Disney Expands Minnie Van Fleet, Goes All-In With Lyft as Rideshare Partner

June 18, 2019

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4 min read

Red and white polka dot van at Disney World

Disney Expands Minnie Van Fleet, Goes All-In With Lyft as Rideshare Partner

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One of the big game changers at Walt Disney World in the last few years was the introduction of Minnie Vans. The adorably decorated red and white polka-dotted vans are easily bookable via the Lyft app and can pick up or drop you off around the Disney World complex, including in front of the Magic Kingdom. That was previously impossible to do directly in a private car. With tired feet and little kids, this service is worth its weight in pixie dust.

Related: Guide to Using Minnie Vans

After two years of being the mobile platform for the Minnie Vans, with more than a million riders, Lyft and Disney are going all in as Lyft becomes the official rideshare partner of both Walt Disney World and Disneyland. As part of the expanded agreement, Disney and Lyft will increase the existing fleet of Minnie Vans at Disney World and provide more integrated transportation services to and from the Disney parks.

According to Lyft, this will include: preferred accessibility, concierge services, a larger Minnie Van fleet this fall, integrated and expanded pick-up and drop-off locations with increased signage -- and (thankfully) continued complimentary car seats and cast members driving the Minnie Vans. This means that Minnie Vans will still be operated by Walt Disney World employees and not just your everyday Lyft driver. We have had Minnie Van drivers "surprise" our kids with bonus FastPasses and similar after some minor inconveniences -- something a regular Lyft driver couldn't have done.

Even with the newest pricing model that charges for Minnie Vans based on the distance traveled instead of the previous flat-rate fare, I have anecdotally found the demand for the Minnie Van rides to have only increased. So have wait times. An expansion of the Minnie Van service iwill be appreciated by those who want to get to and from the parks as quickly as possible, with car seats and air conditioning to boot.

While the regular Lyft rides will have "priority access" to select Disney hotels, only Minnie Vans will be able to pick up and drop off at some exclusive locations (presumably such as in front of Magic Kingdom). Disney employees will have the ability to call for Minnie Van or Lyft rides for guests who don't have the Lyft app.

Since you are booking and paying for these rides around Disney via the Lyft app, be sure to connect a credit card to your account that offers a bonus on travel, such as the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Citi Premier® Card.

Read on for more tips related to Walt Disney World:

Featured image by (Photo by Summer Hull/The Points Guy)

Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.