Uber v. Rental Cars at Disney World
Considering using Uber or Lyft at Walt Disney World instead of renting a car? This post covers my recent experience of ditching the rental car and instead relying on ride sharing services for transportation to Universal, from the airport, and to the Magic Kingdom and other parks.
For those unfamiliar with Uber and Lyft, they are relatively new “ride sharing” services that are essentially nicer alternatives to taxis that allow users to request rides via robust mobile apps. These apps show drivers in your vicinity, anticipated pick-up time, and have a host of other features. Why they are called ride sharing is beyond me, as you pay for the rides, and the driver is doing this as their full or part time job. They have both exploded in popularity in the last couple of years and have proven to be market disrupters that have wrecked havoc for taxi companies and have been politically controversial in some areas. (This will be relevant later in the post.)
This was actually a bit of a last minute idea, inspired by a commenter in my recent Tips for Renting a Car at Walt Disney World post who suggested the idea. I’ve never been overly keen on renting a car at Walt Disney World, as I enjoy the “escapist” experience of simply relying on Disney transportation (especially the “cool” transportation…I’m not looking at you, articulated buses), so I immediately jumped at the idea.
I already had a quote in with AutoSlash, and they had scored me a $151 rate on an economy car for the duration of my trip, which was a pretty good price, all things considered. I wasn’t sure if I could beat this by using Uber, but I figured if it was in the same ballpark, I would rather go with Uber (or Lyft…but I never ended up using the latter) so I didn’t have to bother with driving. With my rental car reservation cancelled, I was off to MCO with both apps loaded in my phone…and READY FOR ADVENTURE! Dun dun dun!
Wondering whether this might be an economical or convenient alternative to renting a car or solely utilizing Disney transportation? Let’s take a look!
The start to my experiment was a rocky one. Before the trip, I had used a third party website to calculate the cost of some fares to make sure I wasn’t going to lose my shirt on this plan, and one of the routes I checked was the airport to my Disney Springs hotel.
It turns out Orlando is one of the hotbeds for ride sharing battles, with Uber and Mears having a very public clash. Mears makes Comcast look like an exemplary pillar of customer service, so it’s no surprise that they are making effort$ to keep Lyft and Uber out. In Mears’ defense, what fun is transportation in Orlando if you don’t pay exorbitant fees while receiving awful service?
When I landed at the airport and opened Uber, I received a message that they couldn’t do airport pickups at Orlando International Airport. I was anxious about this that message first, knowing that a cab from the airport to Walt Disney World could cost $60 or more thanks to the virtual Mearsopoly.
With the prospect of going to the parks on the table, I quickly jumped into MacGruber mode, and found a way to deactivate this ticking bomb by taking an off-site parking shuttle to some random spot outside the airport. From there, I had an Uber within 5 minutes.
For those of you who don’t want to go the parking shuttle route, my driver informed me that you can also drop your pin outside the airport, request a driver, and then immediately call and let them know you’re actually at the airport. If you go this route, the best method is to do a pickup at the departures drop-off area. From what I understand, most drivers will do this, although some won’t. YMMV.
My driver picked me up and got me to my hotel in 18 minutes for a total cost (including one toll) of $16.01. Not bad for a 14.6 mile drive from the airport, and even with the parking shuttle my total time spent on this was around 35 minutes, making it faster than a normal Disney’s Magical Express ride and comparable to getting a rental car at the airport. (Note that it would have taken about 25 minutes had I dropped the pin outside the airport and called.)
My plan for the trip was to use a hybrid approach of relying on Uber and Disney transportation depending upon the circumstances, and I employed this strategy pretty successfully. Basically, whenever it was a midday hour, which is when I feel Disney transportation is most unpredictable and least efficient or at various other strategic times when it made sense, I’d use Uber.
For these random trips, I used Uber 4 times for a grand total of $38.03. This included getting from Caribbean Beach Resort to the Contemporary at 7:30 a.m. one morning (cost of $12.57 that included the dreaded “surge pricing”) to be early for our 8 a.m. Be Our Guest breakfast ADR.
