Hey there~ Has anyone had difficulty finding availability for Minnie Van service during park openings/and closings? In other words, can a elderly couple staying at Pop rely solely on the Minnie Van for transportation to and from the parks? (They don’t feel comfortable doing ride share or taking the bus).
Thanks Liners~
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Do they realize that the Minnie Vans ARE ride share and are booked through the Lyft app?
I mean i know that the drivers are CM’s vs just anybodys, but make sure they understand that or else they are going to be confused.
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They do, I think they just feel more comfortable knowing the drivers a CM’s:)
There is a limited number of MV. I haven’t done them since their return. In the past you could reserve them the night before to ensure you had one in the morning at your hotel. The same can be done mid-day to ensure there is one ready as you leave.
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Oh wow, that would be perfect! Thank you so much!
Yeah, a lot of people don’t realize it! I used to go to Early Morning Magic - the paid early admission about 90 before park opening. I’d use MV to make sure I was there on time as the on-site buses didn’t always run that early. There were very few MV in service at 6am, so I’d always reserve one the night before to ensure I would get one with little wait.
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I didn’t know this - that’s a really good tip!
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My niece had issues during peak time last week. She wanted to get to AK for rope drop using the Minnie Vans but was unable to get one. She had success at off peak times.
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What was the process for reserving the night before?
When you open the Lyft App you’ll see the available car options. (MV aren’t on my screen as I’m at home now! You’ll see the option when on-site)
At the bottom of the page you’ll see “plan ahead”
Then just follow the steps. It’s very straight forward.
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This. They’re still ride shares. Just because they have bougie dotted wraps doesn’t make them NOT ride shares. They’re pricier than regular ride shares too.
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Agreed. They do have the benefit of being dropped off a little closer and in areas that other rideshares can not. For seniors those extra steps and an “easy” to recognize vehicle can make the upcharge worth it. (especially if they are a bit intimated by the idea)
I only used them to get to “hard” to get places / events. (I wouldn’t even try to get to Hoop-Dee-Doo Revue any other way!) 
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I wonder if this is what they call it internally??
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“The Hoop”
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Thank you so much for sharing this info, it’s truly appreciated!
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Plan Ahead is greyed out when I just tried this entering a pickup and drop off on site. It did show current MV locations but the only options for Plan Ahead were for regular lift vehicles. I’ve read on WDWPrepSchool that MV’s can’t be pre-booked
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The last time I did this was 2018, but I was able to do it. I actually learned about it through the TP videos on YT.
I wouldn’t be surprised if this feature was another thing WDW stopped offering after bringing them back. More cuts and increased prices…
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Each time we tried this (pre-Covid) we couldn’t book anything. We kept getting a message that said low availability, we can’t guarantee a driver will be available. That seemed to defeat the purpose of scheduling ahead! Will try again when we go in a few weeks.
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Better that than letting you schedule ahead but then nothing being available at the time! I had that happen in Feb 2021 - ended up taking a taxi to the off-property testing site (for shorter quarantine once I got back - not for symptoms) because the pre-arranged Lyft never found a driver and Uber kept getting picked up then cancelled.
Although you’d think it would be advantageous for Disney to know ahead of time and to be able to plan accordingly 
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