RUMOR: Free parking coming to WDW

[Skyway]

Apparently Disney is considering eliminating parking lot fees at its theme parks. If they go forward with the plan, you'll never have to hand over cash to a parking lot plaza attendant ever again!

Don't get too excited. The price of parking will likely be folded into a ticket price increase--maybe three or four bucks a ticket.

Its a brilliant "shell game" on Disney's part. They get to advertise "free parking" while saving money eliminating all those parking lot money takers. Depending on the ticket price increase, they'll potentially make more money per carload of visitors than the current parking fee. And hotel visitors and off-property shuttle bus riders will also pay the increased ticket even though they aren't parking.

Again, this is only a rumor. Has anyone heard more firm plans, dates, etc?

 

[Enigma]

Apparently Disney is considering eliminating parking lot fees at its theme parks. If they go forward with the plan, you'll never have to hand over cash to a parking lot plaza attendant ever again!

Don't get too excited. The price of parking will likely be folded into a ticket price increase--maybe three or four bucks a ticket.

Its a brilliant "shell game" on Disney's part. They get to advertise "free parking" while saving money eliminating all those parking lot money takers. Depending on the ticket price increase, they'll potentially make more money per carload of visitors than the current parking fee. And hotel visitors and off-property shuttle bus riders will also pay the increased ticket even though they aren't parking.

Again, this is only a rumor. Has anyone heard more firm plans, dates, etc?

I doubt it only because the fee helps keep the parking lots under control. If its free parking people will just leave there car in the lot and use the monorails/bus/boats to go all over the place at the resort rather than the actual park they parked in.

 

[go3epcot]

This seems to punish the WDW Resort guest. This is one charge that they don't pay that they can see others paying, which shows a small advantage for staying on site. For this reason, I doubt Disney will follow through with this plan.

 

[PhotoDave219]

This is all guess-timation and estimating based on average park attendance. Beyond that, none of these numbers should be taken as fact and are probably low.

Okay, parking is around $10 (11 to be specific but i want to use simple math here) a car.

There's an average attendance at WDW of 128,000 people/day. (TEA/ERA estimates of all 4 parks divided by 365)

If only 15% of those people drive - not counting AP holders or resort guests with cars - thats 19,200 cars working out to close to $200,000/day in lost revenue. (Thats probably on the low side and someone in parking out have to have some hard numbers)

To make up for that, its like a $2 dollar increase per person, per day.

I'm not sure Disney would ever let a revenue stream like that slip away. I don't see it happening.

 

[sbkline]

I doubt it only because the fee helps keep the parking lots under control. If its free parking people will just leave there car in the lot and use the monorails/bus/boats to go all over the place at the resort rather than the actual park they parked in.

People already do that anyway...at least I have done so in the past. And once you pay parking for one park, you don't have to pay at the other parks. You're parking pass is good for the day at any park, so you're not out any more money in parking fees if you drive somewhere else.

It's simply more convenient, if you want to parkhop, to take a bus or monorail and leave your car parked at the first park you visited. Then, at the end of the day, just bus/monorail back, get in the car and go back to your lodging.

 

[Disneykidder]

I don't think they will get rid of the parking fee. Just a hunch.

 

[Master Yoda]

This is all guess-timation and estimating based on average park attendance. Beyond that, none of these numbers should be taken as fact and are probably low.

Okay, parking is around $10 (11 to be specific but i want to use simple math here) a car.

There's an average attendance at WDW of 128,000 people/day. (TEA/ERA estimates of all 4 parks divided by 365)

If only 15% of those people drive - not counting AP holders or resort guests with cars - thats 19,200 cars working out to close to $200,000/day in lost revenue. (Thats probably on the low side and someone in parking out have to have some hard numbers)

To make up for that, its like a $2 dollar increase per person, per day.

I'm not sure Disney would ever let a revenue stream like that slip away. I don't see it happening.

I do not see it happening either but as you stated the revenue could be made up by a very slight ticket price increase.

But.......
When we look at what other problems removing the parking fee would solve I can see it as a possibility. There would no longer be the issue of people parking at resorts and DTD to avoid the $11 charge. Traffic flow into the parks could also be improved and all of those cast members manning the booth would no longer be needed. Also think of the free positive publicity Disney would get and the financial blow it would deal to the other Orlando parks if they announced that they were removing the parking fee. If Disney dropped the parking fee US and SW would almost definitely have to follow suit.