I figure this one is worth mentioning specifically because several readers have asked about the best way to get to early morning ADRs: Uber is your new answer. (Just make sure to specify the Contemporary unless you want to go through the Ticket & Transportation Center.) Other rides were more mundane, in ordinary circumstances where it felt like the bus would be a hassle.
One thing I learned over the course of these random tips is that it’s always a good practice to call your driver and let them know exactly where you are. Our time at Caribbean Beach Resort illustrates why this is important for a few reasons. Maps can be wonky sometimes, and the driver’s map might take them to the wrong place.
Even if there is no issue with the route, it might be difficult for them to tell the specific spot at the resort where you’re located unless you call and tell them. Since Uber and Lyft are relatively new to the Orlando market, there are some drivers who don’t know the ins and outs of Walt Disney World’s transportation grid. This was not an issue for us as our drivers always called us if there was any potential confusion, but you might want to be proactive so they arrive as quickly as possible.
I used Uber less than once per day, and actually played it a bit conservative. I was right across the street from the Disney Springs bus stops, and actually had great luck walking over there and quickly grabbing a bus on a couple of occasions when heading to Epcot (choosing the first bus to show of the Crescent Lake Resorts).
I also tend to stay in the parks until after they have closed for the day (the shops on Main Street are open until about an hour after park closing), which means the buses are parked there waiting for me at the end of the night. I also took Disney’s Magical Express back to the airport (my 3:10 a.m. pickup had no one else on the bus!), so I only had one airport charge.
In these regards, I’m a bit of outlier because my use of Disney’s transportation in these situations isn’t exactly what the average guest will encounter. Just for the sake of discussion, let’s say an average guest would have used Uber 4 more times for a total cost of $40 more.
If you are an average guest trying to determine how much you might spend on Uber, another thing to consider is surge pricing. This is when pricing increases by a multiplier (1.5 to 2x in my experience at Walt Disney World) when demand is high to get more drivers on the road. Demand is highest at Walt Disney World right before park opening, at rush hour, and right as the parks close. If these are the primary travel times, plan to pay surge pricing on occasion. Still cheaper than a Mears taxi.
Without question, the greatest case for Uber or Lyft was in traveling from Walt Disney World to Universal Orlando Resort. Much like the early morning ADR question, this is one we get a lot. In the past, the best option we’ve found for those who don’t have rental cars the duration of their trips is either renting a car on-site for the day, or taking a pricey shuttle. Neither is cost-effective or all that appealing, especially when you add on that $17 parking fee.
The cost for Uber from Caribbean Beach Resort to Universal Orlando Resort’s guest drop-off zone in the morning was $14.31. The cost on the way back (during rush hour) heading directly to Epcot was $15.92. The trips were 19 and 26 minutes, respectively.
For the two of us, it was ~$30, and it would have easily cost $50-$100 for a 1-day rental car (including parking) or shuttle, plus either alternative would have taken longer. For those who aren’t renting a car for the duration of their trip, Uber or Lyft are the unquestionable best options for getting from Walt Disney World to Universal.
All told, I spent $84.27 on Uber, and had my best experience with transportation at Walt Disney World in ages. Even removing my special circumstances from the equation and spending another $40-60, a normal guest still would have come out ahead by using Uber rather than a rental car, and that’s before factoring in things such as gas, tolls, and parking (as applicable) to the cost of the rental car.
The additional upside for me was efficiency and convenience, as Uber beat both a rental car (no parking!) and bus transportation (sometimes it feels like taking a swan pedal boat might be faster than Disney buses) in those regards. In terms of service, Uber was characteristically impeccable. Since drivers depend upon positive ratings to remain with Uber and Lyft, they go the extra mile to make the experience positive for riders. This is a stark contrast to taxis I’ve encountered, some of whom grumble when you try to pay with credit card instead of cash.
