Picture this: You have an Advance Dining Reservation at Polynesian Village Resort’s ‘Ohana, but you’ve just finished getting your swim on at Animal Kingdom Lodge. How do you get from point A to point B?
You could use Disney transportation, which would entail a lengthy bus ride from Animal Kingdom Lodge to Magic Kingdom, then a transfer to either the Resort Monorail Loop or the boat to the Poly.
Catch that Monorail!
But what if one or more of these modes of transportation is delayed? What about the meats?! How will you get your Lapu Lapu?! The ‘Ohana Bread Pudding is slipping through your fingers!
‘Ohana Bread Pudding
Woo — hold the phone. There’s a solution to this problem! More than one, actually. If you’re operating on a tight schedule or fear bad Disney transportation karma, you could hail a taxi, book a ride share, or opt for the cutest transportation yet known to Disney fans: the Minnie Van.
Minnie Van
But how do you know which one is right for you? Well, you listen to your good pals at the DFB, that’s how. 😉
Here are some pros and cons of Disney World’s Minnie Vans to help you make your decision!
Let’s talk price.
Minnie Vans used to operate on a flat rate — first $20, then $25
— no matter where you were picked up or where you were going on Walt Disney World property. Now, Disney’s Minnie Vans have adjusted their pricing to $15 plus $2.75 per mile. For some trips on property this has really increased the price. And anywhere you’re going, this is pricey, for sure — especially compared to Uber or a regular Lyft…or even, sometimes, a taxi.
However, note that Minnie Vans currently don’t have surge pricing for busy times, and they’re all large enough to carry six passengers. Other ride share programs may bump you up to the second tier pricing if you’ve got more than four passengers, so you might find that the Minnie Van is more economical for you when traveling with a larger group.
Minnie Vans can also carry guests to and from Orlando International Airport (MCO) for a one-way price of $150. And we anticipate Minnie Vans will soon provide guests with service to Port Canaveral to the Disney Cruise Line Terminal for a one-way price of $240.
Any discounts?
In my personal experience, Lyft free rides and discounts have been able to be applied to my Minnie Van rides. Your experience may vary if this service is discontinued in the future.
How about car seats?
But if you’ve got kiddos in tow, keep in mind that the Minnie Van service will provide you with two clean, well-maintained Graco car seats for no additional charge, and the exceptional drivers are skilled in how to put them into the car as either a 5-point harness, booster, or backless booster.
Ride-shares and taxis may charge for the car seat if they even have one (much less TWO), and I can nearly guarantee you that the driver won’t be trained in how to install the seat safely. Also the seat in a random ride-share is very possibly disgusting and potentially unsafe. I say this from lots of experience.
Got a dog?
Minnie Vans have puppy mats that you can spread out for your dog! And with several Disney World resorts now being dog-friendly, this is a great perk of the Minnie Vans!
Let’s talk drivers.
The Minnie Van program is “powered by Lyft,” but the drivers of all Minnie Vans at the moment are relatively long-term Disney World cast members, many of whom have been working for the company for many years — and have been specially chosen for this particular assignment because of their knowledge of the property, customer service abilities, and more. With taxis and ride shares, you can’t be sure who will be behind the wheel.
Let’s talk convenience.
Minnies are currently available to guests staying at ALL Disney World resorts, the Swan and Dolphin, and Four Seasons Orlando.
No Minnie Vans for you, CSR!
To call a Minnie Van, guests must use the Lyft app and have the Minnie Van option activated either at the front desk of their resort or on the My Disney Experience app. This can be a bit of an inconvenience at first, but once you’ve activated it, Minnie Vans will pop up automatically in the app and you’ll be able to use them anywhere and everywhere on Disney property (even to and from “non-activation” resorts.)
Finally, Minnie Vans will only deliver guests to another on-property location or to MCO Airport. So if you’re looking to get off-site to grab a meal (or hit the outlet shops hard!), you won’t be able to do that in a Minnie Van. For that, you’ll need your rental car or a standard ride-sharing service or taxi.
How Many People Can Ride in a Minnie Van?
Minnie Vans come in the form of Chevy Traverse SUVs that can carry up to six passengers (again, with required car seats included at no charge). For parties with wheelchairs or ECVs, other wheelchair-accessible Chevy vehicles are available. Remember that other ride share programs will bump you up to the second tier pricing if you’ve got more than four passengers, while Minnie Vans accommodate up to six passengers.
Any extras?
