More Parking Insanity...

[kandb]

Shellybaxter-

I agree 100% with you. Disney is the one running the huge corporation and are making their own rules. If "they" choose to bend some rules, that is there perogative. Who am I going to listen to, "WDW" or the know it all's on the Disboards? I couldn't believe how many people were all in an uproar when people used their fastpasses late. If Disney wanted to enforce those rules, all these past years, they would have. Obviously, they choose to let people use them anytime after the time posted on them. Why do people care so much, if people "don't follow the rules", when obviously disney doesn't care???

 

[sazzlynn]

The Beach Club is not the CR. You're comparing apples and oranges. And stirring an always simmering pot. Leave it alone. .

Completely agree!

 

[dburg30]

Well I just got home from 9 awesome days at WDW.

Not sure if this will spark mroe debate or controversy or if people will dislike me even more but here is what I found out....

We had dining reservations at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club one night and wanted to go to Epcot after.

Now according to many people here I would be given a parking pass for about 3 hours then I would have to move my car (reminder, I was staying at AKL).
so we checked in at the gate and I asked the gaurd how long I was allowed to park at this hotel....he shrugged his shoulders and said, "however long as you like" so we parked, ate, then went to Epcot for quite a few hours.

so again I ask, what would stop me from parking at the Contemporary and walking to the Magic Kingdom.

Sounds like it's not as strict as you all led me to beleive.

Again, I'm not a hater, just wanting to participate and pass along what I learned.

Jaffa

BUT, when the guard said that you probably never mentioned that you were going to goto a park did you? Wonder what the answer would have been then.

 

[maxiesmom]

Shellybaxter-

I agree 100% with you. Disney is the one running the huge corporation and are making their own rules. If "they" choose to bend some rules, that is there perogative. Who am I going to listen to, "WDW" or the know it all's on the Disboards? I couldn't believe how many people were all in an uproar when people used their fastpasses late. If Disney wanted to enforce those rules, all these past years, they would have. Obviously, they choose to let people use them anytime after the time posted on them. Why do people care so much, if people "don't follow the rules", when obviously disney doesn't care???

First off, one of the rules of the Dis is to not post ways to get around Disney's rules.

Second, and I think most importantly, when you are at WDW you never know if they will think their rule is important at that moment in time or not. Sometimes you can park your car at a different resort with on issues. Sometimes you can't. Which is why it is best to refer to what Disney's official stance is, and not go by what you can sometimes get away with.

Sometimes Disney does care. And if you wind up there when they do, going against their posted rules can cause you a ton of trouble.

 

[minnie mum]

So the moral of this long rambling story is this, there are rules that say don't park at the resorts to go to a park, use the FP during the window, refillable mugs are only good during your current stay etc. Can you do it and get away with it? Yes. Can you sometimes do it and even get it blessed by the CM on duty at the parking lot, at the FP entrance, or in a food court? Yes again. Could your car be towed, you be denied entrance with a late FP, or be asked to pay for drinks got in the old mug? Once again, YES! So the lesson learned is simple, they have rules that depending on circumstance may or may not be enforced to the letter. Since I am on vacation and do not want to take the chance of ruining my fun, I will adhere to the rules and not take a chance of having unpleasant things happen. Others are willing to take that chance, I am not. All I can say is when they do enforce the rules, don't get mad, yell at CM's or threaten anyone, just say okay, and deal with the consiquinces of your decision.

Hope you don't mind that I shortened the post in my quote. But very well said, sir!

 

[tzvdmd]

Well I just got home from 9 awesome days at WDW.

Not sure if this will spark mroe debate or controversy or if people will dislike me even more but here is what I found out....

We had dining reservations at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club one night and wanted to go to Epcot after.

Now according to many people here I would be given a parking pass for about 3 hours then I would have to move my car (reminder, I was staying at AKL).
so we checked in at the gate and I asked the gaurd how long I was allowed to park at this hotel....he shrugged his shoulders and said, "however long as you like" so we parked, ate, then went to Epcot for quite a few hours.

so again I ask, what would stop me from parking at the Contemporary and walking to the Magic Kingdom.

Sounds like it's not as strict as you all led me to beleive.

Again, I'm not a hater, just wanting to participate and pass along what I learned.

Jaffa

So park there and walk over. Why would you need someone to tell you not to do it if you feel that you can?

