Money saving idea, confirmation please

[dudspizza]

Yeah, and thanks for that gift you have sent us in NE!!!!!

Just wait..... there is freezing COLD following that snow! NICE! It is finally up to +1F at 9:00am..........

 

[ExPirateShopGirl]

It's a VERY chilly 54F here this morning. I had to find some closed toe shoes. And a trench coat.

Just wait..... there is freezing COLD following that snow! NICE! It is finally up to +1F at 9:00am..........

 

[kaytieeldr]

...putting the otherwise endearing ExPirateShopGirl on "ignore" until winter ends... in June...

 

[livndisney]

Just wait..... there is freezing COLD following that snow! NICE! It is finally up to +1F at 9:00am..........

Headed to 80 in Orlando today

 

[goofy4tink]

...putting the otherwise endearing ExPirateShopGirl on "ignore" until winter ends... in June...

I'm with you!!!!

 

[focusondisney]

We hear from many people that want to do Disney on the cheap. But then they realize that they aren't able to get the 'full benefit' of a WDW vacation. They choose to stay at an offsite hotel that, while inexpensive, isn't going to provide them with decent transportation to the parks. So, now you have to figure out other ways to get there. And Disney knows all about these 'alternative' methods. They aren't stupid. Yes, they want you to spend as much of your hard earned cash at WDW as is humanly possible. They are a business. And yes, they make things much easier for those who are paying to stay at a Disney owned resort. They have value resorts in place for those without unlimited funds. Are they more expensive than a lot of offsite hotels/resorts? Sure. But...you get free transportation to and from the airport, you get frequent shuttles to the parks, you get EMH entry. And you don't have to worry about renting a car and having to pay for parking at the parks.
But, even the values aren't going to be in reach of some. That's a fact of life. But just because you can't afford to stay onsite and get all the perks of staying onsite, doesn't mean you get to try and finagle your way around policy. You can't afford to stay onsite? Fine. But realize that there are some things you are just not going to be able to do.

Does Disney tow cars?? I'm sure that in some cases they do. But I have to tell you....towing aside, it's really frustrating to try and find a parking spot, at a resort that you are paying to stay at, but find there are too many cars there already.

There are things you need to put into a budget...and parking is one of them. That's a cost of doing business with Disney..you don't want to stay at a WDW resort??? Fine, but you don't get the same perks. Plain and simple.
I've said it before....WDW is not a 'budget' type destination.

The Hess Station lot isn't all that popular due to it's distance from the BW itself. It's a fair amount of walking. Most non-resort people will try to park in the guest lot, across from the bus stop. And many times they can get away with it. It's about half the distance that the Hess area lot is from the resort.

It's just plain wrong to park in guest parking, at a resort you are not paying to stay at, for more than a few hours. Fine if you're eating or shopping there. But not for park access. And there is usually signage at the resorts that state this. The lot beside the Hess station is where non-resort guests should be parking, but they don't.
As the OP stated, they are paying a lot of money to Disney already. Well...so are those who stay at the resorts. And our resort dollars go to providing bus service to the parks. At least from the resorts to the parks. I truly resent it when someone who isn't staying at a Disney resort decides to use a resort parking lot to more easily access park buses. You want the perks? Stay onsite. Otherwise, make other arrangements.

And yes, I realize that anyone holding park passes is entitled to use any form of Disney transportation. But..that does not include illegally parking at DTD or a resort, and heading to a park via Disney transportation.

Excellent posts!!

OP, Disney is already getting plenty of your money? For park tickets? Well guess what? They are getting waaaay more of mine. For park tickets, hotel rooms & all my dining. And I have trouble getting on my resort bus sometimes because of all the paying resort guests. I don't want to stand on a bus because people like you think you are entitled to the same resort perks I am.

Or have my hotel costs go up because Disney needs twice as many buses to carry freeloaders. Buses & drivers that on site guests will have to pay for.

The $84 ticket fee entitles you to Theme Park admission. My resort hotel fee entitles me to transportation & parking. Plan ahead & budget for parking or use the shuttle service you are entitled to from your hotel.

Just another example of our country's "entitlement mentality".."I want what you have but I don't want to pay for it."

