Resort Parking Charges

[flynnibus]

I'm not trying to argue with you. If it is true asphalt needs to be resealed every 2-3 years per the asphalt sealing industry (also read it is pointless to seal) why are the asphalt high traffic roads never sealed and seem to last 10-15 years before needing resurfacing.

I would tell you that is your perception... not necessarily reality. Sealing and topcoat work is being done without you necessarily seeing it.

Edit: Also in some situations they instead opt for a replacement model based on other factors. The point of sealing is to extend life by preventing cracks and other material breakdown. But if the surface will need milling anyway due to other factors... you may find they simply use a shorter replacement cycle vs one that tries to avoid milling/replacement by extending the life of the asphalt.

 

[skyphotographer]

Lets just agree that the resort parking fees stink, no matter the reason.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I'm not trying to argue with you. If it is true asphalt needs to be resealed every 2-3 years per the asphalt sealing industry (also read it is pointless to seal) why are the asphalt high traffic roads never sealed and seem to last 10-15 years before needing resurfacing.

I think they can afford it. They have for all these years previous and I don't remember them eating out of dumpsters.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I would tell you that is your perception... not necessarily reality. Sealing and topcoat work is being done without you necessarily seeing it.

Edit: Also in some situations they instead opt for a replacement model based on other factors. The point of sealing is to extend life by preventing cracks and other material breakdown. But if the surface will need milling anyway due to other factors... you may find they simply use a shorter replacement cycle vs one that tries to avoid milling/replacement by extending the life of the asphalt.

Wouldn't that be more of a requirement in climates with temperature fluctuations of winter and summer. Florida doesn't have that problem and they have very few occasions where there are freezing temperatures where water expanding causes cracks to appear in the service. In fact, when you think about it, in all probability on summer days a lot of the "tar" in asphalt will semi liquefy with the heat from the sun and reseal itself. This ain't the north pole.

 

[larryz]

I personally think "industry standard" is a perfectly viable excuse for charging a parking fee. So much of what used to make Disney exceptional is also going the way of "industry standard"... in an industry dominated by places like Cedar Fair and Six Flags.

WDW... Just Another Amusement Park®

 

[Chef Mickey]

Honestly, get over it. You realize how many top destinations charge to park at their hotels? Disney isn't doing something new.

1) They don't want you to have a car there, period.
2) If you do, you're going to pay for it.
3) The fee is pretty nominal.
4) Disney doesn't charge other fees they COULD charge, like a resort fee....charged at tons of hotels.

 

[Chef Mickey]

I personally think "industry standard" is a perfectly viable excuse for charging a parking fee. So much of what used to make Disney exceptional is also going the way of "industry standard"... in an industry dominated by places like Cedar Fair and Six Flags.

WDW... Just Another Amusement Park®

Disney is/isn't exceptional because of the lack or existence of a nominal parking fee.

 

[danyoung56]

1) They don't want you to have a car there, period.

I just don't think this is true. I can see where the marketing department probably discovered that those that didn't have a car, in other words were more or less captive, spent more money within the Disney borders. So services like Disney's Magical Express busses, and now more recently this parking fee, are efforts to make it easier for the guest to leave his car at home. But to say that they don't want me to have a car there is a bit much.

 

[CaptainJackNO]

Honestly, get over it. You realize how many top destinations charge to park at their hotels? Disney isn't doing something new.

1) They don't want you to have a car there, period.
2) If you do, you're going to pay for it.
3) The fee is pretty nominal.
4) Disney doesn't charge other fees they COULD charge, like a resort fee....charged at tons of hotels.

It's a cash grab

 

[flynnibus]

3) The fee is pretty nominal.

When they are charging $25/day at a deluxe... on a property where the typical stay is 5-7 days... I don't find that nominal. $10-$12/day would be in the 'make them feel some pain' threshold IMO... or a $30/stay fee. This is a 'turn the screws to them' price.

Plus... it is a complete slap in the face to the customers that drive to WDW not because they want to be mobile... but simply because it's the best way to get to WDW.

 

[flynnibus]

Disney is/isn't exceptional because of the lack or existence of a nominal parking fee.

