News Disney considering a service like Uber at WDW - Confirmed as Minnie Van

rael ramone

Well-Known Member
Your posts are a punch in the stomach. :hungover:

I'll console myself with the thought that there is very little else in America on par with Japan, the way there is very little in Colombia or Turkey on par with the US. Compared to Tokyo, central Florida is a tropical Third World beephole.

Medellin in Colombia (where a coworker of mine is from) actually has a Skyway in the city called the Metrocable (as well as free outdoor escalators in some of the steepest neighborhoods of the city)... just about everywhere has something to offer...
 

mousehockey37

Well-Known Member
IF Disney had any sense they would partner with Uber to ensure that there is always a Uber driver available within 5 minutes of a guest request on WDW property and split revenue with Uber even if it meant 'on-property'rates were higher than the rates in the Orlando Metro area as a whole. But since Disney is greedy and stupid we will have something expensive and slow replacing what used to be included in the admission price.

As I said earlier, it would take the current traffic and multiply it exponentially. That means more backups, slow downs, delays and accidents. Don't forget this will create more abuse on the roads which will then need to be closed for repairs, etc...

Meanwhile, those of us who are good with Disney buses, boats and monorails will just cruise along.
 
I'm wondering how Mears will take this. They have a multi-million dollar contract with Disney to be exclusive taxi provider. They have fought tooth and nail against Uber/Lyft in Orlando regarding airport and other places. Mears hates them with a passion.
 

TP2000

Well-Known Member
The DL Tokyo monorail also charges a fee to ride.

Here's a price breakdown for a 4-day park hopper at WDW with "free transportation" versus a 4-day park hopper at Tokyo Disneyland where a 4-day monorail/bus pass must be purchased in addition to park admission. (Adjusted for the current Yen-to-Dollar exchange rate)

Tokyo Disneyland Resort
4-Day Park Hopper Ticket = $223.56
4-Day Monorail/Bus Pass = $13.97
Total = $237.53
http://www.tokyodisneyresort.jp/en/ticket/

Walt Disney World Resort
4-Day Park Hopper Ticket (including transportation) = $419.61
Total = 419.61
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/tickets/

The same four day tickets-n-transportation experience at WDW is $182.08 more expensive than the same four day tickets-n-transportation experience at Tokyo Disneyland Resort.

And the bus service at Tokyo Disneyland that picks you up from their Disney or Good Neighbor Hotels and drops you off at the park entrances or at their Downtown Disney looks like this, with perfectly uniformed bus drivers who are spectacularly polite and gracious and never once get on the bus PA and tell bad jokes or try to tell you where the fifth theme park is going to be built next year...
img_privilege_01.jpg


Your posts are a punch in the stomach. :hungover:

I'll console myself with the thought that there is very little else in America on par with Japan, the way there is very little in Colombia or Turkey on par with the US. Compared to Tokyo, central Florida is a tropical Third World beephole.

I know, and I agree. As a patriotic American, it pains me to admit that, but it's the honest truth. Tokyo Disneyland is open daily, and every day it proves how low Disney's theme park standards have fallen in America, and how we as customers put up with mediocre slop and we are expected to consider it "MAGICAL!". It's not magical, and the Japanese are beating us at our own game. :mad:
 
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FerretAfros

Well-Known Member
For those wondering about the increased traffic, here's an old but classic photo among transit circles that illustrates the point perfectly. It's a bit exaggerated because it assumes single-occupancy vehicles (and bikes aren't an option at WDW), but the point is still clear:
296411_259927584049082_203742949667546_688992_633353283_n.jpg


Now imagine this at park closing time, when a dozen buses (or more) pull into the pick-up loop each minute. Even if a small percentage of the ~100,000 onsite guests chose the Uber-like service, it would have a huge impact on traffic throughout WDW (not to mention the chaos of trying to find the correct car at the loading area, unlike a taxi where you just get in the first one available)

