Free transport around WDW

[LuvOrlando]

Free transport around WDW.

I just got back and discovered a few helpful hints.

1. Anyone can park at DD and move around.

2. THe AK park has busses to every other park so going there first will allow you to move easily afterwards.

3. Epcot has a bus to MGM and EPCOT is linked to MK via the TTC.

I hope this helps those of you who had questions before I left

 

[dudspizza]

Free transport around WDW.

I just got back and discovered a few helpful hints.

1. Anyone can park at DD and move around.

2. THe AK park has busses to every other park so going there first will allow you to move easily afterwards.

3. Epcot has a bus to MGM and EPCOT is linked to MK via the TTC.

I hope this helps those of you who had questions before I left

Yep, you can get to any of the parks via the Disney transport system. The only thing I don't like about what you discovered is the promotion of DTD as a place to park for free and then get around. Yes, you can park there and go anywhere on property, but you cannot go directly to a park. People were cheating the system by parking at DTD and going to parks, thus Disney stopped direct buses to the parks. Too bad as it takes forever to get to DTD from a park becuse you have to go to a resort and then get on the DTD bus.

I love using Disney transport and they do a wonderful job.

Duds

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Also about the parking at DTD then taking a bus to a Resort, then going off to one of the Theme Parks. If someone does this it causes 1 less spot to be availabe for a family that had planned to park at DTD who went there to shop & eat. Having someone do this is very rude in my opinion because it's hard enough to sometimes park at DTD during certin times of the day.

 

[bicker]

And it really isn't worth it. Connecting sucks bad enough when the schedules are optimized for it, such as with the airlines setting up connecting flights through their hubs. Disney does no such thing, so connecting through a hotel to get from DTD to a park is a just-plain-stupid waste of time. The little bit of money you save isn't worth the time you lose, and the bother of it all.

 

[goofy4tink]

Using DTD as a jumping off spot for the day is not such a terrific idea. You can't get to a park without transferring at a resort...it is very time consuming. People are much better served by just going to the park they want to start in and parking there, then you are able to park hop throughout the day.

 

[Hannathy]

Plus it is just speeding up the day Disney charges at DTD to park. Sure they will have a validation program but it will be well over $11. and what about the times you just want to run in for a postcard or pin.

 

[seashoreCM]

Hmm. How could they charge a parking fee at Downtown Disney?

How about a kiosk at the bus stop. If you don't have a valid resort ID or parking lot receipt then you must buy a bus pass which is a parking fee in disguise. A few people, namely those whose hotel shuttles dropped them off at DTD, will be inconvenienced but a very large number of people will benefit.

Day guests starting their day at a theme park would get a free bus pass prior to boarding the bus to DTD to use for their return to a park.

If you buy something at DTD (possible minimum purchase) the bus pass would act as a gift card for its purchase price or you would be given a bus pass if you hadn't been to the kiosk first. Or maybe not to help prevent all day parking for miniscule business transacted.


There is no need for any checking on trips to DTD.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[goofy4tink]

Hmm. How could they charge a parking fee at Downtown Disney?

How about a kiosk at the bus stop. If you don't have a valid resort ID or parking lot receipt then you must buy a bus pass which is a parking fee in disguise. A few people, namely those whose hotel shuttles dropped them off at DTD, will be inconvenienced but a very large number of people will benefit.

Day guests starting their day at a theme park would get a free bus pass prior to boarding the bus to DTD to use for their return to a park.

If you buy something at DTD (possible minimum purchase) the bus pass would act as a gift card for its purchase price or you would be given a bus pass if you hadn't been to the kiosk first. Or maybe not to help prevent all day parking for miniscule business transacted.


There is no need for any checking on trips to DTD.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

I can't imagine it would be all that difficult to charge for parking at DTD..just put up 'guard shacks' (or such) at all the entrances. You pay to park at all other 'parks'. If people continue to abuse the free parking, then Disney will start charging. They have already taken away the buses to the parks. The next thing will be to go to paid parking. I personally feel that all parking at WDW should be paid. Even at the resorts. If you don't have a room key, then you pay a set fee to enter and park. Technically, you are supposed to stop now and check with the folks at the resort entrance. If you had to pay $10 to park, a lot of parking to have easy access to the parks (for free) would end. But, I know I am in the minority here.

 

[seashoreCM]

Does Church St. Station (how far is that from WDW and what entertainment do they have?) charge for parking?

To me, stores must do something extra to get me to pay to park in order to patronize them. I would expect that DTD would not have been such a mecca it is if people, including vast numbers who live not too far away, had to pay to park.