Minnie Vans do have a few perks. First is that they are driven by long-time Disney World cast members, which generally means you’ll have a pleasant ride without the awkwardness sometimes experienced with other drivers. (Guests have reported terrific interactions with their Minnie Van drivers, but as with anything, your experience can vary.)
Minnie Vans also provide complimentary phone chargers which, you know, if you’re blogging, social media-ing, or chatting throughout the day, you might need! No more looking for a plug behind tables at Cosmic Ray’s! :p
Finally, Minnie Vans are cute. The distinctive styling is full of charm, and you’ll feel like you’re getting a VIP transport experience in true Disney fashion. That charm might help you make a new trip memory!
Minnie Vans vs. Disney World Transportation
We know that a lot of guests have a love/hate relationship with Disney World Transportation — and we feel your pain. On the one hand, some of it is super fun (particularly for kiddos!), like the Monorail and boats. But even these have some drawbacks — namely unexpected suspended service.
Disney World buses, in our experience, can be more hit-or-miss. They’re often crowded, and the wait times can be up to 20 minutes or more. And if you’re trying to hit rope drop or return to your resort after fireworks? You might watch a few buses come and go before you even get on!
Epcot Bus
Minnie Vans (and other ride-shares and taxis) can effectively cut transportation time in half when compared to the waiting and the multiple legs of travel needed to go from resort-to-resort. (Plus, you’re guaranteed a seat in your Minnie Van — not so on Disney Transportation!)
Also, Minnie Vans could be a very useful tool in your toolbox when you’re going to an early morning reservation before the buses are running, or traveling during peak public transportation times like rope drop or after the fireworks.
That said, Disney transportation is totally, 100% free. And that’s a tough benefit to surpass.
And the MOST IMPORTANT PERK OF USING MINNIE VANS:
Minnie Vans will drop you off and pick you up at the Magic Kingdom bus stop in front of the park. This is insanely useful, my friends. Other ride-shares and taxis can only pick you up and drop you off at the Transportation and Ticket Center (or the Contemporary Resort if you’re getting creative)…which is a hassle when you’ve got a Fastpass+ in 10 minutes! Being dropped off at the gates of Magic Kingdom is a luxury and benefit that really can’t be quantified, in my opinion.
Do we recommend using the Minnie Van service?
Absolutely. I, personally, use them regularly (but, I’m a person who’s perpetually late for everything and only in Disney World for a few days at a time, so Minnie Vans are often the only way I can be on time for a packed day of meetings, Fastpasses, or Advance Dining Reservations).
This is not a budget option. I think the price point is high, but it may be worth it for you when you consider the two high-end, versatile car seats that can be expertly installed for you, the six-person capacity, and the knowledge that your driver is a Disney professional . If you’re on a budget and don’t mind waiting, Disney transportation is effective, fun, and 100% free. However, if you’ve got multiple kids and strollers, are traveling when Disney transportation isn’t running, are in a hurry, or prefer a little more convenience, Minnie Vans could be the ideal solution.
Time is money when I’m in Disney World, so if a reasonably priced ride-share can get me where I need to go quickly and conveniently, I’m grateful for that option.
But you’ll need to crunch the numbers for yourself and determine if Minnie Vans are right for you.
For all the nuts and bolts of Minnie Vans, check out our Minnie Van Reference Page!
Have you experienced the Minnie Vans? Tell us about your experience in the comments below!
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I have used the Minnie Vans a couple of times (back when they were $20) and the service itself is amazing. The cars are clean, the drivers are great, they’re incredibly convenient. However, an Uber or a Lyft will often be $7-10 for the same ride. So, I was willing to use it maybe once per trip because of how nice it is, but charging more than double seemed like a bit much.
And… then they raised the price to $25 per ride and I was just annoyed. There’s really no justification for that. It’s just way too much at $25 per ride. That said, I have also had the experience that they will let you apply Lyft discounts to Minnie Vans. I currently have a 25% discount on my next 10 Lyft rides, so assuming I can apply that, I might still use Minnie Vans. But, if I can’t, I’ll just use a regular Uber or Lyft.
We tried to get a Minnie van twice last week from the Contemporary. Both times the Lyft app flashed “Contacting nearby drivers” for nearly 5 minutes and then showed “ride canceled”. The app needs much better messaging if a driver is not available. We were late for our spa appointment because of this. I was not Impressed.
