Tips for Using Lyft & Uber at Disney World
Thinking of using Uber or Lyft instead of a taxi, rental car, or bus transportation at Walt Disney World? Ride-sharing services are the most efficient way for getting to parks, resorts, and Universal Studios Florida; these tips will help save money and improve your experience with it. (Updated March 24, 2021.)
During the phased reopening, Walt Disney World transportation options are limited and operating at reduced capacity. Fewer parties are allowed on each bus to accommodate physical distancing, and the result has been longer and more unpredictable wait times for buses. We discuss how bad this has gotten as of Spring Break 2021 in Bus Wait Times at Walt Disney World.
Consequently, our “Temporary Abnormal” Guide to Walt Disney World recommends avoiding the buses for this reason. Unfortunately, the Minnie Van private ride service has been suspended and is not returning any time soon–if ever. That essentially leaves two options: Uber or a rental car. However, the latter option comes with a couple of big downsides…
While we’re fans of the freedom having your own vehicle offers, not everyone wants to drive on vacation and there are obvious downsides in paying for parking and hassling with the car at the airport. Beyond that, there is currently a severe rental car shortage.
Last year when travel essentially stopped, the rental car industry sold off more than a half a million cars, about a third of their combined fleets, to generate cash they needed to survive the crisis. Although demand has now returned, rental car companies are unable to rebuild their inventory because of supply chain issues facing the auto industry.
Consequently, many Florida airports are now totally sold out of rental cars for peak travel dates (including Orlando International) with other dates having insane prices–like $100 to $300 per day for a rental. Suffice to say, if you didn’t book a rental car for your Walt Disney World vacation far in advance, Uber or Lyft might be your only alternative to Disney’s buses. As such, we’ll rundown the pros & cons of rideshare at Walt Disney World here…
First and foremost in terms of a post-reopening update, both ride share companies have new health safety programs. You can read about Lyft’s here and Uber’s here. Both are essentially the same, with face masks being required for drivers and riders, new cleaning procedures, and keeping the windows open when possible.
Masks are important and well-understood at this point, but we would emphasize opening the windows. Study after study has shown that ventilation is one of the keys in reducing transmission risks (check out “We Need To Talk About Ventilation,” which breaks things down in lay terms). When using taxis or ride share services, professors at Harvard’s School of Public Health suggest that you “open up the windows just a bit, even if everyone is feeling fine…doing so will dilute the concentration of viral particles in the car.”
Thankfully, even as bus transportation has gotten worse at Walt Disney World, using Uber and Lyft has actually gotten better over time! Cast Members and security have become more familiar with ride-sharing services, and Walt Disney World has introduced policies for consistent drop-off/pick-up.
As such, we highly recommend using Uber or Lyft for rope drop in the morning–especially at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where arriving in time for opening and the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance boarding pass dash is imperative. (Unless you’re staying at a Skyliner resort.) Uber and Lyft can also be incredibly useful if you’re leaving any of the parks at closing time, and there are long lines at the bus stops.
In fact, using ride-sharing at Walt Disney World has been a such a positive experience for us that we thought we’d return to offer the ins and outs of it, and why we think it’s worth the added cost for the added convenience. We’ve used Uber and Lyft extensively at Walt Disney World in the last 5+ years, and have updated this advice as of March 2021…
For most people, Uber or Lyft will be cheaper than renting a car, but some people still might prefer the perceived freedom of their own car. We also wanted to provide some new tips based on things we’ve learned with more recent experiences using Uber.
To start, although the details here are specific to Walt Disney World, the high-level advice can be applied to Disneyland and virtually anywhere else Lyft and Uber operate in the United States. In many cases throughout this post, we reference only Uber, and that’s simply because they have a larger presence. Corporate culture aside, Uber and Lyft are nearly identical in guest experience and service, and these tips apply equally to both ride-sharing services.
By way of background (you can skip all of this if you’ve ever used Uber), Uber is ride service 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. When a ride is requested, nearby drivers are pinged, and can accept or decline the riders.
Riders then see that their ride has been accepted, the driver’s name, vehicle, license plate, average score, current GPS location, and arrival time. This is all virtually instantaneous: the amount of time from requesting a ride to a ride being confirmed is usually under 10 seconds. If all of that doesn’t totally make sense, think of Uber as a taxi for the modern age, with a really nice app.