 

[focusondisney]

We hear from many people that want to do Disney on the cheap. But then they realize that they aren't able to get the 'full benefit' of a WDW vacation. They choose to stay at an offsite hotel that, while inexpensive, isn't going to provide them with decent transportation to the parks. So, now you have to figure out other ways to get there. And Disney knows all about these 'alternative' methods. They aren't stupid. Yes, they want you to spend as much of your hard earned cash at WDW as is humanly possible. They are a business. And yes, they make things much easier for those who are paying to stay at a Disney owned resort. They have value resorts in place for those without unlimited funds. Are they more expensive than a lot of offsite hotels/resorts? Sure. But...you get free transportation to and from the airport, you get frequent shuttles to the parks, you get EMH entry. And you don't have to worry about renting a car and having to pay for parking at the parks.
But, even the values aren't going to be in reach of some. That's a fact of life. But just because you can't afford to stay onsite and get all the perks of staying onsite, doesn't mean you get to try and finagle your way around policy. You can't afford to stay onsite? Fine. But realize that there are some things you are just not going to be able to do.

Does Disney tow cars?? I'm sure that in some cases they do. But I have to tell you....towing aside, it's really frustrating to try and find a parking spot, at a resort that you are paying to stay at, but find there are too many cars there already.

There are things you need to put into a budget...and parking is one of them. That's a cost of doing business with Disney..you don't want to stay at a WDW resort??? Fine, but you don't get the same perks. Plain and simple.
I've said it before....WDW is not a 'budget' type destination.

The Hess Station lot isn't all that popular due to it's distance from the BW itself. It's a fair amount of walking. Most non-resort people will try to park in the guest lot, across from the bus stop. And many times they can get away with it. It's about half the distance that the Hess area lot is from the resort.

It's just plain wrong to park in guest parking, at a resort you are not paying to stay at, for more than a few hours. Fine if you're eating or shopping there. But not for park access. And there is usually signage at the resorts that state this. The lot beside the Hess station is where non-resort guests should be parking, but they don't.
As the OP stated, they are paying a lot of money to Disney already. Well...so are those who stay at the resorts. And our resort dollars go to providing bus service to the parks. At least from the resorts to the parks. I truly resent it when someone who isn't staying at a Disney resort decides to use a resort parking lot to more easily access park buses. You want the perks? Stay onsite. Otherwise, make other arrangements.

And yes, I realize that anyone holding park passes is entitled to use any form of Disney transportation. But..that does not include illegally parking at DTD or a resort, and heading to a park via Disney transportation.

Excellent posts!!

OP, Disney is already getting plenty of your money? For park tickets? Well guess what? They are getting waaaay more of mine. For park tickets, hotel rooms & all my dining. And I have trouble getting on my resort bus sometimes because of all the paying resort guests. I don't want to stand on a bus because people like you think you are entitled to the same resort perks I am.

Or have my hotel costs go up because Disney needs twice as many buses to carry freeloaders. Buses & drivers that on site guests will have to pay for.

The $84 ticket fee entitles you to Theme Park admission. My resort hotel fee entitles me to transportation & parking. Plan ahead & budget for parking or use the shuttle service you are entitled to from your hotel.

Just another example of our country's "entitlement mentality".."I want what you have but I don't want to pay for it."

 

[verticalchaos]

FWIW, I have seen them deny access to a family attempting this very thing because they were not resort guests. They weren't asking everyone for resort ID, but this family they did specifically.

How did they know to ask? Because this family was observed by more than one cast member (and the rest of us at the bus stop) hanging just in the vicinity of the bus stops, watching to see which bus was pulling up, and then moving to that stop to board the bus. Apparently from what I could gather they'd been seen doing this the previous day as well.

So... If you're going to try and circumvent the system, I'd advise you to pick a resort and stick with it. No matter how many buses to other resorts come by.

But I echo everyone that particularly when DTD buses are not running frequently (read: early morning...which would likely also be a dead giveaway that you're being sneaky), you're going to be wasting a lot more time than even the hotel shuttle would cost you.

Also with it haveing been published in a magazine? Haven't you ever heard that just because you read something somewhere doesn't mean it's good or right? This is just a guess, but I suspect that when Disney gets wind that it has been published, we will either start seeing fees for parking at DTD or they will crack down on checking resort ID.

