Uber or Cab from parks?

[AngiTN]

So I was reading somewhere that you can get picked up at the intersection, its on your map a little to the left of the pink arrow. Has anyone tried that?

i was only asking as it was posted on a blog, I thought maybe it was a pullout or others had done it and felt it was a good , safe pick up spot. Thanks for the info

I guess it just goes to show that people can write whatever they want in a blog. I don't read many but know that not all bloggers are created equal.
They can't possible mean the Intersection itself. There is no safe spot at all. No one would possibly imagine stopping and picking up there.
There is however, a good spot they can pull over further down the walkway, in the parking lot vs the road. You can see the turn off in the photo sort of under the W of Walkway

 

[AngiTN]

Yup. I'd watch the map and then suddenly poof - gone. One time the app said the driver was 7 minutes away and it looked like that on the map but then 30 minutes later no Uber had shown up for me at the front of the resort and they weren't on the map anymore. Guess they cancelled the pickup?
Second time I tried it the times kept changing and I could see them on the map but they never got near the resort and never showed up.

Both times I did the text thing and never got a response. It was the strangest thing. I even contacted Uber to make sure I wasn't doing anything wrong.

So now I don't trust Uber. My husband uses them all the time when he travels for business and said he's never had a problem. Sigh.

What did Uber say when you contacted them? If it's happened several times it does seem like something might be happening on your end. It is unusual, as I'm sure your DH has mentioned
They should have been able to see what the driver did.
Actually, you should have too. You can see when the driver cancels the ride too, the app alerts you and should reassign another car automatically.

 

[Mysteryincorp]

I guess it just goes to show that people can write whatever they want in a blog. I don't read many but know that not all bloggers are created equal.
They can't possible mean the Intersection itself. There is no safe spot at all. No one would possibly imagine stopping and picking up there.
There is however, a good spot they can pull over further down the walkway, in the parking lot vs the road. You can see the turn off in the photo sort of under the W of Walkway

Maybe that's what the blogger meant....thanks for the information.

 

[JimMIA]

Yup. I'd watch the map and then suddenly poof - gone. One time the app said the driver was 7 minutes away and it looked like that on the map but then 30 minutes later no Uber had shown up for me at the front of the resort and they weren't on the map anymore. Guess they cancelled the pickup?
Second time I tried it the times kept changing and I could see them on the map but they never got near the resort and never showed up.

That's a very strange set of coincidences, and it's very hard to figure out what happened from your description -- even for someone who's given more than 1,000 rides and taken several dozen as a rider. But I'll try to give some ideas on what might have happened.

First of all, all of what we're talking about is based on the driver's GPS (which is usually Google Maps). The driver's position can be off considerably when the car is moving, and if we're on an expressway, it can be WAY off. I have arrived, waited, and then called or sent a text, and have the rider respond that the app just told them I was 5 minutes away. (I've had that with both Uber and Lyft -- it's a gps thing, not an Uber thing).

The ETA problem is greatly magnified when the pickup point is inside a large complex like a resort, and it can get really crazy if there are barriers like security gates.

Second, your first situation sounds like you ordered the ride from one place in the resort and then went to the front of the resort when you anticipated the driver to arrive.

The big problem with doing that is that the pickup location is the point where you ordered the ride, and that is where the GPS tries to take the driver. I once had a ride request placed from the deck of a cruise ship docked at Port Miami. The pin was in the middle of the channel, and the location was shown as "North Atlantic Ocean!"

If the driver goes the point where you ordered the ride and you're not there, or they can't get access to the pickup point, they will probably cancel the ride as a "no-show" and you'll be charged a cancellation fee.

Uber has a new feature on the rider app which allows the rider to move their pickup marker if it's in the wrong place. They also allow the rider to share their exact location, if they choose. Why Uber makes showing your actual location optional is a mystery to me, but it is something a rider must affirmatively do -- and I've never had it happen yet.

Both times I did the text thing and never got a response.

It's really hard to tell, but it sounds to me like both of your rides were probably canceled no-show. You can call or text a driver while they are en route, and you can contact a driver after dropoff at your destination -- because you left something in their car, for example. (Lyft only offers phone contact)

But if a ride is canceled, no text or telephone call will go through after the cancellation. That's true with both companies.

 

[J'aime Paris]

I've never used Uber or Lyft before, but may try it out when in Orlando.

Should I download the apps onto my phone at home, or wait until I get to Universal and need a ride somewhere?

 

[subtchr]

I've never used Uber or Lyft before, but may try it out when in Orlando.

Should I download the apps onto my phone at home, or wait until I get to Universal and need a ride somewhere?

Definitely in advance. You have to link a credit card, and it's a good idea to be familiar with how the app works. I personally would not want to take the time to do that when I want a ride!

 

[J'aime Paris]

Ok, thank you!!

 

[JadeDarkstar]

I've used both. Uber works fine for me but my hubs love's lyft. he likes the map better. We always text the driver where we are and what we might be wearing so we can know the right one is picking us up. We have had some cancled trips. But we will be trying some in wdw. I do not know what the surge pricing is?

 

[AngiTN]

I've used both. Uber works fine for me but my hubs love's lyft. he likes the map better. We always text the driver where we are and what we might be wearing so we can know the right one is picking us up. We have had some cancled trips. But we will be trying some in wdw. I do not know what the surge pricing is?

