Disney Testing Paid Parking at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

[CdnDznyLuvr]

I can understand Disney wanting to eliminate off-site guests avoiding the parking fee and taking up parking spots at the resorts. This shouldn't apply to guests of any Disney resorts though. We rent a car, not to go off property, but instead to allow us to dine at the resorts before and after park visits to avoid the delays of Disney Transport. We will park at the Poly, have breakfast at Kona or Ohana, then head to MK for the morning. I'm not escaping a parking fee as I am a DVC resort guest with an AP, and the parking spot typically isn't an issue since it's during the day and never overnight.

Sadly, it does affect paying guests staying at the Poly during the day as well. We've encountered the lot being full on several occasions during our visits when we return to the Poly mid-afternoon and are unable to find a parking spot. Unfortunately one person thinks if they do it, there isn't going to be a problem, however, you get dozens of like-minded people, it really does make a difference.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

The problem with the MB/ADR thing is... not everything is an ADR. If I'm going to trader sams for instance... or many other bars on property. This should be resolved by people having validation on exit.. not entry. Scanning ADRs on entry also does not prevent people from leaving their cars at the resorts and then going to the parks... and leaves an ugly "well I didn't know that..." customer trap.

It's cleaner to set the pay parking expectation UP FRONT.. and then validate people out of it.

We ran into this brick wall on a recent trip at the contemporary.

Drove up, said we wanted to go shopping and grab a bite, but they would not let us in without ADR.

Had to drive over to Polynesian, make a reservation on my phone on the way over, have lunch there, monorail to contemporary to shop (over $200 - not huge but not nothing) etc. We have AP's and felt they should have just let us park at the contemporary. If that is not the policy, it should be.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

But see Disney is trying to prevent us (locals etc or passholders) from doing that anymore, they dont want us at trader sams or anywhere else. I think they have such a huge crowd control problem and space issue they cant handle it, from the parks to the resorts. Its gotten so flooded out of control with people 365 days a year that just getting from point a to point b is challenging. They are hoping, I think, by doing this it will dissuade us from dining or anything else on property. Thats just my feeling. We had an adr at beaches and cream a few months ago, cause we enjoy it there now and then, but even with an adr I didnt think the guard was going to let us in. It seemed to be a problem because we were 30min too early, its all just getting too complicated, Disney is no longer welcoming and no longer cares. The property is becoming a security prison, not allowed to go anywhere or do anything.

Same thing will happen to Ft. Wilderness, always been free, will no longer be if these plans go into effect. Ever since news13 had a big segment on tv about how great and free ft. wilderness is for the day, I knew Disney was going to go into hysterics and make sure it wouldnt be that way anymore.

The easier way to do that would be to stop offering Florida resident passes and deals.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

It's actually surprising Disney doesn't already charge for parking at the hotels even for resort guests. Every other hotel does it, primarily so they can outsource their valet. In Disney's case they have the added incentive of using it as a deterrent to keep their guests from getting a rental car and thereby keeping them in property.

Maybe because their tickets and hotel rates are already astronomical?

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I would charge $10 an hour and cap it off at $100. There are plenty of people who have to pay for parking anyway and figure they might as well pay extra and park at the resort.

I'm glad you're not setting the prices LOL!

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Let's not over-generalize. My family of 4 (that all has APs) makes reservations probably half the times we go to the parks. On average we'll probably hit up the parks 30 or more times a year. Much more if you include Disney Springs, which is purely to spend money.

I also know many, many othe APers who do the same and I share these experiences with. Doing the Epcot Fireworks cruise (with bonus Frozen fireworks) this summer was one of the better experiences I've had.

Sure there's a lot of APs that likely don't spend much. But I'd argue most are those that buy APs as a part of a lengthy vacation. Most locals, especially Disney fans, tend to spend a decent amount of money.

Exactly – when we have APs and go more often, we are more likely to pay extra for tours, events, splurge meals, etc because we are not spending $80 a day to get in the door.

 

[s8film40]

Maybe because their tickets and hotel rates are already astronomical?

Universal's, Disneyland's and almost every other overly expensive hotel charges for parking, I would say at this point what WDW is doing is well outside the norm.

I'm glad you're not setting the prices LOL!

I based that somewhat on what Disneyland currently charges at the hotels there. They have a very similar situation.

Rates For Hotel Guests

• Self-parking: $18 per night per vehicle
• Oversized vehicle parking: $23 per night per vehicle
• Valet parking: $28 per night per vehicle

Rates For Non-Hotel Guests

• Self-parking: $18 for the first hour plus $9 per hour per vehicle, with a maximum rate of $58
• Oversized vehicle parking: $23 for the first hour plus $9 per hour per vehicle, with a maximum rate of $58
• Valet parking: $28 for the first hour plus $9 per hour per vehicle, with a maximum rate of $100

 

[flynnibus]

Universal's, Disneyland's and almost every other overly expensive hotel charges for parking, I would say at this point what WDW is doing is well outside the norm.

