How long can i park at contemporary?

[ammag]

We are going to the Cali grill for a 7:45 reservation will probably arrive around 7. I knew they have a three hour limit on parking for non resort guests (we are staying at AoA)

Will they enforce this? We plan to eat, wishes is at 9....then when done we wanted to take the boat or monorail to wilderness or grand Floridian to walk around. Will we have to watch the clock and drive to those resorts? Thanks!

 

[dmunsil]

Just so you know, you're not supposed to park at one resort and go to another. In practice, people do it, and if you're within your three hours I certainly don't think it's a terrible thing to head over to another resort for a visit. But you should know that's the policy.

I hear they do sometimes get more aggressive about enforcement at Contemporary, because they have very little spare lot space. I doubt it would be a problem if you were 15 or 20 minutes over time. It partially depends on how busy it is when you are there. If it's a slack time, they tend to be very lackadaisical about parking, because the lot is never really full. If it's busy, they might be much more hard-nosed.

If you want to lower your stress level, you can valet park for around $16 plus tip. If you valet park they don't care how long you're gone or where you go.

 

[grimley1968]

I don't know if they'll enforce a 3-hour limit, especially since MK will close during that time. However, I would caution against trying what you're suggesting because you could possibly run into transportation modes closing too early for you to really enjoy walking around one or more of those resorts. I'd recommend driving to each resort you plan to visit. That means you DON'T have to keep track of the time after dinner. Just get in your car and make a 5-minute or less drive to the next resort. If you were depending on WDW transportation, you would have to keep track of the time, because they eventually shut those modes of transportation down once MK closes.

 

[ammag]

Ok thanks! I've never been to any of the resorts so this helps a lot. We will just drive to the others

 

[grimley1968]

Ok thanks! I've never been to any of the resorts so this helps a lot. We will just drive to the others

Fortunately, WL, Poly and GF are all on one road. It's called Timberline Drive where WL is, but once that street crosses World Drive, it becomes Seven Seas Drive and goes over to the Poly and GF. Driving south on World Drive from the Contemporary, you can turn left to go to WL on Timberline or turn right to go to Poly or GF on Seven Seas. It's very easy to get from one to the other. Even better, you'll have your car with you. You will still need to stop at the guard booth at each resort, but just tell them you're looking around and they'll let you through, though they may not do the parking pass thing so late in the day.

 

[dmunsil]

Just to add another thought, I agree with grimley1968 that they might close down some transportation modes before you want to leave, but the worst-case scenario is that you'd have to take a cab back to the resort you left your car at, and because all those MK resorts are so tightly packed, the cab fare between any two of them is rarely more than $5, including tip.

So driving to the various resorts is certainly an option, and not a bad one. But you could valet park at the Contemporary, take the monorail or boat to another resort, walk around, have a Dole whip, take in the sights. When you're done, if the monorail is running, take it back to the contemporary. If it's not running but the boats are, take them to the MK and walk to the contemporary. If everything is shut down, just walk to the front of whatever resort you are and get a cab back to the contemporary. They'll drop you right at the porte-cochere, where you can hand your valet ticket to the guy and they'll bring your car.

If it were me, I'd do the second option, because the process of getting into your car, driving a short distance, checking in at the gate, getting another parking pass, finding another parking space, etc. is less magical than just taking a monorail or walking. And once you get to the Poly or the Grand, you can walk to the other one, which is a nice walk.

But really, neither option is bad. Follow your gut! Have fun!

 

[goofy4tink]

I would park at the TTC. Take the monorail over to the CR. You can eat, watch Wishes and then take the boat to the WL. The issue you may have is that the monorail may very well stop running by the time you are done at the WL. It usually stops within an hour of park closing. If you went to the GF instead, you could at least walk back to the TTC!
Perhaps you could check out WL before dinner?