I read where some of the resorts such as The Contemporary will give you a three hour parking pass to park and dine or shop. Is this accurate? I had plans that I might have to change if this is true. In order to save some commuting time we had planned on arriving on Saturday, driving over and parking at The Contemporary about 3pm. We have reservations at Chef Mickeys at 5:45pm. We would walk over to the Magic Kingdom for a couple of hours before dinner, come back and eat and then walk back back over to MK for Spectromagic at 7pm. After that we would go back to The Contemporary, get our car and drive to our Resort for the night. That would mean parking there for about 5 hours. What has been your experience? Am I taking advantage of the situation? Maybe I am but can I do this or not?
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Parking Pass at The Contemporary
- Thread starter Gravydeen
- Start date
niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
I meant to say that. Just offering an alternative to the Contemporary and TTC lot that still offers ease of access to the Magic Kingdom and Contemporary. Just trying to appease those folks who beleive parking at the Contemporary for 5 hours is so morally unthinkable.
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blackerbys17
New Member
Again, wouldn't valet parking solve all these issues? Personally, I have never been told about a time limit when I used valet parking but you could always ask the, Hey, I am going to eat here and then go to the MK for awhile before returning, do you mind?" If they say they don't mind and you have paid for valet parking then you are good to go! No moral dilemas, right?
I personally park hop very often, usually visiting 3 parks in one day and when I do, I use valet parking. You pay for it once and it is good at all the resorts (though I do tip when I leave the car and retrieve it). For the MK, I use the Grand Floridian valet service and for Epcot & MGM, I use either the Yacht Club or the Boardwalk valet service. I did use the AK Lodge valet service once to go to AK but bus service to the park takes forever from the lodge so it just wasn't worth it. I usually only stay at each park about 4 hours tops (except for MGM, which is more like 2) and since I pay for my parking through valet I don't have to worry about being towed so it is money WELL spent!
I personally park hop very often, usually visiting 3 parks in one day and when I do, I use valet parking. You pay for it once and it is good at all the resorts (though I do tip when I leave the car and retrieve it). For the MK, I use the Grand Floridian valet service and for Epcot & MGM, I use either the Yacht Club or the Boardwalk valet service. I did use the AK Lodge valet service once to go to AK but bus service to the park takes forever from the lodge so it just wasn't worth it. I usually only stay at each park about 4 hours tops (except for MGM, which is more like 2) and since I pay for my parking through valet I don't have to worry about being towed so it is money WELL spent!
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niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
:veryconfu :veryconfu :veryconfu
Care to pen your feelings instead of :brick: :brick: :brick: . It might help the rest of us to understand your point.
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niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
I used to feel that way. However, I think if you are a paying resort guest staying at another resort, then in this situation it is ok.
Now, if you were to just lie about visiting or dining at that resort in order obtain free parking, I still find a problem with that.
One of the biggest tragedies I see is that free or discounted parking isn't included with the seasonal pass. I think nearly all other parks offer some kind of parking discount program with their passes except Disney.
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niteobsrvr
Well-Known Member
So as not to argue the point, I shall answer your question. If I haven't checked in at my resort just yet, then I have not received my parking pass. Unfortunately there is no way to have your parking ticket validated.
Of course, for those of us really close to Disney, there are often multiple ways to avoid the parking fees if we want.
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blackerbys17
New Member
True, free parking at Disney is not impossible. You could park at Downtown Disney and then take the busses to the parks, or park at the Boardwalk and either walk to Epcot or take a bus to another park, or even park at the guest parking lot at the Grand Floridian, without having to even go into the resort.
But why go through all the trouble when you can save money AND time by using valet parking? Yes folks, it is not only more convenient, it is also CHEAPER than parking at one of the parks! Mind you, I get free parking at the parks with my annual pass but I still opt for Valet parking most of the time. Of course, now that I have my Disney Dining Experience card, that is free too!
I guess it all depends on what it is you are looking to avoid, spending extra money or extra time. There is a way to avoid both in a perfectly legit way. Want to save the $10 it costs to park your car? Then park at Downtown Disney and take a bus to the parks. Want to save time by avoiding having to find a parking space, taking a tram, and monorail only to repeat the whole thing at the end of the day when you are dog tired? Then pay for valet parking at the resort nearest the park you wish to visit.
I don't see a problem, there are plenty of morally correct, legit solutions! :wave:
But why go through all the trouble when you can save money AND time by using valet parking? Yes folks, it is not only more convenient, it is also CHEAPER than parking at one of the parks! Mind you, I get free parking at the parks with my annual pass but I still opt for Valet parking most of the time. Of course, now that I have my Disney Dining Experience card, that is free too!
I guess it all depends on what it is you are looking to avoid, spending extra money or extra time. There is a way to avoid both in a perfectly legit way. Want to save the $10 it costs to park your car? Then park at Downtown Disney and take a bus to the parks. Want to save time by avoiding having to find a parking space, taking a tram, and monorail only to repeat the whole thing at the end of the day when you are dog tired? Then pay for valet parking at the resort nearest the park you wish to visit.
I don't see a problem, there are plenty of morally correct, legit solutions! :wave:
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WDW FAN 4 LIFE
New Member
What some people do not understand is that it's not always that easy to park at the Contemporary if your not a guest & do not have an ADR. Let's say for example someone wants to break the rules & say they are going there for the Concourse Steakhouse but they really want to park there & walk to the Magic Kingdom. They tell the CM working at the security gate they do not have an ADR, since there name would not be on the list. If the Contemporary is in lockdown mode, which means they are only letting guests staying there & guests with confirmed ADR's park there. So if your not a guest or have an ADR, then you will be told to turn around & leave. When I was there this past August there was 2 big conventions going on at the Contemporary & on the Thursday & Friday that week, I saw cars that were told to turn around & leave. Plus they are in lockdown mode on the big holidays like Christmas, New Years, July 4th & etc, so they only let guests who are staying there & guests with confirmed ADR's & once again I have seen people told to turn around & leave on such days like Christmas Day & New Years Evev. Now nothing can stop these guests with ADR's who parked there for an ADR to walking to the Magic Kingdom after, but if these people wish to do that & break the rules of parking at the Contemporary, I sure hope karma will soon catch up to them.
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IneedaWDWfix
Member
You cannot park at downtown Disney and go directly to a park. That stopped this practice several years ago because people were trying to park for free and the spaces were filling up. You can however, park there, hop a bus to a resort and then take a bus from the resort to the parks.
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blackerbys17
New Member
Huh, that's interesting! Not that I need to due to my annual pass including parking and all, but good to know!
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