Transportation tips based on August trip

[Mickey18girl]

Hi all! Just some tips based on my recent trip:

• I scheduled a Lyft ride the night before to reach park opening at AK -- which was really fast and efficient and you could replicate at other parks. Or just request a car in the morning vs ride the bus for a quick ride.
• I would probably get a breakfast reservation at The Contemporary, take Lyft/Uber there, then walk to Magic Kingdom if I was doing a MK day. Or breakfast at Kona Cafe (Polynesian) or Whispering Canyons (Wilderness Lodge) and take the boat to MK.
• I took buses in the middle of the day, or essentially when not open or close times and was THE ONLY PERSON ON THE BUS three times.
• The largest bus waiting lines I saw were at The Contemporary, and generally not a good waiting area with people close together
• Based on lines to get in the park and wait times for rides, I would not recommend traveling to Hollywood Studios until early afternoon... I think it is an afternoon park unless you want more opportunities to get a boarding group for Rise of the Resistance
• The Swan Resort has good rates right now for walking to HS and Epcot. HS is popular right now so nice to have an option to walk.

 

[Spencer Wright]

How long were Lyft wait times in general? Thanks!

 

[keishashadow]

The Swan Resort has good rates right now for walking to HS and Epcot. HS is popular right now so nice to have an option to walk.

Yes, rate was less at Swan than at PoP for a trip I needed to rebook for end of September (after cancelling my DVC one to preserve my points JIK)

Only issue with Swan was I didn’t catch that (when using the AP rate) we would up paying upfront all the daily resort fees along with the standard one night’s deposit.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I scheduled a Lyft ride the night before to reach park opening at AK -- which was really fast and efficient and you could replicate at other parks. I scheduled because Lyft/Uber wait times have been longer during the pandemic.

Warning about this, from the "Everything about..." thread: The driver might well be scheduled/ advised to pick up up to an hour early; they will wait ten (or maybe just the standard five) minutes, then cancel as No Show and you will be charged. https://disboards.com/threads/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-about-uber-lyft-at-wdw.3443634/page-119

Yes, but DON'T.

Pre-scheduling means nothing except your ride request gets dispatched 15 minutes or so before your scheduled time (with Lyft, I had one more than an HOUR early!).

The most likely outcome is the driver will arrive before you are ready and you will be charged a cancellation fee.This^^^^^. There will be plenty of drivers available.

I want to be picked up for early morning magic at Hollywood Studios (leaving from bay lake tower) around 6:30 am on Dec 10th. Can I pre-schedule this ride? Or do I have to just wait until 6:20 and hope there is a car around. Do Uber/Lyft run that early?

 

[JimMIA]

deleted

 

[Mickey18girl]

Warning about this, from the "Everything about..." thread: The driver might well be scheduled/ advised to pick up up to an hour early; they will wait ten (or maybe just the standard five) minutes, then cancel as No Show and you will be charged. https://disboards.com/threads/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-about-uber-lyft-at-wdw.3443634/page-119

I have had zero issues with Lyft. I schedule and you see the time range in which the driver may arrive. I plan to be ready at the earliest time, but drivers never arrive before the scheduled time. It is 15 minute range on Lyft. Maybe Uber is bad, and I don't like the company. I no longer use that app. For really early morning rides I think worth the planning, depending on how time sensitive your travel is. Waits for cars on recent Disney trip were 7-10 minutes roughly, but I didn't check to see what they were at 8 am as I had my ride scheduled. Fine if others don't want to use it. I didn't want to risk a potentially long wait as in other cities wait time easily doubled since the pandemic started.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I have had zero issues with Lyft. I schedule and you see the time range in which the driver may arrive. I plan to be ready at the earliest time, but drivers never arrive before the scheduled time. It is 15 minute range on Lyft. Maybe Uber is bad, and I don't like the company

Okay, that's fine. The information (quoted post) came from an active at the time rideshare driver.