I based that somewhat on what Disneyland currently charges at the hotels there. They have a very similar situation.

Your skipping the most important part.... Location location location

We can't compare dense urban locations with open suburban sprawl locations. The other element is comparative to the competition- which is also a proximity thing. So you can't compare on similar industry freely - it's more about location.

People don't stay 7-14 days at uni or dlr either, where that is much more common in wdw.

Charging for parking in wdw's case is all about shaping behavior and if they want to go revenue hunting - not comparative market pricing.... Tho charging for parking would further help off site hotels

 

[s8film40]

Your skipping the most important part.... Location location location

We can't compare dense urban locations with open suburban sprawl locations. The other element is comparative to the competition- which is also a proximity thing. So you can't compare on similar industry freely - it's more about location.

People don't stay 7-14 days at uni or dlr either, where that is much more common in wdw.

Charging for parking in wdw's case is all about shaping behavior and if they want to go revenue hunting - not comparative market pricing.... Tho charging for parking would further help off site hotels

Charging for parking at hotels really doesn't have much at all to do with location or space available. Certainly in dense cities where space is a premium that is a factor but it has more to do with valet. Typically if you want you hotel to be a 4 star/diamond hotel valet has to be offered. In order to accomplish this most hotels will hire their own or choose an outside company. In order for this type of business to break even you have to charge for self parking to create an incentive for people to pay for the valet service and protect your losses should people choose not to. All the valet people have to be paid minimum wage after all and typically if you want to maintain that 4 star/diamond standing you really want them actually paid a little more. There are only two solutions to this once it reaches a certain threshold either charge for self parking so it follows the increases in valet or simply operate valet at a loss/expense and build it into the room rates. In other words your going to pay for self parking one way or another. Combine that with the other factors here and you can see Disney's going to have to do something at some point soon.

 

[Biff215]

Sadly, it does affect paying guests staying at the Poly during the day as well. We've encountered the lot being full on several occasions during our visits when we return to the Poly mid-afternoon and are unable to find a parking spot. Unfortunately one person thinks if they do it, there isn't going to be a problem, however, you get dozens of like-minded people, it really does make a difference.

Fair enough, and I'm sorry to hear that happened to you. It is very frustrating to not find a parking spot at your own resort. This happened to us last month at Coronado. There literally wasn't a single spot left back in the Ranchos as several spots were blocked off with cones. I had no choice but to move a cone. In the morning I found out why as my car was blocked in by a charter bus. Fortunately the driver was very nice and immediately moved for us (after I woke him up).

We will certainly keep this in mind in the future. As I said before we certainly weren't trying to skip out on paying or even parking in the main lot, we just enjoy Kona and Ohana and would never make it on time if we didn't drive direct. Since we were never asked how long we were staying and always found parking, we typically kept the car there a few hours (never a whole day). Might need to rethink our plans as this all moves forward.

 

[Biff215]

I'm not sure this will push many people offsite. Instead, it may make people like me forgo the rental car which might be part of their strategy. I rarely go offsite with it and mainly use it to save time, but Disney clearly wants us under their control. There's no way I can justify an extra per day charge for parking on top of the rental when free transportation is offered. I just feel bad for those who drive their own car and locals. This could increase the cost of a stay quite a bit depending on the fee, and will no doubt affect the resort restaurants and bars. I just hope they might consider giving that resort's guests free parking with timed validation for visitors.

 

[s8film40]

I personally think if/when they ever start charging resort guests for self parking there should be a cap based on your length of stay. $20 per day for example for a family staying 7-10 days could be $200 or more for more days. So like $20 per day with a maximum of something like $60 - $100 for the length of stay whatever that may be.

 

[Imagineerwannabe]

As a DVC member, I would seriously reconsider my continued membership if they start charging me daily resort fees for parking where I am staying.

I get charged dues every year as it is, let alone being charged on a daily basis for this too. I may as well stay offsite and then park at the regular parking lots using AP perk.

Are we not reading too much into this? Is there any possibility that this is just a straight forward plan to stop chancers parking at the resorts for free by charging them more to park at a resort?

I'm not sure why they would need to introduce parking fees for all guests too...

 

[jaklgreen]

As a DVC member, I would seriously reconsider my continued membership if they start charging me daily resort fees for parking where I am staying.

I get charged dues every year as it is, let alone being charged on a daily basis for this too. I may as well stay offsite and then park at the regular parking lots using AP perk.