Overall, there is no one size fits all answer in terms of the “best” means of transportation around Walt Disney World. For me, utilizing Uber and Lyft to supplement Disney transportation, or replace a rental car is a pretty ideal option (that is, until Launchpad invites me to fly on his private plane).
It allowed me to save on the cost of a rental car and not worry about driving. Even though that still meant dealing with Disney transportation some of the time, my issues and delays were minimal to non-existent. The added upside was that I never had to worry about getting lost, finding a parking spot, or driving at the end of a long day, which I definitely considered a win.
If you’re new to the Uber or Lyft scene, you can get a free ride up to $20 by signing up via this link for Uber (or use code tomb3417 if the link doesn’t work) or a free ride up to $20 on Lyft via this link (or code tom291882). You lose whatever portion of the great you don’t use on your first ride, so it’s a good option for a long ride, such as that voyage from the airport to Walt Disney Word. Don’t use it to get from the Grand Floridian to the Polynesian. (Walk between the two, you bum!)
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? If you’re interested in learning more about hotels, our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page is a good place to start. For where to eat, try out our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews page. If you want to save money on tickets or determine which type you should get, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at unconventional things you should take on your trip. Once you arrive at the parks, our Walt Disney World “Ride Guides” are great for determining what to do and when to do it. For overviews of all of these topics and so much more, the best place to start is our comprehensive Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide to make the most of your experience!
Your Thoughts…
Could you see yourself using Uber and Lyft at Walt Disney World instead of renting a car, or are you unpersuaded, still preferring the freedom of a rental car? Would you pay ~$9 in some cases to avoid a long wait at a hot bus stop? Do you have any other tips for using Uber and/or Lyft at Walt Disney World? We love to hear from readers, so if you have any thoughts or questions, post them in the comments!
Greetings – thank you for the insightful information! This is exactly what I was looking for!
I apologize if you already covered this but I’m wondering if Uber will pick us up at our condo or offsite hotel and drop us off at any, or all of the parks? If so, where would the pick up/drop off area be at the parks? Is the timing similar as to when I take Uber in LA, Miami or any other city? I really don’t want to drive when my family goes to the WFF next month.
Looking forward to your response!
We are talking about using Uber to pick us up at Universal Studios for drop off back at the Polynesian. Where is the best place at Universal to meet an Uber driver for pick up?
FYI – the surge would have to be 3.2 or higher to be more than a taxi. Thanks!
Hi there! Just wanted to thank you for your blog. Read a ton of it before going to disneyworld just this past week. Really good tips! Couple things I wanted to comment on for other readers:
1) Uber from orlando airport. There are signs that say you can’t take Uber and also when you log onto the app, if your pick up location is at the airport, it says it can’t pick you up from there. There are two ways around this:
a) The illegal way would be to simply put the pick up spot somewhere outside the airport (e.g. north of the airport location). Once the app matches you with a driver, you send them a text and tell them you’re at the airport. You run the risk of them getting caught but I’ve heard it’s possible this way.
b) The not-illegal way is to simply take public transport (bus). I think there are about 3 or 4 buses that head west. We just jumped on the first bus that went west. I recall buses 111 and 42 but there were a couple others too. Total cost is $2 per person. We went as far west as the bus would go. Jumped off at any bus stop. Turned on the uber app and had someone pick us up within 2 minutes. Total cost of the uber ride to universal studios was only $10. So total price was $14 for two people. I should note that if you have a large family, you may need to get UberXL. Uber X is the regular one. (We had a toyota prius). Uber XL is if you have 5 or more guests. If you have a lot of luggage and a large family, it may be worthwhile to get a uber XL but for two people with 1 large luggage and 2 carry on, we had more than enough room to put all our luggage in the trunk and both of us sit in the back seat of the car.
