Everthing you wanted to know about Uber/Lyft at WDW

[joelkfla]

Thank you so much for the reply! I guess I'm confused - I thought I read somewhere that bus transportation only began 45 minutes before park opening. That's why I was thinking rideshare. So if the bus picks up starting at 6:30, I should be good.

By the way, in my post I mentioned getting dropped off at Contemporary and walking to MK. I realize cars can't drop off at the gates but didn't know the travel time from AoA to CR and how long it takes to walk from drop off point to MK turnstiles. Guess it doesn't really matter now. Again, thanks!!

I think you should be at the bus stop at least 1 hour before your reservation, considering that you might have to wait up to 30 minutes for the bus, and also have to walk to the back of the park. So 7:15 at the latest; 7:00 if you want to ensure arriving 15 minutes early.

Drive time from AoA to CR (or MK) is 15-20 minutes. Walk time from CR to MK turnstile is about 10 minutes.

 

[brockash]

Thank you so much for the reply! I guess I'm confused - I thought I read somewhere that bus transportation only began 45 minutes before park opening. That's why I was thinking rideshare. So if the bus picks up starting at 6:30, I should be good.

By the way, in my post I mentioned getting dropped off at Contemporary and walking to MK. I realize cars can't drop off at the gates but didn't know the travel time from AoA to CR and how long it takes to walk from drop off point to MK turnstiles. Guess it doesn't really matter now. Again, thanks!!

You're not really confused. Disney often lies about how things work. Disney always says buses don't start until later (like an hr. before park opening), but it's completely untrue. You'll be able to get a bus for your ADR... I'd recommend being at the bus stop about an hour before.

 

[earfulofmagic]

Has anyone had issues with early morning Lyft pickups (5:45-6, not too early)?

I have a pickup scheduled, El Centro at Coronado->MCO, tomorrow at that time. Are drivers really awake then? Will I know ahead of time if nobody has accepted the ride? *paranoid about missing my flight*

 

[JimMIA]

Has anyone had issues with early morning Lyft pickups (5:45-6, not too early)?

I have a pickup scheduled, El Centro at Coronado->MCO, tomorrow at that time. Are drivers really awake then? Will I know ahead of time if nobody has accepted the ride? *paranoid about missing my flight*

Drivers are certainly around at that time, but my advice would be to cancel your "scheduled pickup." What often happens is Lyft dispatches the ride way ahead of time because they don't want the driver to be late. The driver drives to your pickup point, arrives 20-30 minutes early...and you're not ready! The driver waits 5 minutes and collects a cancellation fee (which, for scheduled rides in my market is $10). And more important, you now don't have a ride.

Unless Joel advises differently based on how things work in the Orlando market (where he drives, and I don't), I'd just plan on ordering a ride a few minutes early rather than "scheduling."

 

[earfulofmagic]

Drivers are certainly around at that time, but my advice would be to cancel your "scheduled pickup." What often happens is Lyft dispatches the ride way ahead of time because they don't want the driver to be late. The driver drives to your pickup point, arrives 20-30 minutes early...and you're not ready! The driver waits 5 minutes and collects a cancellation fee (which, for scheduled rides in my market is $10). And more important, you now don't have a ride.

Unless Joel advises differently based on how things work in the Orlando market (where he drives, and I don't), I'd just plan on ordering a ride a few minutes early rather than "scheduling."

This is amazing advice, esp bc I had originally written "should I just cancel my scheduled ride and request tomorrow morning?" but thought it didn't make sense w/r/t concern for missing my flight. Great to know!

 

[RideShareRob]

Has anyone had issues with early morning Lyft pickups (5:45-6, not too early)?

I have a pickup scheduled, El Centro at Coronado->MCO, tomorrow at that time. Are drivers really awake then? Will I know ahead of time if nobody has accepted the ride? *paranoid about missing my flight*

Lyft actually does send those out and a specific driver will accept it. If that person isnt around 15 minutes before the scheduled time, itll get sent to someone else

 

[RideShareRob]

In case anyone has been wondering where I have been...Ive been dodging minnie vans..they are the *worst* drivers!!

 

[Amanda999]

In case anyone has been wondering where I have been...Ive been dodging minnie vans..they are the *worst* drivers!!

(I can't tell if this is humor.) fwiw I drove next to or near several Minnie Vans the last few days. I remember thinking the exact opposite- I thought each time how well it was driven.

