Parking for free

["El Gran Magnifico"]

When I'm at one of those places I use the tricks and pay nothing.

And why do you suppose there is one-way bus service from DS? Because other people "used the tricks" and tried to pay nothing. Why do resorts have cast members checking guest status more frequently at their pools? - Because other people "used the tricks" to get an amenity they didn't pay for. Disney began testing paid parking at resort hotels - I'm sure a lot of that had to do with generating extra revenue but it also had to do with some people "using the tricks" to park there and then get to a park.

Did you ever stop to think why the Hilton Lake Buena Vista charges for parking? Sure - ancillary revenue has something to do with it -- but maybe it also has something to do with them providing bus service to TTC and the other parks. Without the parking fee their lot would overflow with people "using tricks" to get free bus service. The paying guests would be inconvenienced, and the hotel would need to increase the supply to keep up with the demand. That would cost the hotel money and in turn they would recoup that by charging higher rates.

So let's go back and revisit the OP. He is obviously taking his car to Disney. Which means if he is staying at an "on property/non-Disney hotel" he is going to pay $20 if he drives his car to the parks and/or a parking fee at the hotel and will then use their bus service. But he doesn't want to pay all of the associated fees required to stay at the hotel, although he is going to rely on the hotel's (and/or Disney's) transportation service to cart him to and from wherever it is he is going. Cool "trick" isn't it? You might find that admirable - I don't.

 

[jaklgreen]

And why do you suppose there is one-way bus service from DS? Because other people "used the tricks" and tried to pay nothing. Why do resorts have cast members checking guest status more frequently at their pools? - Because other people "used the tricks" to get an amenity they didn't pay for. Disney began testing paid parking at resort hotels - I'm sure a lot of that had to do with generating extra revenue but it also had to do with some people "using the tricks" to park there and then get to a park.

Did you ever stop to think why the Hilton Lake Buena Vista charges for parking? Sure - ancillary revenue has something to do with it -- but maybe it also has something to do with them providing bus service to TTC and the other parks. Without the parking fee their lot would overflow with people "using tricks" to get free bus service. The paying guests would be inconvenienced, and the hotel would need to increase the supply to keep up with the demand. That would cost the hotel money and in turn they would recoup that by charging higher rates.

So let's go back and revisit the OP. He is obviously taking his car to Disney. Which means if he is staying at an "on property/non-Disney hotel" he is going to pay $20 if he drives his car to the parks and/or a parking fee at the hotel and will then use their bus service. But he doesn't want to pay all of the associated fees required to stay at the hotel, although he is going to rely on the hotel's (and/or Disney's) transportation service to cart him to and from wherever it is he is going. Cool "trick" isn't it? You might find that admirable - I don't.

But, but, but,, if you find a way to "use the tricks" and break that rules, then it means that the rules actually don't apply to you. LOL

 

[Goofyernmost]

Off site charges for parking anywhere $18-25 a night so that $70 room is now $100. WDW for value resorts charge $97- 132 a night no parking fee (just assume its added to room charge). IMO on site -- extra hours, bus transportation are a benefits provided you stay @ a value resort. Another benefit you don't have to scam to save a few bucks on parking

There are literally hundreds of nice, comfortable locations offsite that are even less then $70.00 per night, but, even advertise that they have NO resort fees and NO parking fees. 10 additional minutes online reveal them quite nicely. So there really is no reason to have to "work" the system. Other options are available all it takes is a few IQ points above a rock.

 

[AshaNeOmah]

You could buy an Annual Pass. Parking is free at all parks with an AP.

That works, right guys?

 

[John park hopper]

Far to many people have the mind set that simply because they exist they deserve it. They fail to realize there is nothing called the free lunch-- some one is paying for it. When some one scams the system for any reason be it parking fees, entrance fees, etc. private enterprises raise fees to compensate for theft and we all pay. Just my 2 cents

 

[WondersOfLife]

Holy crap all of you guys are so cynical and full of hate. It was just a simple question to save close to another 100 dollars I could use elsewhere. What is wrong with you people. I'm not out trying to be the devil's spawn or anything. I'm sorry I asked for small advice. Who wouldn't want to save 70 bucks if they had the option? Jesus Christ.