Does that all sound pretty good? Well, it should, because it is. Uber and Lyft have exploded in popularity, which has wrecked havoc for taxi companies that are rapidly losing business and are in danger of obsolescence in some areas. Taxi companies have fought bitter political and legal battles to keep Uber out of many areas, with the dispute boiling down to one thing: money. Taxi companies want to keep making money, and Uber makes that difficult for them.
As a consumer, the only pertinent concerns are whether Uber safe, efficient, and less expensive. Uber is obviously less expensive. That’s the whole reason taxi companies are fighting Uber tooth and nail. It’s cheaper because it’s more efficient, allocating resources via the app in a way that makes best use of them, with the app likewise providing a more efficient experience for riders.
Finally, safety. None of the above would matter if Uber isn’t safe. Uber performs background checks on its drivers (as do taxi companies), but more important is the rating system in the app. If a driver’s score falls below 4.5/5, they run the risk of being dropped by Uber. The flip side of this is that drivers also rate riders, so if you’re constantly an angry, drunken buffoon, you run the risk of not being picked up.
By contrast, ask any regular Uber rider how many negative experiences they’ve had with ride-sharing drivers. The horror stories are few and far between, with most riders instead gushing over how much better the experience is than traditional taxis. Friendly drivers who come from interesting backgrounds and will make pleasant conversation with you, or simply leave you alone if you don’t feel like chatting.
Now that we’ve established some background, let’s get into the tips…
General Tips
- Payment is automatically made via the app (and your attached credit card) at the end of the app. No cash payments.
- Tipping originally was not part of the Uber “culture” but it is becoming increasingly customary to tip drivers. You can now do so within the apps for both Uber and Lyft. (We recommend tipping.)
- A pleasant way to end each ride is by saying, “thanks for the great ride, I’ll be sure to give you 5-stars.” (Which also helps increase your chances of receiving a positive review from the driver.)
- If you have more general questions about using Uber that this post doesn’t answer, refer to the Uber Help page for FAQ.
- If you’re new to the Lyft, you can get a free or reduced-cost first ride via this link.
Disney Tips
- Average Uber/Lyft cost within Walt Disney World is $10-15 per trip. This works out to be around one-third to half the cost of a Mears taxi for the same distance.
- Average Uber cost from Walt Disney World to Universal Orlando’s drop-off point is $20-25 per trip.
- Average wait for a pick-up at Walt Disney World is 4-8 minutes.
- Security check-point and parking plaza Cast Members are familiar with the Uber service, and will allow drivers to pass (without paying for parking) if they show an ID and indicate they are there for guest drop-off.
- DO NOT show your Annual Pass or parking voucher at the parking plazas, as your driver will be directed to regular parking, which is farther away from the front entrance of parks than the guest drop-off points.
- Surge pricing is becoming less common in Orlando as more drivers flock to the area, but if there is a surge, it’s most likely to occur around 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 9:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
- Lyft and Uber pickups are now allowed at MCO; there’s an airport surcharge added to your tab, but it’s not too bad. Uber drop-offs are also allowed at the airport. Uber and Lyft are far faster than Disney’s Magical Express.
- Drivers can see your GPS location, but sometimes the system is a bit wonky. Immediately after requesting an Uber, message the driver and indicate your exact location if it’s not the main lobby (e.g. “I’m wearing a ballin’ tie dyed EPCOT Center shirt outside Building 4 at Pop Century Resort. Turn left as soon as you pass security and follow the signs.)
- To decrease your wait time for a pickup, drop a pin for the location where you want the pickup as you walk to that location, but be sure you can beat the driver there based on the estimated arrival time.
- Uber has unveiled the Uber + Car Seat in Orlando, which will bring parents an Uber vehicle with a car seat inside, on-demand.
Magic Kingdom
- Standard pickup and drop-off location for the Magic Kingdom is the Ticket & Transportation Center; from there, you take a monorail or ferry to the Magic Kingdom.
- Instead, consider specifying the Contemporary or Grand Floridian as your destination and walking to Magic Kingdom.
- Security at the Contemporary isn’t always the easiest to pass, so don’t be surprised if you’re turned away there. Grand Floridian is the better option, but the walk is slightly longer.
