Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[ScubaCat]

there isn't any additional benefit with deluxe parking

Sure there is - you get to walk into a deluxe resort. And, deluxe resorts are more premium locations (often with less parking) for those who choose to park at the resorts for the purposes of visiting the parks. Thus, by making deluxe $2 more than general parking at the parks, it discourages that even further.

 

[kittyab]

Parking fees are included in your maintenance fees right now. It is not a perk. For now it is like using the Top of the World Lounge at BLT. Its expenses are paid by BLT maintenance fees, and so all DVC owners can use it if staying at WDW.
The Member Lounge at EPCOT is a perk, and only available to qualified owners.

That makes sense. Someone had mentioned about the DVC getting the free parking..... those dues go up every year. Trust me we are paying for the parking.

 

[emilymad]

We are planning a last minute 3 day trip after a cruise. Now we are thinking about just flying home instead. The amount for deluxe resorts are already high before adding parking fees. This just feels like the last straw on top off all of the changes at WDW in the last few years.

 

[Bowen Family]

What's to stop someone from saying they are doing an Uber/Lyft dropoff?

I can be driving down with my family. Prior to arriving at the resort, I could move DW to the back seat with the kids, pull up to the gate and tell the guard I am dropping off. At that point, I park my car and never move it again.

We used Uber/Lyft when there in January to resort hop for meals, and never once did the guard check for any kind of Uber or Lyft ID from the driver. Just let them through when he told them he was dropping us off.

Yes, have been wondering about enforcement at the gate and in the lot. The only solution I can see is for Disney to provide dashboard parking passes that indicate your status as a resort guest (i.e. overnight guest; 3-hour restaurant guest; etc.). And perhaps additionally dividing up resort parking areas according to your parking 'status'. But wow, it just seems they are opening themselves up to all kinds of enforcement and guest relations problems.

 

[jimonb]

What’s bad is they could have easily raised the rates of all rooms $15-$45 per night (value-deluxe) and nobody would have noticed or probably cared as much. Disney would have made more money, getting this amount from all guests, not just those who drive, and would not be facing the negative feedback. I tend to keep up with cost of tickets, but for hotel costs, I always just use the reservation system to get a quote for the room, and it is what it is. If the goal is to get less traffic on the roads with the same amount of guests, I’m sure there is a better option.

 

[kittyab]

Or, park at the Airport where long term parking is $10/day (even less at some nearby lots) and take MDE.

Some places have a weekly or even a monthly parking cheaper than what Disney is charging. Or stay at a cheaper hotel that offers free parking. That free dining they offer is not Free folks, just a gotcha to draw you in so they can stick other fees on you.

 

[ScubaCat]

Some places have a weekly or even a monthly parking cheaper than what Disney is charging. Or stay at a cheaper hotel that offers free parking. That free dining they offer is not Free folks, just a gotcha to draw you in so they can stick other fees on you.

Right, they WANT less vehicles coming in. That's the thing. What they REALLY want is for you to take magical express and not rent a car so you'll spend all your money (food primarily) on property and will be less inclined to go off property to eat or visit Universal, Sea World, etc. The goal is always to keep you on property, so this way if you do want the flexibility, you now have to pay a bit more.

As usual, there will be the initial griping and the internet will implode, but eventually everyone will just get over it and pay and life will go on.

 

[Lehuaann]

This is long, sorry. I’m not usually this long...

I just calculated what our cost would’ve been to park last year with just one vehicle, not counting my nephew’s car when staying with us a few nights here and there. We took 4 trips for a total of 31 days with 6 nights excluded for DVC. $510 + tax. Then add gas for 11 hrs one way. That’s an airline ticket or two..or three.

Here’s my .02. We have stayed at several hotels within the past year on business and remember only paying a fee at one - Marriott downtown Chattanooga ($15 valet / $11 parking per night). Again, downtown. Stayed at a nice resort in Gatlinburg a few weeks ago, no parking fees. The only other time I remember paying a fee was in 2016 at a Crystal City high rise hotel right next to Washington, DC and the Pentagon. Talk about extremely scarce parking. We didn’t drive anywhere. We couldn’t. And were thankful to even have a spot at the hotel. However, the hotel offered a fully staffed valet and secure parking garage.

So, criteria - location (usually downtown), limited parking, attached garages, and valet (some even mandatory) - those are the common denominators that trigger this fee. That is what sets the industry standard. Not every Hilton branded hotel charges this fee; it’s not across the board. Again, it’s usually based on criteria.

