Recent Minnie van experiences for RD?

magicmountainmama

Mouseketeer
Joined
Aug 11, 2017
Anyone have recent experience trying to get a Minnie van for rope drop? When we last used minnie van in 2018, they were hard to come by in the morning so we didn’t consider them a reliable option for rope dropping. Is that still the case? We’ll be there Xmas-NYE week, so super busy.
 
Anyone have recent experience trying to get a Minnie van for rope drop? When we last used minnie van in 2018, they were hard to come by in the morning so we didn’t consider them a reliable option for rope dropping. Is that still the case? We’ll be there Xmas-NYE week, so super busy.
That week? Not a chance you'll get one for RD.
 
Not sure about Rd but we got one in October to go to the winter mini golf and we couldn't get one to get back. We tried for 1.5 hours!!! After which we decided to walk to the nearby resort and catch a bus.... Never again. Ps: we couldn't get ubers etc as we had two kids in need of a car seat...
 
Not sure about Rd but we got one in October to go to the winter mini golf and we couldn't get one to get back. We tried for 1.5 hours!!! After which we decided to walk to the nearby resort and catch a bus.... Never again. Ps: we couldn't get ubers etc as we had two kids in need of a car seat...
Oh no, that's terrible! Yikes. Yes, I'll have my 5 year old with me, so also in need of a carseat.
 


Oh no, that's terrible! Yikes. Yes, I'll have my 5 year old with me, so also in need of a carseat.
If you only need one carseat, Uber has both X and XL vehicles with one carseat. Lyft does not have carseats.

So try your luck with MV, and if you can't get one, order an Uber for a LOT less money.
 
If you only need one carseat, Uber has both X and XL vehicles with one carseat. Lyft does not have carseats.

So try your luck with MV, and if you can't get one, order an Uber for a LOT less money.

That’s a great tip! Thanks so much!
 
The fleet is as large as ever, but mostly it’s just luck of the draw when it comes to if one is close, available, about to be available, etc. To me the same applies whether the it’s busiest day of the year or the slowest day of the year - there’s always an element of chance and luck on some level. We use Minnie Vans a lot, but we always have a backup plan in mind just in case as there can certainly be times where availability luck isn’t on your side.
 


The fleet is as large as ever, but mostly it’s just luck of the draw when it comes to if one is close, available, about to be available, etc. To me the same applies whether the it’s busiest day of the year or the slowest day of the year - there’s always an element of chance and luck on some level. We use Minnie Vans a lot, but we always have a backup plan in mind just in case as there can certainly be times where availability luck isn’t on your side.
This is disappointing to hear.

Following the bus threads, it seemed like the consensus is that the busses can be hit or miss (at least if you are trying to make RD or a tight reservation somewhere) and that Minnie Vans are the way to go for speed and convenience... of course, you'll pay for it.

We'll be visiting and in need of 2 car seats, so I had just decided to accept the cost to get the convenience. But to hear that the Minnie Vans can also be unreliable (or even leave someone "stranded" due to lack of availability) is troubling. Since it's the most expensive option, I'd hope that it would come with the most reliability.

Maybe renting a vehicle is actually the best option?
 
Maybe renting a vehicle is actually the best option?
It probably is if you need two carseats -- for a couple of reasons.
  • The MinnieVan availability issue. If you want to do an MV ride as a treat for the kids, that's manageable. But if you are planning on relying on MV for your transportation, availability becomes a major problem
  • Having a car opens up many opportunities
    • The ability to return to your resort mid-day for nap/swim breaks
    • The ability to go other places, like Sea World, Universal, etc
    • The ability to dine and shop OFFsite. Dining, in particular, is a big plus because offsite offers much more variety, better food, and lower prices.
    • For everything you do, you have more flexibility. Want to go somewhere? Get in and go -- no waiting for buses, etc. (You can have that flexibility also with Uber, but not if you need 2 carseats.)
 
This is disappointing to hear.

Following the bus threads, it seemed like the consensus is that the busses can be hit or miss (at least if you are trying to make RD or a tight reservation somewhere) and that Minnie Vans are the way to go for speed and convenience... of course, you'll pay for it.

We'll be visiting and in need of 2 car seats, so I had just decided to accept the cost to get the convenience. But to hear that the Minnie Vans can also be unreliable (or even leave someone "stranded" due to lack of availability) is troubling. Since it's the most expensive option, I'd hope that it would come with the most reliability.

Maybe renting a vehicle is actually the best option?

Just my perspective, but I don’t consider Minnie Vans unreliable, personally. We use them a ton. But just like in the real world, I might not find an Uber/Lyft/Taxi close by and have to wait longer than I want to, same can happen with a Minnie Van at WDW. Our times of finding good availability far outweigh where the waits have been too long or unable to connect to a driver, but it can happen.

I consider it a tool in the transportation war chest. Half the time I’ll wait for a bus while searching for a Minnie Van, or vice versa - and make on the spot decisions. Ultimately the existence of a service like Minnie Vans doesn’t negate the need to allow for plenty of time when traveling between destinations around WDW (hence why Disney plasters that warning everywhere). 95% of the time transportation goes your way, and 5% of the time things just don’t (approximate percentages!).
 
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Cannot address the RD timeframe, but I used Minnie Vans twice in my recent trip. Both times the closest one was a 15-20 minute wait as they were in the middle of a ride.
 

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