What are the Minnie Vans
So if you have been to Disney World lately, you may have seen a fleet of mini vans decorated like Minnie Mouse traveling between the resorts and the parks. Disney along with Lyft have started a new transportation option, Disney Minnie Van. This service is on top of the transportation options of the Monorail and Disney buses.
One of the nice features with this program, is that you can set up the rides using a smartphone app to make travel much smoother. This is similar to Uber but through Disney instead. The minivans fleet stands out with red vans with white dots to represent the iconic Minnie Mouse.
The current cost for a trip in the Disney Minnie van is $25 per trip. Rumor has it that Disney will be altering their pricing structure from a flat rate to a distance based structure – which more in line with a taxi service model. The official pricing scale has not been released at this time, but will update the article when it becomes available.
The Minnie Vans
Each van accommodates 6 guests and is equipped with two car seats for the little ones. The car seats look quite adjustable from the pictures. The current hours of operation are from 6:30 AM until 12:30 AM. It is unclear if the hours will change in the future, during the summer, it does stop short of the late park hours which may be open until 1AM. So if that is the case, you’ll just need to take the bus back to your resort.
More recently Disney has announced that they are expanding their travel service with Disney Minnie van to the Orlando Airport. The hours of operation for the shuttle service for flight arrivals 7 a.m.-10 p.m. and for flight departures 9 a.m.-12 a.m. Disney Magical Express is still available for earlier and later flights. This would make sense as to why there is likely a change in pricing structure, as the airport is a considerable distance from the resorts for only $25 fee. But they have not updated this on their site.
Another thing to note: One added benefit of the Minnie Vans are that they can accommodate guess with standard wheelchairs, motorized vehicles, and Electric Conveyance Vehicles (ECV). However, this may require extra wait time before the van will be available for pick up.
Summary
If you were contemplating renting a car for the week, this would be a good substitution to save on the hassle. This is especially true if you were not planning on leaving the Disney grounds for a majority of the days of your stay. This option can save on parking both at the parks and at the resort, if you opt to use this service instead of renting a car. If you were planning on traveling off grounds more, then renting a car would still be a viable option.
When you’re in a hurry and don’t want to wait for the next Disney Bus, this is your best option. And if you’re in a larger party, then you will be able to split the cost so it will be a minimal fee which is worth the hassle. Disney Minnie Van provide a great option for your tired little ones when you don’t want to wait for the buses to pick up.