Reviews of Walt Disney World Minnie Van Service
Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 10/10/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
we used this 3 times on our trip in May. (it was still only 25.00 per trip and I know it probably costs more now) It rained non-stop the entire week we were there! (we saw the rainy day parade 3 times!) we used the Minnie van service to get home from Disney Springs one night during a downpour, to get to hotel our the last day because we got stuck in the park in a thunderstorm and were afraid we would miss the magical express, and also used it at 7am to get to Early Morning magic. we loved it! cars were new and clean and cast members were all wonderful. it seems they were all Disney employee veterans who had applied for the new position as a driver. it was worth every penny! so much of our trip was affected by the constant rain so it was nice to have something so helpful.
Pros:
very convenient if you have unusual plans that don't fit the bus schedule or bad weather.Cons:
noneReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 10/24/2018
Rating: (7) Recommended
We just returned from a WDW stay (Oct 2018) and experienced the new pricing - and requesting - system for Minnie Vans. We also were at WDW in the spring of 2018 and experienced the $25 flat fee and old requesting system. In both instances drivers did accept gratuities. Under the flat fee system a gratuity was included but it was made clear you could tip your driver. Under the new system rolled out October 2018 a tip is not included.
The new pricing system is more expensive than getting a taxi (which we have also done). Comparing similar trips (via data from our Lyft app, the platform the Minnie Van service is based on) to illustrate the price hike: in April 2018 an 8.6 mile trip was the flat fee of $25. In Oct 2018 an 8.4 mile trip (so slightly shorter) was $41.35 - and that was with a 10% discount I had through Lyft so in actuality the ride was a bit more expensive. Again, tip is not included with the new pricing structure. I would estimate that the same ride in a cab would probably cost you $15 - $20 at the outside.
But, the Minnie Vans are all new and clean (they are Chevy Traverse vehicles) and obviously very well maintained. There are chargers readily available for multiple devices (and device types). They play Disney music. They are supposed to have water but we have found that isn't always the case. We heard from our last driver that the newest ones have satellite radio available and they will have onboard entertainment players that you can watch Disney movies on. One advantage of Minnie Vans is that they have access to places other vehicles don't. There are roads between resorts that are not open to the public but Minnie Vans can take them. They can get closer to the parks than almost any other vehicle. They can also go back to the cabins and campsites at Fort Wilderness (making it much easier to get to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Review or Mickey's Backyard BBQ - they can drive you right to the exact location). Another big bonus: they all have car seats with them and drivers have been trained to correctly install them (in theory - we don't have a need for a car seat so I can't attest to the install part directly).
Unfortunately I think Disney expanded this program too much, too quickly and did not have the infrastructure in place to support the additional growth. Our drivers this past trip were NOT of the same caliber as the drivers in the Spring (when the service was smaller). Our drivers in the spring were consummate Disney professionals and had clearly been very well trained. They were pleasant, courteous, helpful...everything you would expect. Our drivers this past trip (Oct 2018) were clearly not trained well. There was a noticable and significant difference. Some were unsure how to get places. Some were downright surly and one was a bit rude. One gave flat out wrong information and once it became clear he really didn't know what he was talking about he just kept talking which made it worse. They were more lax, less pleasant, and had lost the "Disney Magic" quality the drivers in the spring had. What has also suffered from the expansion is the requesting system. During the spring trip - and granted the program was much smaller and not as popular - we never had any issues requesting a Minnie Van. You would request via the Lyft app, it would look for a nearby driver, and then it would tell you how long it would be before the Minnie Van arrived. This fall we found out that along with the rate hike there have been some changes with how the app works and how requests are handled. In theory you should request a Minnie Van, the app tells you how much the trip will be, you confirm you want a Minnie Van, it puts the request out, if they are all busy it tells you and tells you are put in a queue, and then once one is found it tells you how long you have to wait for the Minnie Van to arrive (it was usually longer than the app said). Of the four times we requested Minnie Vans during our last trip the app never worked correctly. It took us a minimum of four requests each time to even get put into a queue. We would request and it would look and eventually time out so we would have to request again (essentially being kicked to the bottom of the queue even though you've been requesting via the app for 5+ min already). When we brought it up to some of the drivers they acknowledged it was a known glitch but didn't seem overly concerned or that they even really cared. In one instance, trying to leave Animal Kingdom Lodge, it took 4 attempts via the app (a 20 min wait) and then an additional 17 min wait for a Minnie Van. In another instance, trying to leave Hollywood Studios at night, it took 5 attempts via the app (so there is 25 min) and then an additional 25 minute wait for a Minnie Van. I will say the Hollywood Studios night was not at park closing time but was on a night where Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party was going on so there could have been higher demand. But the required multiple requests (and never being put in a queue unless you got lucky) that night was not an isolated incident but rather it appeared to be the de facto standard. Also for some reason the app now doesn't tell drivers exactly where you are. In Spring 2018 under the old request system the drivers knew exactly where you were (even down to campsite number or cabin number if you were at Fort Wilderness). Now the app gives the drivers a general idea so you have to be on the look-out for them and flag them down in some cases.
