We talk about Uber a lot on this blog, and that’s because (most of the time) it works very well at Disney World. with several months of daily Uber rides around the resort, and with it becoming a huge part of our shorter trips, we thought it might be a good time to share what we’ve learned. Here’s your guide to Uber at Walt Disney World.
About This Guide
We’re going to do this guide backwards. We expect most people who come to this guide already know about Uber, so it starts with the specifics of Uber at Walt Disney World.
If you don’t know about Uber, scroll down or click here to jump to our Introduction to Uber.
Uber At Walt Disney World — Basics
These are the basic things you need to know about using Uber at Walt Disney World.
Drivers — A Slightly Mixed Bag of Experience
You should know that some drivers are inexperienced with driving around Walt Disney World. Most of our drivers have had no problem getting us to our destination, but problems do arise.
You might think they just do this all day every day, but some drivers wind up on property simply because they made a pickup at the airport and dropped someone off nearby. Some are also just new. We’ve had drivers with over 8,000 trips and one with fewer than 20. To that end, consider all the information in this guide part of your toolkit for helping them make sure your ride goes smoothly.
Uber & Rideshare Pickup Points at Walt Disney World
Uber knows about Walt Disney World. When you use the service around property, the app will be aware and will keep you informed as to pickup and drop off points. Basically, you cannot order an Uber to pick you up on Main Street U.S.A. or anywhere else a driver wouldn’t usually be allowed.
Uber keeps tabs on you.
When you place a request for pickup, Uber will show you where the pickup point will be (usually the front of the hotel or park) and confirm you can get there in time for your ride.
At the hotels, this will usually be in front of the hotel where all other drop-off / taxi traffic goes. In recent years, things have gotten a bit more flexible and you might be lucky enough to get picked up closer to your building if you’re at a larger resort. Again, this is something you can set in the app, and the driver will contact you if there are any issues.
We discuss park pickups more below, but briefly—at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom it will be near the front of the park. At Magic Kingdom, pickups and drop-offs are done at Transportation and Ticket Center (where the parking lot is; a monorail or ferryboat ride from the park itself). Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach both have convenient pickup points right near their gates.
Keep in mind, these can change at any time. You can confirm the pickup point in the app, but its also always possible Disney will reroute traffic before the app can be updated. We’ve never had this happen. If it did, you would need to call or message your driver (through the app) to sort it out.
Cost
Ubers around Walt Disney World typically cost $10 to $25. During regular surge pricing, these fares can double. Obviously during the biggest surges—like New Year’s—there’s no limit to how high these fares can get. We cover avoiding surges more below. An Uber from Orlando International Airport to Walt Disney World typically costs $40 to $50. Uber is a good option to consider now that Disney no longer offers its own airport shuttle service.
Typical Wait
During the day, we usually wind up waiting 5 to 10 minutes for an Uber driver, regardless of where we are on Disney property. The longest we’ve waited was 25 minutes. That was at 1AM following Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. We went through multiple cancellations before a driver finally got us at Contemporary and told us of all sorts of construction obstacles.
Before you confirm a request, Uber gives your estimate wait and shows you a sampling of nearby driver locations.
Travel Time
For current travel times, we recommend the Uber app (which gives an estimated arrival time) and Google Maps. The longest drive around Walt Disney World is somewhere near Animal Kingdom Lodge to Port Orleans — Riverside, which takes 15 to 20 minutes. Most other drives are completed in under 15 minutes, though traffic can cause delays, and there might always be a line of cars slowly making their way through a parking lot.
Uber Car Seats at Walt Disney World
Uber Car Seat rules are oft-misunderstood, so let’s start right the word right from Uber (emphasis ours):
Uber Car Seat provides one forward-facing car seat for a child who is at least 2 years old, 22 pounds, and 31 inches tall. A child is too big at 48 pounds or 52 inches.
If your child is under 2 years old, you cannot use Uber Car Seat. This is a policy put in place to comply with New York laws, but the policy applies in all jurisdictions, including Florida.
Within Walt Disney World and in much of the surrounding area, after you put your destination into the app, the car-type selection screen will include options for “UberX Car Seat” and “UberXL Car Seat” in addition to the normal choices. These come at a bit of a surcharge ($10 is the standard now), and you may have to wait a bit longer if there isn’t one nearby.
In recent years, we’ve been having hard time getting Ubers with car seats. We’ve had better luck with UberXL Car Seats, but have seen significantly fewer UberX Car Seats than in the past. This problem is biggest in getting to and from Orlando International Airport, where good, short-notice alternatives are limited.
Additionally, there are some spots near Walt Disney World where Uber does not offer its carseat service. For instance, at our old Airbnb just three miles south of Animal Kingdom, the option was not offered. At the nearby Walmart (half a mile away) it was.
You can check whether the service is available from any spot by setting it as the pickup point (rather than your current location). If it is available, you’ll just swipe the car options to the right to see it. If it isn’t, you’ll only see Black or Uber Select in that spot.
Where Can Uber Go At Walt Disney World?
Uber drivers can go pretty much anywhere a regular car can go (except for parking lots reserved for people who are parking). Basically, this means they can drop you off and pick you up at any Disney hotel, Disney Springs, and the Disney parks (with one exception).
