Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[mrswillson]

just got a email from WDW services to say UK guests wont be charged the parkking fee for any bookings made before 31st December 2019.

If this is true, what I would like to know is why UK guests receive preferential treatment through a longer grace period than guests from the US. What gives?

 

[lugnut33]

just got a email from WDW services to say UK guests wont be charged the parkking fee for any bookings made before 31st December 2019.

That's not going to make anyone feel better that's not from overseas. Wonder if they are doing the same for the Brazilians?

 

[Katedisneylover]

Its unfair I agree but we mostly travel for at least 10-14 nights and the packages offer all include complimentary car hire. i think the TA's on our side probably were up in arms about it.

Our advance packages for 2019 go on sale soon for all of 2019 so we will see then, it will probably be factored in the price and then offered as a bonus extra. Bit like the memory maker is, we get it 'free' but obviously pay for it in the roomrate somewhere

 

[fla4fun]

Holy cow ! Does that include someone feeding you grapes in a tub ?? Lord .. yeh .. Disney has lost their marbles

I can remember being behind someone who was checking out in the 1990's and their bill was over $12,000. I can only imagine what that stay would cost today. For $11,000, it would be a room rate somewhere in the neighborhood of $700 for 14 nights - something that isn't at all unusual at a WDW deluxe these days.

 

[KrazeeK120]

If this is true, what I would like to know is why UK guests receive preferential treatment through a longer grace period than guests from the US. What gives?

I agree...I feel like this is one area where everyone should be treated equally.

 

[lvdis]

just got a email from WDW services to say UK guests wont be charged the parkking fee for any bookings made before 31st December 2019.

It's interesting that in the reply you received it says "since you booked your reservation prior to the effective date of March 21" you'll receive free parking. But then it goes on to say "For guests like yourself traveling from the UK, reservations made before December 31, 2019 will not be charged the overnight parking fee". The date of March 21 doesn't even apply in your situation, so why mention it? Strange.

 

[dansdad]

In other news, a summer discount is out today - shocking! I went through the booking process, just to see... no mention anywhere of parking fees. The language is still on the Parking page and in the resorts' info pages, but nowhere in the booking process.

I've stayed at dozens of resorts/hotels that charged a nightly parking fee and none of them had any mention of it during the booking process. It's always in a different section marked something like "Getting here and Parking".

 

[dinosaurgertie]

I have not read all these posts. But, to me, things started going downhill in 2015. Just a few of many changes:
- Big, wonderful, events (at no extra cost)-- like Star Wars Weekends and Osborne Spectacle of Lights-- were eliminated and, in the case of Star Wars, replaced with pricey ticked events nowhere near as good.
- AP prices jumped up about $100 per ticket.
- No more "no expiration" park passes, so people-- like my parents who just don't go to the parks as much-- must pay hundreds of dollars for park tickets each trip.
- Next came the hotel price increases. Passholder rates for Boardwalk Villas have increased 20% from last year. A standard CBR room jumped 15% over last year, despite it being heavily under construction.

That's why this seemingly "small" parking fee is feeling real huge, especially when their reason for doing it is because they are falling in line with industry standards. Is it industry standard to raise a hotel room price by 20% in one year? Of course not. I love Disney World dearly and hope they get new management in there to turn this around. Walt wouldn't want a park that's no longer accessible to middle class families.

 

[Colleen27]

I've stayed at dozens of resorts/hotels that charged a nightly parking fee and none of them had any mention of it during the booking process. It's always in a different section marked something like "Getting here and Parking".

All but two of the Disney Springs property list their parking fee on the rate estimate page when you're booking. The other two have it listed in the detailed amenities list on their main page if you look them up on the DisneySpringsHotels.com site.

 

[dansdad]

All but two of the Disney Springs property list their parking fee on the rate estimate page when you're booking. The other two have it listed in the detailed amenities list on their main page if you look them up on the DisneySpringsHotels.com site.

Thanks. I figured some resorts somewhere had to. Just saying I've never seen i so you me it's not odd that WDW doesn't.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

FYI............Book your reservation in the future, let's say July 2019.
A couple times a year, modify the dates to a later set of dates.
Eventually you fine tune it to match the dates of a trip you want to take later in 2019, or 2020, or 2021.
The key to this is that you have to actively manage the reservation.