 

[GoofGoof]

Holy crap all of you guys are so cynical and full of hate. It was just a simple question to save close to another 100 dollars I could use elsewhere. What is wrong with you people. I'm not out trying to be the devil's spawn or anything. I'm sorry I asked for small advice. Who wouldn't want to save 70 bucks if they had the option? Jesus Christ.

I don't think Jesus Christ would be that worried about saving 70 bucks

 

[JIMINYCR]

More and more people justify the taking of things they think they deserve or can get away without being caught. Scamming any system, such as Disneys lack of parking enforcement, is still wrong. Morality continues to decline. Too bad they dont teach that in with the OP's college courses.

 

[wdwfan22]

Holy crap all of you guys are so cynical and full of hate. It was just a simple question to save close to another 100 dollars I could use elsewhere. What is wrong with you people. I'm not out trying to be the devil's spawn or anything. I'm sorry I asked for small advice. Who wouldn't want to save 70 bucks if they had the option? Jesus Christ.

Full of hate because we won’t agree with you trying to cheat on parking lol. Maybe you should hold off your visit until you have money to cover everything. I will give you some advice though they do tow cars away at Disney springs so be careful if your considering that option.

 

[WondersOfLife]

You are truly an embarrassment. Sleazy actions like this are why everyone despises people our age. Here's a hint, get over yourself and pay the fee. Maybe you should have done a bit more research beforehand. Or better yet, if you're going into debt, why are you wasting money on a vacation to WDW?

I'm pretty sure I stated that I didn't do my research as well as I should have... And you shouldn't judge the actions of people without knowing the reason behind them. I'm not in a mentally healthy state right now, a trip to Disney would be something that can fix that.

$70 a night and you don't want to pay $72 to park?

$72 is enough for food for an entire day. My thing is if it is any way possible to save $72 that I'd like to save it. That's a lot for me.

Off site charges for parking anywhere $18-25 a night so that $70 room is now $100. WDW for value resorts charge $97- 132 a night no parking fee (just assume its added to room charge). IMO on site -- extra hours, bus transportation are a benefits provided you stay @ a value resort. Another benefit you don't have to scam to save a few bucks on parking

There are no value resorts available for the dates of my trip, and last time I tried to stay at a cheap hotel on a trip to Universal, we had bed bugs, roaches, and no door to the bathroom. (Don't stay at The M Hotel)

There is not a refundable cancellation option. So there's not a "back out" option.

If the advice was "No that's not possible" then thats all anyone really needed to say.

If someone could just stop this thread I'd appreciate it. @The Mom

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Everything anyone does is really all about themselves, you got upset that he wanted to game the system and in the end you mention "... end up costing all of us..." well you do realize that was all about you now wasn't it.

Try some forward thinking. You do realize that Disney today has the mechanisms in place to enforce that only resort guests use their transportation system. Every MB and park MB scanner identifies a resort guest for EMH, and validates them as a resort guest upon re-entry to their resort (if they are driving). All it would take is an MB scanner on a bus or boat. Now what does that mean? It means Disney can monetize their transportation system at any time if they chose to do so. They would include transportation as part of your resort stay and/or AP and this would give them further justification to increase the rates or worse yet, to implement what many here dread (but feel is inevitable) - "The Resort Fee". It's really quite simple: No band - no bus/no boat.

Disney would then begin charging non-resort guests though the app for access to the transportation system. The more people use "tricks" or try to "game the system"....the more likely Disney is to implement these types of things. That I believe -- affects more than just me.

 

[21stamps]

Holy crap all of you guys are so cynical and full of hate. It was just a simple question to save close to another 100 dollars I could use elsewhere. What is wrong with you people. I'm not out trying to be the devil's spawn or anything. I'm sorry I asked for small advice. Who wouldn't want to save 70 bucks if they had the option? Jesus Christ.

