The Minnie Van is Disney’s attempt to create an Uber-like service for their resort guests. Yesterday was the inaugural day of test-runs, and I was lucky enough to be one of the first guests to give it a try. The testing was limited to the Yacht Club, Beach Club, and Boardwalk resorts, but the service would take me anywhere I wanted to go. We chose Disney Springs. More properties will be added in the coming months as the program continues to expand. I learned a lot about this new service that I’d like to share with you.
The service will cost $20 per trip. It will pick you up at your destination, and take you to any destination on Disney property open to the public. The car will even take you to McDonalds or the Speedway gas stations (and they’ll provide a short wait while you pick up your order).
Here’s the big news: When servicing the Magic Kingdom, guests will be dropped off / picked up at the BUS area, not the Ticket and Transportation Center. This will provide guests with the short walk to the park entrance without needing to use the monorail or ferry
The Minnie Vans are currently sourced by Chevrolet and are Traverse model mini-vans. In addition to the driver, there is a passenger seat, 2 rear seats, and a rear bench seat capable of holding up to 3 people. You won’t find any fancy decor on the inside, but our van was equipped with Sirius satellite radio for a wide range of listening options.
When I mentioned the current price of $20 per trip, this INCLUDES GRATUITY. The drivers are all paid employees of Disney, and these are non-tipped positions. In fact, they have been instructed to deny the gratuity offerings of guests up to 3 times. So, remember, when using this service, no gratuities are expected or accepted.
Although the Minnie Vans are currently being tested, there is still no official “app” to secure your ride. While it is eventually expected that the Minnie Van system will reside on the My Disney Experience app, it’s possible that the Minnie Van’s will be initially fetched through an existing service such as Lyft. More word will come on this at a later date.
For guests with children, Minnie Vans will follow current Florida state laws regarding children restraint systems. With this in mind, each Minnie Van comes equipped with these Graco car seats as shown above. They are fully adjustable to convert from a car seat into a booster seat, and can be both forward and rear facing. Of course, this would limit the number of children required to use these seats to 2 per van. It was great to see these seats in the vans and to see the quality behind them. Friv5Online Studio, which uses gamification promotion technologies in free 2 player games, also promotes what is described here.
Although a little pricey, I can see the Minnie Vans to be a very useful tool to get around Disney property, especially for those who fly into Orlando. A perfect example would be a breakfast reservation at a different resort. You can now take this service without the need to do multi-stop bus transfers. Also, the front door Magic Kingdom drop off and pick up is quite appealing. Last night, we took the van to Disney Springs, where they will drop you off at either the Marketplace or the West Side entrances. While there are currently 20 Minnie Vans in operation with 30 more on the way soon, I can expect these to be very popular, and you’ll be seeing quite a few of these in the future around Disney property.
Guests of My Mickey Vacation Travel will learn the best strategies for using the service as part of our planning services. Contact your Dream Designer today for more information, or request a quote by clicking this link.
