Parking at Resorts Other Than the One Your Staying At??

[rojoe]

Two years ago we stayed at the CB and drove to the Poly to hop the monorail. The guard would just wave us through and we parked there a few times all day. I was wondering if it is still possible to do that. My Travel Agent told me she was only able to get a 3 hour pass to park at the Contemporary. With all the negative info I'm hearing about the transportation from the WL via busses and boats I thought maybe we could could park elsewhere, like the Contemporary and still hop the monorail. Would it be just as easy to take the boat to the Contemporary to hop the monorail or do the boats take a round about way to get there too??

I leave in 3 weeks and am getting a little upset at all the feedback regarding WL transprtation. I know it is not a monorail resort but it is considered a deluxe and I thought the boat to the MK would take care of getting us there with convenience. Now I'm not so sure. Anyone have anything to add or alleviate my concerns(I hope)???? Rojoe

 

[GoofysPrincess]

I think your travel agent is right -- at least about the Poly. The last time we went to the Poly for breakfast, we were given a 3-hour parking pass. We actually ate the Kona Cafe and then made a quick jump over to MK on the boat for one last ride on Splash Mountain then back to the Poly to retrieve our car. We might have been gone slightly over 3 hours with no dire consequences -- but not sure what they would do if the time was seriously elongated.

We did park in the BW parking lot when going to Epcot since we were planning a trip to Jellyrolls at the end of the evening. There we were not given any kind of parking pass.

 

[jennymouse]

Actually this is a pretty touchy subject around here. And with good reason. It seems many people like yourself were parking and taking the monorail, causing folks who were paying to stay at the hotel not to be able to get parking spaces. You can get a three hour pass to eat at a restaurant at a resort you are not staying at. You should either use the transportation that WL provides, drive and park at the MK, or book a room at the Contemporary. Thanks for asking though!

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by rojoe
Two years ago we stayed at the CB and drove to the Poly to hop the monorail. The guard would just wave us through and we parked there a few times all day. I was wondering if it is still possible to do that. My Travel Agent told me she was only able to get a 3 hour pass to park at the Contemporary. With all the negative info I'm hearing about the transportation from the WL via busses and boats I thought maybe we could could park elsewhere, like the Contemporary and still hop the monorail. Would it be just as easy to take the boat to the Contemporary to hop the monorail or do the boats take a round about way to get there too??

I leave in 3 weeks and am getting a little upset at all the feedback regarding WL transprtation. I know it is not a monorail resort but it is considered a deluxe and I thought the boat to the MK would take care of getting us there with convenience. Now I'm not so sure. Anyone have anything to add or alleviate my concerns(I hope)???? Rojoe

They started the 3hr parking passes at the monorail resorts to prevent what you are describing above. Many people were using the parking lots of the monorail hotels as park parking lots and the people who were actually staying at the monorail resorts could not get parking spaces.

The WL has a boat to the MK.

Taking the buses to the parks is not that bad. The buses run about every 20mins from your resort to a park and then back again. If you just miss a bus then you might have to wait 20mins. The only transporation from the AKL is buses and we spent 15 days there over two trips in 2001 without any issues.

I have not seen bad reports about the boat from the WL to the MK but maybe I just missed the posts.

Hope you have a great trip.

 

[cindala]

As stated above, the monorail resorts have a 3 hour parking pass. The only way around this is if you valet park, and pay $6. You only pay the fee once each day, so you can valet park at as many resorts as you want that day.

 

[rojoe]

Thanks for the responses.

jennymouse: Just to clarify, we ARE staying at a WDW resort and if parking is a problem at any of the resorts I would think it would be Disney's fault rather than any of the paying guests. After all, if the line of thinking you suggested were followed then I guess since we are staying on site and are provided transportation, then to park our rental car at the TTC would be taking parking away from off-site guests who are paying for parking. My point was only that we were lead to believe we would be provided convenient transpotation to the parks. I'm just trying to find it. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

 

[SillyOldBear]

I agree! There should be a time limit to parking at a resort if you are not staying there. Why would you even think you would be able to take a parking space from someone who is actually staying at the resort. Unfortunately I have seen this happen many times-even at the valet. When the valet asked if this guy was staying at the resort he said no and that he and his family were having breakfast there and that they "might" take a trip on the monorail to the MK. All the valet said was ok and the guy was off. All I know is that I PAY for the convenience as do many others.

 

[GoofysPrincess]

Does anyone know for sure what WDW rules are regarding the use of valet parking at monorail resorts for the non-resort guests? Is that 'officially' okay or not? Maybe so since the drivers often park the cars in out of the way lots... Just curious...

 

[Andy123]

Originally posted by rojoe
Thanks for the responses.

jennymouse: Just to clarify, we ARE staying at a WDW resort and if parking is a problem at any of the resorts I would think it would be Disney's fault rather than any of the paying guests. After all, if the line of thinking you suggested were followed then I guess since we are staying on site and are provided transportation, then to park our rental car at the TTC would be taking parking away from off-site guests who are paying for parking. My point was only that we were lead to believe we would be provided convenient transpotation to the parks. I'm just trying to find it. I didn't mean to offend anyone.

