Is there a time of day when parking at the parks becomes free? Specifically, for an After-Hours Party

[WDWLODGE]

We've always stayed onsite or have had an annual pass. We recently purchased After Hours tickets for DHS. We will be offsite the day of the party & we let our AP's expire last month. We plan on arriving around 6:30 for the party. Will we have to pay for parking at that time of the day?

 

[SkyGuy]

We've always stayed onsite or have had an annual pass. We recently purchased After Hours tickets for DHS. We will be offsite the day of the party & we let our AP's expire last month. We plan on arriving around 6:30 for the party. Will we have to pay for parking at that time of the day?

Yes. Well, I should say almost certainly, yes. The booths do sometimes go unmanned later in the day, but that‘s generally much nearer to closing time. 6:30, imo, is way too early for that to happen.

 

[georgina]

I paid last week. Parked at TTC, took monorail to MK, hopped a launch to WL and ate at Geyser Point, took the launch back to MK for after hours. Considered trying to valet park at Contemporary, which we did years ago for AH, considered ride share, then decided to just drive and pay.

 

[SteveMouse]

I would thoroughly expect Disney to be charging for theme park parking for an evening public event, not associated with a particular conference or park rental, that was available to people staying offsite.

It’s s pretty safe assumption that Disney’s bean counters have considered what may appear to be a “shortcut,” and if there is any substantive value, acted in Disney’s interest.

 

[Disney_David]

The booths have been unmanned when I’ve gone in the front entrance to Epcot around 6PM and I could swear HS booths have been unmanned the same time. Agree they probably would stay later for after hours. I almost exclusively enter Epcot via the international gateway so it’s probably been a couple of months since I went in the front after 6PM, but they were definitely unmanned around 6 recently.

That might be an option, then you could take the monorail?

 

[SteveMouse]

If you’re suggesting parking @ Epcot, you’re adding a bunch of time. not to mention transfers. I‘d be a bit concerned about how efficiently I might get back to the car in the Epcot lot after the event

 

[Disney_David]

If you’re suggesting parking @ Epcot, you’re adding a bunch of time. not to mention transfers. I‘d be a bit concerned about how efficiently I might get back to the car in the Epcot lot.

I agree and I might have misread the intent of OPs post as “how do I avoid paying for parking”, versus “will it be free parking”. I’d pay to park at MK in this situation.

When the gates are unmanned at Epcot you can park in the preferred section, so you can get closer to the entrance. That said, I agree, schlepping back from MK to Epcot will take longer than parking at MK and is a pain.

I met friends of a friend at MK last week and I drove them back to their car at Epcot because the monorail would have taken a while and they had a kid who had fallen asleep (that was from the Contemporary, not the MK parking lot).