Are Minnie Vans Worth the Price?

After two years of speculation, Minnie Vans made their triumphant return in 2022.

These charming vehicles provide the most Disney transportation possible…and I include monorails in that! But unfortunately, Minnie Van rides aren’t cheap.

Photo: Getty

Are Minnie Vans worth the price? Here are my thoughts after using the service extensively during a recent trip.

About Minnie Vans

You can think of Minnie Vans as an Uber service with style. Disney purchased a fleet of red Chevy Traverses.

Photo: Disney

Then, Imagineers painted the vehicles to add polka dots and a bow on the side. In fact, as one of my drivers pointed out, the bow even serves a purpose!

Little ones can stand beside the Minnie Van and pose for a picture. The bow provides a perfect Minnie-shaped backdrop for the photo!

Technically, the same trick works for adults. You’ll need to kneel and move around a bit to center the shot, though.

Since we’re talking about Chevy Traverses, these vehicles can seat up to six guests comfortably. Also, every SUV comes equipped with booster seats.

Photo: Disney

So, a Minnie Van can accommodate a traveling party of any composition. Personally, I think that kids get the most out of the ride, though.

Importantly, Minnie Vans also hold up to eight pieces of medium-sized luggage. You’ll want to know that if you’re traveling between Disney resorts.

Photo Credit: https://blog.lyft.com/posts/lyft-powered-minnie-van-disney

In terms of pricing, Minnie Vans have altered their cost multiple times since their inception a few years ago. As is the norm with Disney, they’ve grown more expensive.

That’s the crux of this conversation, really. If Minnie Vans included inexpensive pricing, everyone would use them all the time.

Creator: NWS04

Instead, in my experience, the average Minnie Van ride costs about three times as much as a standard Uber/Lyft.

Obviously, Uber employs multiple categories now. Minnie Vans are rarely as much as Lux Black XL, but they are in the range of Lux Black, albeit generally a bit pricier.

Photo: Olly Curtis | Future | Getty Images

Minnie Vans include a flat rate of $20 plus a per-mile fee of up to $3.75.

During my trip, we used Minnie Vans four times. The average price was just over $40.

Ordering a Minnie Van 

You’ll order a Minnie Van via the Lyft app on your phone/tablet. Disney’s official site provides detailed instructions.

You can and should use this app to compare the price of a Minnie Van to a standard Lyft. When you’re on a tight budget, choose the Lyft instead.

Photo Credit: https://blog.lyft.com/posts/lyft-powered-minnie-van-disney

Also, please understand that free Walt Disney World transportation remains viable.

Our traveling party used Minnie Vans when we were tired or running late. In each instance, we loved the service.

Once you’ve ordered the ride, you’ll look for a Minnie or Lyft pickup zone. Thankfully, there are large signs for these. You can’t miss them.

Conveniently, the app will identify the car number of your ride. I found this invaluable since we weren’t the only ones ordering Minnie Vans.

On two different occasions, I might have entered the wrong vehicle if I hadn’t known the number.

A significant difference with Minnie Vans is that a cast member will serve as your driver. They’re official Disney employees.

Also, one of my drivers has worked as a trainer for the service. He detailed how much demand there is for cast members to work as Minnie Van drivers.

So, these are the elite of Disney chauffeuring you around the Disney campus.

Photo: Disney

One of my drivers described himself as a unicorn, as he hadn’t worked for Disney. Instead, he’d been an emergency response technician for 30 years.

Apparently, Disney hiring an outsider for a Minnie Van gig is RARE!

Photo: Theme Park Tourist

Also, while I’m thinking about it, both these individuals were lovely people and marvelous conversationalists.

The trainer mentioned that this part of the job is the trickiest. Disney can find people who can drive safely or make excellent conversation.

An individual who can do both throughout the day is rare.

Riding in a Minnie Van

Photo: Disney

The setup of a Minnie Van somehow extends the Disney Bubble into your moving vehicle.

I know that sounds ridiculous, but it’s true. Drivers utilize a special sound system akin to XM Radio. The difference is that it plays Disney park music.

Seriously, as this image shows, your driver is one click away from playing the soundtrack for Magic Kingdom or EPCOT.

Your favorite ride music will somehow soothe you during your ride. You may not even realize it’s happening, but it will.

Photo: Disney

After a couple of rides, I grew comfortable enough with the process to confidently request EPCOT music rather than dealer’s choice.

That brings us to the other positive. All Minnie Vans include USB lightning cables so that you can charge your devices quickly during your drive.

I’m not saying you’ll get a full charge during a 20-minute ride, but I added 18 percent to my iPhone.

The cables in this picture come standard, saving you the aggravation of plugging in your own.

Also, as you can see, you control the temperature in your seating area. And yes, that’s an HDMI port!

Disney was in the process of adding Mickey Mouse cartoons when we used the service. All Minnie Vans with numbers above 130 already had them.

Photo: Disney

Alas, we kept getting the potluck of 120-129, preventing me from taking a picture for you.

There’s now a pop-up screen on the kiosk when riders want to watch Disney cartoons.

Photo: Disney

In terms of seating, our traveling party varied between two, three, and five guests. In each instance, we enjoyed plenty of room.

Overall, the riding experience is legitimately a perfect 10. If the cost were the same as other ride-sharing services in the area, Disney would put them out of business.

Are Minnie Vans Worth the Price?

Here’s the sticking point. None of us can deny that Disney vacations have grown more expensive. Seemingly everything has during the pandemic.

Still, when Disney first advertised Minnie Vans in 2017, they were exclusive to a handful of resorts. The estimated price was in the $15-$20 range.

Credit: Disney

Disney quickly changed that as park officials had woefully underestimated demand for these adorable rides.

Five years later, I paid at least $38 for all four of my rides. The most expensive one was $44.

Photo: Disney

Generally, we used the service to change hotels (we Resort Hopped three times this trip, which was overboard) or to visit a park.

All of our trips took between 15 and 30 minutes. In each instance, we thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated our driver.

Photo: Disney

In fact, I’d strongly encourage you to pick the brain of your Minnie Van chauffeur. They’re Disney experts who know all the inside gossip.

Still, let’s put the price of a Minnie Van in straightforward terms. At this point, a couple can buy Disney Genie+ for a day for the same price as a Minnie Van.

Photo: Disney

Similarly, you can order a Lightning Lane experience for roughly the same cost.

We (willingly) added $160 to the cost of our vacation to save ourselves time and aggravation at four points.

Photo: skillastics.com

Not everyone can do that and frankly, most people shouldn’t. We’re getting older and lazier. 

Disney math has gotten so much more challenging lately. I used to be available to give finite advice to everyone about value.

Photo: Disney

With something like Minnie Van service, the answer legitimately depends on your traveling party, your budget, your needs, and even your health.

I find the transportation a bit overpriced but an exceptional service overall. If you’re budget-conscious, it’s a luxury you may want to skip.

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Feature Photo: Disney