Best way to get to Disney resort (late at night), other than DME?

mousestruck

DIS Veteran
Joined
Sep 3, 2005
My husband is joining my family for only part of our Disney vacation, which involves a split stay among three resorts. He arrives the evening we check out of resort #1 and the day we check into resort #2. He will not be on our resort #2 reservation (because it is part of an event reservation and it didn't pay for me to add him to the package). I realize this will cause some issues, even though we're not exceeding the room capacity, including transportation.

Since he will not be able to use DME for arrival, what is the best, most economical way for him to get to our resort? He's arriving about 11 p.m., so it will be late. (He is on our resort #3 reservation, so getting back to the airport is not a problem.)
 
I would actually head to the Mears counter. It would cost about $20. Now, he might be put in a regular Mears shuttle to your WDW resort. But, he could also be put on a DME bus! At half the cost of Uber/Lyft.
 
I would actually head to the Mears counter. It would cost about $20. Now, he might be put in a regular Mears shuttle to your WDW resort. But, he could also be put on a DME bus! At half the cost of Uber/Lyft.
Good to know! Do you happen to know if they run late at night, since he won’t be arriving until after 11 pm?
 


If he's by himself, he will only need UberX or regular Lyft.

According to RideGuru, those would only be about $25 from MCO to AKL...which I used because I think it's the farthest Disney resort from MCO.
 
If he's by himself, he will only need UberX or regular Lyft.

According to RideGuru, those would only be about $25 from MCO to AKL...which I used because I think it's the farthest Disney resort from MCO.
Great. Thank you! Believe it or not, we’ve never used Uber or Lyft before, so I have to investigate how it works. Must be easy, since it’s so popular!
 


Great. Thank you! Believe it or not, we’ve never used Uber or Lyft before, so I have to investigate how it works. Must be easy, since it’s so popular!
A lot of people haven't, but it's easy.
  • Simply download the Uber or Lyft RIDER app to any smartphone. I recommend riders have both apps on their phones, because sometimes the prices vary between the competing companies.
  • Set up your account, which will involve entering credit card info. Do this BEFORE your trip, not when you want a ride!
  • When you are ready to get in the car, open the app, and order the ride. Easy peasy. But don't order rides early because the driver will get there before you are ready and you'll get charged a cancellation fee.
    • So in your husband's case at MCO, have him get his luggage, go to Level 2 (any door), and then order his ride. Drivers are waiting (even at 11 PM), and they will be there very quickly.
  • Verify the driver's face against the picture on your app, and get in the car. The driver may verify your name and destination, and you should verify the driver's name -- but the picture is the most important. Do NOT get in the car with anyone other than the person pictured in your app.
  • At the end of the ride, you simply get out of the car and say thank you. You can tip the driver in cash at that point, or you can tip on your credit card in the app after the ride. Tips are not required, but are greatly appreciated. (FWIW, I always tip in cash prior to getting out of the car so the driver doesn't have to wonder about it). The ride fare, and tip if you use the tipping feature in-app, will be billed to the credit card and you will also receive an email receipt.
  • You will be asked to "rate your ride" after completion. Rating is optional for riders. 5 stars is an "A." 4 stars is an "F." Seriously -- it is. Give the driver 5 stars unless there is something serious enough to complain about concerning the ride. Drivers are required to rate every rider on every ride.
It's really easy.

For more info, see this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-about-uber-lyft-at-wdw.3443634/
 
A lot of people haven't, but it's easy.
  • Simply download the Uber or Lyft RIDER app to any smartphone. I recommend riders have both apps on their phones, because sometimes the prices vary between the competing companies.
  • Set up your account, which will involve entering credit card info. Do this BEFORE your trip, not when you want a ride!
  • When you are ready to get in the car, open the app, and order the ride. Easy peasy. But don't order rides early because the driver will get there before you are ready and you'll get charged a cancellation fee.
    • So in your husband's case at MCO, have him get his luggage, go to Level 2 (any door), and then order his ride. Drivers are waiting (even at 11 PM), and they will be there very quickly.
  • Verify the driver's face against the picture on your app, and get in the car. The driver may verify your name and destination, and you should verify the driver's name -- but the picture is the most important. Do NOT get in the car with anyone other than the person pictured in your app.
  • At the end of the ride, you simply get out of the car and say thank you. You can tip the driver in cash at that point, or you can tip on your credit card in the app after the ride. Tips are not required, but are greatly appreciated. (FWIW, I always tip in cash prior to getting out of the car so the driver doesn't have to wonder about it). The ride fare, and tip if you use the tipping feature in-app, will be billed to the credit card and you will also receive an email receipt.
  • You will be asked to "rate your ride" after completion. Rating is optional for riders. 5 stars is an "A." 4 stars is an "F." Seriously -- it is. Give the driver 5 stars unless there is something serious enough to complain about concerning the ride. Drivers are required to rate every rider on every ride.
It's really easy.

For more info, see this thread: https://www.disboards.com/threads/everthing-you-wanted-to-know-about-uber-lyft-at-wdw.3443634/
Wow...thank you so much! This is incredibly helpful!!!
 
Thank you. Good suggestion!
MEARS totally impressed me. Seat 7 and less. Friendly drivers who know their way around. LYFT driver almost left me at BLT and didn’t know the Contemporary was not BLT lobby. Also go lost and couldn’t find the tree houses. Yes he had candy and offered me water, but cost >MEARS and night and day.
 
MEARS totally impressed me. Seat 7 and less. Friendly drivers who know their way around. LYFT driver almost left me at BLT and didn’t know the Contemporary was not BLT lobby. Also go lost and couldn’t find the tree houses. Yes he had candy and offered me water, but cost >MEARS and night and day.
I wouldn't have an issue with being dropped at the CR when going to BLT...short walk, and it is actually the main part of the resort. But, not being able to find the treehouses would be an issue...that should have been pretty straightforward.
 
LYFT driver almost left me at BLT and didn’t know the Contemporary was not BLT lobby. Also go lost and couldn’t find the tree houses. Yes he had candy and offered me water...
Obviously a new driver, lol.
 
I had a driver that just wasn't sure how to get to my destination....I gave him directions!!! He had a general idea how to get to that area, but to the actual destination? Not so much!!! We were being dropped off at DS!!! Go figure.
 
I had a driver that just wasn't sure how to get to my destination....I gave him directions!!! He had a general idea how to get to that area, but to the actual destination? Not so much!!! We were being dropped off at DS!!! Go figure.

I swear when I use uber around here I can always tell the locals from the people who thought "i'll sign up for uber and drive in this city". The guy didn't know how to get to the minor league stadium or that we had one...
 
They often offer to charge your phone, nice touch on longer rides. I like to talk to the Uber drivers, interesting. (not that I am overly chatty. I hope).

My favorite was taking me from Disneyland back to LAX. We were talking, he said he would easily get another fare at LAX, probably instantly as he would be closer than the guys waiting in the lot. I said "you are an Orange County guy, what if the fare wants to go in the opposite direction?" He replied "That's ok mam, I just ride the wave".
 

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