Should Disney World Bring Back Minnie Vans?

If there is one problem the Walt Disney World Resort has arguably sustained for most-if not all–of 2022, it is regarding transportation. And this reporter is starting to wonder, is it time to revive the Disney Minnie Van service?

From what this reporter has observed, Disney World’s transportation continues to disappoint its Guests. Despite the Park Hopper Option’s return–and even the return of the EPCOT Monorail–Disney World Transportation still refuses to offer bus service from one Disney Park to the next. Guests looking to Park Hop from EPCOT to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, for example, can take either the friendship boats or the Disney Skyliner but must endure longer than needed travel time due to unavoidable stops at Resort hotels like Disney’s Yacht and Beach Club, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

Related: Video: Guests Forced to Wait in Long Lines for Buses From Their Disney Resort

Thanks to Monorail, Skyliner, and boat service, supplementary Bus service from Parks to their resort area hotels, like Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian Resort and Spa, or EPCOT to Disney’s Contemporary Resort is also unavailable. And if Guests want to visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom and the Magic Kingdom on the same day, they might as well drive themselves unless they want to change buses at Disney Springs or another Resort Hotel (Animal Kingdom Lodge is closest).

We also covered that Disney’s Magical Express–which famously carried Disney World Guests to and from Orlando International Airport and their Disney World Resort hotel–ceased operation with another airport shuttle and other ground transportation options taking its place.

Read More: Private Ground Transportation Now Available as Costly Add-On to Walt Disney World Vacation Packages

Guests are now starting to take matters into their own hands, refusing to wait in lines for Park to Resort Hotel bus transportation. We recently reported that they are resorting to Ubering across Disney World Property.

The Magical thing about the Disney Minnie Van service is that it was Disney’s official rideshare system. Partnering with Lyft, the Disney experience was continued, not put on pause. A Minnie Van could take your family from Park to Park, Resort to Resort, and it even offered airport shuttle service. It was seen as an added experience rather than an act of desperation. All Minnie Van operators drove vehicles styled after Minnie, and with that consistency came a sense of streamlined service and security. These Lyft drivers are essentially Disney World approved.

The Walt Disney World Website still states that it is only temporarily unavailable, and there is no official word on when Guests can expect it to return. But, as the current transportation options continue to flounder and Guests continue to show that they are more than comfortable opting for rideshare over the slow buses, monorails, and ferry boats now might be the right time to get those polka-dotted SUVs back on the streets.

We at Disney Fanatic will keep our eyes on this story and will update our readers if more news on the Disney Minnie Van Service comes to light.