Uber/Lyft/Taxi or car rental??

[northshoremama]

my BF and i will be at DL/DCA only for a couple of days (3/4-3/5).

we'll be arriving at SNA at 845am on saturday, 3/4. my plan is to get to the hotel, leave our bags with front desk, and then be at DL by 11am(ish).
we leave monday morning, 3/6 on a 710am flight.

originally, we planned to uber/lyft from SNA to DL and then back to SNA monday morning. for these travel times, what is the estimated uber/lyft/taxi fare?
*9am saturday 3/4 SNA to DL
*5am monday, 3/6 DL to SNA

i've been thinking about possibly renting a car. i made a reservation for $85 ...car pick from SNA saturday, 3/4...drop off SNA monday morning 3/6 by 530am. i like the fact that we can stop by a walmart or target and get some water/soda water and snacks before heading to the hotel saturday morning. i also would LOVE to get some in-n-out, but this is not a priority.

what would you suggest? uber/lyft OR car rental??

i'm more than open to uber/lyft if we can do multiple stops. like SNA to target to hotel.

 

[foolish_mortals]

How much is daily parking at your hotel and will you be driving/Uber to the parks or in walking?

 

[northshoremama]

How much is daily parking at your hotel and will you be driving/Uber to the parks or in walking?

We will be staying at park vue inn, which has free parking. So we'll be walking to the parks everyday...which is why i originally thought we'd just uber/lyft from SNA to Park Vue and then back to SNA.

Are Uber/Lyft drivers cool with a walmart/target stop before heading to the hotel? i've never done this before

 

[Aspencreek]

In your case I would definitely forgo the rental and just do Uber to save the hassle of the rental car pickup/dropoff etc. Especially since you are basically just staying next to the park. I looked back at our last trip (October 2022) and the Uber rides average about $30-35 one way. Not sure about having a driver wait at a store, but you can for sure have them drop you off at the store, then just get a different ride from store to hotel. There's a Target south down Harbor a mile or so from the park and you could get dropped there. I think when we've gotten a ride from that store to the park area it was maybe $6 or $7.

 

[foolish_mortals]

Ridesides don’t do stops, so are the other poster said it would just be a new ride.

Probably about even in cost. Just more of a question of what is more of a hassle to you: waiting for Rideshare or picking up/dropping off a rental?

The only thing Rideshares won’t do is In-n-Out pickup/drive thru, though you just get a ride there and one back

Catching an early morning Lyft/Uber before 6am can be hit or miss. Yes, you can preorder one, but it doesn’t guarantee you a ride. So have a taxi number saved just in case.

 

[goooof1]

taxis are right outside the terminal, available to hop in right away. Always easy and check to see if they will give you a flat rate.

 

[bsjs0708]

We ALWAYS Uber from SNA to DL. About 30$ and WAY less hassle than renting. Depending on what you need to pick up, there's a Walgreens and CVS literally 5-7 minute walk from your hotel. Both of them have water, milk cereal,granola bars and the like.

 

[ballarinamom]

Cabs are readily available right at the curb of the airport. They will make a grocery stop. The ticker will continue so dont dilly dally. But the time we saved in getting a taxi over waiting for an uber and the additional walking distance for a ride that wasn't much cheaper, if at all, wasn't worth it. When Uber first started, they were a lot cheaper than cabs but not so much anymore and they have the surge pricing that cabs do not. A rental will take even more time. If you weren't planning to go to the parks that morning, the extra time might not matter. But it could easily add an hour to your morning shuttling over and if there is any issue with your reservation or the person ahead of you.

 

[Katiegrose]

I enjoy having the rental for the knowledge I can throw our bags in the trunk. You may also need to check the hotel will let you park the car that early though. With the early flight out I would rather have control, personally. But everyone is different.

 

[northshoremama]

Cabs are readily available right at the curb of the airport. They will make a grocery stop. The ticker will continue so dont dilly dally. But the time we saved in getting a taxi over waiting for an uber and the additional walking distance for a ride that wasn't much cheaper, if at all, wasn't worth it. When Uber first started, they were a lot cheaper than cabs but not so much anymore and they have the surge pricing that cabs do not. A rental will take even more time. If you weren't planning to go to the parks that morning, the extra time might not matter. But it could easily add an hour to your morning shuttling over and if there is any issue with your reservation or the person ahead of you.

good to know! thank you! i do see that folks are now saying taxis at SNA offer a flat rate to hotels around disneyland. maybe i can ask the driver for his flat rate and see if he's willing to make a quick stop for an additional few bucks?

 

[ballarinamom]

good to know! thank you! i do see that folks are now saying taxis at SNA offer a flat rate to hotels around disneyland. maybe i can ask the driver for his flat rate and see if he's willing to make a quick stop for an additional few bucks?

We’ve been getting a flat rate for years. Most “tourist” places have a flat rate. it makes it easier, faster and they are
right there! I don’t know what the current flat rate is. But why we prefer Taxis, besides the things listed above, is there is never a surprise surge charge

 

[irlandaise]

But why we prefer Taxis, besides the things listed above, is there is never a surprise surge charge

Is the surge charge not provided before you book the rideshare? They surprise you with it when you've completed the ride?

 

[ballarinamom]

We’ve been surprised a few times

 

[ballarinamom]

Is the surge charge not provided before you book the rideshare? They surprise you with it when you've completed the ride?

So surge pricing is based on demand. We’ve not only been surprised bjt we’ve had drivers cancel when they were turning the corner to pick up a rider who was accepted a more expensive rate.

 

[irlandaise]

So surge pricing is based on demand. We’ve not only been surprised bjt we’ve had drivers cancel when they were turning the corner to pick up a rider who was accepted a more expensive rate.

Yeah, I know it's based on demand, I just assumed it would be in the price presented before you booked the ride.

 

[ballarinamom]

If you schedule a driver in advance and then surge pricing comes into affect it’s added at the end of your ride. but if you wait until you need it, there may not be one around. Or they will cancel it. A more expensive ride pops up. We’ve had our multiple rides cancel recently.

 

[twodogs]

Make sure to verbally confirm with the taxi driver that they will honor the flat rate pricing. We have had a few be not very happy about it, but they have all honored it when we asked. But we ask before we load bags in the trunk…. We have also used Uber and Lyft with various degrees of success. Last year, it was difficult to get anyone to take our ride. More recently, it has been easy and cheaper than the flat rate for a cab. So I recommend that you price Uber and Lyft once you have your bags, and compare to a taxi flat rate. If they are close, the taxi is right there, ready to go, and a known entity. If there is a big difference in price, we go with Uber or Lyft but risk the things OPs listed above.

 

[Rmouse]

has anyone used their own car seats with a taxi or Uber? We are considering bringing ours and using Uber or a taxi because it is significantly less than the car services that provide seats.

 

[amyg1975]

We have used car seats in the past in both taxis and Uber with no problems.

 

[chezcurrie]

For such a short trip I would definitely do taxi or rideshare. Sometimes the lines for rentals can be brutal. Instead of stopping for groceries have you considered using Instacart to the park vue? Again, all about saving time!