Parking At A Resort and Taking The MonoRail

[Bocko57]

We are staying on at the All Star Movies. I was thinking of this: Driving to another Disney Resort (i.e. The Comtemporary) and parking there then riding the Monorail to Magic Kingdom. This will give us a chance to enjoy the monorail and avoid the parking at MK.

Thoughts?

 

[tigsmom]

What I find EXTREMELY ANNOYING is when I try to park at BW, and thats my home DVC resort and I have my parking pass and BECAUSE people park there to use that back entrance to Epcot, I cant find a spot. That has happened frequently of late and its not right, When you walk thru the lots you can see the cars without parking passes, and I frankly hope they are towed. I dislike sitting in my car waiting for an open parking spot. I would swear when we were last there that half the cars in the BW lots were without passes

What many people do not know is that there is a public lot, a guest lot and a valet lot at the Boardwalk. Anytime we have gone over there to visit (when not staying at the BW) the guard at the security gate has directed us to that lot.

Since the Boardwalk is a destination (much like DTD) you will always have people parking there who are not staying at the hotel. I agree that it's very annoying when a hotel guest cannot find a spot, but we always get around this by using the valet and budgeting this into our stay ( I know that there are some who cannot afford this/do not wish to pay extra, but it's a choice that we make). If we are going to EPCOT we park in the public lot.

 

[bamillerpa]

Thanks Tigsmom:slurp:. It just seems that parking has been worse each and every time we visit and there are tons of cars without the pass. I just wish they would enforce it more. The last time we arrived to stay in the Contempory we couldn't find a spot to park that was anywhere near it so we lugged all of our gear across the parking lot. I remember seeing an old blue beat up truck that was covered with bumper stickers that didn't have a parking pass. We checked in (sometime around 4:00 pm), found our room, and rode the monorail over to the MK. We decided to walk back around 11:00 pm and passed the same truck still parked in the same spot!! There was no way that they were at the Contempory that long without actually staying there! Please, Please, Please just consider the other guests if you are parking at a resort that isn't your own!!

 

[maggiegrace1]

No Comment here either.

:wave::lol:

lol

Well..it is true..I have been parking at the Poly forever..my parents are bad influences....and have never seen anyone towed and they do not give us any set time pass or anything..:shrug:..I have even said that we werre going to the MK and they say Have a Magical Day..

How did I know you would find this? :ROFLOL:

:lookaroun



:shrug::ROFLOL:

 

[devoy1701]

Thanks Tigsmom:slurp:. It just seems that parking has been worse each and every time we visit and there are tons of cars without the pass. I just wish they would enforce it more. The last time we arrived to stay in the Contempory we couldn't find a spot to park that was anywhere near it so we lugged all of our gear across the parking lot. I remember seeing an old blue beat up truck that was covered with bumper stickers that didn't have a parking pass. We checked in (sometime around 4:00 pm), found our room, and rode the monorail over to the MK. We decided to walk back around 11:00 pm and passed the same truck still parked in the same spot!! There was no way that they were at the Contempory that long without actually staying there! Please, Please, Please just consider the other guests if you are parking at a resort that isn't your own!!

you know...sometimes people just forget to put their pass in the windows.

 

[bamillerpa]

ok-so maybe they forgot. My point was just that there are tons of cars there anymore without passes and I hate spending extra money and not being able to park there while people staying at other resorts are. I understand wanting to park there, I just want people to be considerate.

 

[tnemgif]

I want to clarify my response, I have no problem with people parking at other resorts if they have a reason to be there. If you are parking there just to avoid a different parking lot and plan to stay parked there the entire day while touring a park I do have a problem. I'm paying a lot of extra money to have the convience of the monorail at my resort and I get annoyed when I can't find a parking spot because there are guests parked there that aren't even at the resort but off in a park. The TTC is right next to the Poly and you are able to ride the monorail to all of the monorail resorts, the MK, and Epcot so to say that you want to park at the resort for the experience of riding the monorail doesn't hold up. Sorry if I sound nasty about it, I really don't mean to offend anyone, I just don't like that practice.