Additionally, I fear that something like this could lead WDW to reduce service for the regular transportation, if ridership starts to decline. It's a classic transit conundrum, where decreasing service causes lower ridership, which causes further service cuts. I know it's not perfect, but for what it is I think WDW's transportation system is actually quite good. For the volume of people it moves at peak hours, and the huge number of unique routes (5-6 destinations from each of 20+ hotels), it works better than most major US cities' transportation networks. Multimodal solutions will always be part of the overall system, but I fear that official endorsement of Uber-type service would cause more problems than it solves
 

mousehockey37

Well-Known Member
For those wondering about the increased traffic, here's an old but classic photo among transit circles that illustrates the point perfectly. It's a bit exaggerated because it assumes single-occupancy vehicles (and bikes aren't an option at WDW), but the point is still clear:
296411_259927584049082_203742949667546_688992_633353283_n.jpg


Now imagine this at park closing time, when a dozen buses (or more) pull into the pick-up loop each minute. Even if a small percentage of the ~100,000 onsite guests chose the Uber-like service, it would have a huge impact on traffic throughout WDW (not to mention the chaos of trying to find the correct car at the loading area, unlike a taxi where you just get in the first one available)

Additionally, I fear that something like this could lead WDW to reduce service for the regular transportation, if ridership starts to decline. It's a classic transit conundrum, where decreasing service causes lower ridership, which causes further service cuts. I know it's not perfect, but for what it is I think WDW's transportation system is actually quite good. For the volume of people it moves at peak hours, and the huge number of unique routes (5-6 destinations from each of 20+ hotels), it works better than most major US cities' transportation networks. Multimodal solutions will always be part of the overall system, but I fear that official endorsement of Uber-type service would cause more problems than it solves

I'm with you.

Another angle to this is.... Will there be enough ADA compliant vehicles? ECV's/wheelchairs are numerous in the parks... Will these folks have enough Duber vehicles equipped for their chairs? What about car seats for kids? Strollers?

With mass transit rules vs. passenger car rules, ECV's/wheelchairs are "quick" (I use that term loosely) to get on and off buses, not so much for in and out of cars/vans (especially Duber vans). So there's that as well. Children don't require car seats on buses either.

I'm sure though, that if people would really want Duber though, they'd pay an upcharge for car seats or other things.

Lastly for now, if there were to be ADA compliant Duber vehicles, how many would there be? Would there be a special way to book this ride to indicate what type/how big of a vehicle is needed?
 
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matt9112

Well-Known Member
I started renting cars for WDW visits about a decade ago, just to avoid most of WDW's internal transportation system. I just can't deal with the crowds, the inefficiency, the sloppy monorail and boat CM's, the crazy and/or annoying bus drivers, nor can I deal with the smells and stickiness of enclosed WDW monorail and bus cabins.

I would be very wary of a Disney operated Uber system, because it would just devolve into the sad state the monorails and buses currently are in. With the real Uber, which I've been using more and more lately here at home, you have an independent contractor who keeps their vehicle clean and tidy. It's sad, but Disney can't be trusted to do that any more.

Take one ride on a WDW bus and one ride on a WDW monorail for proof of all that. And if you really want a stick in the eye, go take a ride on Tokyo Disneyland's monorail system to see how WDW used to run their system in the 20th century.

Inbetween stations, Tokyo CM's walk through the trains cleaning little fingerprint smudges off of windows and sweeping floors.
Tokyo-Disney-Resort-0231-640x425.jpg


At each station the monorail pilot steps out and salutes boarding passengers. Tokyo's monorail pilot CM's wear immaculately tailored white suits, with starched hats and white gloves. And yes, Tokyo has a very hot and humid climate with summers much like Orlando. The Tokyo CM's look like this year round.
Tokyo-Disney-Resort-Spring-2013-03711-640x375.jpg


The point???... It's entirely possible for Disney to run a hyper-efficient, hyper-clean, hyper-courteous transportation system with CM's who are solely focused on the passenger experience as they move tens of thousands of passengers per day. WDW's management team simply chooses not to do that year after year, decade after decade, and instead is now fiddling around with Uber surveys. That's total failure on WDW management's part.


possible and desire to do so is completely different i honestly think they care not one bit about guest experience anymore.
 

matt9112

Well-Known Member
I'm with you.