How far do you live from Orlando? I'm wondering if you could just take a train or something instead of your car.. maybe it will come out less?

 

[WondersOfLife]

How far do you live from Orlando? I'm wondering if you could just take a train or something instead of your car.. maybe it will come out less?

I actually did look at that as an option, but Amtrak is not available from where I am. At least, it would have to go up to New York somewhere in that area and then switch off to another train back down to Florida, about an 11 hour train ride. I'm in upstate Georgia.

 

[GoofGoof]

Holy crap all of you guys are so cynical and full of hate. It was just a simple question to save close to another 100 dollars I could use elsewhere. What is wrong with you people. I'm not out trying to be the devil's spawn or anything. I'm sorry I asked for small advice. Who wouldn't want to save 70 bucks if they had the option? Jesus Christ.

There's nothing wrong with looking to save a few bucks. I like a good bargain as much as the next guy and I always take advantage of whatever offers I can find. There's a difference between trying to save money and doing something that's just wrong or technically illegal. Using a groupon or entertainment book to get discount movie tickets is a perfectly legit way to save some money but sneaking into the theater without paying will also save you money. It should be obvious that one is acceptable and one is just wrong. If there is a legit and legal place where you can park your car to beat the parking fee then there's nothing wrong with that. Most of the suggestions given in this thread from other posters like sneaking into a resort lot or parking at Disney Springs are not legit or legal options. IMHO you shouldn't try them. Probably the best advice given here is to look offsite for another hotel that doesn't have parking fees or one that is cheaper per night to save you some money if you need the extra $100.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Is it time to close this thread yet, @The Mom ? It's not going anywhere anymore and is getting very unpleasant. Sorry if this is presumptuous.

I'm pretty sure I stated that I didn't do my research as well as I should have... And you shouldn't judge the actions of people without knowing the reason behind them. I'm not in a mentally healthy state right now, a trip to Disney would be something that can fix that.


$72 is enough for food for an entire day. My thing is if it is any way possible to save $72 that I'd like to save it. That's a lot for me.


There are no value resorts available for the dates of my trip, and last time I tried to stay at a cheap hotel on a trip to Universal, we had bed bugs, roaches, and no door to the bathroom. (Don't stay at The M Hotel)

There is not a refundable cancellation option. So there's not a "back out" option.

If the advice was "No that's not possible" then thats all anyone really needed to say.

If someone could just stop this thread I'd appreciate it. @The Mom

You can both use the "unwatch thread" link, upper-right corner(ish.)

To the OP: when you say it's non refundable - are you talking about the tickets or the hotel? There are plenty of decent hotels in the area that are less expensive than on property at Disney, if you are considering that option. Keep your tickets, cancel the current hotel.

We have stayed many times at the Crown Club Inn, it's a very short drive to Disney, but it's not in that pack of fleabag places. It's also not a Hilton which would cost as much or more as Disney. (We are very thrifty sometimes in our trips.)

We get it on either Orbitz or Priceline (I think Orbitz) for around $50-$55/night with a fridge, microwave, and king bed. Pretty sure there are less expensive options. They have restaurants, bars, & pools on site. I think technically they are located in Clermont. Also free breakfast. And free parking.

We prefer "building one" to "building two." Building one: rooms are very clean, looks like recently refurbished. Building two: not gross or anything, but obviously not as nice or new as building two. You can make requests on the morning of your check-in, but like anyplace, you can't always get what you want.

 

[WondersOfLife]

There's nothing wrong with looking to save a few bucks. I like a good bargain as much as the next guy and I always take advantage of whatever offers I can find. There's a difference between trying to save money and doing something that's just wrong or technically illegal. Using a groupon or entertainment book to get discount movie tickets is a perfectly legit way to save some money but sneaking into the theater without paying will also save you money. It should be obvious that one is acceptable and one is just wrong. If there is a legit and legal place where you can park your car to beat the parking fee then there's nothing wrong with that. Most of the suggestions given in this thread from other posters like sneaking into a resort lot or parking at Disney Springs are not legit or legal options. IMHO you shouldn't try them. Probably the best advice given here is to look offsite for another hotel that doesn't have parking fees or one that is cheaper per night to save you some money if you need the extra $100.