 

[RideShareRob]

(I can't tell if this is humor.) fwiw I drove next to or near several Minnie Vans the last few days. I remember thinking the exact opposite- I thought each time how well it was driven.

A little bit of both. I had one park smack in the middle of the porte cochere at bwalk and block the whole thing up....usually its Mears that does that...anyways, to get out the valet directed me to drive left across the DME curb (in 2 years of driving, that was a first). And then the other day, exiting DS the van (number 38!) drove right down the center of the aisle so I couldn't pass. It was a Mexican standoff. Literally.

And then you have the random "oh I need to turn in 10 feet let me cross 3 lanes of traffic".

 

[earfulofmagic]

I ended up canceling the ride and just requesting once I made it to the lobby around 6 AM. Had a brief moment of panic because I only saw one car icon in the map area after requesting (it's usually crawling with cars like ants on the screen during the day or night, so I was unsure) but I was on my way within five minutes! And got to the airport right on time, where I am typing this.

 

[JimMIA]

Lyft actually does send those out and a specific driver will accept it. If that person isnt around 15 minutes before the scheduled time, itll get sent to someone else

I find them very inconsistent in how they dispatch "scheduled rides." I had one where they sent me a full HOUR before the riders were ready ("scheduled" the ride for 9 AM, Lyft dispatched me at 7:40 AM and I arrived about 7:55). But they were first-time riders, and it was a 50 mile Lyft Plus ride, so I went offline and waited an hour until they were ready.

 

[JimMIA]

In case anyone has been wondering where I have been...Ive been dodging minnie vans..they are the *worst* drivers!!

I WAS wondering, actually! Welcome back to your great thread!

 

[maryj11]

We used the Uber twice during our trip and was very happy with the service.
We used it early one morning to get from the Poly to the Swan to go on a tour to Clearwater beach then took it back to our resort when we returned.
We were thinking about using them to go from MCO to Clearwater next year but is that even possible? I did read some where that the Uber drivers do not make much of a profit going that far.

 

[Dan Murphy]

First time user of Uber/Lyft here while on trip last week. We used Lyft to go from Swan to HDDR and then back. Worked very well, very easy. Only negative was the return driver spoke almost no English. Otherwise, a good experience.

 

[joelkfla]

Uber has announced that drivers will now be alerted before accepting a request when the ride is expected to take more than 45 minutes. That should make it easier to find drivers for longer rides, like between Orlando & Tampa.

 

[JimMIA]

Uber has announced that drivers will now be alerted before accepting a request when the ride is expected to take more than 45 minutes. That should make it easier to find drivers for longer rides, like between Orlando & Tampa.

Right, this just went into effect this week, and it should help. At a minimum, a driver will not accept a "Long Ride" request unless they are interested in a long ride. (Or not paying attention...)

I'm not sure how noticeable the alert is. I am not driving this week, so I haven't see one.

 

[ChristyJE117]

We're headed to WDW in a couple of weeks, staying at BWI, and are thinking that taking Uber/Lyft to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom & Disney Springs might be the way to do things. We've never used either before, so we have some research to do. Any recommendations for one service over the other? Also, what's the average cost for something like BWI to MK?
Thanks!

 

[FCDub]

We're headed to WDW in a couple of weeks, staying at BWI, and are thinking that taking Uber/Lyft to Animal Kingdom, Magic Kingdom & Disney Springs might be the way to do things. We've never used either before, so we have some research to do. Any recommendations for one service over the other? Also, what's the average cost for something like BWI to MK?
Thanks!

I prefer Lyft as a company, but both are basically the same. Both Lyft and Uber have price estimate tools on their website. Note for the MK the driver will be forced to go to the TTC. The way to get around this is to request a ride to Contemporary/Bay Lake Tower and walk.

 

[princess sparkle p]

Looking for best transportation option on a Saturday in October from MCO to AKV, then to AK. I land at MCO at 10:30am and need to get to AK by 1:35 for an ADR, but I will need to dump my luggage before heading to AK. I do not think I will make it using ME so I am considering a town car or Uber/ Lyft. I am a female traveling on my own not having used Uber/ Lyfty previously. I appreciate any feedback.

Oh and the rest of my party will already be at the park.

 

[maryj11]

Uber has announced that drivers will now be alerted before accepting a request when the ride is expected to take more than 45 minutes. That should make it easier to find drivers for longer rides, like between Orlando & Tampa.

So we may not get a driver that will accept a request to go from MCO to Clearwater? What if we request the ride in advance, like a couple of days?