Best place for free parking for FL residents...

[mousercise]

Hi all,

I will be visiting WDW on Thanksgiving Day and will be picking up my annual pass. Unfortunately, I have to pay for parking at first. I've usually used Downtown Disney and transferred to a resort from there but heard Fort Wilderness Lodge is often used by FL residents. If this is true, won't security stop me at the gate or is there no gate there?

 

[nurse.darcy]

Hi all,

I will be visiting WDW on Thanksgiving Day and will be picking up my annual pass. Unfortunately, I have to pay for parking at first. I've usually used Downtown Disney and transferred to a resort from there but heard Fort Wilderness Lodge is often used by FL residents. If this is true, won't security stop me at the gate or is there no gate there?

You can say you are checking in at any resort (but avoid the Epcot area because of Food and Wine and now Osbourne Lights), then go do your business. No issues. Most of the resorts will let you park if you have an ID with you, and I don't mean a resort ID.

 

[FLDisneyFan]

I've often wondered if I paid for parking, whether it would be reimbursed when picking up annual passes. It might not hurt to bring your receipt to the ticket booth and ask for a refund.

 

[RobDoc]

You can purchase your AP at Guest Services at Downtown Disney and then park for free at any Theme Park using your AP. There is no need to transfer to a resort for park transportation.

 

[seashoreCM]

Pick up your annual pass at Fort Wilderness Lodge?

That's a new one. As far as I know you can only deal with AP's at parks or at Downtown Disney guest relations bootns.

 

[nurse.darcy]

You can purchase your AP at Guest Services at Downtown Disney and then park for free at any Theme Park using your AP. There is no need to transfer to a resort for park transportation.

Thank you for the voice of logic. I had forgotten you must go to a guest relations booth at a park or DTD. I'm with Doc. Go to DTD, renew your pass (the Guest Relations site opens at 0730). Drive to a park and park for free afterwards.

 

[mousercise]

Thanls again, everyone. I'd forgot to mention I wanted to shop at Downtown Disney afterwards so I'm debating leaving my car there and transferring due to the amount of traffic later that night. Is Epcot's traffic better on Thansgiving if I left an hour or so before the park closed?

 

[skelooch]

There are no buses that go from DTD directly to parks, you would have to transfer at a resort. So it will depend on how much time you are willing to waste by leaving your car at DTD and then getting to and from the parks.