Therefore, Disney using the industry standard to justify this is absolutely pathetic. No comparison. I can see perhaps a parking fee at certain resorts during certain holidays - but all year? And tiered by resort type? Values don’t even offer valet services. AKL in the middle of nowhere with bus-only transportation on par with values is just as much as Poly. Perhaps Boardwalk parking is tight right now, but what does that have to do with Pop or CB? It makes no sense.

Considering that we take multiple trips per year (4 booked this year), THIS has definitely woken us up and slapped us in the face...

 

[luvsJack]

I think that everyone who feels passionately about this should vote with their dollars and go vacation elsewhere. That's the only thing that's going to get Disney's attention. There are plenty of other wonderful places to spend your vacation dollars. WDW is not the only place in the world. If you love Disney so much that you can't even consider a non-Disney vacation, go to another Disney park in another part of the world. Go to Europe and visit Disneyland Paris. Go to 1 of the Disney parks in Asia. Go to Disneyland out in Anaheim.

Will you have a different experience at those non-WDW parks? Yes. But maybe that's a good thing! Expand your horizons. Or go to Universal Orlando. Or spend a week at the beach instead of at WDW.

But when Star Wars Land opens, everybody is going to be going back in droves and will happily pay the daily parking fee in order to be able to get FP for the SWL attractions.

I have heard and read a fair amount of very passionate opinions over the years from people saying that they could never POSSIBLY stay outside the WDW "Disney bubble." How it would just make for a horrible experience and awful vacation. Well, if $13-$22/day in parking sets you over the edge, then I guess that there really is something that would get you to stay outside the Disney bubble. Money talks.

Every time Disneyland has made a change like this (usually to something like their AP program, which has a very loyal & passionate customer base), there is a lot of hand-wringing, teeth-grinding, and cries to the heavens of "This isn't fair! I'm not coming back!" But you know what? They still go back. They may stay away for awhile, but they eventually go back.

So skip WDW this year. Save up your $$ and go when Star Wars Land opens, but expect to spend even more $$ than you are now.

Not everyone is such a fan of Star Wars that they will go back no matter what. And here is the thing, they know they are about to be pretty crowded this summer with Toy Story Land opening and then next year with Star Wars. Any money they have spent on these projects will be way more than recouped. And yet they continue to nickel and dime.

Our previous trips were staying at Disney, dining plan, park hoppers and not leaving the Disney bubble for our stay. But little things like this are what have changed those trips.

Not saying I won’t go back but it will always be much different and with the least amount of nickels and dimes.

 

[Stitch_Is_King]

He didny have an answer for that did he?

Not surprisingly no. All he said was the comments would be shared. There was a little silence on the other end at first.

 

[Lehuaann]

Not surprisingly no. All he said was the comments would be shared. There was a little silence on the other end at first.

They don’t care. Someone has already calculated the profits and it’s already been spent...

 

[Laz]

We were long time yearly visitors to WDW from the 90's to the start of FP+, staying at WDW resorts. We finally decided to start looking at returning, and now this charge for parking. However, I just discovered some great deals buy joining a certain membership. The deal includes staying a non Disney hotels that include parking, transportation to each park, and hopper tickets. While I will lose the 60 day window, it now looks VERY appealing. It could be BYE BYE to staying onsite.

 

[Piglet]

I've got to say that I think I would have been more accepting of this if they would have included it in the price increase. Though it would still make me angry with the increase, it seems it would go over better, than to make it look like people that have a car there are being targeted or tacking on all these extra fees for every tiny little thing. (Can we claim discrimination? LOL) I emailed WDW, I'm sure they don't really care, but hopefully they'll listen. Because, honestly I'll still go and I'll pay - we like to have a car. It will just take away from the extras we'll spend in the parks.

 

[heathermm]

I'm contemplating cancelling our upcoming trip, even though I made the reservations back in January.
It's just the principle of the thing. We used to go at least once a year, but then between the rising costs, rising crowds, and diminished overall experience, we took a few years off and went and did the Caribbean beach deal.
We stayed all inclusive, and those trips OUT OF THE COUNTRY with airfare and food and alcohol included were cheaper than staying at POFQ with no food, no air, no alcohol.
And now you want us to pay to park on your Magical Asphalt?
Gee wiz Disney, enough is enough.

This is exactly our story as well....

 

[thelionqueen]

I am torn on this decision but ultimately think many heads got together and instituted it for a reason.. no doubt the first reason is to make money. However, that being said, I do know that they take guest satisfaction into consideration, so I do urge everyone to contact Disney and let them know your thoughts.