We have 3 kids and we love the Minnie vans! Since we need a larger vehicle, the price is usually comparable to regular Uber/Lyft. We love the clean, properly installed carseats and the friendly drivers. We’ve learned so much from Minnie van drivers! They’ve been VIP tour guides, bakers, park managers and bus drivers. They usually have some good stories for us! We also love the front door drop off at MK. We have had a hard time getting one as the service becomes more popular. Our last driver (in March) told us they’re adding more vehicles and drivers to the fleet soon, so fingers crossed.
We used Minnie vans several times last month during our WDW vacation. We travel in packs – 6 adults – and the cost and convenience was worthwhile for us. The drivers were fabulous. I loved hearing about their Disney careers!
Highly recommend for the ease of use.
Okay, so what’s the deal with tipping? I was under the impression that gratuity was included (so I didn’t tip the driver of the one Minnie van we took), but then I got home after my trip and saw that people are saying gratuity is no longer included (even though the price went up) and that drivers expect tips! I feel sick to my stomach that we didn’t tip our super nice driver! I was under the impression Disney actually forbade tips! What’s the official rule?!
As a native New Yorker, I’d say the prices are fair. I wouldn’t use this to get to anywhere that has direct monorail transit, but if you are staying at say, Saratoga and have reservations for breakfast at Whispering Canyon Cafe, its worth it.
The pricing is similar to any “black car” service in NYC/Brooklyn. Most have minimum of at least $8 even if you’re going one block. For me to get the 17 miles from my house to JFK airport, its usually around $45 not including gratuity. Brooklyn to Manhattan? 10 miles, $40-50.
Saratoga to Animal Kingdom Lodge is 8 miles, so $25 is actually pretty reasonable for any ride from one end of disney property to another.
Had same experience as Deborah in early March. Tried to get a ride from Magic Kingdom to Braves’ game. It was frustrating!
We’re travelling from the UK in August and staying at OKW. We are hoping to use the Minnie Vans but have read on other websites that you can only use them if you’re from the US. Does anyone know if international travellers can use them?
We used the MINnie Van for the first time during our Easter break trip, WDW super crowded that week. We went from Hollywood Studios to our campsite in Ft Wilderness. Fast, safe and wonderful service, going right to our campsite saves 3 buses, amazing during one of busiest times of year. There were 3 of us and 12 yr old loved the vehicle. I think $25 is great value considering it takes you places other modes of transportation can’t and quickly. Time saving has a value in many circumstances. Plus the WDW drivers no exactly where everything is and can use roads outside cabs cannot. For us, it was great.
Would love to see a video on this. If you have one already sorry for the additional ask.
Well, I guess we’re not the market for this. We drive to Florida, so when we want to go to another WDW resort for dinner, we get in the car and drive. It’s so much easier than taking WDW transportation. We used to do that, but it takes forever to make all of the connections. We have never had to pay for parking, although I suspect that’s no longer true given the added resort parking fees. We’re DVC members, so maybe fees won’t apply to us; we’ll find out this summer. Anyway, we concluded years ago that going to DVC resorts was way easier if we drove. Even with a parking fee, I can’t imagine the Minnie Van would be easier and cost-effective.
Awesome review of the Minnie Vans! I actually start training this week for them, and i love to see all the positive and constructive feedback. Hopefully I’ll be able to drive you to your next destination!
Minnie Van service to MCO is only available to Club Level guests and costs $150
So, can you get a Minnie Van from the airport to the Dolphin hotel?
Why is Coronado springs not included for Lyft???
We just used this on our trip last week– this service was a life (and time) saver! It is pricey, so we tried to use them strategically, mostly going between resorts for dining reservations. This saved us having to use multiple forms of transportation or make time consuming transfers. The drivers were so friendly, and trips were fast and efficient. We did encounter a couple of occasions on weekend nights when we needed to put in two or three requests before ours was picked up, but overall, the experience with Minnie Vans was phenomenal!
How can you call for a Minnie Van which can take a scooter along?
The price is a bit high if you are thinking of using it as a replacement for Disney transport or your own car, but we used it one way from the Disney Hoop Dee Doo Review back to our resorts, and it was great. We had 6 people plus a mobility scooter. They sent 2 cars (because of the scooter) and dropped us off at 2 different resorts, all for the one price. The drivers were super nice, and it was well worth the price for the convenience.
CSR (Coronado Springs) has Minnie vans now! There’s a picture above stating otherwise.
Ann Marie, thanks for sharing your experience!
