Taking Uber?

We are going the third week in June and staying at Marriott’s harbor lake. We are planning on taking Uber back and forth to the parks. Do you think this is going to work? Will we be able to get an Uber for park opening? Am I out of my mind? I have Uber’ed a bit around disney but I was always staying on property so I could grab a bus as a back up… getting nervous.

You can try Uber and Lyft. Both are prevalent in the Orlando area. Both affordable and a major time saver when we’ve used them.

When you go to Magic Kingdom, ask them to drop you at the Contemporary. It’s just a short walk from there. Everywhere else, they should be able to drop you at the taxi stop.

The only unknown is that you don’t request the car until you need it. No reserving or knowing for absolute certain that there will be cars around early in the day. But, where there is demand, there is usually service. I think your chances are very good though.

is it really that big a convenience over renting a car? That is great if it is.

I have not used Uber in Orlando before, but I have in other large cities, and even when you need several rides a day, it has still always been cheaper than a daily car rental fee. For 2 rides a day (to the park and back), and not having to deal with the stress of knowing where you’re going or find a parking space, it is an outright bargain.

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Since they are staying offsite a rental car would be $20 to park at the parks as well. Just the parking costs would likely be close to matching the Uber fees in a normal guy of going to/from 1 park. Add in the rental car fees and it gets far worse obviously…

A taxi will be about the same cost. We took both a taxi and an uber to the same location on a trip last year and the cost was negligible. There are taxis at all the hotels waiting at the taxi stand, not sure about the parks.

@Arabian_Nights, here is a thread on the topic with lots of info:

Agree with this. We took an Uber from the Animal Kingdom Lodge to the Magic Kingdom (TTC) and the Uber driver had no idea where to go. He kept following the route BACK to the AKL. Eventually we just followed the signs to the Taxi Stop for the TTC and got out there. Poor guy was totally clueless.

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Thanks everyone for the tips. We are looking to uber/taxi just to avoid the traffic and headaches of getting around in a new city. I also think it may be just as fast if not fast than taking park transportation. With the cost we are saving with being property we could take a taxi back and forth two or three times and still be less than being on property!

I will disagree regarding the costs being about the same. Anytime I have taken a taxi on Disney property the cost has been about $20 plus tip. Uber is always between 7-10 dollars and although I usually give a tip it is not expected- so at least half price. It will also tell you how much and how long the wait will be as you order.

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I’m not sure about in Orlando/WDW, but in many cities you can schedule an Uber within 24 hours of needing it. So, if you know you want to get out of your hotel at 7:45am, schedule it the night before via the Uber App and while not a guarantee the Uber will be at your door at 7:45am, it makes it MUCH more likely to have it there at that time. If you decide at 7:30am you want one by 7:45am, there may not be one available in time. Scheduling in advance helps to eliminate that possibility. Just remember to review this info, if you haven’t already, especially if you have small kids:

Totally agree with you. We ubered to California Grill for Fireworks one night from AoA. The cost was ~9 bucks. After supper/park close, we were unable to secure an uber for the trip back. The cab fare cost 21ish plus tip.

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In January I stayed offsite & Uber’d instead of renting a car. I saved time & money and found it very convenient.
If you want to be dropped off at a non-traditional spot (e.g. Contemporary for MK, BC for EP), you need to be very specific. One of the drivers was very adamant that TTC was the entrance to MK. He thought I was nuts for insisting to be dropped off at the Contemporary.
You can schedule an Uber in advance, but in my experience the driver will show up right at the beginning of the window and expect you to be ready.

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The UnOfficial Guide has a good section discussing transportation alternatives among resorts - parks - Disney Springs. In almost EVERY case, driving (or in this case, taking a taxi/Uber/Lyft) saves significant time vs. using Disney Transportation. The exception as noted in the thread is going through the TTC to get to the MK, when buses from most Disney Resorts, monorails from GF/Poly/Contemporary, and launches from Fort/Wilderness/Lodge go pretty direct.

Disney vacations cost a lot . . . Say $3,000 ~ $8,000 for 6.5 days of vacation . . . say 14 hours of park/resort/meals = “fun” per day. That’s $35 ~ $85 per hour. So saving your group 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour in the evening with a taxi or rental car sort of pays for itself.

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