Minnie Vans "Uber" like transport begins soon!

[rteetz]

What is weird is that they made a pink Minnie Van from a Honda Odyssey and shared it on social media. I thought they would be the vans, until I saw the picture. Wonder why they promoted one brand and chose another?

Honda and Chevy both are Disney sponsors. The Odyssey was a D23 only promotion.

 

[Roxyfire]

Yep, I say that bit about WDW having something for everyone all the time, but usually about restaurants. I was confused though! I'm fine with sharing public transport, I'm not waiting around for a big family or whatever if I'm paying for a cab/rideshare and that's what I thought you were talking about...lol. I don't expect to get a gondola or bus all to myself. I DO expect to get an uber/car service all to myself though!

Oh yeah they dont' have time to make people wait around, but if there's a group of five and I walk up alone, I'd expect to be told to join that group. They may not babysit the loading platforms at all times but I expect while it's new and or busy, they'll have people there to help people find a cabin

 

[PolyRob]

I think both of these additions will be great for transportation. I recently stayed at a bus only resort and while I had AMAZING luck catching busses, additional transportation is always a good thing. Some will find the gondolas exciting, but some, probably like my mother who is afraid of heights, will not. Some will find the Minnie Vans a waste of money, but some will love the fact they have a Disney expert driving them around and peace of mind that they will probably have all sorts of car seats and accommodations that you can't always find with a random Uber for $5 less.

 

[littleblackegg]

Oh yeah they dont' have time to make people wait around, but if there's a group of five and I walk up alone, I'd expect to be told to join that group. They may not babysit the loading platforms at all times but I expect while it's new and or busy, they'll have people there to help people find a cabin

We thought about this too. The gondolas will need to be consistently presented as a means to get to another place. Families in the "attraction" mentality may want that gondola to themselves, so a polite but direct way would have to be developed to fill the gondolas to capacity.

 

[OKW Lover]

I believe that Disney would want to discourage people from leaving their property to spend money elsewhere.

That door swings both ways. Since most Orlando area visitors do not stay on WDW property I think there is a bigger upside to making it easier for them to visit.

 

[rteetz]

My husband and I were chatting about the gondolas today. I am wondering if they are going to be conceptualized and marketed as transportation, or as an attraction requiring FastPasses. I can see the whole system devolving into just another slow ride rather than the location-to-location transportation that it is being touted as. Watching with interest.

This is transportation not a ride. It's not in any theme parks so it doesn't make sense to market it as a ride.

 

[rteetz]

I know! They are planning a hub at the International Gateway at EPCOT, but that is outside the gates. I have so many questions!

Ask away! We know a lot about this system already.

 

[adisneyaunt]

I'm laughing and disney is laughing ...right to the bank, once again. Glad I'm a stockholder lol

The parks are getting busier, packed on many occasions, adding rides, a new hotel, attractions, lands and another DVC are all Wonderful, and make for More people all still going to the same parks.

The transportation... not so much. So adding gondola's, may be helpful.. but in reality it's a way to boost attendance at a "less" favorable resort ( kinda like changing poorly located rooms to Princess and pirate rooms)

And then they added "instant" transport within the Parks, at a cost of course. And people are willing to pay for it.
now Disney is again adding within the Same parks and then to make the already Overburdened bus system work .. pixie dust in the form of Minnie transport ..
At a cost of course.
Disney Marketing is Genius.. there are those guests that can and will justify all the add-ons... and I certainly don't begrudge them.. more power to you to keep being nickel and dimed.

me, I'll pass on paying for another Add on to transport me within the Disney Bubble.
Yup, laughing all the way to the bank ...

 

[soniam]

Austin didn't want to block Uber, they wanted Uber to vet their drivers with a finger print background check, just like all the other cab companies in town have to, and they outright refused.
So they let the people of Austin decide if Uber should do finger print background checks, and put it to a vote.

Uber spent somewhere around $15 million on their campaign in Austin and they threatened to leave if they didn't get their way. They lost. After they lost the vote, they picked up and left that morning, as well as lyft.

Not only did Austin not crumble and die after Uber left, a new group of ride share companies popped up that actually did the things the people of Austin voted on and they thrived in the area.



Our new governor is against any sort of regulations at all, it seems, and he and his associates overturned the people's vote in Austin and allowed uber to come back with no finger print background checks for their drivers. Now uber is back full swing, even though they were voted out.

I know tons of people on here adore uber, but after the barrage of info we were forced to digest during the voting process, I'll never use them.

So if Disney wants to learn from Austin, all they have to do is say that, as of now, any ride share driver on their private property has to be vetted and have finger print background checks. Uber left the ENTIRE city of Austin behind over just that. And considering it's at a family friendly theme park resort area, it's not an unfair request to ask that your driver doesn't have a violent criminal background.

I know. I live in Austin and supported the actions taken by the council and citizens

 

[MommaBerd]

Re: Uber/Lyft being banned...I thought this too when I first heard the rumor. However, I am willing to bet Disney (at least for now) does not want all of that market. I can't even guesstimate the number of rides procured to/from/around Disney property. They couldn't afford/wouldn't want to make the capital investment in as many vehicles as it would take to completely fill this need or the labor costs. And certainly not right out of the gate. No, they'll happily take their share in the market, but I don't think they want to completely OWN the market.

