Beach Club/Boardwalk parking for Epcot?

[IncredibleboysMom]

Is it permissible to park at the Beach Club or Boardwalk (we are staying at OKW) around 6-7 pm in order to enter Epcot at the International Gateway? This is our arrival evening and we want to eat dinner by snacking around the F&W festival and pick up some goodies for breakfast at the Boardwalk Bakery. Epcot closes at 9pm.

The problem is that if we enter at the front of the park, our kids will never allow us to make it to the countries. My 5 year old lives for Test Track, the 4 year old is a Nemo freak, you get the idea...

We will have our own car and my 9 year old uses a wheelchair, so we can do the valet, right?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by IncredibleboysMom

Is it permissible to park at the Beach Club or Boardwalk (we are staying at OKW) around 6-7 pm in order to enter Epcot at the International Gateway?

Sorry, but it is against Disney policy to park at a resort with the express purpose of going into a theme park.

You can try to Valet park-

There is a method that will allow guests to find out if
the valet parking and leaving the resort for a park will be OK
on the day it is attempted-

When you arrive at the parking gate, tell the guard there
what you are doing,
where you are going and
when you will return for the car.

If the guard says, "OK" then move on to the valet.

When you pull up, tell the valet
what you are doing,
where you are going and
when you will return for the car.

If the valet says its OK, then its OK.


If the guard or the valet says there is only limited time parking available, that will be your answer.

[shelemm]

I have parked at Beach Club in order to visit Epcot. Twice. I had no idea this was not permissible. I just drove in with my CSR parking permit, and nobody asked me where I was going or what I was doing.

[Jeanieblue114]

I think that if you are going for dinner in Epcot for 2 hours it is fine since you are already staying on property. You aren't trying to avoid the cost of parking at the parking lot because it would be free to you anyway. You are planning on doing some shopping at the bakery there on your way out as well.

I don't think that the front gate at the Resort will have a problem with it if you say you are shopping there and you are having dinner in EPCOT at the end of the evening. Especially if you have someone in a wheelchair and this would make it more convenient for dinner. You obviously aren't trying to skirt around the parking fee.

Valet parking is free for HC at the Deluxe resorts (tipping position).
I don't think that you have to justify your plans to the valet driver.

What is NOT allowed is going to the resort, parking , going to only the parks, and avoiding the fee for parking.

[Schmeck]

Just to note - valet parking is free only if you have a HC plate or hang tag, not just because a member of the party is in a wheelchair.

[DVC~OKW~96]

Usually it's ok to park at the Beach Club or Boardwalk, especially if you are going in for dinner.

The boardwalk is an attraction in and of itself, eh?

However, during the Food and Wine Festival, they have been known to refuse parking to non registered guests (at the respective resorts) as they can use up all the available space and not have any for the guests staying at the resort.

So, do go ahead and try, let the guard know you are going in for dinner, and see how it goes. Just be prepared for them to tell you that you cannot park there.

[Deb & Bill]

Originally Posted by Schmeck

Just to note - valet parking is free only if you have a HC plate or hang tag, not just because a member of the party is in a wheelchair.

However, valet parking is only supposed to be used by either guests staying at that resort OR guests visiting that resort. It is not supposed to be used to visit the theme parks.

[SueM in MN]

Originally Posted by Schmeck

Just to note - valet parking is free only if you have a HC plate or hang tag, not just because a member of the party is in a wheelchair.

And, the reason that resort/hotels do it (not just at WDW) is that the parking is often farther away than handicapped parking rules allow. When you look at a WDW deluxe resort, they have a large 'arrival' area, which is very impressive. But, you can't see much close parking right up by the resort entrance. By offering free handicapped parking with a handicapped parking permit, they are able to have less parking close by.

[sharadoc]

We have always valet parked to visit resorts, either have a meal or shop, then head over to a theme park. We've parked at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club, Yacht Club and Contemporary. We've never gotten an objection and we've have either explicity stated what we were doing, or alluded to it in conversation with the valet and/or guard.

The issue is parking in the self-park area - that is the main objection - when you aren't staying at that resort.

[Deb & Bill]

Originally Posted by sharadoc

We have always valet parked to visit resorts, either have a meal or shop, then head over to a theme park. We've parked at the Grand Floridian, Beach Club, Yacht Club and Contemporary. We've never gotten an objection and we've have either explicity stated what we were doing, or alluded to it in conversation with the valet and/or guard.

The issue is parking in the self-park area - that is the main objection - when you aren't staying at that resort.

The reason I said that was DVC members get free valet parking at DVC resorts. And they are instructed not to valet park to visit the theme parks, just to visit the resorts.

[RMulieri]

As someone who stays at the Beach Club/Boardwalk all the time...Please don't use the self parking for themepark access. It is very hard for those of us as paying guests of those resorts to find parking somedays without driving around awhile .If you are visiting Epcot , park at Epcot or pay to valet.Besides, it is clearly noted that the self lots are not for themepark access and during Food and Wine they DO tend to enforce the rule

[CLR4321]

I would just park at Epcot and walk to BW. You can also take the boat to BW if you don't want to walk there.

[DebbieB]

The Beach Club and Boardwalk are very strict about parking during food & wine. I was staying at Boardwalk last year, they gave me a hard time at Beach Club and all I wanted to do was pickup some friends to go over to SSR to tour the DVC models. I kept saying I wasn't going to park. Why would I want to park at Beach Club when I had a Boardwalk parking permit?

Boardwalk puts an extra guard at the back entrance to the self park to make sure someone doesn't say they are valet parking and then slip into the self park (they block the driveway entrance to the self park).

[bsbrady]

I have to disagree with the people saying its ok. There have been several times when i was staying at the Boardwalk or Yacht & Beach, that the self parking has been full and I was forced to Valet at a cost to me. The parking is really for the guests of that particular resort.
You shouldn't be allowed to park there just because you don't want to walk from the front of Epcot and you want to come in at the International Gateway. You woulnt like to have to pay for parking at OKW because the lot was full?