If you can't get the small things right... you'll never get the big things.

 

[flynnibus]

In the land where Disney can GIVE AWAY inclusive transportation from the airport... that has market value of $40+/person... and costs them crazy amounts in infrastructure and labor.. It's just pathethic that if their true motivation was just shaping customer behavior, they couldn't come up with a solution that didn't screw everyone ELSE who ISN'T the target for the change.

That's where it just reeks of opportunistic.. and not just strategy. They are willingly stepping on guests to get to their end-game.

 

[Rumrunner]

Then I'm not going to be one of the people helping Iger reach that goal. We have been driving down for the last 10 years. Not just because it's cheaper, although it's significantly less expensive. But because we also stop elsewhere for several days going down and back. We've stayed on site exclusively for over 30 years, giving the Mouse all the money. Before we started driving, we sometimes rented a car, and sometimes used DME.

But when this latest cash grab came out we sat down and crunched the numbers. With the number of loyalty points we accumulate yearly, we can stay at a hotel just one exit over for FREE. If we plan a longer stay, we can then pay about half the cost of a Disney resort, get a free breakfast and daily newspaper, and FREE parking. The cost to pay for parking at the parks each day is miniscule compared to the money we will save by staying 5 min off site. So Disney not only loses our parking fee, they lose the cost of the resort and at least one meal per day. If more people start crunching the numbers, there may be a lot more availability at the Disney resorts in the future.

Our next trip will definitely be stay off site or at the most a split stay. We normally spend 10 or more nights-3 families at a Disney resort. We see the parking fee as nothing but a cheap shot money grab. In the end Disney will find this to be a misguided poor business decision.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

What does "ample parking" being available, or the fact that the resort owns it have to do with parking fees?

They will charge for it because they can. If I drive past a random, empty pay parking lot somewhere, should I get to park for free because it's not full?

As for being a cash grab, all of Walt Disney World is a cash grab.

 

[Rumrunner]

If you can't get the small things right... you'll never get the big things.

We just returned from a 10 night stay and we clearly noticed that Disney is slipping on the little things. More trash on the ground at the parks, restrooms that were not as clean as in the past, and bus drivers that seemed to hate their job.
At the resort CSR the trees around the fountain had not been trimmed, blocking the view of the fountain. The fountain needed cleaning and the grass was long and needed cutting . Light bulbs were out all around the resort.

We still had a great time but I hate to see Disney not attending to the little things. Taking care of the little things should still be a Disney priority.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

Question for the OP - Were you not aware of the parking fees?

I get it....it's a hassle. I get the fact that your post is a way to vent at something you feel unfair. A lot of people had a lot of opinions (most of them negative) on the original thread when the parking fees were announced. If you made the reservation after the cutoff date (I believe 3/28) then you were aware of the fee.

You could have made the decision not to stay on property because of the fee....but it looks like you made the decision to stay on property in lieu of the fee.

The parking fee is here. Barring a monumental shift in the economy, the industry, and/or just plain demand for Disney properties...they are not going away any time soon.

We don't have to like it...but at some point we need to accept it, budget for it, and move on.

 

[Chef Mickey]

If you can't get the small things right... you'll never get the big things.

Disney has gotten way more ring than wrong. You don’t get to their level without doing so.

 

[Chef Mickey]

It's a cash grab

I hope they start charging resort fees like most top destinations in the world, then you’ll understand cash grab.

 

[Chef Mickey]

When they are charging $25/day at a deluxe... on a property where the typical stay is 5-7 days... I don't find that nominal. $10-$12/day would be in the 'make them feel some pain' threshold IMO... or a $30/stay fee. This is a 'turn the screws to them' price.

Plus... it is a complete slap in the face to the customers that drive to WDW not because they want to be mobile... but simply because it's the best way to get to WDW.

I honestly think $25/day is nominal. See how we all have different opinions?

I’ve paid $75/day resort fee plus more for parking if I had a car and it just is what it is. Don’t go if you think it’s unreasonsble.

 

[larryz]

The fountain needed cleaning and the grass was long and ****gy. Light bulbs were out all around the resort.

Yeah, baby!