Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[Dean Marino]

I'm probably being a bit negative.... while the current situation does NOT affect my DW and I? I would suggest you avoid phone calls.
Phone calls can feed you anything that makes you feel good. The content can not be documented, and Disney knows this very well.

Just an opinion? Demand EMAIL replies. Don't settle for a "feel good" phone call.

 

[Disneylover99]

I'm probably being a bit negative.... while the current situation does NOT affect my DW and I? I would suggest you avoid phone calls.
Phone calls can feed you anything that makes you feel good. The content can not be documented, and Disney knows this very well.

Just an opinion? Demand EMAIL replies. Don't settle for a "feel good" phone call.

Yep. That's how I feel. I've emailed them and said my peace. I really don't want/need to speak to anyone. I just want them to email me back stating if I need to modify my resorts after March 21st for any reason, I will not be charged the parking fee this summer. Most people on the phone will just say the right words to pacify you.

 

[Kevin355]

Yep. That's how I feel. I've emailed them and said my peace. I really don't want/need to speak to anyone. I just want them to email me back stating if I need to modify my resorts after March 21st for any reason, I will not be charged the parking fee this summer. Most people on the phone will just say the right words to pacify you.

I sent an e-mail as well...haven't gotten a response back yet.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don't know what you consider middle class but we were definitely lower middle class based on my parents income. We drove to Disney, Niagara Falls, New England, the Jersey Shore and many years drove to Ohio from NJ to visit family for a week. We couldn't afford to fly but still vacationed somewhere almost every summer of my childhood. My Mom was actually cheap and tried to save money where she could. If she didn't think that Disney was worth the expense we wouldn't have gone. Everyone's circumstance was different but because you couldn't go to Disney doesn't mean it wasn't affordable for the AVERAGE MIDDLE CLASS family.

Sorry, but I totally disagree. I know of no one who made a trip to WDW while I was growing up. No one. Based on your trips, you were not lower middle class. I'm thinking you don't really know what that means. Lower middle class did not mean trips every year, at least not in this part of the country. Heck, I didn't fly until I was 29. Even car trips were pricey.

You really need to consider yourself privileged to have gone on those trips. Your experience is not common to the middle or lower middle class as I lived it. Maybe your mom was a killer budget master.

 

[Disneylover99]

I sent an e-mail as well...haven't gotten a response back yet.

I haven't either. I sent my email 3 days ago. So many people have stated they emailed and received a phone call back the next day. I feel like nobody is going to respond to me at this point.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Sorry, but I totally disagree. I know of no one who made a trip to WDW while I was growing up. No one. Based on your trips, you were not lower middle class. I'm thinking you don't really know what that means. Lower middle class did not mean trips every year, at least not in this part of the country. Heck, I didn't fly until I was 29. Even car trips were pricey.

You really need to consider yourself privileged to have gone on those trips. Your experience is not common to the middle or lower middle class as I lived it. Maybe your mom was a killer budget master.

My mother was a stay at home mom, my father a computer designer / engineer..In the 70's, 80's when I was a child, we were considered upper middle class. Our trip of a lifetime was a trip to Disney to stay at the brand new Poly for a week and Contemporary for a week. My parents saved for 2 years (the wait list was that long). My mother would bascially read me bedtime itineraries of what we would do (thats probably where I get all my obsessive planning skills from) After that, we were back at Hotel Blvd for a while, or a beach an hour away from home!

 

[Disneylover99]

Sorry, but I totally disagree. I know of no one who made a trip to WDW while I was growing up. No one. Based on your trips, you were not lower middle class. I'm thinking you don't really know what that means. Lower middle class did not mean trips every year, at least not in this part of the country. Heck, I didn't fly until I was 29. Even car trips were pricey.

You really need to consider yourself privileged to have gone on those trips. Your experience is not common to the middle or lower middle class as I lived it. Maybe your mom was a killer budget master.

It's kind of a tricky comparison anyways, especially if you're talking about being a kid in the 70's. WDW wasn't the holiday destination that it is today. MK was the only park. Most people wouldn't go to Florida just to visit DW. It was more of a day trip that got added on if you happened to be vacationing in Orlando. Just drive to the park and buy your tickets once you got there.

 

[KNovacovschi]

I qouted someone stating that the cast member will be instructed to inform the potential guest of the new parking fee. I was stating on the Disney booking engine, there is no mention of it. Agents dont book on the regular Disney website and practically never go into the resort details looking for new fees. Agents are only alerted, when booking for a guest, of any construction or amenity (pool / restaurant) closure. Now since this fee is new, it could be a new alert when booking after the 21st, but as of today, there is nothing in the booking engine that gives the information about parking.

That makes sense.

 

[KNovacovschi]

And even on the Disney site where I guess 50% book their trip, who looks at the guest services and parking page? If youve been there before and know where you want to stay, you proceed to enter your dates of travel, number of guests, chosen resort and you are given the various prices for room levels. You click on the resort you want, asked if you want to add tickets and dining, ground transportation etc...then you are headed to checkout. No info on the parking fee. This is quite similar to the agent page, with a little more information. Since all pricing was upfront in the past, resort, ticket, dining, there was no need to alert of hidden fees. Posttible starting the 21st there will be, but at this time, unless you heard on the news or website, an agent would not know yet that this is happening. Most Disney agents work from home, so you wouldnt hear it at work either.