The One Place Uber Drivers Cannot Go
The only place Uber drivers can’t get you conveniently is Magic Kingdom. Pick ups and drop offs for Magic Kingdom are made at Transportation and Ticket Center. We’ll cover this in more detail below.
Why To Use Uber at Walt Disney World
There are a few reasons you might need to use Uber during your visit. First, your accommodations might not have sufficient transportation. If you’re at an Airbnb, you’re on your own for transportation. Some non-Disney hotels have shuttles, but they’re paid per person. Other non-Disney hotels have free shuttles, but they’re bad or don’t run often enough.
Second, you need to get between hotels. If you want to get from Wilderness Lodge to Polynesian Village Resort for breakfast, the front desk will tell you to budget around an hour for the boat ride to Magic Kingdom, connection to the monorail, and monorail ride to Polynesian. That’s unacceptable. The Uber ride is less than ten minutes and costs around $8.
Third, you’re in a rush. As you’ll see throughout this guide, Uber is not perfect. If you’re in a rush, Uber is no guarantee that you’ll get to your destination faster than a Disney bus route directly between your two points. But really, Disney transportation is only going to beat Uber if they pickup at the same time and something goes wrong on your Uber ride. Magic Kingdom, with its special drop-off location for Disney transport, is an exception to this rule.
About Lyft and Those Minnie Vans
This post is not about Minnie Vans. Minnie Vans are an Uber-like service operated by Disney in partnership with Uber’s largest competitor, Lyft. Much of this guide is applicable to Lyft, as well, and Shannon at WDW Prep School makes some good points about why she prefers Lyft to Uber.
Minnie Vans are a substantially different service, though. We have a separate post discussing Minnie Vans. Minnie Vans cost substantially more than Uber or Lyft ($25+ a trip), but have advantages in limited circumstances. For example every Minnie Van has two car seats. Minnie Vans can also drop you off directly at the Magic Kingdom gate, unlike Uber and Lyft.
Taking Uber to and From the Disney World Parks
Now we’ll talk specifically about the parks.
Uber to Magic Kingdom
Taking an Uber to Magic Kingdom is the most complicated, as only Disney transport is allowed to drop off directly at Magic Kingdom. So where does an Uber to Magic Kingdom drop you off at?
Everyone besides Disney transport has to go through Transportation and Ticket Center (and from there take the monorail or ferryboat), and that’s where Uber drivers have to pick you up and drop you off. Uber knows this and will direct rides to “Magic Kingdom” to TTC:
If you have an inexperienced driver, you absolutely must make sure they follow the signs for drop-off (to the left as your approach the Magic Kingdom gate) and don’t head into the parking lot.
There was an old trick we never advocated where people would use Contemporary for Uber pickup and drop-offs. Since the resort reopening in 2020, Disney has become very restrictive with who they let into their lots. I mention this old trick here now just to warn you that your driver might not be let in if you’re not a guest of the resort.
Uber to Animal Kingdom
The Animal Kingdom pickup and drop-off point is just in front of the park. There are no alternative pickup or drop-off points for this park. When you leave the park, you’ll head left, as the signage indicates.
There’s a rideshare pickup sign:
Uber to Epcot
The Epcot pickup and drop-off point is always just a short walk from the front of the park, though in the crowded front of Epcot it can be a bit tough to pin down. It’s on the far side of the HeiHei parking lot. Following the signs for rideshare will take you past the bus depot:
There’s enough signage that you shouldn’t get lost, but the route is a bit odd and takes you past the southern end of the parking lot:
But the rideshare spot is at least a dedicated area:
Uber to Hollywood Studios
Uber pickup and dropoff is all the way at the end of the bus stops, near stop 37 (the exact stops moves around). It’s a relatively long walk from the front of the park, so make sure you allot a few minutes to walk there when booking your ride.
Tips and Tricks for Using Uber Around Walt Disney World
These are the best tips and tricks we have. Some of these are restating things we said above or will say below, but we know some people come straight to this section.
Help Your Driver Out
Look, you probably don’t know your way around Walt Disney World any better than a driver does, but you really might have a better sense of the details than your driver does, especially if you’re reading this guide.
For example, one time we took a ride from All-Star Music to Polynesian. It should have been about a ten minute ride, and it wound up taking 45 minutes. Our driver repeatedly got lost, and I was way too grumpy to help. Now, I always help whenever I’m in doubt. Don’t be a pain about it—just keep an eye open in case they seem confused.
That driver saw the location and thought we were going to Magic Kingdom (nope). Then she didn’t believe the Uber app’s directions, and instead of following the directions for drop-off, went toward the main gate (wrong again).
Drivers definitely struggle with the Magic Kingdom drop-off. In all cases, if you miss a turn in Florida, you might be in for a long re-route. Just remember that inexperienced drivers will be seeing lots of signage with names that mean nothing to them.
Hotel Pickups and Drop-offs are Sometimes Best Done at the Front of the Hotel
Rideshare drivers can pick you up and drop you off from different points around your hotel. This is particularly useful for large resorts like Port Orleans Riverside or Caribbean Beach. That said, we think it’s most simple to use the front of the hotel whenever possible.