Are we not reading too much into this? Is there any possibility that this is just a straight forward plan to stop chancers parking at the resorts for free by charging them more to park at a resort?

I'm not sure why they would need to introduce parking fees for all guests too...

I think if anything they would only charge people who are NOT staying at that property. Park for free at the resort you are staying at. The main issue, it think, are the people who park at the Contemporary/Poly to avoid the hassle/cost of parking at the TTC.

 

[Lord_Vader]

Blog posts like that are the exact reason why things like this are coming…

Jan that? It's never been an issue. The locks and never, ever been full. This is about money. Plain and simple.

I would disagree with that completely. My last two trips (Aug and Dec) both included issues parkingin resort lots, to make matters worse my wife has an accessibility tag so we can use accessible spots too but typically don't use it because I push her in her chair anywhay.

In August AKL Jambo house lot was full at 10:15AM when we arrived, we ended up resorting to valet service after hunting for twenty or so minutes.

On Dec 27th this year the Poly was the same way and we ended up using valet service again due to the lot being full.

 

[Imagineerwannabe]

And then what happens when I want to visit the TOTWL? I then have to pay parking to go there? Then we end up with that place empty because no one wants to pay to park there....And if they don't make you pay, then how do you stop people from parking and heading to the park under a 'visit the TOTWL' guise?

Which is the same query I had with this apparent testing that they are not charging those who have ADRs...what if you have a breakfast reservation, what's stopping you from still continuing to the parks after?
What if you want a walk-up for dining?
What if you are offsite and don't have tickets or magic bands, you don't need either to make a dining reservation...how would they prove you had didn't have a reservation?

This whole thing seems to be so complex to try and manage these different variables and implement charging. Surely it needs to be understood the reason why they wanted to charge.

Is Disney trying to make revenue from everyone for the parking by charging people to use car parks everywhere, or are they trying to make sure that they mop up and charge people who are trying to get away with free parking by making it prohibitively expensive to park anywhere but the main theme park lot? But leaving no changes for anyone who is an onsite guest...

 

[PhotoDave219]

I would disagree with that completely. My last two trips (Aug and Dec) both included issues parkingin resort lots, to make matters worse my wife has an accessibility tag so we can use accessible spots too but typically don't use it because I push her in her chair anywhay.

In August AKL Jambo house lot was full at 10:15AM when we arrived, we ended up resorting to valet service after hunting for twenty or so minutes.

On Dec 27th this year the Poly was the same way and we ended up using valet service again due to the lot being full.

Then you realize that everyone has a handicapped tag, right?

 

[Lord_Vader]

Then you realize that everyone has a handicapped tag, right?

It seems like it, especially at WDW. The only place we actually found an accessible spot this Chriatmas was at Epcot on the 26th.

 

[s8film40]

Are we not reading too much into this? Is there any possibility that this is just a straight forward plan to stop chancers parking at the resorts for free by charging them more to park at a resort?

There are two parts to this. First is the rumor of this test happening. No one has confirmed this has actually happened. It's a smart move and makes a lot of sense. I think this rumor could be grounded in some truth that this test could be happening soon.

Secondly it's safe to assume that once a mechanism is put in place to charge for parking then they may decide to re-evaluate the free parking for resort guests. From what I've seen the valet situation is eventually going to completely push the need for charged self parking. Personally I think it's just a matter of time before it eventually happens. Just about every hotel does it and in Disney's case they get the added benefit of further incentivizing guests to stay on property.

 

[jaklgreen]

And then what happens when I want to visit the TOTWL? I then have to pay parking to go there? Then we end up with that place empty because no one wants to pay to park there....And if they don't make you pay, then how do you stop people from parking and heading to the park under a 'visit the TOTWL' guise?

Which is the same query I had with this apparent testing that they are not charging those who have ADRs...what if you have a breakfast reservation, what's stopping you from still continuing to the parks after?
What if you want a walk-up for dining?
What if you are offsite and don't have tickets or magic bands, you don't need either to make a dining reservation...how would they prove you had didn't have a reservation?

This whole thing seems to be so complex to try and manage these different variables and implement charging. Surely it needs to be understood the reason why they wanted to charge.

Is Disney trying to make revenue from everyone for the parking by charging people to use car parks everywhere, or are they trying to make sure that they mop up and charge people who are trying to get away with free parking by making it prohibitively expensive to park anywhere but the main theme park lot? But leaving no changes for anyone who is an onsite guest...

It shouldn't be that complicated. They can do what many many places do. You come through the gate and get a time stamp ticket for parking. If you stay under a certain time limit(lets say 3 hours) you can leave for free, other wise you get charged a fee for parking. This is not a new concept. This gives legitimate people who are eating/shopping/ checking out the hotel time to do that.