In fact, I am curious to see how well it rolls out in terms of efficiency. When does it start? I think maybe DH & I will try it out at least once for research purposes when we go in September. But, we'll likely use Lyft otherwise.

 

[sndral]

RE: Minnie Vans - One thought that occurred to me about the Minnie van/car thing - is it going to be a fixed price? My problem w/ the taxis is always that I don't know what the price is going to be - one trip from MK to AKL was almost $40 before tip, I just hate that ticking meter when you are stuck in traffic. Uber/Lyft feels like a bit of a risk for getting dodgy drivers. I'd be happy to pay a fixed price slightly higher than Uber if I know the price beforehand, but not if I have to wait around for the Minnie van to fill though.

RE: trams, I read a rumor (here on DIS somewhere) that if they are accident free for 5 yr.s they'll put one in over at AKL/CSR, I'd love that - except can we go w/ a 3 yr. trial please? That'd have them up and running in time for 50 enhancements for the 50th!

 

[TheMaxRebo]

RE: Minnie Vans - One thought that occurred to me about the Minnie van/car thing - is it going to be a fixed price? My problem w/ the taxis is always that I don't know what the price is going to be - one trip from MK to AKL was almost $40 before tip, I just hate that ticking meter when you are stuck in traffic. Uber/Lyft feels like a bit of a risk for getting dodgy drivers. I'd be happy to pay a fixed price slightly higher than Uber if I know the price beforehand, but not if I have to wait around for the Minnie van to fill though.

RE: trams, I read a rumor (here on DIS somewhere) that if they are accident free for 5 yr.s they'll put one in over at AKL/CSR, I'd love that - except can we go w/ a 3 yr. trial please? That'd have them up and running in time for 50 enhancements for the 50th!

Rumors I have seen say the MinnieVans will be a set price (hearing $15-$20). So more than Uber in most cases. At least with Uber when you go to book your trip it tells you ahead of time what it will cost

 

[Roxyfire]

The transportation... not so much. So adding gondola's, may be helpful.. but in reality it's a way to boost attendance at a "less" favorable resort ( kinda like changing poorly located rooms to Princess and pirate rooms)

And then they added "instant" transport within the Parks, at a cost of course. And people are willing to pay for it.
now Disney is again adding within the Same parks and then to make the already Overburdened bus system work .. pixie dust in the form of Minnie transport ..
At a cost of course.

For your first point, CBR was already pretty popular for those who like moderates. Now that they're building the DVC there, it has to have something transportation-wise that's faster, cooler, more interesting than buses or it's not going to go well. I don't see why it's perceived as some sort of negative to improve transportation. Hopefully they'll find a way to use this for transport between Animal Kingdom and the lodge/villas too.

Secondly, the express transportation is not taking away from regular buses. In fact, it's probably one of the best, most affordable add-ons for those who park hop and spend multiple days at WDW. Just as anything else, it's not for everyone. But many people, like myself, see a value in being screened once for the day and going to whichever park. Plus the regular operating schedule makes it a no brainer if you have any upcoming plans.

 

[No Windows]

$20 for a ride to your $37 character breakfast out of your $290 a night moderate room is a fool's quest...

...have at it, people. They're gonna leave you behind sooner than later

Worth quoting. This 100x.

I am really excited about the gondolas! What I wonder though is how many they will seat, can one family have their own car, etc. If so, it's a bit more privacy versus cramming into the bus at the end of the day with far less personal space.

 

[sachilles]

I would think the bridge will stay open during construction. The station is just north of the bridge, and they are building a boat ramp to bring stuff out to the site. My guess is it won't touch the bridge at all during construction, then a small walkway will T off from the bridge to connect to the station near the end of the project. I'm betting the guest impact will be minimal aside from noise.

 

[rteetz]

More on Minnie vans

http://blogmickey.com/2017/07/photos-minnie-vans-spotted-disney-property/

 

[Spridell]

I can NOT imagine the Minnie Vans will be for more than one party. From the sound of it almost like Uber where you will use the app to get a ride.

 

[cwis]

More on Minnie vans

http://blogmickey.com/2017/07/photos-minnie-vans-spotted-disney-property/

Thanks for the link!

Too bad the service is limited to BWI and YC/BC at first, I would have been more than happy to try that service in our upcoming trip at the AKL in August!

 

[Goofy2015]

I think the Minnie Van service is only beneficial to those with kids that need carseats. For almost anywhere on property, I have taken Ubers between $7-$15. I hope they do not disallow ubers on property. This for two reasons: 1. Price alone. 2. The convenience of going on and off property. Also, how do you order a Minnie Van. An Uber, I know that when I am getting picked up and can order it from my hotel room and be down in time to get picked up, flawlessly.

 

[AnnaKat]

This YouTube shows the Minnie Van @ the Boardwalk . The Disney Driver said it was COMPLIMENTaRY!! It is @ about the 1:49 minute point.