How Early Can Your Uber for Rope Drop at the parks?
The standard now is for the parking lot—including rideshare pickup/drop off—to open 60 minutes before the start of Early Entry. A few minutes before the parking lot opens, cars will be allowed to queue. Before that, you’ll be directed back away from the parks if you arrive too early.
Avoiding Surge Pricing
If you really want to avoid surge pricing, you have two choices—wait and/or move. Surge pricing typically happens right when a park closes. At Animal Kingdom, all you can do is wait. At the other three parks, you can wait and walk to a nearby hotel—Magic Kingdom to Contemporary or TTC to Polynesian, Epcot to Beach Club, Hollywood Studios to Walt Disney World Swan or BoardWalk Inn.
Introduction to Uber
Uber is usually called a “rideshare” service, which is sort of a misnomer (as you don’t actually have to share your ride). Really, Uber is a way of booking private drivers on short notice via an app on your phone.
Signing Up for Uber
To use Uber, you download the app and link it to a credit card. All payments for Uber will be done via credit card (or Paypal) through the app, so you don’t need to worry about bringing cash or making sure a taxi’s credit card machine is working. You’ll create a basic profile when you sign up, but it’s a simple process, now you’re ready to ride!
Getting An Uber
The home screen of Uber shows your location and the locations of nearby Uber drivers. This gives you a sense of whether you’ll be waiting a long time or not. In Walt Disney World, we usually wait between 5 and 10 minutes for a ride.
Type in your destination in the “Where to?” field. You can also change your pickup location if you’re going to be there shortly. For example, we will often change our pickup to the front of our gated neighborhood, since we walk over there for cars to pick us up.
Once you’ve typed in your destination, Uber pulls of a screen with a few bits of information:
First, it maps out your route. Second, it tells you about how long you’ll be waiting for pickup. Third, it gives you different car options—UberX seats four passengers; UberXL seats six; Uber Comfort is nicer vehicles (four passengers); Black is the highest level of luxury. We exclusively use UberX or Uber Comfort.
Fourth, underneath the car types, Uber gives estimated price and estimated time you’ll be dropped off. These estimated prices are accurate most of the time. Your ride usually only costs more if the driver has to reroute or the ride takes an abnormal amount of time. If the driver reroutes because of his mistake, you can request a refund from Uber and they’ll reprice the ride to your original quoted amount.
Fifth, underneath the car types is your payment method, the number of allowable passengers, the confirmation button, and the button to schedule a ride for a later time. If you don’t schedule for a later time, Uber will find you a nearby driver immediately.
When you click the “Request” button, you may have to confirm your pickup spot, particularly if (1) your GPS is not currently located right at a pickup spot or (2) you changed your pickup point manually.
Riding In Uber
Once you’re matched with a driver, you’ll be given a bunch of new information. You’ll see your driver’s name, picture, vehicle description, and license plate. You’ll also see where the driver is, the estimated arrival time, and the route Uber suggests the driver take to you.
You’ll also be able to see a profile of your driver, including accolades (“Great at Conversation”) or accomplishments (“2,000 Five-Star Rides”). You’ll see their total ride count. We draw an arbitrary line around 1,000. Below that, we’re very cautious about making sure they’re going the right way. Above that, we sort of just gauge how confident they seem along a route and help if needed.
Remember, the driver will go to the designated pickup spot if there is one, so that is where you’ll need to be. When the driver arrives, they’ll often confirm your name, and you should do the same.
Like taxi drivers, Uber drivers vary in personality, chattiness, and choice of music. Unlike taxi drivers, Uber drivers will rate you at the end of the ride. You’ll also have the chance to rate them.
Tipping With Uber
Once your ride is done, you’ll have the opportunity to rate your driver and tip in the app. 10% to 15% for average service, with a $2 minimum, is standard. Uber drivers do not see your tip amount until after they rate you, so they’re not supposed to consider it in rating you. That said, a generous cash tip is likely the easiest route to maintaining a high rating. I only rarely tip with cash, and I have a 4.93 rating.
Canceling Rides, Penalties, and Disputes
If you have to cancel a requested ride, you may be subject to a monetary penalty from Uber. This is to compensate the driver for the time they spent on your ride.
If the driver just wasn’t following the directions to you, you can usually request a refund of any penalty. Relatedly, if your driver takes a longer route than expected, Uber may charge you more than it originally quoted you. If this is your driver’s fault, you can request Uber adjust the amount to the quoted amount.
Uber’s strategy with these issues tends to be to give a little each time you ask. Getting a full refund for a ride, even a completely botched one, isn’t straightforward and will involve multiple requests.
Safety Concerns with Uber
We don’t have any safety concerns with Uber. We’ve used it in probably a dozen countries around the world, probably near 100 times with no issue. If you’re more interested in this issue, we suggest checking these Google results for “Uber safety.”
Do you have any questions about using Uber at Walt Disney World?
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
Don't be overwhelmed by Disney World planning! Take a second to check out our most important content and you'll not only be an expert, but you'll save big $$$ along the way.
Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.