Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[Linkura]

Ha - so the "based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests" has finally come into it!

That's a whole lot of email that doesn't really say anything.

Yup, I'm sure there were TONS of guests contacting Disney asking them why they don't charge for parking.

 

[chelynnah]

and what happens to those of us from overseas who have disability placards not accepted in the state of florida?
this means that i won't get free parking even though i have a disability placard from a foreign country (that by the way is MUCH harder to obtain where i live than pretty much any state in the USA).

It is a very easy process to get a temporary Florida placard. I did it on my last trip and it only cost $15 including them posting it to me in the UK. You can either do it there (and waste a day) or you can apply online ahead of time. I emailed the office. They emailed me back asking for all the information they needed (including dates and photocopies of current badge, and passport). They emailed me when it was finished being processed so that I could phone them with my credit card details. They were quick and efficient, and I actually had the placard in my hand a week later, less than 2 weeks from my initial enquiry. We went in early November, but I think it was good for either 2 or 3 months. It was an absolute life saver on that trip. I had never done it before because I thought it would lose us time having to go to the DVLA equivalent there, but it was so easy and straightforward.

 

[dachsie]

In my letter to guest services I only identified myself as a stockholder concerned about negative press Disney was getting do to additional fees and certain changes. I got this reply and note they do not mention Industry Standards, but bringing WDW in alignment with Aulani and DL.

Good morning Barbara,

My name is Thomas and I am a Leader with the Guest Experience Services team at the Walt Disney World Resort. I received your message regarding our recent changes to Resort Hotel parking and I wanted to take a moment to respond, first of all to thank you for taking the time to write to us to raise your concerns but also to thank you for your commitment to the Disney Brand as a stockholder. Our team certainly values hearing from our Guests, especially on matters such as this, as your voice helps us to understand the impact of changes that are made across our organization. I want to personally assure you that your concerns have been heard and will be shared with the appropriate areas and Leadership. As I'm sure you are aware, we occasionally make adjustments based on a variety of factors within our company, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii, but also based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests.

Barbara, please be assured that we are committed to continuing to provide unique experiences and quality entertainment in our Theme Parks and Resorts. Should you wish to discuss further, I would be happy to set up time with you at your convenience. I can be reached as a reply to this email. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your thoughts on this recent change.

Warmest regards,

Thomas Gauthier
Guest Experience Services Manager
Walt Disney World Resort

I would so contact her and say you wish to discuss it on the phone and then tell her all the reasons comparing Aulani and DL to WDW doesn't fly as they already have the room for the parking, are not in a downtown area or on a small island, etc. I would blow up that argument

 

[chelynnah]

yes, i know all about this process - go to the UK trip planning board and you'll see tons of discussion..
as if i'm going to take time out of a holiday to go and deal with american bureaucracy (i'm an american so don't get me started on american bureaucracy)...
are you completely out of your mind??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
that makes sense?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
to have to go to the tax collector's office or the DMV in the middle of an EXTREMELY expensive disney holiday?????????????????????????

right...makes perfect sense...not..

.

Or you could do it all ahead of time as I described above, and you’re all set. No fuss no muss, and no time out of your holiday, and no reason to be angry with American Bureaucracy

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Yup, I'm sure there were TONS of guests contacting Disney asking them why they don't charge for parking.

What actually has happened is that certain guests were sent surveys about parking and other issues. Apparently the survey takers seemed not terribly upset about the possibility of future parking fees. Previous surveys focused on things like..............what to call DHS in the future and the tiered pricing of a park ticket based upon the season or crowd levels.

As of now I think Disney said they would leave DHS name alone. But they did start pricing park tickets at different levels.

We all need to think about the consequences of the surveys we take for any company because it can come back and bite us in the .....umm............wallet!

 

[Iya]

Just received a call back from someone in George's office. I was out getting the mail so I missed it.

 

[kristenrice]

The fact that they are ignoring these indications of their downturn in quality and having their CMs dish out such seemingly meaningless justifications for this latest move -- shows a disappointing disrespect towards their "guests".

