Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[Carl4628]

All we are to Di$ney is dollar $ign$ now.

I wish WDW would break down their bills like the phone and cable companies do so we can see what the actual costs are going to. With 17 multi-day visits/resort/off-site and 10-15 more single day visits to WDW, they have finally convinced me that they are not about families having fun and a Magical time, but more about their own selfish interests. I can no longer justify the trip to WDW when costs keep going up, and service keeps going down. A quick service meal for 4 costs as much as a nice sit down dinner at home.

Iger and crew have convinced me that my Disney time is pretty much over.

I totally agree and it is sad.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I actually thank Disney at this point .. with the amount we won’t be spending on annual passes 2,000 + and on site stays we will do a overseas trip and DCL each year instead .. and STILL save money .. it’s been a nice time but the kids are grown ( except dd12 and she is begging for Ireland) so time to move on ..

 

[SL6827]

I actually thank Disney at this point .. with the amount we won’t be spending on annual passes 2,000 + and on site stays we will do a overseas trip and DCL each year instead .. and STILL save money .. it’s been a nice time but the kids are grown ( except dd12 and she is begging for Ireland) so time to move on ..

I like that. Just bought into a small 40 point, get your feet wet contract with DVC and plan to get in another 30-50 points. But no more than that. Having around 65-75 points will be enough for me, as we will start looking at other places as well. We leave Monday for the Grand Cayman, for medical tourism. But it will be nice to see the Caribbean again.

 

[Beachmom0317]

I am trying to think all of this through. Our family always stays at a FW cabin, which is a moderate. So this will now include a $19/night charge for overnight parking. But we will still get free parking at the theme parks since we are onsite resort guests, correct?

If we moved offsite- we’d have to now pay for theme park parking (which looks like $22/45 for car per day depending on preferred spot or not). Would we be saving overall if we moved offsite even though we now have to pay for theme park parking? I am not aware how much you can save if you stay offsite, I’ve never looked into it. I am considering all options now.

 

[DisneyDude71]

I haven't been able to read the entire thread, so forgive me if this is buried in here somewhere...
Has anyone been able to get an answer from WDW about what happens if you book now for a trip that will take place after March 21 (so no parking fee), and then you change your reservation when (if?) discounts come out? Do we know if the reservation would be grandfathered in under the no parking fee terms, or would it be considered a new reservation booked after March 21 and subject to parking fees?

As long as its a modification, and you dont have to cancel and rebook, you should be fine. BUT if you have a room but no dining I think they have to cancel and rebook. I'm sure i will be correctred if wrong.
When I booked mine I applied dining to it so I would not have to do that, I will just have to apply the discount.

 

[kittyab]

That sucks. At the DVC tours they always talk about how you should buy now because the price will go up next year but you get to keep the lower price. Not surprised, though. :/

Yes the dues increase every year. So they will say DVC members will not pay a resort fee or a parking fee.... yes we are!

 

[chuckml]

I actually thank Disney at this point .. with the amount we won’t be spending on annual passes 2,000 + and on site stays we will do a overseas trip and DCL each year instead .. and STILL save money .. it’s been a nice time but the kids are grown ( except dd12 and she is begging for Ireland) so time to move on ..

Go to Ireland. We took DD15 2 years ago when she was 13 and we had a blast. Beautiful country, the friendliest people ever, etc.
We booked thru Great Value Vacations and paid just over $1000 per person. Included air form JFK to Dublin, 8 nights rental car., 5 nights in a villa in Adare on the west coast, and 3 nights at Druid's Glen Resort just outside of Dublin, which is an incredible resort.
I'd go again in a heartbeat.
Didn't pay to park at either resort.

 

[WDWFan0813]

Probably. They might even create a dessert party around it.

I'm not big on the dessert parties though...you package it with a Mama Melrose dinner and SIGN ME UP!!

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

I like that. Just bought into a small 40 point, get your feet wet contract with DVC and plan to get in another 30-50 points. But no more than that. Having around 65-75 points will be enough for me, as we will start looking at other places as well. We leave Monday for the Grand Cayman, for medical tourism. But it will be nice to see the Caribbean again.

Yeh I use DCL to see the Caribbean ( still a better deal then parks ) and I spent under 4,000 in October visiting Manchester , Wales and Leeds including round trip airfare !

 

[MusicalAstronaut]

The DVC guide is likely talking about the per point purchase price for each resort. There are two main components to purchasing DVC, your per point purchase price and your annual dues. Annual dues are paid every year by every owner, based on the resort that you own and the number of points that you have, our annual dues pay for things like maintenance, transportation, staffing etc., if those costs increase year over year our dues increase to cover those costs (and they are delineated by category and costs paid on our annual dues statement). The per point purchase price for each resort is something that you pay once, when you purchase, so in relation to that cost the DVC guide was correct, if you purchase today you will pay today's price, if you purchase next year, you will pay next year's price, which may be higher.

That makes sense.

 

[SL6827]

Yeh I use DCL to see the Caribbean ( still a better deal then parks ) and I spent under 4,000 in October visiting Manchester , Wales and Leeds including round trip airfare !

Been on DCL twice, and might try another cruise line at some point. But actual trips into the parks are going to become fewer and farther between for us. Going this June for a short resort only stay and I am looking so forward to it, but it might be a while before we invest in any tickets to the world.