Pros:
Clean, well maintained, can get closer to parks and go places other vehicles can't, chargers for devices, whimsical and fun, some drivers truly bring the Disney magic!Cons:
Driver training seems to have suffered and it's noticeable, significant pricing hike makes them very expensive, requesting is unreliable and does not function correctly, once you are able to get in a queue for a Minnie Van you may still experience a further significant wait time waiting for one.Reviewed by DBennett Review Date: 11/01/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
My family (myself, my wife, my 8 year old son, and my 3 year old son) used the service 3 times on our recent trip (Oct 2018). We used one night leaving HS after at closing, then we used the service going to and from Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party. This service is invaluable if you get anxious being crowded into a bus. Also even though it took a little while to get a van on both evenings it was still quicker than waiting on a bus. Also the gurantee of a car seat for our little one was great. We will budget this service in for all of our trips going forward.
Pros:
Don't have to deal with overcrowded buses. Vans have car seats.Cons:
The price is a bit high, but still worth it.Reviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/12/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
I was at old key west from 12/3-12/10 and I used them almost everyday at least once a day. Every driver we got was nice, professional and polite. We mostly used the service from the park at night because my mothers knee was bothering her after walking around. You could say the service is expensive but I didn’t care. I knew when I got a Minnie van how long till they would be there. I knew my mom was going to have a seat. I knew they drop us off directly in front of our building and that piece of mind at the end of a park day was well worth the money to me. I will use them again if I can get a Minnie van. Excellent service.
Pros:
You will have a seat and you know when they will be thereCons:
Tough to get sometimesReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/12/2018
Rating: (9) Recommended
Used this service for the first time in October and found it very helpful albeit on the expensive side. However I was having some hip issues and long walks and waiting for buses without adequate seating started to take a toll. Cars were available in short order, vehicles were very clean and the drivers were great. For me I was more comfortable that the drivers were cast members.
Pros:
Convenient, clean vehicles and friendly and courteous driversCons:
A bit on the expensive sideReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/12/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
We splurged for the Minnie Van for our family of 6 on Thanksgiving. We were going to the Grand Floridian Cafe from Pop Century. We had reservations for 10:00, requested the van by Lyft at 9:30 and within minutes a friendly driver (wearing Minnie Mouse ears) pulled up. She got out of the car and offered to take a picture of us in front of it. The driver was so friendly and the whole experience was one of our favorite during the trip and we arrived right on time for our reservation without the hassle of taking the bus, then the monorail etc.
Pros:
The Disney music playing. Friendly driver. Comfortable, clean car.Cons:
A little pricey, but a good splurgeReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 12/19/2018
Rating: (10) Recommended
Great driver, got us where we needed to go way faster than a bus
Pros:
Great driver, fast, interactiveCons:
NothingReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 02/10/2019
Rating: (10) Recommended
Great service! Had grpup of 6 going to dinner at Trail’s End from Old Key West. We had spent most of the day at Epcot so we decided catching a Minnie Van would be fun and drop us very close to the restaurant. Our driver was great and very informative even sharing information about the horses and stable at Fort Wilderness where we were dropped off for dinner. We split the fee so wasn’t so bad. After dinner we ended up at Contemporary and were heading back to two different resorts-thinking we could walk over to MK to catch buses, only to find out it was Employee appreciation night at MK and no buses were running for general public. One part of our group got a regular Lyft within 15 seconds and were off to their resort, the rest of looking on app for another lyft-only to find it would be 25 minutes, so we looked up Minnie lyft and they were available in 10, so we sprung for the Minnie again and once again well worth it after such a full day. Great driver and worth it! Will work it into our budget for the next trip!!
Pros:
Clean car, friendly driver, entertaining and at your door pick up and delivery!Cons:
CostReviewed by Anonymous Review Date: 03/09/2019
Rating: (10) Recommended
Used the Minnie vans princess race weekend to get from Hollywood Studios to EWWS to pick up race packets. Would have taken us hours by bus but only 25 min by Minnie van- even in traffic! We needed car seats for both Minnie Vans and Frank the tank ( our driver) was awesome getting them installed and getting us on our way! Would totally reccommend them if you have a destination that would take multiple bus transfers to get where you need to be! Super friendly drivers—Will use them again!
Pros:
Having car seats and knowledgible drivers installing them Shortened our travel time considerablyCons:
A little pricey but well worth it in this instanceReviewed by Schwad1 Review Date: 04/17/2019
Rating: (10) Recommended
We were staying at a Disney Springs hotel just a few weeks after the service started accepting passengers there (it had previously been limited to the parks and Disney hotels only) so it was hard to get information on how it worked ahead of time. I can not recommend this service enough to families with multiple small children!! The drivers are experienced and all of them had a ton of knowledge about Disney, the parks, best ways to drive to skip traffic, and lots of other tips and stories. We were able to get virtually all the way up to the gates of Magic Kingdom in a Minnie Van, which regular Lyfts or private cars can't do, which was really helpful for our pre-park opening breakfast reservation as an adult on my own with two children. The drivers knew how to quickly and correctly install the carseats, which looked brand new, both forward and rear-facing. Worth every penny!