2) Uber at disneyworld. Generally speaking, something that I found challenging was to know where to ask the uber person to pick me up from the parks as they mostly only let in buses. At hotels (e.g. disney resorts, boardwalk, downtown disney), however, it was really easy for them to pick us up from. I’m a pretty cheap guy and don’t want to spend money when I don’t want to. One time we were eating at flying fish at disney’s boardwalk. We finished around 10pm. We wanted to get a ride back to art of animation. We were told to take a taxi or alternatively to take a bus to downtown disney and to transfer there. We decided to wait for the bus to downtown disney. It took 30 mins for the bus to come. When it came, it stopped at dolphin and swan hotels before finally getting to downtown disney. When we got there to transfer to art of animation, the line was extremely long. After waiting another 15 mins and seeing that we had another 3 full buses of people ahead of us, we decided to uber home. We got picked up within 2 minutes and paid a total of $6. The one downside of the buses is that at peak times, it can take a really long time. Sometimes the extra $5-10 is worth the hour we save.
Thanks again!
Uber pick up at the parks is the same place you would go for a taxi – guest pick up.
What about an Uber drop off at a park? How does that work?
Found your site really useful, re uber, I checked out web site as sounds really good, coming from uk might be a bit dumb, what do you have to put in for the fare estimater? I tried Disney world Port Orleans french quarter, to go to The Florida Mall. Got a quote for$1,500+ seems I was going across state!! Maybe my location caused a problem! What should I have put? Am coming out early Dec for a touch of Christmas Disney style. Would the uber discount code still be good by then? Have read all your tips thanks for them
You have to move your pin to the states when performing the fare estimator so it shows the correct starting point. I can tell you that the fare ends up being roughly $1 per mile.
I have what I think is a dumb question…. We will be traveling in April with a toddler who still needs a carseat. Since we are staying at the Hilton Lake Buena Vista, we were going to rent a car since Magic Express isn’t an option and the mere fact I get so frustrated with the buses. Uber sounds like a wonder plan, but I have 2 questions:
1. Do you pay per person?
2. Do they have carseats?? I’m assuming no, but since traveling with a toddler (barely 2) it would be a hassle and practically impossible to lug around a carseat all day at the parks just to take Ubers.
Any advice?
Payment is by carload, not per person unless you select the option to split the fare. As far as car seats, some drivers have them, most don’t.
Hi, Can anyone tell me if i sign up for the app in the UK can i use it when i am on holiday in orlando. thanks.
Yes, you can.
Hi Tom, thanks for the informative posts. I am coming from the UK to WDW. Can you sign up with the Uber app using a debit card, or does it have to be an actual credit? Is it compulsory to sign up with a card when using the app? Finally, can you opt to pay cash when booking an Uber car via the app?
You can use debit or credit. The only kind of card you can’t use is pre-paid. You can pay in all cash if you wanted…but you’d still need the app to order a driver then work a deal with him/her.
Great post. Answered our questions perfectly. Thanks!
I heard that Uber was no longer in Orlando is that a terrible rumor? We were planning on using it on our trip in 3 weeks!
False rumor. You can visit Uber’s Orlando page here: https://www.uber.com/cities/orlando
Definitely still here and thriving!
Hi, In the UK one advantage with UBER is that tipping the driver is not expected.
Is tipping the driver expected in Orlando please?
It’s not expected but it’s definitely appreciated! I use my tips for gas, oil changes, car washes, etc. 🙂
Having not much experience with taxis or Uber, I am wondering if you are going to tip what is the standard? Would like your opinion UberDriver407.
Since we split stay between Disney resorts and Universal resorts, we have used a limo service for the 3 legs. Now that the cost is $180 before tip, I’m thinking about using the DME to get to our Disney resort and Uber for the other two legs. My only concern is that there are 3 of us with luggage. Should I use UberXL to accommodate the luggage?
Thank you!
You may also consider using Uber Select. They are sometimes bigger sedans like a Town Car. You can always call your Uber once they accept your request to see if they have a big trunk. If not, you cancel within 5 minutes without penalty and order another car.
This was quite eye-opening information for me. On my last WDW vacation, I used a car rental and loved the freedom of not using the buses. However, that rental was very pricey for all that joy! Now I know I have other options. Thanks Tom!
