IOA parking options?

[pditullio]

Can someone tell me what best parking options are for IOA?
We are driving a rental car, staying at Disney.

Someone mentioned that valet is best bet -- is that necessary?

Thanks!

 

[mesaboy2]

I would just park in the garages for Universal--$15/day. Valet is certainly not necessary IMHO and have never used it.

 

[RMulieri]

Park in the garage , there really isn't a better cheaper option.Even universal resort guests have to pay for parking

 

[bowtie7]

Valet for more than 2 hours is $30 (plus tip). Its closer to CityWalk than the parking garage. Note that at certain times you made end up waiting in a line to pick up your car at the end of the day.

 

[DOOM1001]

I've never used valet but I hear all valet parking does is put you on the same level as the moving walkways,the parks are still like a 1/2 mile walk for those who park valet or just the regular parking,I see no reason to valet whatsoever.


Edit: Sorry I got confused with Valet and preferred,I meant preferred just puts you on the same level as the walkways,I don't know much about valet.

 

[SprExcited]

Valet is not worth it (as far as I am concerned). Just use the standard garage, come up to the level with the moving walk-ways. I personally feel the parking is overpriced at 15.

 

[zack123]

I've never used valet parking, but when you walk from an offsite hotel you go in the same entrance to get to CityWalk. I've walked in through there and used the Universal parking garages.

It might save you 5-10 minutes of walking to use valet parking. I don't really think that's worth an extra $15 per day, but for some it might be. I walked out to the regular parking garage at 2 a.m. and I didn't think it was too far to walk.

Going in and out through the valet parking entrance, I did see lots of people waiting to drop off their car, or waiting for the valets to bring their car back.

 

[-Jody-]

Even universal resort guests have to pay for parking

Are you serious?

I never knew that but we've never stayed on-site at Universal, only WDW or just an off-site hotel like Seralago.

I'm certain you guys would say the other on-site perks out-weight the parking fee but IMO that's kind of something that should have been first when whoever came up with the whole on-site plan.

I'd like to know a constructive reason why parking isn't included with being at their "resort".

 

[mesaboy2]

Are you serious?

I never knew that but we've never stayed on-site at Universal, only WDW or just an off-site hotel like Seralago.

I'm certain you guys would say the other on-site perks out-weight the parking fee but IMO that's kind of something that should have been first when whoever came up with the whole on-site plan.

I'd like to know a constructive reason why parking isn't included with being at their "resort".

Yes, it's true. I'm sure there's a more specific reason why, but in the end it just comes down to "because they CAN".

 

[RMulieri]

Are you serious?

I never knew that but we've never stayed on-site at Universal, only WDW or just an off-site hotel like Seralago.

I'm certain you guys would say the other on-site perks out-weight the parking fee but IMO that's kind of something that should have been first when whoever came up with the whole on-site plan.

I'd like to know a constructive reason why parking isn't included with being at their "resort".

Well Look at it this way..Disney charges for parking too....They just build it into their resort rates and make it look like a "perk"

 

[-Jody-]

Well Look at it this way..Disney charges for parking too....They just build it into their resort rates and make it look like a "perk"

Hey, you have a point.

 

[bumbershoot]

Are you serious?

I never knew that but we've never stayed on-site at Universal, only WDW or just an off-site hotel like Seralago.

I'm certain you guys would say the other on-site perks out-weight the parking fee but IMO that's kind of something that should have been first when whoever came up with the whole on-site plan.

I'd like to know a constructive reason why parking isn't included with being at their "resort".

Well, let's back up here. A Universal resort guest with a car pays for parking at the resort. Having a parking fee is pretty common with resorts.

And yes they would have to pay to park at the Universal park parking garage...but why on earth would they DO that? It's just as long, from what I've read, to walk from the park's parking garage to the parks, as it is to walk from the hotel. There's just no reason in the world for a resort guest to park at that parking garage, instead of just going to their resort to park then head to the parks.

So to me it's moot that a resort guest with a car would indeed need to pay to park at the park's garage, since there's no need to do that. (and we've been there twice, both times with a rental car, and we'll be doing it again next month!)

 

[DisneyLoverUSA]

I can tell you from experience that paying $20 for preferred parking is also not worth it. All it does is put you on level 3, which is the level that the walkways are on. If you pay the standard parking fee you will be in the very same parking garage area just NOT on the 3rd level. SO you may have to go up one floor or down one floor to get to the moving walkways. No big deal.

 

[Metro West]

I can tell you from experience that paying $20 for preferred parking is also not worth it. All it does is put you on level 3, which is the level that the walkways are on. If you pay the standard parking fee you will be in the very same parking garage area just NOT on the 3rd level. SO you may have to go up one floor or down one floor to get to the moving walkways. No big deal.

Yup...even with the passholder discount it's not worth it.

 

[Brandis]

I actually found Valet parking quite conventient on our last visit. It's a lot closer to Citywalk than the parking garages.