Andreas, from what we’ve read of guest experiences with ECVs on Minnie Vans, there is a direct number for Lyft to make the request. Disney Resort front desks should have the number when you arrive!
Patti, as far as we know, Minnie Vans will bring guests from a resort to the airport but not the reverse.
I used the Minnie Van one night when I had to meet the rest of my family for dinner at the Yachtsman’s. I was staying at the Polynesian. The drivers are great. I felt much safer using the Minnie Van service then using Uber or Lyft. Well worth the money. I have had some interesting Uber/Lyft experiences and it was Ok when I was with my husband and son but not by myself.
Loved the Minnie Van!! It was FANTASTIC when we needed to bring the scooter along. There’s a number you can call to request the ADA van and the dispatch folks are very helpful. We will be using them again in September when we are doing an early tour and need the scooter.
Kylie, that’s a great question (and one we’ve seen a lot of in response to this post!). We’ve added the following paragraph to the Minnie Van page to clarify:
tip or not to tip?
That is the question! Unfortunately, there’s no single answer or official rule. We’ve talked to several drivers who say they do directly receive the tips they are given; tips aren’t pooled and shared. So if you want to thank your exceptional driver with a tip, you can and rest assured that she or he will be able to keep it! Tipping can be done in the Lyft app, in person, or not at all; it’s all at your discretion!
We were enroute from Epcot to Magic Kingdom and one of us was using a scooter. We got a call from the kennel that our cat was sick and our next monorail stop was the TTC. There is absolutely NO WAY to get from place A to place B in a hurry with a scooter. Forget Mears drivers who never answer questions. Minnie vans are not scooter accessible. Leaving a rental scooter at the TTC and grabbing a taxi is not an option.
When will Minnie vans have scooter accessibility?
Jane: Minnie Vans are accessible for guests with wheelchairs and ECVs/scooters. The program uses an accessible van when the request is made for a vehicle that’s accessible. Guests report that they have been given a specific number by cast members at their resorts to call to make the request. Accessible Minnie Vans can transport the ECV or wheelchair plus four additional guests.
Thank you for the information! Do you know when this started? We were at Disney World January, 2018 and a multitude of Cast Members working at the TTC, on the monorails, and in security were 100% unaware of any solution to our problem at the time.
An old friend of mine helped design & launch the program. He confirmed all drivers are certified car seat safety technicians. There is word that there will soon be service to Port Canaveral for DCL guests staying at the resorts.
Absolutely love the Minnie Van. Used it 3 times last trip. It does cost about Double the average Lyft but the experience was much better. Also the driver will make a 5-10 minute deviation at your request. For instance if part of your family wants to go back to the room or they will stop at the speedway McDonald’s or in our case we wanted to see the construction at Caribbean Beach and was curious about looking at the Tree House villas. The cast member makes the difference. Would always use from resort to resort
Nope. Too few Minnies on the road which makes the wait times long. And the price compared to Uber makes it insane for my use. When we Uber-ed to Port Canaveral in October, it was a $45 ride. I cannot even begin to imagine the circumstance in which I’d pay the Minnie van price. Cute though.
I stayed at grand floridian for 10 nights and I used Uber everywhere and it cost me a total of $200. I’m sure if I used the Minnie van it would have bee over $1000.
I think it appalling they are overcharging that much.
We used Minnie van service to get to California Grill from Yacht Club last week. We were dressed up a bit and it was sooo hot and humid – didn’t want to fight the bus service and risk getting one that was not air conditioned! ( yes, in 98 degree heat we had that lovely experience twice!) Loved the convenience of service and door to door service especially since it stormed during pick up. Drivers were awesome! Yes, it’s pricey, but I highly recommend using this service. If you have little ones, I would not use any other service. Clean vehicles and very comfortable ride.
We used the service twice in January and plan on using it our next trip. We wouldn’t use it everyday because it does add up but we had great experiences each time. The price was not that bad and the cast members were so friendly.
I just came back from my trip today and used regular Lyfts throughout the trip and found them much more reasonably priced than the Minnie Vans (normal Lyfts were typically <$10 anywhere on property). They always arrived quickly drivers were friendly and were so much quicker for such a low price compared to free transportation. Definitely could see how Minnie Vans would be good for large family, but for a small group of adults, normal Lyfts were perfect!
Not all of the information in this post is accurate. Needs to be updated. Check your sources. You do not need to have the app ‘activated’ any longer. The Minnie Vans do not have ‘backless’ boosters, they are high back boosters.