 

[SL6827]

Hilton Head is very nice as well. Love that place. It could be our go to during Fall breaks with school.

 

[DizneyMommy]

I keep seeing conflicting comments. Are they going to add the parking fee to everyone automatically, or only if you have a car? Because if they truly have no gate or anything then 1) how will they know who has a car and who doesn’t, and 2) how will they enforce it?

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

I always thought that the resort was looping the parking fee into the cost of a nightly hotel. I didn't think it was a coincidence that the resort was free parking. I just felt that was a part of the simplicity of the experience. I mean the rooms are already so expensive that most people can't afford it. I can understand if they were like 250 a night and there was a 24 dollar fee to park That would make sense but having a 500+ fee per night and then additionally charging 24 dollars a night is just more or less a bash in the face and we want more. I just can't hack it. There are now two more days I will not spend money on due to increasing price tickets, resort prices, food prices, parking fees. I mean enough has been enough for a couple years now. Disney is going to screw up the family vacation with this. I would rather just stay home and go every other year or every third year. Greed is not good.

 

[nkereina]

I agree with the first quote, I have never paid to park at a hotel in my life. I have stayed where there is a charge to park in Manhattan, but I wouldn't drive there anyway- I took the train. So I didn't pay to park. I stayed with family when I went to Hawaii, and they didn't charge me to park. I can't think of any other hotel I've stayed at that charged me to park. If I was driving to a place where paying a parking fee was my only option, and I felt that the overall price was worth the experience, I would pay it. However, in the last couple of days, I've found many nice off- site Disney-area hotels that do not charge a parking fee. So, at this point, paying a hotel parking fee at a Disney resort is not worth it to me.

Fair enough. But in Manhattan, you opted to take the train, but would have had to pay to if you drove because the hotel did charge for parking. And you're fortunate to have family in Hawaii so you avoided a resort all together there. So the scenarios you describe are out of the norm. Even when we drive and stay at a hotel in downtown Buffalo, we pay to park. It's expected. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Disney should charge or that it should be expected - but I'm just saying that an adult who travels and has never had to pay to park at a hotel blows my mind a little bit.

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

If I had not already bought $6000 in Disney gift cards I would cancel our trip in September. After this parking fee issue I did a little research. I found out we could go to Hawaii for cheaper than Disney. Stuck this year but next year we are going to Hawaii.

Amen - There is a big world out there. I hope it comes down on Disney's bottom line. Serves them right for being greedy. Shame on them for messing with family tradition and magical moments.

 

[wdwdano@yahoo.com]

Sadly, Until people stop going and paying the ridiculous prices they will continue to add fees and increase prices. Emailing and calling mean nothing if not backed up financially. I am frustrated that this is the one time I have upgraded to AP. I had to pay $210 extra because I could not upgrade over the phone when prices increased 10 days before my trip. Now resort prices have gone up and now parking. #themagicisgone

Sadly, I have stopped paying the fees. I find my self-enjoying the other things that you can do in Orlando. One day I went to the Premium Outlets and had a great lunch at Bahama Breeze. Another Day I slept in and went to I-drive and Disney Springs. I mean there is only so much money to be spent before I go broke. I would almost like to save more money now that Disney is money grabbing more and more. For example, I don't go to food and wine anymore because they are charging exorbitant amounts(5-10 dollars) for small plates. They were great at 4 dollars for a tiny pasta plate or 5 dollars for a plate with beef or fish. Now it is just ridiculous. I know this because I used to have 50 dollars to budget for food. Now when I finish my money I am still hungry. Less and less for more and more price.

 

[Kevin355]

Fair enough. But in Manhattan, you opted to take the train, but would have had to pay to if you drove because the hotel did charge for parking. And you're fortunate to have family in Hawaii so you avoided a resort all together there. So the scenarios you describe are out of the norm. Even when we drive and stay at a hotel in downtown Buffalo, we pay to park. It's expected. Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying Disney should charge or that it should be expected - but I'm just saying that an adult who travels and has never had to pay to park at a hotel blows my mind a little bit.

If you are comparing parking in Manhattan to WDW, you are comparing apples to oranges. There is plenty of parking at WDW, not so much in NYC. I have relatives who work in NYC, and they pay $1400 a month in parking. And the only other time I paid to park was in Downtown Atlanta. I have never paid to park at Destin, Pensacola, Orlando, Key West, LA, Nashville, or Boston hotels.

 

[jimonb]

I for one am super excited to go to Disney and have zero lines at attractions since everyone here is going to be vacationing elsewhere lol. Well worth $15-24 more per day.

 

[Denise W]

If you are comparing parking in Manhattan to WDW, you are comparing apples to oranges. There is plenty of parking at WDW, not so much in NYC. I have relatives who work in NYC, and they pay $1400 a month in parking. And the only other time I paid to park was in Downtown Atlanta. I have never paid to park at Destin, Pensacola, Orlando, Key West, LA, Nashville, or Boston hotels.

I have paid to park in several Boston hotels. In January I paid to park at a hotel in Bayonne, NJ, where I stayed the night before starting a cruise. I parked at the cruise port for the cruise, and of course paid for that.
Denise