I used Uber Friday to get from MCO to my hotel. It worked out great!
I requested an UberX around 10pm. As suggested above, I called right away to make sure my driver was OK with coming to the airport. I had to request twice, as the first driver did not want to pay tolls (or so he said).
No issues with the second driver. I think they started the fare before the airport zone because they offered to end the trip early to make up for it. Also, since I was paranoid of getting either of us in trouble, I acted as though she was an old friend and sat in the front.
If staying off property, I would 100% do this again. It was quick, and much cheaper than a cab or Mears travel for a Family of 4. Just remember to get UberXL if you have an XL amount of luggage!
From the first uber request to being dropped off at my off property hotel it was about 30 minutes and $15. I’d add about 10-15 min and $5 to get to WDW resorts.
I usually stay on WDW Property, and will probably continue to use the Magical Express in the future. The time savings did not outweigh the convenience of knowing everything is taken care of… knowing a ride is coming and the price (free, no potential 2x surcharge), Disney handling luggage and the ME video. But if I had little luggage and was in a time crunch, I may consider this option again.
Saturday night out of curiosity, I pulled up the Uber app as I was leaving Epcot around 8pm and there was no surcharge. The only reason I did not use Uber the rest of my trip is because I met my family who rented a car.
Hope this helps anyone debating what to do!
Glad to hear that you had a good experience with Uber. I’ll still use Disney’s Magical Express in the future if I’m not in a hurry, but otherwise, it’s Uber all the way. So much faster and, in my opinion, reliable.
As an NYC resident I’m a huge fan of Uber. I’ll be staying at Animal Kingdom Lodge in January. In the past I’ve used taxis to get to dinner destinations; will an Uber driver be able to get past the security/gate checkpoint? Should I call security ahead of time to clear them?
Thanks for the great info!!
Sabine
We usually have no problem getting past security. I just say im picking up a guest and they take my license and tag info and send me through.
If the ube rider is staying at a Disney hoteland has a parking placard printed up at the front desk and gives it to the driver on each trip to put on the dash security lets u right through.
Great, revelatory post. Reading all these comments and others’ experiences is so helpful too. The prospect of using Uber to Universal is awesome. If we had known this before we would have visited more often. We’ve done cabs a few times, and after one time of crossing the center line on a two lane road, I have a sour taste in my mouth. (We were rule breakers and took a non-Mears taxi for that ride, so shame on us?)
As a parent to a young child, unfortunately Uber seems like a great option for childless adults and parents of older kids. We will fly without a carseat and rent one along with our rental next trip. I suppose as someone else mentioned we could check our own and stow it in a big locker at our destination. I don’t know, seems silly. I’ve also considered having a Cosco car seat shipped from Amazon to my hotel, but still doesn’t solve the “what do I do with this now?” problem inbetween trips. Plus you’re increasing your ride time installing a seat in a new-to-you car. All problems you don’t have yet, just my pondering on the subject…
Extremely helpful. Haven’t been there since I was maybe 8 or 9 – can’t remember much…..but what I can remember was a great time. Luckily needless to say I didn’t have to worry about the logistics of the trip!
Also just a heads up, You might find this Uber calculator widget useful enough to embed in the article/site! You can fill in a default destination (AKA disney world) so everyone can see how much it will cost to get there, right now, from wherever they’ll be coming from – w/o leaving this page. Ex; http://uberestimate.com/widget/?example=Walt+Disney+World+Resort%2C+Orlando%2C+FL+32830
Keep up the good posts,
Jason
Do Disney charge for being dropped off at a resort?
No. Please have your Magic Band ready so we can get in the gate and drop you off near your room or the lobby.
I am really curious to know what experiences people have had with Cast Members charging the $17 parking fee. I am going to MK in 10 days and want to know if the CM do charge the Uber driverss and if so, is this added on to my tab?
We do not have to pay $17 to park.
Thanks for this. Last time we wanted to venture off property we rented a car for a day. Looking back it was such an inconvenience. This sounds like a much better option.