I don't think you sound nasty at all. While I can't afford to stay at the deluxe resorts, I completely agree with you. If you're paying for certain ammenities, then you should be entitled to them. If you're not paying for them, you should not be able to work around the system at the expense of those paying for them.

 

[YankeeMouse]

things have changed

We were staying at AKL a month ago and we went to Contemporary to do dinner and then go to MK. When we pulled in, after the guard asked for ID, she said, parking for the Magic Kingdom is to the left, for the resort to the right. We looked at each other, like, wow, a freebie.

Last weekend we went for just 2 nights, went to Contemporary and they just directed us to parking.

Been to WDW 65+ times...at Contemporary they always asked what your reason was for coming to resort. At Poly, they used to just give you the 3 hour ticket to put on the dashboard. Sure seems like they don't ask at all anymore. Maybe this will change at height of summer.

 

[rpk4444]

you are most definitely allowed to park at any resort for whatever reason whatsoever as long as it's not for "all day".

Usual correspondence with the Security Guard usually goes:

SG: "Can I see your ID?"
Me: "Of course!"
SG: "Are you checking in?"
Me: "no sir, just visiting"
SG: "alright, have a good time"

That's exactly how it goes. I usually say "No sir, just checking out the resort for a future visit"

I do park furthest away to allow resort guest the parking closest.

 

[WishIwasThere]

While for the past few visits have been during the 'off' season, so parkign is usually not a problem, but it also seems that since the start of the Magical Express service, the parking lots jsut don't seem as full as they used to, including the Poly. Its hard to judge for the CR with the addition of the BLT.

 

[slappy magoo]

If you do it, you may get towed. That risk may be a low one, perhaps it's practically nonexistent. But it could happen. Your call, but no whining if you're the one that gets towed.

 

[disneygirl76]

As the others have said, if you park, you could get towed. That chance might not be great, but it is a chance. That being said, just don't do it. It's not right. I know everyone wants to shot cut, but its not fair to those who (like myself) fork over the bucks to stay at the Monorail Resorts and then struggle to find parking.

 

[joesheets]

You will not be towed. I live in Tampa and visted Disney often. I go to the magic kingdom and mgm every once in a while. My family had annual passes for about ten years straight so we don't visit the parks that much anymore (we are kind of bored with them.) Anyways, we get our Disney magic through shopping at dtd and the resorts. Sometimes we stay, sometimes we visit the resort for the dining or just hang out at the bar for a few drinks. Keep in mind Disney is about making money so they allow people to do this. You don't have to stay at the resort to do this. Lets take the Poly for example. It's my favorite resort. I can't always afford to stay there so I visit it. I may go to check out the Wyland gallery or have a few drinks at the bar. They allow this. Years ago, they did give a 3 hour parking permit for visits like that. One time, I asked a vallet attendant, what would happen if I stayed longer than the 3 hours (in case I was really enjoying myself at the bar.) He said nothing, they don't tow. I guess that's why they stopped giving a 3 hour pass since they didn't do anything about it. Now let's all think about this. I go to the security gate and tell them that I am going to the bar. The guard tells me ok and I park in the designated area. Keep in mind he doesn't give me a time frame or tell me that I can't. I now have permission to be there. How would they be able to justify towing me. Again I have permission and haven't broken any time tables or anything that would allow them to tow me. There aren't any signs in the parking lot that stipulates a time table either. So if my vehicle was towed, they would be openning themselves up for problems. I hope that I have cleared this up for you all! Keep in mind, I not getting into the moral issues of parking at a resort and going to a park; I am just clearing up the will my car be towed discussion.

 

[Chezman1399]

A lot of it depends on time of year. The easiest lot to get into most of the year is the Grand Floridian, then Poly, and they'll almost always give you a limited parking pass at Contemporary. Parking lot sizes, popularity of restaurant's, and location of the lot have a lot to do with this as far as I can tell. Another reason I was told for the parking passes at the Poly was to limit access to the pool. I don't believe they want Contemporary used as a parking lot since you can walk to the park from there. The only time I ever did park at Contemporary was years ago when I was with a friend, who happened to know the security guard.