Epcot
- The Uber process at Epcot has improved considerably. The only downside is that the roadway into the park and parking lot itself are both lengthy, making pickups take longer than at the other 3 parks.
- If possible, we recommend using the International Gateway entrance at Epcot, and walking to/from Beach Club for pickups and drop-offs. This is simpler, and often faster.
- The pickup and drop-off spot at the front entrance of Epcot has constantly changed, but as of now, it’s near the Preferred Parking section.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Drop-off and pickup at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is right next to the Disney Skyliner gondola station (lower left corner in the photo above). This location is very convenient.
- Due to the popularity of Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, the drop-off line can back-up early in the morning before DHS opens. Plan accordingly and allow yourself a bit of extra time.
- If you request an Uber ride as you exit the park, your driver will often arrive within 2 minutes after you get to the taxi point at DHS. Just make sure you double-check that there isn’t a driver already near the Studios lot when you make the request, as you don’t want your driver having to wait for you!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Animal Kingdom is another park with a long roadway leading into the park, so pickups can take a bit longer here, but it’s still pretty simple.
- The drop-off/pickup spot is also pretty simple at Animal Kingdom. You can see it as the pin on this map.
That about covers the major points, I think. If you’re new to using Uber, you can get a free ride credits by signing up via this link for Uber or a free ride on Lyft via this link. They are constantly changing their sign-up incentives, so if you don’t see any credit amount on those screens, definitely Google signup offers. There’s usually an incentive or promo code for your first ride on both Uber and Lyft.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, 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 clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
Any additional experiences using Uber that you’d like to share? Do you prefer Uber, Lyft, Minnie Vans, or using Walt Disney World’s standard (bus, monorail, boat, Skyliner) transportation? If you’ve used Uber or Lyft at Walt Disney World, did you find the services efficient? Do you agree or disagree with our Uber/Lyft advice? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Just a quick note: Your posts says that Uber is cheaper because it is more efficient than taxis. I can’t speak to the efficiency issue, but I do from lots of study of the issue in other cities, the main issue for taxi drivers is the permits and other legal necessities they need to pay for to be Official Taxi Drivers instead of the relatively regulation-free world of “ride sharer.” Taxi drivers would love to be able to charge you less by not having to pay thousands to their municipal governments every year. However, people who live in those cities might not be willing to pay higher taxes to make up for the lost public revenue from taxi drivers.
TL;DR: Taxis face a different, higher cost structure for doing business than Uber does. That is by far and away the main reason Uber can charge less.
Looking forward to hearing about Minnie Vans and how well they accommodate large families and kids who need carseats and boosters!
I just wanted to mention that I recently stayed at The Cabins at Fort Wilderness and security did not allow Uber to access the cabins which I was unaware of and only found out when I saw my car circling on the app outside of the campgrounds and then he called me to let me know that I would need to come to the Outpost/reception area. Since it would take me 10 mins to get there I canceled that Uber with no penalty and requested a new one once I was about 4 minutes away from the Outpost and arrived around the same time as the Uber. I actually needed to do a roundtrip so the driver was happy to do it for me and for the return she asked the guard if she is allowed to drop me at my cabin and he made an exception and allowed it. However, I just want everyone to know that under normal circumstances you cannot have an Uber or Lyft car pick you up from or drop you off at your cabin which would have been super convenient as I was not there with my own car nor did I rent a golf cart (which you need a drivers license for and I don’t have one…).
Thanks for the Ft.W info, as we are a large family who has to stay there or AoA.
If anyone who has used uber at MCO before note that you no longer have to use UberBlack. Since August you can now get a regular uberX, saving you atleast 30 dollars in our experience. You will be charged a 5 dollar fee for getting picked up at the airport, but it’s worth it to take an uberX.
How was your experience with the marathon? We are thinking of using while staying at our timeshare this coming year. How long did it take to get to the staging area?
this is no help at all bro……….
We love using Uber, it’s much faster than having to wait for the bus. It’s also great when you have a breakfast reservation early in the morning.
