I think if there are fights scheduled to come in, there will be drivers in the area. But I'm not familiar with the situation in Sanford, so to be safe, install the app on your phone now, and from home, on the day of the week at the time you expect to arrive, do this:

1. Open the app as if you're going to request a ride.
2. Touch the pickup location, and change it to Orlando Sanford International Airport.
3. Change the vehicle type, if you want.
4. The app will show you the cars in the area and the expected wait time. (In Uber, you might have to enter a destination also.)

This will give you an idea of what to expect when you arrive. When you're done, just close the app without requesting a ride.

Don't forget to account for time zone difference, if your home is not in EST.

 

[Wdw1015]

We will be staying at Pop in June and we have 2 PPO breakfasts. One at Hollywood and Vine at 8:10 and another the following day at 8:05. What time would you suggest getting an Uber for each of them? Wondering if this would be a better option than buses so we don’t have to leave quite as early?

 

[JimMIA]

(In Uber, you might have to enter a destination also.)

With the Uber Rider app, you'll have to go through a few steps -- at least here in Miami (apps vary between markets)

1. Open the rider app.
2. Touch "Where to?" That will display your current address and a blank to enter your destination.
3. Touch your current location, and then enter "Orlando Sanford International Airport" (actually just Orlando sanford works fine). This now becomes the pickup location.
4. Enter your destination in the spot for "Where to?" That will move your pin to the Sanford airport, but the map will be zoomed way out. You should also see a fare estimate display for each category, and the estimated pickup time will appear next to your pickup location. If you change vehicle selections, the pickup time will change appropriately. Uber's pickup times are usually accurate.
5. Zoom into the airport area on the map, and up to eight cars will be displayed and you'll be able to see how many are in the general area. The cars shown will be those in the ride category selected. If you change categories, the display will change.

As Joel said above, day of week and time matching your anticipated arrival time are critical because saturation at a small airport can change dramatically when few flights are arriving.

I don't think you'll have a problem getting a ride at 10 PM. There might be more of an issue if you hit some major flight delay and come in after midnight, but you'll get a ride.