 

[Cherinva]

This has been a very interesting thread to read....I came here looking for information on DTD parking, and if it was free, as on the day of my arrival I want to do some shopping before checking into the resort (got that answer, thanks)...I'm staying off site because my sister owns a timeshare in Kissimmee (I usually stay on property and use ME)...I had honestly given thought to parking in DTD on my "alone" day and taking a bus to a resort then a bus to a park....after reading this thread, I most certainly will not. I had no idea it was such an issue, and I fully understand the reasons. Thanks for all the info.

 

[sunnydays28]

OK, since this is such a hot topic let me run this plan by you all:
We have one day at MK, one at Busch Gardens, one at Universal, one off day. I am considering buying 2 day WDW no-expiration tickets on the slim chance that we will want to spend part of our off day at a WDW park. The plan for that day is to do DTD and then maybe go to a park, character meal, tour some of the hotels, ride the monorail and a boat that my daughter has been asking for. Are we in the wrong to use the busses to get around after we have spent a chunk of time at DTD and want to leave from there at the end of the night?

 

[goofy4tink]

OK, since this is such a hot topic let me run this plan by you all:
We have one day at MK, one at Busch Gardens, one at Universal, one off day. I am considering buying 2 day WDW no-expiration tickets on the slim chance that we will want to spend part of our off day at a WDW park. The plan for that day is to do DTD and then maybe go to a park, character meal, tour some of the hotels, ride the monorail and a boat that my daughter has been asking for. Are we in the wrong to use the busses to get around after we have spent a chunk of time at DTD and want to leave from there at the end of the night?

Are you wrong???? I suppose not. But you sure are using up a lot of time. The resort buses at DTD are notoriously slow...so you could get to a bus stop and find yourself standing there for 20-30 mins, waiting for a bus. Then, the ride to that resort, then a wait for either a park bus to come, or alternative means of transport to your final destination. Plan on it taking at least an hour, depending on where you are going. It sounds like you're planning on going to MK...monorail and boats there.
If you don't mind using up a ton of time in transportation, then fine.

 

[sam_gordon]

OK, since this is such a hot topic let me run this plan by you all:
We have one day at MK, one at Busch Gardens, one at Universal, one off day. I am considering buying 2 day WDW no-expiration tickets on the slim chance that we will want to spend part of our off day at a WDW park. The plan for that day is to do DTD and then maybe go to a park, character meal, tour some of the hotels, ride the monorail and a boat that my daughter has been asking for. Are we in the wrong to use the busses to get around after we have spent a chunk of time at DTD and want to leave from there at the end of the night?

I would NOT buy a 2 day NE ticket. In fact, based on your plan, I would only buy a 1 day ticket. If I decide to go into the parks a 2nd day, stop by guest services, present my ticket and "upgrade" it to a 2 day. I'd only pay the difference between a 1 day and 2 day.

Adding a 2nd day costs you $80. Adding a 2nd day and NE adds $102. So, I just saved you $20... enough to pay for parking.

 

[hsmamato2]

Being GENEROUS, you're killing at LEAST two hours in transportation time. If you think two hours of waiting and sitting on busses (half of which will be when you're exhausted from walking all day), go for it.
.

I saw this article...was surprised! But I thought...no way is all that time worth it....buses don't even run to/from DTD till at least 10 a.m.- and not regularly till afternoon,and later in the day,they are the WORST buses on property...
I've stayed at WDW many times,and wouldn't do this to save money. Just IMHO.

 

[delmar411]

OK, since this is such a hot topic let me run this plan by you all:
We have one day at MK, one at Busch Gardens, one at Universal, one off day. I am considering buying 2 day WDW no-expiration tickets on the slim chance that we will want to spend part of our off day at a WDW park. The plan for that day is to do DTD and then maybe go to a park, character meal, tour some of the hotels, ride the monorail and a boat that my daughter has been asking for. Are we in the wrong to use the busses to get around after we have spent a chunk of time at DTD and want to leave from there at the end of the night?

If you park at DTD and go to a park from there, then yes. DTD is a mall type place with limited parking. It's for those who are there, not those who have been there.