One of the more annoying things in Disney World is when you want to travel from one resort to another resort. Disney transportation just doesn’t allow for easy travel between resorts. Thanks to a new service, and for a little fee, you can take a Minnie Van, those cute little white polka dotted red vans that you may have seen being driven around. They are provided through the Lyft app and we were in a situation where we wanted to try it out.
We spent the day at Animal Kingdom and ate dinner at Jiko at the Animal Kingdom Lodge. After dinner we wanted to go back to Disney’s Beach Club Villas where we were staying. We could have taken a bus back to Animal Kingdom, or any other park, and then transferred to another bus to go back to the Beach Club, but we decided to try out the Minnie Vans which were put in service sometime in August. The vans are part of the Lyft app, but you need to activate the Minnie Van feature. As of the writing of this article there are eight resorts where you can sign up for the service. The inside information is that the program could be signed up for, first at four resorts and now eight resorts, as a way to limit the number of guests who are using the service (as to not overtax their resources). As the fleet increases I expect that more resorts will be added to the list.
Minnie Van Sign-Up Sign
The service is not limited to the eight resorts, it’s that you can only sign up for the service at those resorts. The service can pick you up anywhere on Disney property and drop you off at any location on Disney property. If you go to the bell-hop at either Boardwalk, Beach and Yacht Club, Wilderness Lodge, Animal Kingdom (Kidani Village and Jambo House), Polynesian, or the Grand Floridian they will send you a link via email or text to add the function to your Lyft app.
After you are signed up, then it’s a matter of ordering your ride. As I said above, we wanted to go back home to Beach Club Villas after an amazing meal at Jiko. We pulled up the app and ordered our Minnie Van.
Once the Minnie Van pulled up, our driver Shawn introduced himself and we found out that he had been a bus driver for Disney for two years and transferred over to the Minnie Van program. Shawn was an amazing cast member and we really enjoyed the discussion about the service and Disney. The van was clean, and I believe they even have car seats for young children that they can set up. The cost is a flat $20 per ride no matter where you are going on Disney property. The service was fast too, especially if you compare it to taking two buses to get back home.
Arriving at Beach Club after our Minnie Van ride.
Again, Shawn was an amazing and friendly cast member. He represented Disney and the Minnie Van program well. He was excited about the service and realized how this will help many guests enjoy Disney property, where the current transportation system is unable to provide resort to resort travel.
Shawn, our cast member for our Minnie Van ride
Of course, we had to do the obligatory selfie with the Minnie Van. They are cute. I would highly recommend anyone who needs to travel from resort to resort without having the additional hour to hour and a half to spare try the service. It was well worth the $20. There is a tip feature too, and Shawn was so good, we gladly gave him a tip.
Obligatory Minnie Van Selfie.
Eric Ring is an attorney and tax professional who lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. A long time Disney and Phillies fan, when he is not working he is enjoying making plans for his next trip to Disney World and moaning about how much the Phillies need to improve. He is an owner of two DVC contracts, one at the Beach Club and one at the Villas at Wilderness Lodge.