For a free ride use code:
zoec4268ue
Not sure if I missed this – do you happen to know where pick-up/drop-off is in Disney Springs? This is super-helpful! We have often been late or stressed out worrying we were going to be late for dinner reservations when we have relied on Disney transport, but weren’t sure where we could get ubers. We are staying off property this August and using Uber will definitely be a consideration – especially for our “drinks around the world” night. Thanks for the article!
I want to know this too for an upcoming trip!
Just came back from a trip. I was dropped off at Disney Springs twice by Uber, with no problems. One driver let me off at the very edge of Disney Springs, so I just had to walk over some grass to enter Disney Springs, and another driver (on a different day) let me out right in front of a side entrance to Disney Springs.
For people leaving Disney Springs, there is a clearly marked pickup location in the Strawberry parking lot (near Cirque de Soleil). I had no trouble being picked up by Uber both times.
I hope this helps!
Not sure how often you update your posts (and I know your doing the Photobucket update right now anyway), but it looks like Uber and Lyft recently changed their MCO policies, allowing them to pickup AT the airport. We’re heading down in August and will use it for the MCO-Universal stretch (doing DME for the Disney part) so we’ll see if it really works.
Uber: https://www.uber.com/drive/orlando/airports/orlando-international-airport/
Lyft: https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/115009601127
Thanks for the great tips. I used Uber care service during my recent trip to Walt Disney World. We took a Uber from I Drive to the Disney Ticket and Reservation center at Magic Kingdom and it didn’t cost us anything, Free! We used a free ride code which I listed below. Which was great! Out hotel did offer a shuttle bus to the park but we decided to use Uber cause we didn’t was to ride in a late and crowded bus as the shuttle had picked up passengers from adjacent hotels before it reached us.
The driver picked us up within 4 minutes of requesting the car and we got to the Ferry terminal at Magic Kingdom about 15 minutes late. We also took an Uber back from the park to our Hotel at 11PM and the fare was just $7.50 for 4 passengers. The Uber driver was friendly, told us where he would pick us up and we went back to the hotel in a nice, clean, AC cooled car. Wonderful experience and we would definitely use the service again.
Feel free to use my code zakr121ue for a free Uber ride or $15-20 off
Any suggestions for those traveling with an infant too small for the uber car seat? If we bring our own baby seat is there a place we could store it on site?
Disney has a baby section that you might be able to store your seat.
Hi Tom,
With the change in security at the Magic Kingdom are there any updated recommendations you can make for pick-up and drop off for this park? Thanks!
Hi!! Any idea when the Uber + Carseat will be available?? Thanks for the great info!!!
Mr Bricker,
We are going to Disney World for the third time in October. I am interested in using Uber for the first time. Would I be able to us your code tomb3417 in October or will the code expire? Do I use the code when I’m about to book my first ride? If I were to go to Walmart or a grocery store, will the uber wait for me? How long will they wait and do they charge you for having to wait?
These are excellent tips. I have never used Uber before, but we are heading there on April 23rd so cant wait to give it a try. Looks like it may save us some times.
Feel free to use my code zakr121ue for a free Uber ride or $20 off
Exciting!
How come your code is for $20 and Tom’s is for $15?
Thanks so much for all the amazing and useful information. You mentioned about only UberSelect can pick up at MCO but said “there are work arounds for UberX pick ups” are you able to please left me know the work arounds?
Thanks so much.
Policies have changed and you can now get UberX right from MCO!
Based on your previous tips in the summer. We used Uber at Disney during our September and December Trips.
This has to be one of the most helpful posts especially this time that we don’t have a car or are renting one.
We’ve got a really early flight out of the Orlando airport. Are Uber drivers usually available before 4:00 am on a Sunday morning to pick up from the Swan/Dolphin hotels?
Awesome advice!! We had Uber drop us off at the Contemporary-no issues! Uber code: Tonya123
If you’re new and want a discount.
Some uber drivers try to circumvent the system by picking up and dropping off in wrong locations like for Disney springs pick up and drop off is the strawberry lot or marketplace not the bus loop at town center and for safety I would not recommend you get dropped off at an intersection. Uber drivers and riders should use common sense when getting picked up and dropped off, and for the writer of this article too say different is not very safe. I agree that people like uber but have some sense when using it.
I’m traveling for the half marathon in a few weeks. Nervous about using uber that early in the morning. Can you give me more details