As a DVC member, I am feeling very grateful right now. We ALWAYS rent a car and stay for 8-12 nights. Without DVC (many trips before being members) this additional cost would have affected my plans negatively and ultimately probably caused me to look at Bonnet Creek exclusively. I think this is a bad move for frequent visitors and plan to send my opinion to Disney.. whether they care or not.. I'll feel better.

There should have been a different system in place to designate who is staying and who is visiting. Visitors should be charged a premium and designated amount of time to park. Guests shouldn't be charged IMO. I feel better.. still not happy with this change but glad there's a forum here to vent

 

[OhAmbs]

Right, they WANT less vehicles coming in. That's the thing. What they REALLY want is for you to take magical express and not rent a car so you'll spend all your money (food primarily) on property and will be less inclined to go off property to eat or visit Universal, Sea World, etc. The goal is always to keep you on property, so this way if you do want the flexibility, you now have to pay a bit more.

This is EXACTLY what I told my husband last night. We are planning our August trip and we have always drive down. Based on our trip last month, we ate off prop 3 times for dinner. This just feels like an attempt to tighten the bubble.

BTW, has anyone be able to verify if we book a room now, then modify it for a promo rate, will that still grandfather us in? Or will the new rate automatically convert us to the new parking fees?

 

[greg9x]

Saw the news article and came to read the comments.... Was correct that everyone is pretty upset. Question is are they upset enough to make a difference ?

Funny how 16 years ago Disney was struggling.. That's where a lot of the perks came from. Now they have a glut of guest and so the perks are going away, you and they are nickel and dimeing everywhere they can on top of already high prices. They'd actually be stupid not to, because the crowds keep coming.
But eventually is going to come tumbling down, either they push the limits too far (which seems they are close to) or there is an economic crisis and all this disposable income dries up.
Either way I'm regretting getting annual passes this year... Just doesn't seem worth it with being so busy all the time, no short notice trips I was thinking of because resorts are sold out or way over priced. Other places are going to get my future dollars .

 

[halfpintpeggy]

I don't even bring a car and this angers me because it feels wrong. Disney, either decrease rack rates and add fees for select amenities like parking, or leave it alone. There's no upside to this. It doesn't effect me and yet im still not sure that by the time im planning my next Disney trip i'll even want to go. Between the constant crowds, the increasing amount of upsells and hard ticket events, the decreasing benefits, and the eroding perks of staying onsite... I'm really starting to think that my vacation money will buy me a whole lot more vacation fun almost anywhere else.

We're fortunate to travel frequently including WDW. This morning the hubby said we'll be going back to Ireland in 2018 rather than to WDW. (for less $$ I might add!)

 

[leebee]

Mousesavers newsletter just sent this:

New Parking Charge for Overnight Self-Parking at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels
Effective for reservations made after March 21, 2018, there will be a charge for standard overnight self-parking at Walt Disney World Resort Hotels. The fee that will be applied to your hotel bill and charged at check out. Guests who booked their room or package before March 21, 2018 get FREE parking at all Disney resorts.

Standard Overnight Parking charges (tax included):

• Disney Value Resorts: $13 per night
• Disney Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
• Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $24 per night

Guests with a license plate or hangtag indicating they qualify for handicapped parking, get FREE parking.

Campsite guests at Fort Wilderness get FREE parking for one car. Cabin guests are charged $19/night for parking.

Disney Vacation Club Members staying at any DVC resort with points or cash, or staying at any Disney resort using DVC points, get FREE parking.

Guests of Disney Vacation Club Members staying at a DVC resort using a DVC member’s points (including people using rented DVC points), get FREE parking.

Day visitors who are not staying at the resort, but have come to check out the resort or have a meal, still get FREE parking. If you are not staying at the hotel and are visiting during a very busy period, you may be given a three-hour parking pass, and/or you may be asked for evidence that you have a dining reservation there (they can look up your reservation by name).

 

[Krandor]

Then it's any other resort charging fees. Plus, you have the capability (although perhaps not the intention) of leaving to visit other theme parks. Plus, they don't have an internal tracking system to determine external factors. They know who is DVC and who is AP. They do not know who is driving or flying, nor can they track that, so there's no way for them to distinguish between the two. Fact remains, if you're a regular park visitor, they would rather you not bring a car. Disney doesn't much care if it's a rental or your own.

However if they push me off property because the cost of on property isn’t worth it anymore then I will go to other resorts which I don’t do when staying on property.

Sometimes paranoia can cause what you are trying to prevent.