s8film40
Well-Known Member
They've always had problems with that. I remember many years ago when they eliminated the theme park buses from there for this explicit reason. They later tried a test where they ran a bus but only in the evening.
-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
Disney Testing Paid Parking at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
- Thread starter ToInfinityAndBeyond
- Start date
Imagineerwannabe
Active Member
Never got a paper pass at AKL in November/December but did at VGF...
I had understood they were trying to phase them out.
ratherbeinwdw
Well-Known Member
We were there in December, at AoA. When we drove in, they gave us a blue one. Then, the front desk gave us a white one. We never did put the white one in our car.
When we were there in May, they didn't give us the paper. I'm not sure what the difference was.
Even with the blue paper in the car, the guard at AoA always checked my band. I found it easier to stop at the guard than to use the reader in the bus lane. For some reason, my band would only work with the Mickey Head sideways. It made no sense, but that's how it was at the doors to our section, and the door to our room. The rest of my party's bands worked no matter how theirs were turned.
Biff215
Well-Known Member
We didn't get one at Coronado in December. We were told to use our Magicbands, which was fine at the resort, but silly at the parks. Simply showing our Magicbands got us through the toll booth, but since anyone can buy one, they had no idea we were resort guests without scanning one.
I'm wondering if any offsite guests have caught on to this, it would be much cheaper to buy one retail Magicband than to pay for parking every day. Of course you do run the risk of them scanning it, which they should be doing to prevent this. Does each booth have a scanner?
EOD K9
Well-Known Member
I just got back from a split land/sea package. We stayed at SSR and ate brekkie at AoA before the cruise. They scanned our band and allowed us in. This was on Dec 28th. On NYE we got back and at SSR the signs were up advising of limited parking.
I'm all for free parking at your resort and if you are truly shopping/dining at another, you get three hours with a validated ticket. It isn't right that I should have to pay to shop, but it is not right for people to take up spots in order to beat the fee at the parks.
I'm all for free parking at your resort and if you are truly shopping/dining at another, you get three hours with a validated ticket. It isn't right that I should have to pay to shop, but it is not right for people to take up spots in order to beat the fee at the parks.
Biff215
Well-Known Member
I agree with you completely, and this is the main reason we haven't visited yet, as I assumed I would be denied parking based on the policy.
I'm sure it could create a problem when people stay late at the lounge while the other parks are closing earlier and those CR guests try to return and park.
Imagineerwannabe
Active Member
Once the parks are closing though the offsite guests who have parked at the resorts for free will have gone too...
s8film40
Well-Known Member
That resort really does have a tough time late in the evening. You have resort guest returning from parks that closed earlier, guests arriving for the 3 different restaurants, the pirate cruise, guests parking to go in quick to MK for the fireworks or watch from there without the hassle of the park and throw in a convention or two and it's chaos.
Imagineerwannabe
Active Member
Can't say I've ever felt that there were parking issues at bay lake tower though, never struggled getting a parking spot for TOTWL and never been turned away for this either.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
It really all depends on timing and of course conventions are a big factor. I've never been turned away either, but then I know what I'm doing and how to get in.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Yet Disney built the properties and operated them for DECADES without charging for parking.... The properties haven't gotten bigger in most cases, and resort parking demands should be down with services like MDE. So this luxury as you describe it has been built in all along and Disney was just fine. Why should you now have to pay for that?
And paying for parking in Orlando is the exception- not the majority.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
It kind of is wild speculation IMO.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
Speculation yes, but by no means wild. Disney already does it at other locations and almost every other hotel in the area does it. If we were speculating that Disney was planning to do something out of the ordinary I would agree. Speculating that Disney is going to follow suite with there own business practices at other places and the industry norm in the area is pretty grounded speculation. I think we have to remember that our personal desires aren't going to change anything and looking at this from an unbiased perspective doesn't mean we agree with it.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
^^^This.
Imagineerwannabe
Active Member
I agree it's been well publicised by many online, So I thought that the talk of charging at resorts is to stop those people who are offsite visitors but who are bypassing parking charges, rather than trying to erode the parking privileges of those onsite by turning it into a revenue stream and rinsing more money from guests staying at what are already premium rates.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
I think you really need to qualify your comments better.
Almost NO other average hotel in the area charges for parking.
If you're talking only about 5 star hotels, then state that, because there are a zillion other options. You can stay on 192 for $25 a night sometimes. That is an available option - with no parking fee, often no resort fee, and a free shuttle to the parks. It's not all about the 5-star hotels, and most Disney resorts are not 5 star hotels.
There is no shortage of places to stay in the Orlando area, to fit all budgets and experiences.
We can stay on property every time, off property every time, or a mix depending on pricing. That may or may not matter to WDW.
But - "value" is subjective and the concept of a "good value" must be met in order for people to book the trip in the first place.
Too many big companies today don't charge what is necessary or what is fair, they charge as much as they can get away with because they can, and because Wall Street expects them to (quite unrealistically in some cases) post a certain amount of gains every year.
People getting used to that and accepting it as normal and OK is dismaying.
The only valid reason for WDW to charge for parking at the resorts IMO is as a deterrent for people trying to avoid paying at the theme park lots. All hotel guests should be exempted. When you pay to get in, you are paying to get in to the entire "World" not just your hotel. Lord knows they should be making enough money off the meals and shopping without having to charge you to park there for that very valid purpose.
s8film40
Well-Known Member
Just because Disney has done something for years doesn't mean they won't change. They change policies all the time. Disney never allowed beards for CM's for more than 50 years, if you had asked people 5-10 years ago if they thought it would happen quite a few would have said not a chance.
We're not just talking about parking in general here were talking about parking at 4 diamond hotels. There are different factors involved here besides just location. I would guess that if you remove Disney from the equation probably less than 1% of the area's 4 diamond hotels offer free parking. Free parking is very much the exception in this situation in the Orlando area.
Tony the Tigger
Well-Known Member
Just because they can charge for something doesn't mean they should, either.