 

[Chezman1399]

And like the person above said, they're not going to tow a guest's car, however they could tow it as staying there outside of the guest pass could theoretically be considered tresspassing just like if you parked your car on someone's property without their permission. The likelyhood of this happening though would be slim to none, unless every spot in the lot filled up and guests staying at the hotel could not get a spot, and I've never seen the lots close to that especially with magical Express. I once parked in a 15 minute slot at the Magic Kingdom for 3 hours, I was pannicking because I forgot I was there. I used to work at TTC, parked to see friends, and forgot where my car was and just went to the park. I was told by someone on my way back that Disney wouldn't tow a guest's car. The only rational case that I could ever see it happening would be if it was getting in guests' way who needed that spot, and it would be an extreme last resort.

 

[Loretta]

We stayed at the Contemporary in 08 and one day when we were sitting out on the balcony we saw a car being towed. Now if it was for illegal parking our the car had broke down, we don't know.:shrug:

 

[tnchefbear]

Ops....

I used to park at Grand all the time... The guard would ask me if I was a guest, I would say no, that I was going to eat at Park Fare... and then I would park at the convention center area just past valet... walk into the lobby... get on the monorail... and not come back until the end of the day... I never got towed and never heard a thing about it... sadly I moved and cant do it anymore...

 

[disney1266]

I have actually had both things happen to me when I tried to park at the Contemporary...........I was allowed to park one time but they made me turn into a separate parking area away from the hotel itself. I wasn't able to utilize the valet parking at all. The other time, I was told without a reservation or ADR there was no available parking. Parking at the TTC and walking to the Poly is a short walk abd you can ride the resort monorail with no problems. Or you can park at the TTC and ride the resort monorail to anyone of your choice. We usually do this since the regular MK monorail is crowded. Another tip......if we leave the MK late and the regular monorail line is backed up, go to the resort monorail line; its less crowded and it still stops at TTC.

 

[sbkline]

What's this about being towed if you park there without a "legitimate" reason to be there? I thought that Disney's official stance was that anyone is welcome to visit any resort just to look around, as that person may be a potential guest in the future if he likes what he sees. How can one be welcome to visit just to look around if there is the possibility of being towed if they aren't there for a "legitimate" reason? :shrug:

Do they have people who walk around and chalk mark the tires of anyone without a resort guest tag, and then come back around and have the vehicle towed after what Disney determines to be a reasonable amount of time for a non-guest to be there?

 

[Pioneer Hall]

What's this about being towed if you park there without a "legitimate" reason to be there? I thought that Disney's official stance was that anyone is welcome to visit any resort just to look around, as that person may be a potential guest in the future if he likes what he sees. How can one be welcome to visit just to look around if there is the possibility of being towed if they aren't there for a "legitimate" reason? :shrug:

Do they have people who walk around and chalk mark the tires of anyone without a resort guest tag, and then come back around and have the vehicle towed after what Disney determines to be a reasonable amount of time for a non-guest to be there?

That is where the 3 hour pass came into play. If you were there to just visit and eat then they figured you weren't going to be there for more than 3 hours. If you needed more time you could always get another pass and repark.

 

[wm49rs]

What's this about being towed if you park there without a "legitimate" reason to be there? I thought that Disney's official stance was that anyone is welcome to visit any resort just to look around, as that person may be a potential guest in the future if he likes what he sees. How can one be welcome to visit just to look around if there is the possibility of being towed if they aren't there for a "legitimate" reason? :shrug:

Do they have people who walk around and chalk mark the tires of anyone without a resort guest tag, and then come back around and have the vehicle towed after what Disney determines to be a reasonable amount of time for a non-guest to be there?

At some resorts, such as the Contemporary, you were at one time issued a time-stamped ticket with a three-hour window to it. At other resorts guests are given pieces of paper to put in their windshields identifying them as guests and they have the checkout date on them.

I've parked one day at the YC when I had breakfast there, and then spend it in EP after we ate. But I also had the car parked through the valet and told him we had an ADR at Cape May.