And why was it so hard to get any advice like this? It's all I needed. I'm 19. I may be oblivious to what is right/wrong or what's legal/illegal, but I'm not unwilling to learn. That's just the problem. People prefer to immediately roll out hate and criticism instead of advice I can actually learn from... Especially online.

I just wanted to know if it was possible is all. I would've thought my community on here wouldn't be so hateful. It wasn't my intention to "cheat a system." I didn't think of it AS a system. Teach my generation, don't make us feel stupid. We're still learning. This is why so many of us are mentally unstable. No one is helping. We don't have 30 to 60 years of life knowledge. What were you doing when you were 19?

I'm going to ignore this thread now. Thank you, to the few people who actually either tried to help or give actual advice.

 

[WondersOfLife]

You can both use the "unwatch thread" link, upper-right corner(ish.)

To the OP: when you say it's non refundable - are you talking about the tickets or the hotel? There are plenty of decent hotels in the area that are less expensive than on property at Disney, if you are considering that option. Keep your tickets, cancel the current hotel.

We have stayed many times at the Crown Club Inn, it's a very short drive to Disney, but it's not in that pack of fleabag places. It's also not a Hilton which would cost as much or more as Disney. (We are very thrifty sometimes in our trips.)

We get it on either Orbitz or Priceline (I think Orbitz) for around $50-$55/night with a fridge, microwave, and king bed. Pretty sure there are less expensive options. They have restaurants, bars, & pools on site. I think technically they are located in Clermont. Also free breakfast. And free parking.

We prefer "building one" to "building two." Building one: rooms are very clean, looks like recently refurbished. Building two: not gross or anything, but obviously not as nice or new as building two. You can make requests on the morning of your check-in, but like anyplace, you can't always get what you want.

The Hilton hotel is non-refundable. Booked through TripAdvisor. I'll pay the parking fee. It's all good guys.

 

[21stamps]

I actually did look at that as an option, but Amtrak is not available from where I am. At least, it would have to go up to New York somewhere in that area and then switch off to another train back down to Florida, about an 11 hour train ride. I'm in upstate Georgia.

Understandable. The train would probably be more expensive with that route.

 

[GoofGoof]

And why was it so hard to get any advice like this? It's all I needed. I'm 19. I may be oblivious to what is right/wrong or what's legal/illegal, but I'm not unwilling to learn. That's just the problem. People prefer to immediately roll out hate and criticism instead of advice I can actually learn from... Especially online.

I just wanted to know if it was possible is all. I would've thought my community on here wouldn't be so hateful. It wasn't my intention to "cheat a system." I didn't think of it AS a system. Teach my generation, don't make us feel stupid. We're still learning. This is why so many of us are mentally unstable. No one is helping. We don't have 30 to 60 years of life knowledge. What were you doing when you were 19?

I'm going to ignore this thread now. Thank you, to the few people who actually either tried to help or give actual advice.

Don't take it personal. Beating parking fees is like stealing soda at the hotels, it's a frequent topic on this board and people have strong feelings both ways.

When I was 19 I took a trip to WDW with a bunch of friends. We stayed at All Star Sports and ate all of our meals in the food court. Splitting the room 4 ways saved us a lot of money. I didn't have a car with me so no parking issues. Places like this didn't really exist then so I had nobody to ask for advice. It's much more difficult today to save money on a trip to WDW then back in the 90s but there's still some things that can save you a ton of money like staying off property and eating most of your meals outside WDW.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I'd suggest calling Expedia and telling them you were unaware of the ancillary charges. See if they'll transfer you to another hotel near Palm Parkway (which should run you about the same - without the resort or parking fees) and try to get them to waive the cancellation fee. Not saying that will work but depending on various factors...they may be willing to work with you. Chances are the penalty is an Expedia cancellation charge - not a hotel one (unless you are within 48 hours of checking in).