I had this new idea to help revitalize downtowns -- let merchants "fix" parking meter violations. Not all day parking but rather slight overtime violations. The customer would get a voucher that could be mailed in with the ticket if the meter maid got to the car first,

 

[LuvOrlando]

Oh, I think some of you are being too easy on the other WDW guests. Let's not just kick everyone off the bus who doesn't want to spend a fortune, I've got some other ideas.

For starters, I think that all hotels should cost $400 a night because that is what I paid this year. I also think that all WDW tranportation should only be provided for deluxe resort guests because people paying less are just taking up spots for those of us who deserve a spot just because we are paying more. Also since I am paying more money I think that non-deluxe guests should have to wear sunglasses at night so they can't see the fireworks, they are taking up the very special light that is just meant for us. While they are at it, deluxe guests should get air conditioning while everyone else should not, after all it is very rude that 'some' people are taking up my cold air...I think we can do this by passing out plastic air conditioned bubbles to deluxe guests that require biometric ID to turn them on.





Yes, I know its sarcastic, that's just what I do.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Instead of charging guests to park at Downtown Disney, why don't they take the same approach they do with parking at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney MGM Studios & the Animal Kingdom. That is charging offsite guests $10.00 to park & keeping it free for Disney Resort Hotel guests, people with annunal passes, Florida resident AP & the other way's guests can park for free around WDW. I mean when someone asks about doing this, chances are they are staying offsite & not on WDW property. So this way WDW still get's their $10.00 to park & they can not cheat the system by taking a bus to a Resort. At least by doing it that way it does not inconvenience anyone who does not abuse the bus system, because why should we have to suffer because other guests can't follow the rules.

 

[CleveRocks]

Instead of charging guests to park at Downtown Disney, why don't they take the same approach they do with parking at the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney MGM Studios & the Animal Kingdom. That is charging offsite guests $10.00 to park & keeping it free for Disney Resort Hotel guests, people with annunal passes, Florida resident AP & the other way's guests can park for free around WDW. I mean when someone asks about doing this, chances are they are staying offsite & not on WDW property. So this way WDW still get's their $10.00 to park & they can not cheat the system by taking a bus to a Resort. At least by doing it that way it does not inconvenience anyone who does not abuse the bus system, because why should we have to suffer because other guests can't follow the rules.

I'm just going to take a stab at this one. It's based just on ideas in my own little brain, and not on any facts whatsoever.

The theme parks are a huge draw. Paying a parking fee doesn't keep too many people from going there. There have to be VERY few people who want to go to MK and can afford admission but can't afford the parking fee or will decide to not go there because of the parking fee.

But DTD is a mall. A very cool mall in a very special place, but still a mall. People may not be very keen on paying to park at a mall. Many urban downtowns (with little street parking but plenty of parking lots that charge fees) have lost a lot of market share to suburban malls with their sprawling free parking lots.

Disney is also a landlord at DTD, as not all of the shops/eateries are Disney-owned. Disney has a responsibility to its tenants to attract traffic flow and not to reduce it. Parking fees at DTD would surely reduce attendance.

Like I said, just a wild guess.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I'm just going to take a stab at this one. It's based just on ideas in my own little brain, and not on any facts whatsoever.

The theme parks are a huge draw. Paying a parking fee doesn't keep too many people from going there. There have to be VERY few people who want to go to MK and can afford admission but can't afford the parking fee or will decide to not go there because of the parking fee.

But DTD is a mall. A very cool mall in a very special place, but still a mall. People may not be very keen on paying to park at a mall. Many urban downtowns (with little street parking but plenty of parking lots that charge fees) have lost a lot of market share to suburban malls with their sprawling free parking lots.

Disney is also a landlord at DTD, as not all of the shops/eateries are Disney-owned. Disney has a responsibility to its tenants to attract traffic flow and not to reduce it. Parking fees at DTD would surely reduce attendance.

Like I said, just a wild guess.

I understand what your trying to say, I really do. My suggestion was only as a last resort if this problem get's way out of hand. If guests would not park at Downtown Disney to avoid the $10.00 parking fee's at the parks, then there would be no problems at all. I personally hope WDW never charges anyone for parking at DTD because that would be a shame if they did. However I only suggested it the way I did because that way WDW keeps the same policy of making it free for Resort guests, AP holders & etc to park at DTD. So then they would make offsite guests pay the $10.00 fee at DTD, the way they would when they park at the Magic Kingdom & etc. Just so were clear I say again I hope WDW does not do what I am suggesting, so it's up to some people to stop parking at DTD to avoid the $10.00 fee's. If they don't then we know who to blame & it would be those rule breakers who spolied it for everyone else.