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I have been on the site multiple times as I've booked lots of trips for myself, we go every year, I was just stating that they are listed on the website. I didn't realize you meant the TA site.

 

[niceneasy]

Nothing that any of us can say will change Disney's parking fees from happening. A reasonable person would assume that Disney has thought out the backlash from annual visitors like myself. Not so. I'm DVC and a Passholder so this action doesn't really affect me. But this apparent GREED offends me and should offend those that really can't afford to pay an extra $250 for meaningless charges like Parking when you're already patronizing the Disney resort where you are residing. For some families that could be 1 or 2 family meals on an already tight vacation budget. I refuse to be intimidated or land locked onto the Disney property by moves like this. We will continue to visit our favorite restaurants "off property" and come and go as we please as DVC owners/members. I have heard other DVC members comment about the legality of potentially charging timeshare owners for other services on property they already own. Careful Disney you may be treading on class action territory and a ton of bad PR. I've always said that when it's not fun anymore we wouldn't do it and Disney because of moves like this is much less fun that it used to be.

 

[KaptKaveman]

I received a voicemail from Disney "in response to my comments". She left a message just before 5 so it was too late to call back, but I will be calling tomorrow.

 

[ElenaJane]

We already rented DVC points for the next two trips this year, so there is no getting out of it. The parking fees won't apply to us this year, and even if they did, we could afford it. But...just like a lot of folks have said here, this was the final straw that has pushed me to look elsewhere for 2019. Not outside of Orlando though, it is just my happy place! We went to Hawaii last month, and had a great time, but I just didn't get as excited when planning for the trip or even when on it. DH has been asking to try other hotels in Orlando(The Ritz! Gaylord! JW!) for years, but I have been able to convince him that the convenience factor of staying on property was worth the extra cost. But since this parking fee news broke, I have started to actually look into these other hotels. The rooms are huge! They also have great landscaping! And now I am looking at condos....we could buy a small, very nice condo, and actually have a piece on Florida to call our own (and get Florida discounts on passes to the parks!). So, silver lining for us, this "small" parking fee may end up leading us on an entirely different adventure (as Florida property owners!).

I did email my concern to WDW, no word back. My main complaint to them was how hard parking at Poly is anyway, and that now I would have to pay almost $25 dollars for the privilege of stalking free-day parkers in the lot and trying to find a place.

 

[MillauFr]

Maybe this will drop the demand for parking. They can get rid of those huge parking lots. They are a complete waste of space. I would rather they expand the parks they have huge surface parking lots. Disneyland takes up less space than the parking lot at Magic Kingdom.

 

[dachsie]

I got my call today from George's office. Nice young man who actually took notes of what I said. I told him that if Disney's prices were in line with comparable prices, the parking fees wouldn't probably matter but when you are paying twice as much, the parking fee seems like a money grab. Told him that families who have grown up at Disney are now having families of their own and cant afford to take theirs so they are going to lose a whole generation of Disney lovers. I told him Disney needs to be the beacon, not follow the crowds. He thanked me and said they have gotten an enormous amount of feedback on this. Kept saying he wish he could tell me they reversed the decision and I said tell them to work on that. I encouraged him to check the forums and social media site to see how upset people were over this.

I encourage everyone to write in. The more they hear the more they may listen

 

[dachsie]

Personally, I think this remains to be seen. Does anyone truly believe Disney will be keeping track/paying attention to when everyone booked so they aren't charged? If so, you have a lot more faith in Disney IT than I do.

The man I spoke to today actually told me that. Tried to convince me to book in Sept with them and then modify it and would not be charged parking if I did.

 

[DSLRuser]

As Jennasis pointed out earlier, it can't be both. Either crowds are going to go down or there will be 10 people there to take one person's place. Which is it?

the 10 people who won't cancel......not take their place.

 

[Disneylover99]

The man I spoke to today actually told me that. Tried to convince me to book in Sept with them and then modify it and would not be charged parking if I did.

Book in September? Do you mean book now?

 

[Jennasis]

the 10 people who won't cancel......not take their place.

Which is why the crowds ain't going anywhere (note: I'm one of those 10 people...angry but not cancelling...or paying for parking). In fact, hold on to your hat when Star Wars Land opens...you ain't seen nuthin' yet.

 

[DISNEY1975]

I got my call today from George's office. Nice young man who actually took notes of what I said. I told him that if Disney's prices were in line with comparable prices, the parking fees wouldn't probably matter but when you are paying twice as much, the parking fee seems like a money grab. Told him that families who have grown up at Disney are now having families of their own and cant afford to take theirs so they are going to lose a whole generation of Disney lovers. I told him Disney needs to be the beacon, not follow the crowds. He thanked me and said they have gotten an enormous amount of feedback on this. Kept saying he wish he could tell me they reversed the decision and I said tell them to work on that. I encouraged him to check the forums and social media site to see how upset people were over this.

I encourage everyone to write in. The more they hear the more they may listen

The fact that I have seen numerous posts about getting a response from Disney is encouraging and discouraging at the same time. I think its great everyone is being heard and receiving a call back, but leads me to think if they have time to call everyone back, maybe there really isnt a lot / enough complaints being sent.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Book in September? Do you mean book now?

Probably meant book now for a September trip.