I suppose they have got away with disregarding quite a bit in recent years and now assume they can say and do these things and we'll just buy it all ...at Disney prices, of course!

I addressed both the "industry standards" and "alignment with other resorts" by telling them not to bother using that excuse, since we all know it's bullcrap.

THIS is the kind of stuff that Disney has grossly underestimated in their financial analysis of this most recent decision to add parking fees. In my opinion, it is NOT about the fee, but what it represents. It is a fee that provides the guest with absolutely NOTHING in return. There is no service, product or experience that they are getting for this fee that costs Disney any additional money to provide. Yes, you can argue parking lot upkeep and such, but that has already been accounted for in the inflated resort prices for years so that's a non-starter.

By adding this fee, Disney has tarnished their name and reputation, and that has been what has kept people coming back year after year and willingly paying their high prices. Disney has really insulted their guests and people are not going to patronize a company that no longer respects or appreciates their business. This fee has put an exclamation point on how Disney really feels about their guests and the guests have responded in kind. Hopefully, Disney will actually listen like they say they do (doubtful) and rethink this horrible idea. Right now, they have got a PR nightmare on their hands. I'm DVC and this doesn't even effect me, but it still makes me sick and my opinion of Disney has never been lower. If I didn't already own DVC, I would not be looking to travel to Disney any time in the future after this.

 

[MonoMan]

IMO this is all about the $$$ - and the impact for guests with be negative because more people with utilize WDW transportation which will not be improved or expanded. This will push more people to consider paying for the DW Express Bus Transportation to park hop. I predict the local taxis, airport shuttles, town car services, and uber will increase their rates because they will be more in demand.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Can someone please repost the emails for Iger and George? I've sat on the decision for a few days, mulled it over and I'm ready to let them know of my disappo

I see someone did, but elliott.org provides Disney and many other companies' executives' email addresses.

after our terrible housekeeping experiences at SSR in august and the deterioration of bus service (no buses from SSR to BB or TL)

No buses from any resort directly to any water park.

I sent my lengthy email to George and I covered three topics; inadequate housekeeping, security checks and the new resort fees. I'll see if I receive a reply. I sent it from my email connected to MDE, so they can easily see my trip history.

Lengthy is not good. Concise, with bullet points, is good. Also probably advisable to send single-topic emails.

But the MA RMV really varies by location. The smaller ones seem to be the best bet. Only time I've gone was the one in Wilmington, basically no wait. But I've heard the larger ones, in or near the cities, can have very long wait times. Basically, YMMV.

Still Yeah, Wilmington was my no-time-to-sit experience. But the 30 minutes was in Revere!

I'm sure you are aware, we occasionally make adjustments based on a variety of factors within our company, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii, but also based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests.

If love to talk to the Guests whose input compelled ARE to start charging for parking.

 

[FireflyTrance]

By adding this fee, Disney has tarnished their name and reputation, and that has been what has kept people coming back year after year and willingly paying their high prices. Disney has really insulted their guests and people are not going to patronize a company that no longer respects or appreciates their business. This fee has put an exclamation point on how Disney really feels about their guests and the guests have responded in kind. Hopefully, Disney will actually listen like they say they do (doubtful) and rethink this horrible idea. Right now, they have got a PR nightmare on their hands. I'm DVC and this doesn't even effect me, but it still makes me sick and my opinion of Disney has never been lower. If I didn't already own DVC, I would not be looking to travel to Disney any time in the future after this.

Totally agree. I'm also DVC but it will effect us negatively if we want to use Disney transportation. I went during a "slow" time in Feb and the buses, monorail and boats were all still completely packed.

 

[Cmbar]

would someone clarify for me if Florida Residents will be charged this fee? I know that DVC owners are exempt, at least they better be, but what about Fl Residents? They will be the most impacted correct? The car rental companies have to be pissed. We always rent a car but we are DVC so I "SHOULD" be exempt, for now I guess, until more DVC members start to scream that we should pay too!! (sarc added). This is so stupid. Has there been any hashtag for this to let Disney know people are pissed?

