Minnie Van Price Increase And Expansion At Disney World

ByEdward Pizzarello
a group of red and white cars with white dots on them

Disney World is increasing the price of their popular Minnie Van service and expanding it.  The expansion part was expected.  I reported on the impending rollout at For Wilderness just last week.  At the time, I was expecting the expansion to cover all moderate resorts.  For now, it seems like Fort Wilderness is the only one being added on.

The price increase wasn’t something I expected.  According to WDWNT, the price is moving from a flat fee of $20 to $25 per ride.

According to WDWNT, the expansion to Fort Wilderness continues the gradual increase in the number of places you can snag a Minnie Van:

While initially only available to guests staying at Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club and Boardwalk Resorts, Minnie Vans have since rolled out to the Wilderness & Animal Kingdom Lodge hotels, as well as the Grand Floridian, Polynesian Village, Contemporary, Old Key West, Saratoga Springs, Caribbean Beach, and Pop Century Resorts due to popular demand.

Is $25 Worth It?

For a short ride, I can’t imagine $25 will be worth it.  Disney World has a robust network of buses, boats and monorail to move folks around.  $25 is still a steal between Animal Kingdom and pretty much anywhere else on Disney property.

Mears Taxi is the taxi/van provider throughout Disney World.  I’ve never been particularly pleased with the service levels.  The cars are generally clean but the wait times can be quite long.  The additional Disney knowledge the Minnie Van drivers seem to have is a welcome plus.

a group of red and white cars with white dots

The Final Two Pennies

The price increase to $25 is actually a bit of a silver lining.  Disney World isn’t afraid to kill services they deem unpopular or unprofitable.  They rolled out a service last year where folks with Park Hopper tickets could pay a few extra dollars to ride a bus that left from inside the parks so you didn’t have to clear security in between parks.  It was a huge timesaver.  I don’t think it was terribly popular, but some of that may have been how Disney promoted it.

The price increase seems to suggest that Disney is trying to find the profit sweet spot here.  There are also reports that they’ve ordered more vehicles.  Demand seems high. All good signs that this popular service is here for the long haul.  And, that price increase might just reduce demand a bit so folks who do love it can get a ride a bit quicker.

The post Minnie Van Price Increase And Expansion At Disney World was published first on Pizza in Motion

My goal in life is to fill my family’s passports with stamps, creating buckets of memories along the way. You’ll find me writing about realistic ways for normal people to travel the world, whether you’re on a budget or enjoy luxury. I also enjoy taking us on the occasional detour to explore the inner workings of the travel industry.

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