It’s okay, we all make mistakes at Disney World!

There are so many things to keep track of when it comes to planning a Disney World vacation — booking a hotel, grabbing park pass reservations, using Genie+ — mistakes are bound to happen sometimes! That’s why we’re constantly sharing our best tips for how you can avoid the biggest mistakes in Disney World. But today we’re gonna talk about a mistake you might not even realize you’re making when it comes to rideshare in Disney World!

Why Use Rideshare in Disney World?

First, let’s start with WHY you might use rideshare services to get around Disney World. Transportation at Disney World is free — that means you can take the Monorail, a boat, the Skyliner, or buses for no additional cost to get around the resort. So what is the use of taking a rideshare service?

First of all, rideshare can be much faster than Disney transportation if you’re in a rush. If you are running late for a dining reservation or you are trying to get somewhere in a hurry, you might want to call an Uber or Lyft.

Sometimes during busy seasons in Disney World, the bus lines will be very long in the morning — if you want to get ahead of the crowd for rope drop (when you arrive at the park before opening and get a head start on ride lines), you might consider grabbing a rideshare.

Using a rideshare can also be a stress relieving solution in many situations. It’s no secret that a full day in Disney World can be exhausting, which could cause kids (and adults!) to be a bit cranky. You can save yourself some time and the pain of standing on your feet in a bus line after a long day in the parks by calling a rideshare.

There are also some situations where you might not have another choice — it’s possible to get “stuck” somewhere in Disney World. If you were relying on the Disney Skyliner to get back to your resort, rain and thunderstorms can shut it down. Disney will provide more buses when other transportation options are unavailable, but again, you’ll probably end up waiting in a very long bus line (and really, who wants to do that?).

Also, Disney keeps buses running for a while after the parks close, but what if they stop running before you are leaving? This is when a rideshare comes in handy.

Where Can You Use Rideshare in Disney World?

So if you’re going to use a rideshare, where can you use rideshare? Rideshare services can go just about anywhere in Disney World, but here is where the pickup locations are at each park, hotel, and Disney Springs:

• Animal Kingdom — Front of the park
• Hollywood Studios — Last row of the bus station
• EPCOT — Parking lot near electric charging stations
• Magic Kingdom — At the Transportation and Ticket Center
• Disney Springs: Marketplace Bus Loop on the east side; Loading zones 8 and 9 of the West Side Bus Loop
• Resort hotels: The front entrance of the hotel

Now that you know where you can use it, let’s talk about the mistake some of you may be making when taking rideshare in Disney World!

The BIG Mistake

Alright — drum roll please! 🥁 The biggest rideshare mistake you can make in Disney World is only using one rideshare service. It sounds small, but it can actually make a big difference!

The main reason we recommend doing this is because there can be a HUGE price difference between apps for the exact same trip. Before you go on your Disney World trip, download Uber and Lyft, even if you don’t think you are going to use rideshare. You can set up an account or log in before your trip so they are ready to go — that way you don’t have to worry about typing in your credit card information when you’re trying to quickly grab a ride!

For example, we looked at 11:30AM for a ride from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge. Prices tend to be pretty tame around this time of day, but there was still a difference in price. We checked the Lyft app first where we saw that a regular car would cost $12.99 for the ride.

If you have a bigger group and want to have a Disney-fied ride, you may want to book a Minnie Van, but it’ll cost you — it’s $45.28 for the same ride.

We went over to Uber where we saw the same exact ride from Magic Kingdom to Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge was about a dollar cheaper at $11,98! While it may not seem like much, that dollar could buy you an extra side of plastic cheese in the parks! Also, like we said earlier, this was during a non-busy time of day. The price difference could be much bigger at busier times of day or if you’re traveling further away.

So next time you want to take a rideshare in Disney World, don’t make the mistake of only looking Uber OR Lyft! It varies which service has a higher price, so it’s a good idea to take 30 extra seconds and check. It’s really that easy to save a few bucks!

To avoid making other mistakes that could impact your budget in Disney World, check out the DFB Guide! You’re going to need this discount code – WDW2022. Use it to save 25% when you buy our DFB Guide Everything Bundle here. You will get ALL of our best-selling eBooks with details on Disney World Dining, EPCOT Festivals, the BEST snacks in each park, and soooooo many tips and tricks we’ve learned over decades of visiting our happy place.

Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney World tips!

17 Mistakes That Can Ruin Your Disney World Vacation

Have you ever used ride share services at Disney World? Let us know in the comments!