Are you positive that wdw will allow you to modify a reservation that much?

I always thought modifying a reservation meant adding or subtracting people in the room, or adding or subtracting days. I find it hard to believe that a reservation you made in 2018 can be modified out to 2021 (or longer because why stop at that year). It would be like a non-expiration room.

If this is true then travel agents should have booked hundreds of rooms before March 21 and could have sold them off in the future as rooms with free parking.

 

[ShadeDK]

just got a email from WDW services to say UK guests wont be charged the parkking fee for any bookings made before 31st December 2019.

Maybe Disney is trying to get more business from all those Brits thinking about driving down from London for the weekend to go to the parks?? Seriously though - going back to a point I made earlier in the thread, all these strange quirks to the parking fees (not charging day visitors, different amounts at different resorts, not charging foreign guests who have rental cars) continue to point to the fact that there is no real justification behind the parking fees. If there's anything people dislike more than an additional fee, it's an additional fee that's charged arbitrarily.

 

[over50visits]

...For top tier guests who hit a certain annual spend, the least Disney could do is give you Platinum status (like a hotel chain) and maybe throw in perks like free parking, room upgrades, and a fruit basket...

Throw in perks like free parking????? And away we go...

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Are you positive that wdw will allow you to modify a reservation that much?

I always thought modifying a reservation meant adding or subtracting people in the room, or adding or subtracting days. I find it hard to believe that a reservation you made in 2018 can be modified out to 2021 (or longer because why stop at that year). It would be like a non-expiration room.

If this is true then travel agents should have booked hundreds of rooms before March 21 and could have sold them off in the future as rooms with free parking.

I have to bump out the reservation out about every 6 months, maybe 5 months out at a time. I do this until I "walk" the reservation to my target dates in the future. It requires 2 things: 1. My money up front 2. My attention for the next year or two.

P.S. I realize the cost of future rooms may increase, but I will at least get free parking.

I recognize many will not put forth the effort, but with ADR windows, Fastpass booking windows, Special Promotion windows.............how bad can it be to add one more carefully timed task to the list!

If it all goes bad, I just make sure I cancel at least 5 days in advance and get my money back.

 

[scjo68]

Are you positive that wdw will allow you to modify a reservation that much?

I always thought modifying a reservation meant adding or subtracting people in the room, or adding or subtracting days. I find it hard to believe that a reservation you made in 2018 can be modified out to 2021 (or longer because why stop at that year). It would be like a non-expiration room.

If this is true then travel agents should have booked hundreds of rooms before March 21 and could have sold them off in the future as rooms with free parking.

I'm pretty sure you can do it. Of course the price would go up because prices are not set for that far in the future. Also, it would be a nightmare for a travel agent to manage them, I would think. Because- and I may be wrong here- I think if the TA makes the original reservation, they are the ones who have to keep modifying it- not the client. I don't think a TA would be willing to put that much work in just to advertise free parking.

 

[ChrisnKim913]

Just got my ‘form reply’ email back and that infuriated me. The reply had nothing to do with what I brought up in my email to begin with. I wrote them back and informed them that this lack of interest in their customers concerns shows me all I need to know. We won’t be renewing our passes tomorrow. I just can’t understand parking for free at the theme parks but not at the resorts where I’m paying inflated prices for ‘perks’ that barely exist anymore.

 

[PrincessV]

Any locals and/or out-of-towners visiting the resorts by car over the next few weeks, please come back here and let us know what you experience! I, for one, am anxious to hear how this is being implemented. (I'm semi-local, but won't get to WDW for another month+ - I'll definitely report in when I do go, though.)

 

[Ciao Mickey]

Since parking is part of what's covered by the DVC dues I doubt it could be removed without them breaching the contract.

Disney will get the parking fees by eventually raising the dues.

 

[n2mm]

Disney will get the parking fees by eventually raising the dues.

Believe me, they raise our dues every year....my dues are much higher that when I bought in! I’m sure it will continue!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I think people are annoyed because the premium they are paying for rooms far outstrips perceived value. Adding a parking fee on top of premium room rates adds insult to injury

Shoot. Making it worse, and especially aggravating, is that they separated out the parking inclusion without reducing room rates, then added the charges.