There is sufficient parking at the resorts - for those who are staying and for those who choose to dine there - but not for everyone who decides that the transportation options at their resort aren't sufficient. As far as parking at the TTC, there is more than enough parking for all guests - be it day or resort guests - to park there. You are not taking a parking spot from someone by parking in the Theme Park lots - that's what they're there for, just as the resort parking spots are for those who stay or dine (for a limited time period) at that particular resort. My wife and I just returned from the WL (stayed there quite a few times), and I can honestly say the bus transportation from the WL was much better than the Polynesian! The boats do take a little longer than the monorail does, but it's also nice and relaxing to sit on the dock, or on the front of the boat and enjoy the ride to the Magic Kindgom. There is a boat that goes to the Contemporary from the Wilderness Lodge, so you can catch the monorail there. There is also a walking path from the Contemporary to the MK (which is quicker than the monorail). We found the transportation to be wonderful from the lodge!

 

[rojoe]

Andy 123: Thanks for the report. It is just that in the last week or so I have read a few ngative comments on the WL FAQ thread. Apparently the boats are picking up the WL guests then heading over to FW to pick up those guests, then back past WL to the MK. From these posts I think we'll be using the boats to either the MK or Contemporary.

To Everyone: Didn't mean to cause such a ruckus!! When we first used the Poly parking it was only to check out the resort. We hadn't even considered we might have been taking parking away from guests because that wasn't our intent. The guard didn't even ask us why we were entering, just waved to us as we drove by. Now we know we wanted that convenience which is why we booked a hotel with transportation other than buses to the MK. Sounds like Disney eliminated the problem with the limited parking passes. I thought it was because of security, that shows you how naive I am!! Sorry folks, didn't mean to upset anyone.

 

[Andy123]

rojoe: While we were staying there, we also noticed that some people were complaining about the boat transportation. Our observation was that there were actually two boats to the Magic Kingdom from the Wilderness Lodge - one that runs in the "WL->Fort Wilderness->MK route" and one that runs in the "Fort Wilderness->WL->MK" route. We found that some people just hopped on the first boat that was there without paying attention to the direction it was going. Keep in mind that the Contemporary boats run the same way as well, with 2 boats (one at certain times of the day - late morning, etc, when it's less crowded), each running in the opposite direction. Granted the boats are not as fast as the monorail is, but it's probably about the same as taking the bus from another Disney Resort, but it is a MUCH nicer ride!

 

[lvs_eeyore]

Believe it or not at the Contemporary we were even carded while walking out of the parking lot to the walkway. We were staying at the Contemporary at the time. They don't just depend on the parking passes they also could ask you for proof that you are a guest at that resort.

 

[SueM in MN]

When you see negative feedback about transportation, keep in mind that everyone has different expectations. I don't think a 15 or 20 minute wait for a bus or boat is bad, some people are upset if they have to wait more than 5 minutes. You can run into situations where you just missed one bus and the next one is a few minutes late, but that doesn't happen all the time. In general, the buses and boats run about every 20 minutes.

We stayed at WL for 3 days over Easter time and we found the boat to be a nice ride. It took about 15 minutes to get to MK and it was interesting to see everything by boat. I guess if I were a type A personality, worried about "wasting" an extra 10 minutes, it might matter to me if we stopped at FW or not. But, if I'm on vacation, 10 minutes on a nice boat ride is still relaxing.

 

[MinnieGi]

We loved the boat ride from WL to MK!!!! It is so nice and relaxing after being at the park and builds anticipation on the way over. Yes, the boat was shared with FW, but this did not cause us any problems. You get to enjoy a longer boat ride!

The busses from WL we found very timely. I don't think you'll have a problem.

 

[jennymouse]

rojoe, I think you need to REread my post before you attack me. I sugested that you 1. use the transportation that WILDERNESS LODGE provides, not WALT DISNEY WORLD provides....or 2. drive and park at the MAGIC KINGDOM parking lot....or 3. book a room at the Contemporary. (if that's where you are wanting to park)

Have a nice vacation where ever you park.

 

[ukcatfan]

Just a guess, but I would think Disney has no problem with you doing whatever you want if you use valet. After all they did get more money out of you that they otherwise would not have made.

 

[rojoe]

Jennifer. Sorry if you perceived it as an attack. Wasn't the intent. I'll be more careful in the future if I have any questions. I wasn't aware it was an issue. Now I know. Not a big deal!!!!! Maybe this thread should be closed!!

 

[susy]

If valet costs $6 a day -is it the whole day or do they have an hourly fee?

 

[jennymouse]

No issue here as far as I'm concerned. I don't stay at the Contemporary so I don't care who parks there.LOL I was just trying to give you the scoop!

 

[LvsTnk]

Even if you all park in valet, it will still be an isssue of telling the guard what you are there for before you drive up to valet. I would also add that valet at the BWI could be full if it is a busy time of year. This happened to us while we were guests there, so I know first hand about not being able to park at your own resort. I think that is why they have tried to change the rules a little.