 

[devoy1701]

Who actually pays for parking at Disney anymore anyway? pshhh...:lookaroun

Not having to pay a parking fee when going through the tolls would be alittle more convenient tho...

 

[KeeKee]

What is the origin of the rumor?

 

[Nero the dog]

The booths would still need to be manned, especailly at peak times, how else could they control how many cars are trying to get into the parking areas. Just imagine the chaos

 

[LudwigVonDrake]

I'll believe it when I see it.

 

[RedGear]

Ya I don't think they are going to do that, think of how much money they make on each car for everyday you are there that you don't stay on disney property

Can they do this before we go in 17 days??? I would love not having to pay for parking. . . the only bad thing about staying off-site

 

[Master Yoda]

The booths would still need to be manned, especailly at peak times, how else could they control how many cars are trying to get into the parking areas. Just imagine the chaos

Why would they need to be manned? All that would be needed it some way to close off the parking lot in the event of a capacity closure.

 

[cpeterstx]

I think it more likely that they'll keep the charge for parking AND raise ticket prices. That seems more likely to me! :veryconfu

 

[ChrisFL]

Why would they need to be manned? All that would be needed it some way to close off the parking lot in the event of a capacity closure.

I think having a single file line backing up for a couple of miles would happen, instead of how they all branch out to the many different parking fee stations now...

 

[Mr.EPCOT]

I think this is a great idea, they could certainly save money on staffing the auto plazas. Conversely, I think they should start charging for parking at the Resorts if you're not staying or dining there, like they do at the Disneyland Resort Hotels.

 

[slappy magoo]

Why would they need to be manned? All that would be needed it some way to close off the parking lot in the event of a capacity closure.

Which would possibly happen more often in the event of free parking.

I mean, not to call us a nation of cheapskates, but I'm sure plenty of people staying offsite or going to WDW for just a day will get as many people into as few cars as possible to save a few bucks. Free parking would possibly mean more cars coming in to the lots.

And, as others have stated, one of the perks of staying on-site - and I'd bet for many people it's a major perk (it is for me) - is that parking is free. I drive to the parks (except for MK) more often than take the buses. I like the option, and I don't ALWAYS drive, but more often than not, I do.

If this rumor is indeed based on actual speculation happening in WDW mangement (and there is zero proof that it is, so nobody get their panties in a bunch). then WDW would to well to remember what happened when they tried to cut costs by eliminating extra magic hours in exchange for the character caravan. Remember that? Instead of going to the parks early to see the characters, the characters come to you? And how we, as a planet, went "Well, whoop-de-s**t?" Resort attendance started to suffer. EMH was a big reason people stayed on-property in the first place. Research would have to be placed not only on how much money they'd make or lose by making parking free at the turnstiles, but how it might affect attendance at the resorts.

 

[hokielutz]

This is all guess-timation and estimating based on average park attendance. Beyond that, none of these numbers should be taken as fact and are probably low.

Okay, parking is around $10 (11 to be specific but i want to use simple math here) a car.

There's an average attendance at WDW of 128,000 people/day. (TEA/ERA estimates of all 4 parks divided by 365)

If only 15% of those people drive - not counting AP holders or resort guests with cars - thats 19,200 cars working out to close to $200,000/day in lost revenue. (Thats probably on the low side and someone in parking out have to have some hard numbers)

To make up for that, its like a $2 dollar increase per person, per day.

I'm not sure Disney would ever let a revenue stream like that slip away. I don't see it happening.

Its not a matter of letting a revenue stream slip away... its how they account for it in the new setup. In their systems, they can separate the $$ spent on each ticket into separate "buckets." So, $2 to $3 of each daily ticket (after price increases) would go into their parking and roadway infrastructure account. And the rest goes into their general ticket sales. Granted... without the need for toll collectors, they can save a small amount of expenses there.

But I think the real questions is what do they do with the entrances? Tear down the gates? Put in gates to regulate the flow of vehicles into the lots? place 1 to 2 cast members at each of the gates to answer questions?

 

[Master Yoda]

I think having a single file line backing up for a couple of miles would happen, instead of how they all branch out to the many different parking fee stations now...

I don't think so. Traffic will back up a bit but certainly not more that it does now where every car must come to a complete stop at the parking plaza. All you would need is a way to get people to back off the speed which could be done with rumble strips.

 

[Disneyfan1981]

I see this as more of a problem than solution. Raising ticket prices is never that popular but also I can imagine lots filling up quickly as certain parks like MK or Epcot and the parking area to be a complete melee....