Another angle to this is.... Will there be enough ADA compliant vehicles? ECV's/wheelchairs are numerous in the parks... Will these folks have enough Duber vehicles equipped for their chairs? What about car seats for kids? Strollers?

With mass transit rules vs. passenger car rules, ECV's/wheelchairs are "quick" (I use that term loosely) to get on and off buses, not so much for in and out of cars/vans (especially Duber vans). So there's that as well. Children don't require car seats on buses either.

I'm sure though, that if people would really want Duber though, they'd pay an upcharge for car seats or other things.

Lastly for now, if there were to be ADA compliant Duber vehicles, how many would there be? Would there be a special way to book this ride to indicate what type/how big of a vehicle is needed?


you can select the size of the car your looking for to a degree in Boston. (car or suv) and uber rules require them to use certain cars that are generally well sized in regards to trunk space. for strollers and bags ect. and nobody is forcing a person with a wheel chair to use uber so whats your point? its not public transportation and it needs to remain separate if you subject uber ect to the same exact rules and regulations as traditional transportation than the advantage they provide to the consumer evaporate. (cost,flexibility) people are always afraid of change but UBER upended the taxi industry over night and the cartels are freaking out and governments are mostly enacting protectionism policy's. essentially putting the jobs of taxi drivers and company's above the betterment of the ENTIRE CITY.

side note im pretty sure they do the car seat thing already.
 

DougK

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if you can use Uber if you have an ECV? I guess I am asking if there are Uber vans or just cars? Is there a way to request an ECV be transported along with us? We would like to go to Universal and it would be ideal if they could bring along the ECV, otherwise I cannot go.
 

the.dreamfinder

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know if you can use Uber if you have an ECV? I guess I am asking if there are Uber vans or just cars? Is there a way to request an ECV be transported along with us? We would like to go to Universal and it would be ideal if they could bring along the ECV, otherwise I cannot go.
There is no specific way to ask for ADA complaint vehicles for ECVs from Uber. You can request a larger Uber that might have room to store a traditional foldable wheelchair, but that's it.
Uber has been sued by disability rights groups for failure to comply with disability access laws like the ADA. If Disney/Mears were to pursue this service, there will likely be ADA compliant vehicles in the fleet from day one.
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/uber-disability/
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/02/technology/uber-access/
 

Animaniac93-98

Well-Known Member
The same four day tickets-n-transportation experience at WDW is $182.08 more expensive than the same four day tickets-n-transportation experience at Tokyo Disneyland Resort.

Yes, but they ONLY have TWO theme parks instead of FOUR (that are super duper magical!!), and Hollywood Studios is way better than Tokyo DisneySee 'cause I can get my selfie with Kylo Ren there!

;)
 

Obobru

Well-Known Member
people are willing to pay Disney Prices because there is a perceived value of the experience.

They are willing to pay them because it's Disney. Loads of places offer better value but they are not Disney.

This service is for those people who want a magical uber experince and might have some pluses like seat back TVs with Disney cartoons playing. I can't see them banning uber people will go crazy.

Now Disney will be able to track how many people are going off to Universal.
 

WWWD

Well-Known Member
I'm curious what people would pay for an Uber type service. If Disney charged a set fee for unlimited rides during length of stay, I could see this being popular. I mean to have a driver at your service with a few minutes notice, that could save a lot of your vacation time.
 

DougK

Well-Known Member
There is no specific way to ask for ADA complaint vehicles for ECVs from Uber. You can request a larger Uber that might have room to store a traditional foldable wheelchair, but that's it.
Uber has been sued by disability rights groups for failure to comply with disability access laws like the ADA. If Disney/Mears were to pursue this service, there will likely be ADA compliant vehicles in the fleet from day one.
http://www.wired.com/2015/08/uber-disability/
http://money.cnn.com/2016/05/02/technology/uber-access/

Great info though not what I wanted to hear. Thank you!
 

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