A different kind of Magical Express

Image: Disney

One of the crucial elements of a Disney trip is maximizing time at the park. Anyone who has ever used their Magical Express service understands that it’s slow. You have to visit a specific part of Orlando International Airport. Then, you have to check in and wait for your bus to arrive. The final step includes drop-offs at multiple resorts. If you’re the last of them, you may not reach your hotel until two hours after you touch down in Orlando.  Non-Disney hotels featuring shuttle service to the airport are even worse. In addition to having to wait on your bags at a hectic airport, your shuttle will take even longer to arrive, especially if it’s an hourly service.

Contrast that to Uber. The various Uber tiers seat up to six guests, and it can hold several pieces of luggage. Each car is slightly different in this regard, but these vehicles are generally large SUVs. You have the option in the app to define how much luggage you’re carrying. That way, you can identify the appropriate vehicle to suit your needs. UberXL works best for groups of four to six people seeking to split the cost of a ride, which should cost around $100.

The catch is that Orlando International Airport isn’t as cooperative with ride-sharing services. Their deals with companies like Mears are much less flexible. To get a basic Uber from the airport, you’ll actually have to leave the concourse, which isn’t convenient for anybody hauling around luggage. The good news is that UberBLACK, their most expensive service, is an option at the airport itself. The pricing I mentioned above is for UberBLACK. Also, the rules can change so quickly that when I initially wrote this piece, I didn’t include UberFAMILY, which I hadn’t even realized had airport pickup. That’s a new addition for 2016.

Note that Uber employs something called surge pricing, which means that their rates increase during busy periods. Fortunately, the app does a wonderful job of tracking when such factors are in play. In my experience, surge pricing rarely adds more than a few dollars to the overall cost, but there are horror stories about users feeling gouged in certain instances.

Buses and boats are for suckers

Image: Disney

Obviously, the most powerful advantage of ride-sharing is the ability to skip theme park transportation. Whether we’re talking about Disney’s buses or boats or even those silly rickshaws at Universal Studios hotels, none of the systems is optimal. The most consistent Disney theme parks complaints involve the navigation to and from the parks themselves.

Uber operates as a different kind of FastPass. You skip the line that is the transportation queue. Rather than wait impotently for a vehicle to arrive at a seemingly random time, Uber empowers you to name the time of your departure as well as your designation. And if you hate putting extra mileage on your feet, the drop-offs for the various theme parks are generally as good as Disney’s own transportation. The lone exception is Magic Kingdom. If you want to go there, you’ll have to exit at Disney’s Contemporary Resort and then either walk or take the monorail.

At the other parks, including the Universal ones in Orlando and Universal City (aka Hollywood), you enjoy the equivalent of front gate drop-off. And all it costs is about $10 on average plus tip. Before you tell me that Uber doesn’t require tips, I’d like to point out that this is technically true. Alas, many of the freelancers who drive for Uber earn significantly less per hour than you might expect. A tip of a couple of dollars might not mean much to you when visiting a place where a bottled water is four bucks. It can be the difference in your driver’s paying their rent/mortgage, though. I strongly recommend a thoughtful tip. Also, please remember that your driver needs a high grade to maintain their status on Uber. Offer a five-star review to anyone who does their job well.

The double park adventure

Image: Disney

The other opportunity that Uber affords theme park tourists in Orlando and Los Angeles is the double park trip. Historically, guests who wanted to visit Universal Studios and Disney theme parks during the same trip had two options. They could use a pricey driving service (or pay a boatload to a cab driver) or they could rent a car. Uber slashes the cost of such trips.

For a cost of less than $20 in Orlando or $60 in Los Angeles (more during surge pricing), you can wake up at a Disney-based resort, grab your phone, and request a ride to Universal Studios. Assuming light traffic, the trip takes 20 minutes or so. Once you’re done for the day, you load up your app again and head back. For a fraction of the cost of a car rental, you can visit Mickey Mouse AND Harry Potter during the same trip. My family made this journey twice during a recent trip, and we unanimously expressed amazement about how much Uber changes the landscape of dual theme park visits. If you want to visit Busch Gardens, Six Flags, Knott’s Berry Farm, or Sea World during your vacation, Uber makes all of it possible.

Uber saves local residents money

Image: Disney

Here’s the shocking revelation about Uber. Disney has authorized a competitor onsite that can cost them money. Currently, the cost of parking at a Disney theme park in Florida is $20. At Disneyland, it’s $18. That price is going up in Florida, though. As chronicled here, Disney is raising the price of preferred parking at Magic Kingdom by $15. If you live in the area and want to visit Magic Kingdom, you’ll have to pay $35 to avoid blisters on your feet. While Disneyland isn’t currently in the process of adding this upcharge, we can’t rule anything out. And you see where I’m going with this.

An Uber ride from anywhere in Orlando to the Transportation and Ticket Center by Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort should cost about $20. If you have a parking pass and other plans for the day, you might want your own car during your visit. In that case, you can park in the boonies and then grab an Uber ride to the monorail for only a few dollars. Finally, note that you can even receive an Uber drop-off directly at a Disney resort as long as you have an Advance Dinner Reservation there. When you’re eating at a spot on the monorail, you’ll enjoy the easiest transportation situation ever as a Florida resident who uses Uber.

Everyone will have their own system, of course, but Orlando residents who visit Disney theme parks often – and that should be virtually everybody reading this – have a rare opportunity to stick it to Disney during a price hike. That NEVER happens. A bit of planning and research into Uber combined with trial and error should reveal the best way to visit Disney for the least amount of money. Plus, you can probably cut down on the excess walking, too.