A premium added due to increased demand.

 

[Sandi]

That's a very strange set of coincidences, and it's very hard to figure out what happened from your description -- even for someone who's given more than 1,000 rides and taken several dozen as a rider. But I'll try to give some ideas on what might have happened.

First of all, all of what we're talking about is based on the driver's GPS (which is usually Google Maps). The driver's position can be off considerably when the car is moving, and if we're on an expressway, it can be WAY off. I have arrived, waited, and then called or sent a text, and have the rider respond that the app just told them I was 5 minutes away. (I've had that with both Uber and Lyft -- it's a gps thing, not an Uber thing).

The ETA problem is greatly magnified when the pickup point is inside a large complex like a resort, and it can get really crazy if there are barriers like security gates.

Second, your first situation sounds like you ordered the ride from one place in the resort and then went to the front of the resort when you anticipated the driver to arrive.

The big problem with doing that is that the pickup location is the point where you ordered the ride, and that is where the GPS tries to take the driver. I once had a ride request placed from the deck of a cruise ship docked at Port Miami. The pin was in the middle of the channel, and the location was shown as "North Atlantic Ocean!"

If the driver goes the point where you ordered the ride and you're not there, or they can't get access to the pickup point, they will probably cancel the ride as a "no-show" and you'll be charged a cancellation fee.

Uber has a new feature on the rider app which allows the rider to move their pickup marker if it's in the wrong place. They also allow the rider to share their exact location, if they choose. Why Uber makes showing your actual location optional is a mystery to me, but it is something a rider must affirmatively do -- and I've never had it happen yet.

It's really hard to tell, but it sounds to me like both of your rides were probably canceled no-show. You can call or text a driver while they are en route, and you can contact a driver after dropoff at your destination -- because you left something in their car, for example. (Lyft only offers phone contact)

But if a ride is canceled, no text or telephone call will go through after the cancellation. That's true with both companies.

I had that sort of Uber experience at the DFW airport on Tuesday. 4 different cars were “on the way” and then disappeared. Then looking for another car. Finally had to go with a cab. Never had that happen before. Disappointed. Everything was fine with Uber today.

To the OP, best to get over to Contemporary and Uber or Minnie van to Pop. Don’t rush to get out of MK.

 

[JimMIA]

I had that sort of Uber experience at the DFW airport on Tuesday. 4 different cars were “on the way” and then disappeared. Then looking for another car. Finally had to go with a cab. Never had that happen before. Disappointed. Everything was fine with Uber today.

Two questions about your DFW experience:

1. Did the drivers call and ask where you were going?
2. Did you get charged a cancellation fee?

 

[Sandi]

Two questions about your DFW experience:

1. Did the drivers call and ask where you were going?
2. Did you get charged a cancellation fee?

1. No, I did not receive a call. I input my hotel's address in downtown Dallas, so it was clear where I was going. I actually tried calling the third car that popped up as on its way, but there was no answer and then the call dropped.

2. I did not get charged a cancellation fee. I received a note that I may be charged a fee because the driver was on the way, but I was not charged (so far). I would have disputed that since it was a cluster.

 

[JimMIA]

1. No, I did not receive a call. I input my hotel's address in downtown Dallas, so it was clear where I was going. I actually tried calling the third car that popped up as on its way, but there was no answer and then the call dropped.

Drivers don't see your destination until they actually pick you up and start the ride.

But the reason I asked is that some unscrupulous drivers will call airport pickups to see if the destination is going to be a ride they want. That's prohibited by Uber, but some do it -- and then collect the cancellation fee if they don't want the ride.

2. I did not get charged a cancellation fee. I received a note that I may be charged a fee because the driver was on the way, but I was not charged (so far). I would have disputed that since it was a cluster.

Good, and good. I was going to tell you to dispute any cancellation fee.

 

[Lisa MF]

My son & I did an entire 8 day WDW trip with Uber & Lyft. We stayed at the Hyatt Place on International and it typically cost $14-$17 each way, no matter which park we were going to and what time of day. We DID pay some 25% surge pricing in the evening (we usually leave around 6pm). Th locations for pick up were fairly well marked with signs, benches and large umbrellas. One ride was horrible...a man who had moved here from South America 6 months prior and just got his license here (yikes!) and his driving reflected that. He drove us up and down the freeway, not able to follow his map or my instructions. I called Lyft and they credited me the ride, plus $50 more in rides because it turned out he never even STOPPED the trip on his phone so it was still charging!

We are going back to WDW in May 2018 and will use Uber again. I think Uber is a little cheaper than Lyft and it seems all the drivers say they keep both apps open and use both. Most drop offs and pickups are the same area so just confirm with the driver. The hardest was Disney Springs. It was quite a walk because it is past the La Nouba theater, then to the right in the parking lot.

 

[JadeDarkstar]

that's odd lyft is cheaper for us here, uber is still cheaper than a cab.

 

[BuzzLiteyear]

We were at WDW at the beginning of the month. I’ve never used Uber before and never thought I would. We used Uber twice while we were there. Once was back from MK to our resort. We went to the Contemporary and got it there. Very easy and very fast.