New Uber fee at Universal Orlando to go towards enhanced pickup area
Universal Orlando has added a $4 surcharge for Uber pick-ups at its theme parks.
This new charge is part of a deal between Universal and the ride-sharing service, and is only applied to pick-ups from the CityWalk garage, not drop-offs. At this time, the pick-up charge is not applied to Universal Orlando’s resort hotels.
Earlier this year, it was announced all ride-sharing pick-ups and drop-offs would be moved to their own dedicated area on the fifth floor of the Jurassic Park section of the North parking garage.
Reporter Gabrielle Russon of the Orlando Sentinel reported that an Uber spokesman said they plan to build a lounge where people can wait for their ride and that money from this new charge will also go toward new signage throughout the park and extra personnel during peak hours. Signs in CityWalk have already been changed from just advertising ride-sharing to now displaying “Uber” in large letters.
This surcharge has only been added for Uber. Lyft has not added such a fee. We compared the approximate pricing for pick-ups and drop-offs at the resort with both Uber and Lyft, and here is what we found at the time of checking (keep in mind that pricing can and does change throughout the day):
Uber
- Universal Orlando Resort to Orlando International Airport: $32
- Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort to Orlando International Airport: $27
- Universal Orlando Resort to The Florida Mall: $19
- The Florida Mall to Universal Orlando Resort: $12
- Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort to The Florida Mall: $14
Lyft
- Universal Orlando Resort to Orlando International Airport: $23
- Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort to Orlando International Airport: $21
- Universal Orlando Resort to The Florida Mall: $11
- The Florida Mall to Universal Orlando Resort: $11
- Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort to The Florida Mall: $14
We encourage guests visiting the resort to check prices for both Uber and Lyft before every ride. But for now, Lyft should usually be less expensive when getting picked up in the resort’s parking garage.
