Parking fees at Walt Disney World theme park increase effective October 4

R W B

R W B

Well-Known Member
Parking is a big business. I have a few business partners and we're in negotiations right now to try and buy a few small lots here in New Orleans because it's such a good investment. The only real upkeep you have to do is repaint the parking lines every few years and make sure the fence is taken care of.

The gentleman that sold the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team a few years back made most of his money from owning parking lots in Boston and that was it really. Such a simple idea can make so much profit. Even if only a 1/4 of the MK lot is used by paying guests that's still a huge profit margin for Disney I don't even want to think about it lol.
 
Nubs70

Nubs70

Well-Known Member
ryguy said:
Isn't a one day ticket still the most popular ticket sold? Even if it's not a lot of people still pay for parking. And most Disney resort guests I book vacations for don't rent a car, they use Disney transportation.

Feel bad for those who have to pay, there really is no justification for that price point. Paying for parking should only happen where space is at premium like in a big city. Every other instance is a price gauge. Disney could charge $5-$10 bucks and still basically making pure profit.

But they all do it, so it is what is. The insanity will continue.
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It would be interesting to see if the percentage of single day tickets has dropped as percentage of day tickets since crossing the $100 psychological barrier.

A 3 day ticket with 14 day expiration allows the local/commutable day tripper to save money on admission and visit on single days over 3 weekends.

Where previous, a single visit obligated a once and done visit. Saving money with a 3 day ticket obliges 3 visits to "save" money. I believe this is a partial explanation of increased attendance.

The increases parking rates serves to raclaim some of the psychological savings from increased 3 day ticket purchases.
 
AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
R W B said:
Yes, you could stay off site for cheaper and then you can also enjoy that drive to and from the parks everyday, you enjoy driving somewhere for breakfast everyday instead of a nice short walk (sure, some hotels do have a few breakfast), you enjoy driving back to the offsite hotel if you forget anything or need to grab a jacket at night, I could keep going here.
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Wait, you forgot about spending at least an hour a day in line for or sitting on a smelly bus with people packed in way past what should be safety standards and all those pleasant germs and assorted gunk from around the world in a stuffy enclosed space, LOL.

When I stay off-site, I can get myself to the parks, and from park to park, much more quickly than wasting my day chained to WDW transport. I can stop at a store and buy my choice of beverages since even the stores at WDW only sell Coke products. I don't have to pay $14 for a simple breakfast plate, I can pay 1/2 that and get a superior meal at many convenient locations along the way. My vacation is on my timetable, not on the whim of the Disney bus system. If I'm hungry at 10PM I have a plethora of choices, I'm not stuck trying to eat out of a vending machine.

I could keep going on, as well. ;)
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
PhotoDave219 said:
So what is?

Because I have a few people in Celebration Place that say it is....
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Not sure, just common sense. There are thousands of people there everyday. Most are from all over the world. They did not travel to WDW to just spend one day there. If they were the lines at the ticket booths would be out to the parking lot. I have never had to do anything but walk straight up to the window with no stopping.

Of course, there are some that are perhaps local or are staying within an hour or so of the park, like at a beach that find their way in for just a day, but, certainly not the majority. If one just takes the mental picture of the people that stay onsite alone that would way outweigh the single day ticket buyer by miles. I have no hard facts, but, I know what I see and I do not see where a trip to a resort like WDW would be conducive to a one day visit.
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
R W B said:
Yea, I've never paid any where near $200 for a night at a value resort. Yes, you could stay off site for cheaper and then you can also enjoy that drive to and from the parks everyday, you enjoy driving somewhere for breakfast everyday instead of a nice short walk (sure, some hotels do have a few breakfast), you enjoy driving back to the offsite hotel if you forget anything or need to grab a jacket at night, I could keep going here. Now none of what I just said may apply to you personally but it does to me and that's why I stay on property for all extended trips. This December we're going for the weekend and we're renting an off-site 3bd condo for $75/nt so I do know the value is there but for my 5-10 day vacations I want to be on property at all times because I find it so much easier. It's not just about basic math.
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It doesn't matter what you have spent on a value resort, you still paid way more then what an equivalent or better accommodation would be offsite.

You make it sound like offsite is on the other side of the continent. In fact, a lot of the offsite locations are actually closer to the parks then some of the onsite ones are. Going back to pick something up that I forgot, well I've never done that, but, if I did I can get there and back a whole lot quicker then someone taking the bus will.

I know that the desire to stay onsite isn't basic math, but, the cost of doing so most certainly is. It's measured in dollars and is not really disputable. Now factor in the illusion that it is easier, or that it is important to someone for the immersion part of the trip, then people apparently use emotion instead of math. That's OK as long as the argument of how much cheaper it is to stay onsite because of parking cost isn't used because that math does not hold up, and is really amusing.
 
Goofyernmost

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
BrenRays said:
Many of the off site resorts have complimentary shuttles to bring you to the parks as well
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Yes, but, that does indeed complicate and control your touring desires quite drastically. I would never recommend that. If someone stays offsite, it is well worth the extra to have your own transportation.
 
A

Arthur Wellesley

Well-Known Member
hakunamatata said:
Supply and demand. I was in the Nappa Valley area for the last two weeks. Much smaller rooms in not so great conditions were over $200.
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^This. I've worked in the hospitality industry for over a decade now, and I could definitely tell you some stories.

During a peak season, if you cannot shell out the hundreds of dollars it will take to get you shelter overnight...well tough cookies for you. Turn around, and there will be ten other people in line willing to pay that amount. We're not in the business of sheltering the needy, but squeezing as much out of willing tourists who come to spend on leisure. If all the tourists collectively stopped coming...we'd all dip in prices. But as long as they'e flooding in, drooling & eager to open their wallets on vacation delights...we will gladly accept, and push their spending as far as we can.

This isn't a Utopian world we live in. It's a business world. Plain & simple.
 
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EOD K9

EOD K9

Well-Known Member
I'm waiting for the day (maybe) that TDO decides to charge a small nominal fee of say 5 bucks to all on-site guests for parking. Also, RE: the one day ticket, I have a cruise in a few months and want to get a one day hopper for when we get off the boat. There really isnt much of another choice unfortunately. It is there where they got me....ba$t@rds.
 
Next Big Thing

Next Big Thing

Well-Known Member
Goofyernmost said:
I don't believe it. Maybe the majority of the tickets sold at the ticket booths at the parks on weekends, but, not the majority of tickets sold. It makes no sense.
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Think of the conventioneers, FL residents, school groups, etc, etc. I've worked in those booths and I know high ups and would put all of my money on that being the #1 seller.

I'm about the third or fourth person that has told you this in here too, so I have to think that's no coincidence.
 

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