Something needs to change with bus transportation at Saratoga Springs because of DTD

[DVCOwner]

In your example, why would you take a cab from where DME dropped you off to your hotel...

Wouldnt you just hop onto a Disney bus and ride from the DME drop off to a park or DTD to your resort? Or better yet, DME to OKW to jump on a boat to DTD that takes a boat to SSR?

Here is an example of what I am talking about. It is my understanding that the Disney Magical Express is not provided for the Hotel Plaza (accross from Downtown Disney). So if one could take the DME bus to the SSR, they could get a free ride to there and than just pay a cab to drive them accorss the street to one of the Plaza Hotels.

 

[patricia27]

Buses!

My goodness the options are endless!! Maybe someone could produce a leaflet on all the combinations of free transport to various locations---and then sell it to subsidise the buses!!!

 

[slappy magoo]

I still wonder how many guests actually do this. I can`t imagine families with kids in strollers being bothered to be on and off buses etc when all the kids want to do is get in the park and go on a ride. I do know someone who does it though--how tight and what a waste of time!!

Never underestimate the will of people who love to look for a "bargain." Same thing with people who love to look for a shortcut when driving, or a hole in logic when arguing, if that's your deal, you go for it with gusto.

Also (sorry in advance if this sounds like snobbery), some people go to WDW but choose to stay offsite to get the best bang for the buck - they may be staying someplace with no Disney "magic" but far more amenities for less money than a Disney resort - and other people stay offsite because that's the only way they can afford this particular trip. You can argue - perhaps persuasively - that people staying offsite should nonetheless factor in their daily parking fees in their budget. But if you're trying to (or need to) spend as little money as possible and still give your family that WDW vacation they want, and you're willing to park in the Marketplace and walk 10 minutes to a bus stop that takes you to any WDW park you want to go...and that saves you enough money to get kids souvenirs or a single nice dinner out, you may think it's worth the extra time. I've got relatives that fit this description; they stay offsite, they're early morning risers so they can be showered and dressed, have eaten breakfast and be out the door with smiles on their faces by 7:30 (I hate them ). They love the idea of saving money. The kids would rather get gift cards than presents, I originally thought because my taste is awful but really it's because they want to see how they can stretch that dollar. And they have no problem staying offsite, and using SSR bus transportation. The fact that it bugs me is just icing on the cake.

And for people who wonder if it's THAT big a deal...if you're staying at SSR, which is a big resort, and you hear people talking about having come over from the DTD lot, and the bus gets so crowded that actual SSR guests can't get on, it seems like more of a big deal. It shouldn't happen. I won't bother going into boring detail again, but if they were to start charging (but validating for) parking at DTD, that would take care of most of the problems and make Disney more money too. Keep it free for resort guests with passes on their dashboards, maybe don't charge for the first three hours, validate with DTD purchases, and then charge as much as a theme park lot.

 

[patricia27]

Opinions!!

I'm just loving this forum!!
So many great comments--if guests want to find a way to avoid parking then they will. But I guess what they save on parking they will spend in the park, so Disney gets they money in the end!!

 

[disneyrcks]

Can someone confirm this for me? If you are staying on property, you do not have to pay for parking....u just keep that sheet of paper on your dashboard and display it when you pull up to the gate. We usually take buses so I can't remember.

 

[DVCOwner]

If you are staying on property at one of the Disney Resorts, you do not have to pay for parking. So if you drive to one of the parks instead of taking a bus, you just show you parking pass from the resort you are staying at.

 

[lebeau]

Here is an example of what I am talking about. It is my understanding that the Disney Magical Express is not provided for the Hotel Plaza (accross from Downtown Disney). So if one could take the DME bus to the SSR, they could get a free ride to there and than just pay a cab to drive them accorss the street to one of the Plaza Hotels.

They won't let you do this. You need to present a voucher to get on the DME bus. You usually get this with your room reservation. If you forgot to set it up in advance, you can still get on the bus. But you'll need to verify your room reservations and get a voucher.

In fact, even if you are staying on site you still can't get on just any bus. Last trip, I was staying at Port Orleans but needed to get to All-Star Music to meet up with someone. I asked about taking the DME to All-Star Music to cut down on my bus travel and was told I could not do so because I was starying at Port Orleans.

Long story short: They don't just let anybody on those busses.

 

[patricia27]

Disney magical Express

I think the reason you need to have booked the DME from the airport is something to do with an agreement with the cab drivers at the airport. They said if the DME was a walk on service then they would lose so much business. So if it is booked in advance the cabbies are a bit happier!!
Disney is happy for the DME to be a free ride because they know the riders will spend most of their time and money in WDW!!

 

[tjkraz]

I won't bother going into boring detail again, but if they were to start charging (but validating for) parking at DTD, that would take care of most of the problems and make Disney more money too.

I doubt it would make them more profits in the end. Yes they would earn a bit of additional revenue, but think of the added expenses incurred along the way. Most notably, they would need to staff booths at all of the exit points throughout DTD.

There could also be some blowback from vendors at DTD. They are certain to lose some volume of foot traffic by creating a literal barrier to entry.

And in the end, I suspect many of the parking violators would simply change their approach. Some would park at the waterparks which also are not gated. Others would get better at talking their way past the guard booths at resort hotels. All you need is a dining reservation at a hotel to be able to enter the hotel grounds. I don't think I'm giving away any secrets by pointing out that an ADR at Cape May will get you into the self-park lot at the Beach Club for free.

Plug one hole and many will find another way.

Someone bought up comparisons to Disneyland and that's not really apples-to-apples. DL has a much greater percentage of AP-holding guests, many of whom must choose between parking for a higher-priced pass which includes free parking or using the parking deck at $15 per trip. And the entire resort area is much more compact. Parking in the DTD lot gets you easy access to the two theme parks.

DL has much greater motivation to retain their DTD lot exclusively for those who wish to shop. Their policies are different out of necessity in this case, not simply because they are wiser than their Florida counterparts.