 

[Jennasis]

would someone clarify for me if Florida Residents will be charged this fee? I know that DVC owners are exempt, at least they better be, but what about Fl Residents? They will be the most impacted correct? The car rental companies have to be pissed. We always rent a car but we are DVC so I "SHOULD" be exempt, for now I guess, until more DVC members start to scream that we should pay too!! (sarc added). This is so stupid. Has there been any hashtag for this to let Disney know people are pissed?

All resort guests other than DVC members will be charged.

 

[Iya]

would someone clarify for me if Florida Residents will be charged this fee? I know that DVC owners are exempt, at least they better be, but what about Fl Residents? They will be the most impacted correct? The car rental companies have to be pissed. We always rent a car but we are DVC so I "SHOULD" be exempt, for now I guess, until more DVC members start to scream that we should pay too!! (sarc added). This is so stupid. Has there been any hashtag for this to let Disney know people are pissed?

You'll pay the fee unless you're DVC or have a handicapped placard. State of residence is immaterial.

 

[Iya]

I see someone did, but elliott.org provides Disney and many other companies' executives' email addresses.

No buses from any resort directly to any water park.

Lengthy is not good. Concise, with bullet points, is good. Also probably advisable to send single-topic emails.

Still Yeah, Wilmington was my no-time-to-sit experience. But the 30 minutes was in Revere!

If love to talk to the Guests whose input compelled ARE to start charging for parking.

Thanks for the advice, but I've got it covered. I'm not bullet pointing an email. The rep wants to discuss all my concerns I listed in my email. He specifically mentioned each one of them in his message.

 

[Colleen27]

I just got my email response about this today. Here it is.......

"I just wanted to clarify a couple of things that you were asking about in your email. If you are to modify your reservation either to add or subtract days, the parking changes are not going to impact your resort stay. This is because you have already booked the initial reservation and you are just modifying the current reservation. "

I'm happy to have this in writing, in case it becomes an issue.

That's interesting wording right there because it certainly leaves the door open for anyone who modifies for other reasons, like to add a discount, to lose that grandfathered status.

But the MA RMV really varies by location. The smaller ones seem to be the best bet. Only time I've gone was the one in Wilmington, basically no wait. But I've heard the larger ones, in or near the cities, can have very long wait times. Basically, YMMV.

It is the same in Michigan. I've seen decent "average" wait times thrown around, but those averages are bought down by more remote offices that serve rural parts of the state. In suburban Detroit, times can vary from branch to branch but I generally allow at least 90 minutes for doing anything that can't be done on the automated kiosk.

 

[Linkura]

IMO this is all about the $$$ - and the impact for guests with be negative because more people with utilize WDW transportation which will not be improved or expanded. This will push more people to consider paying for the DW Express Bus Transportation to park hop. I predict the local taxis, airport shuttles, town car services, and uber will increase their rates because they will be more in demand.

I got news for you... they discontinued the Express Bus between parks. But maybe they'll bring it back now that they're going to clog the free buses... and charge a higher rate than before, of course.

 

[gmar1210]

This sucks. I just booked a room due to not having to pay daily parking fees and being able to use the transportation. Now I have to pay a daily parking fee at the resort ($24 night!!).

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

This sucks. I just booked a room due to not having to pay daily parking fees and being able to use the transportation. Now I have to pay a daily parking fee at the resort ($24 night!!).

If you made the reservation today...you are exempt.
No fee for you!

 

[Cmbar]

You'll pay the fee unless you're DVC or have a handicapped placard. State of residence is immaterial.

Thank you! I guess for now DVC is safe. This really will affect Florida residents. They don't really have a choice but to drive.

 

[gmar1210]

If you made the reservation today...you are exempt.
No fee for you!

What do you mean? I thought it was for any reservations after 3/21?