The phrase “game changer” is one of those shamelessly overused business terms that gets thrown around too often, much like “synergy,” “thinking outside the box,” and “my boss is an idiot.” Sometimes, it truly does apply, though. Consider Uber, a company that didn’t even exist until 2009. One evening, one of the company’s founders wandered the streets of Paris while lamenting the difficulties in catching a taxi, and the world changed forever.
Uber is now a company with a valuation of $66 billion, and they entered the arena of Walt Disney World and Universal Studios during the summer of 2014. Since then, they have fundamentally altered the way that theme park tourists navigate the greater Orlando, Florida, area. The same is true of Anaheim, California, and other popular entertainment establishments all over the world.
Discussing Uber and the ride-sharing industry as a concept leads to a strange dichotomy. Anyone under the age of 30 or living in a metropolitan area has a firm grasp of its utility. People in older demographics or smaller parts of the country/world struggle with the premise. Try having the conversation with someone only vaguely aware of Uber. You’ll get a confused reply like, “It’s like a hodgepodge of taxis and driving services, only with random drivers who don’t have special licenses?” And they’re right even if they don’t understand why.
Since ride-sharing has become such an integral part of theme park tourism over the past few years, this is the perfect opportunity to explore how it can help you. The surprise is that it’s a potentially useful service to residents as well as tourists. Here’s everything you need to know about theme park visits in the age of ride-sharing.
Uber-what, exactly?
Image: FreeStocks.org, Flickr (license)
If you’re familiar with Uber, you can skip this section. Since I’ve had to describe ride-sharing to more than one friend recently, I’ll quickly go over the basics so that everyone can walk before they run (or ride before they can drive). Ride-sharing services such as Uber and its primary competitor, Lyft, operate as smart device apps. A person who needs transportation somewhere pulls out their phone/tablet and loads the appropriate program. Then, they identify the designated location as well as a few germane details about the trip. An Uber user must note how many riders will partake on the journey, and they’ll want to stress any luggage needs.
This brings us to sunny point number one. Multiple types of Uber/Lyft service exist. The founders of each company introduced these tiers to solve the nuanced needs of travelers. Guests traveling alone can fit in virtually any vehicle. A party that includes parents and children plus the accompanying luggage will have extra requirements. Simply by choosing the appropriate service, the Uber user can have complete confidence that they can enjoy timely transportation that fits their needs.
The ride-sharing process is admirably seamless. Once the user notes their current location and designation, they will receive a notification when a driver agrees to the transport. Generally, this happens in minutes if not seconds. From that point, a GPS system will display the driver’s position relative to the pick-up location. A notification about estimated time of arrival is also part of the display. It’s a smooth way to ensure that rider and driver meet at the current spot in a timely fashion.
Services such as Uber and Lyft are generally cheaper than taxis. During my most recent trip to Walt Disney World, we only paid more than $10 for an Uber once, and that was actually a tremendous value I’ll explain in a bit. The important basic of ride-sharing is that as long as you’re close to a smart device, you’re only minutes away from affordable transportation. And you can exploit this service to maximum effect. Here’s how.
Your own personal chauffeur
Image: Uber
In the early days of ride-sharing, Disney was averse to the practice. They had longstanding contracts with various transportation services such as Mears in Orlando. They didn’t want to diminish the value of those business relationships by offering ready access to Uber drivers or the like. After a time, Disney accepted that their customers sought to use ride-sharing services on occasion. The company’s business model is predicated on satisfactory customer service, which is why they’ve relented.
Today, an Uber pick-up is a simple practice. Ride-sharing chauffeurs have the ability to drive to the lobby of the hotel/resort. What this means from a theme park tourist’s perspective is that the practice works the same as Disney’s bus system, possibly even better. Drivers have the liberty to go to a specific building. Guests at larger hotel campuses such as Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, and the various All-Stars properties can request pick-up in the parking lot of their building, saving valuable time. Simultaneously, they avoid the aggravation of the oftentimes chaotic hotel lobby area of Disney facilities.
The beauty of ride-sharing is that the customer has control of the process. In addition, the tiers enable additional customer support. Families with young children can request cars with such devices via the new UberFAMILY service. Some cars can even accommodate families with multiple small children in need of car seats. Since such families are the bread and butter of Disney vacations, Uber blends perfectly with the needs of Disney’s loyal customer base.
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.
