We know… Minnie Vans at Walt Disney World can get expensive and why would you need them with all of the free transportation that Walt Disney World offers? Well, time is money and the most precious thing on your Disney vacation is the time you spend doing something. There is no way to do everything in Walt Disney World in just one vacation, but the Minnie Vans help make that almost achievable.
Minnie Vans are a service where a Minnie decorated van or other sized vehicle can be booked in the Lyft app for a ride anywhere inside the Disney bubble as well as the airport. These vehicles can usually seat up to 6 passengers and do include up to two car seats. There is an accessible van that is available to be booked in the Lyft app as well.
Instead of seeing your drivers name in the Lyft app you will see the license plate number and the vehicle number. You are able to leave a rating and a tip just like with other Lyft drivers once your ride is complete.
These Minnie Vans are operated by Disney cast members. We have always had great service and enjoy having one on one time with them and getting to ask questions; most of the drivers started in a different area before becoming Minnie Van Drivers.
Most resorts are not within walking distance or give you the ability to take the monorail or boat to Magic Kingdom. It is by far the hardest park to get in and out of. Walt Disney made it this way on purpose so instead of seeing a park surrounded by parking lots you see a beautiful lake and entrance. The downside of this stunning view is most guests must go through the Ticket and Transportation Center to get in and out of Magic Kingdom, which with monorail and boat waits, can add an hour of waiting to your already people filled Magic Kingdom Day.
If you select a regular ride share that is not Minnie Van service, you will only be picked up and dropped off at the TTC and still must take a boat or monorail over to Magic Kingdom.
Disney Busses also have a downside even though they let you out and pick you up right next to the Magic Kingdom entrance. They are extremely unreliable. Yes, eventually a bus may show up and get you to where you are going, but I’d say 5 out of 10 times you will be waiting 30+ minutes for a bus. I do have friends that have never had a problem with the busses; oh, to be that lucky. I have waited over an hour before outside of my resort, over an hour waiting to get to Magic Kingdom from Animal Kingdom, and if you stay at any of the larger resorts there is an internal bus loop which means when the bus actually shows up to take you to the park it can be full… and then you are stuck waiting on another bus with hopes that this one comes with a spot for your party.
Anyone that has ever tried to exit Magic Kingdom after fireworks can also attest to the craziness of all free transportation. You just want to get back to your resort after a long park day, but so do 20,000 other guests. The lines for the monorail, boat, and busses will be crazy. If you are not able to book a Minnie van, then our best advice is to wait it out inside the park until things settle down outside of Magic Kingdom.
The Minnie Van can help you avoid all the above! When you select Magic Kingdom as a destination inside of the Lyft app, you’ll need to select Minnie Van to see the available option of being dropped off inside of the bus loop. The Minnie Van lets you out at Stop 2 in the bus loop which is as close as it gets in the first arm of stops. The Minnie Van will also pick you up at Stop 2 at the end of the night. Minnie Vans are available post fireworks, but there will be a fight for them so just make sure you are in the app during or right after the show to your your ride. Again, it is not cheap. I paid $43 for a one-way trip from The Riviera to Magic Kingdom this afternoon, but it was worth every penny of not having to wait on the bus for me.
Another Minnie Van perk one of the case members told us about was that they can take you to your vehicle in any of the Disney Parking Lots. So, say you started the day at Epcot and ended the day at Magic Kingdom. The Minnie Van would be able to take you from right outside the Magic Kingdom to your personal car in the Epcot Parking Lot.
Will you be using the Minnie Van Service?
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