 

[A Mickeyfan]

Nothing, my parents neighbors do it all the time. From what I have heard is that they simply say they are going to the Contemporary at the parking gate and then just park in the MK lot. Now that said they also use a GAC and are perfectly fine. Not condoning any of it just reporting what I see/hear.

Breaking down your post.. can you please tell me where on the grounds of the CR is the MK lot? and since when does the GAC card have any use at the CR? GAC is for the parks.. or their lots... not for the resorts (hotel) parking lots. So what here makes sense in your post? Why do your parents go to the CR parking gate, then just go over to the MK lot with their GAC, is it because they were turned away from the CR gatehouse guard...and not allowed to park there?????

Or are you stating that your parents are stating at the parking plaza that they are going to the CR, to avoid paying the parking fee, then drive into the MK lot? If they do this "all the time" why don't they have an annual pass as they go all the time... an annual pass gives you free parking.. they would not have to "steal" the parking fee if they had the annual pass.... I am not saying you condone it, you are the messenger of this scam not the scam artist...

FYI...GAC doesn't give you free parking so I don't see why you really have that in there at all???? It just gives you parking a bit closer.. and they don't have the use of the tram system, they must walk to the monorail/ferry stations.. heads up in the event they ever do not want to walk it.. they must use the regular parking area... but then again.. they are getting it free of charge illegally.. I guess they take what they can get....

 

[4HOLIDAYS]

I oticed that the OP did not say to the guard "how long can I park here SOWE CAN GO TO EPCOT as well" just how long at the hotel. The guard may have athought you were having dinner,walking around the resort , etc...

Sorry but that is still dishonest to me and eventually Disney will catch up with these people. When we stay at the BC or BW I am happy to see they often make the non-guests park at the farther lots at least.

 

[bumbershoot]

...
so we checked in at the gate and I asked the gaurd how long I was allowed to park at this hotel....he shrugged his shoulders and said, "however long as you like" so we parked, ate, then went to Epcot for quite a few hours.

so again I ask, what would stop me from parking at the Contemporary and walking to the Magic Kingdom.

Sounds like it's not as strict as you all led me to beleive.

I agree it's not always as strict.

We drove to the Poly for breakfast at Kona. DH and DS needed the bathroom, and while I waited I went to the concierge desk to ask them how to get to the MK parking lot, so we could quickly move our car after breakfast.

Both of the concierge staff on duty thought I was nuts. Why on earth would I move the car? They both told me to leave my car where it was and not bother moving it. That as long as they had been working there they had NEVER called the towing company, and it was not a problem. I must have stood there making SURE for 5 minutes, as they consulted each other and one other person, and as we ate breakfast we talked about what we would do. In the end, we chose to follow their advice, spent a few hours in MK, came back and our car was fine and still there.

So no, not always as strict as they can be. If it had been summer, instead of early December, the answer might have been different.

I'd still love to know how to easily and quickly get to the MK parking lot from the Poly, but I suppose I'll find that out the next time we go.

Nothing, my parents neighbors do it all the time. From what I have heard is that they simply say they are going to the Contemporary at the parking gate and then just park in the MK lot. Now that said they also use a GAC and are perfectly fine. Not condoning any of it just reporting what I see/hear.

That's so totally different from the OP's situation it's not even funny.

Though I have often wondered what, exactly, keeps people from doing that. Each time we've gone we have an AP or are staying on site and can park for "free" at the theme park lots, so thinking about it hasn't caused anything naughty on our parts, but yeah, I've wondered.

I just realized when rereading this post that the poster is not saying they are parking at the CR and going to MK to be close, they are saying they are going to the CR and then parking in the MK lot to avoid paying for parking.

This is a totally different topic about how to avoid parking fees, not parking at the resort to be closer to the park.

Exactly.

BUT, when the guard said that you probably never mentioned that you were going to goto a park did you? Wonder what the answer would have been then.

While I agree that the FULL scenario should have been mentioned, what would the difference have been in terms of what happened? Stay as long as you like is the same no matter what the person is doing. Parking in the spot while they eat, shop, have a spa treatment, have a nap on the couches in the lobby, etc, is the same as taking that same time to go to Epcot.

Or are you stating that your parents are stating at the parking plaza that they are going to the CR, to avoid paying the parking fee, then drive into the MK lot? If they do this "all the time" why don't they have an annual pass as they go all the time... an annual pass gives you free parking.. they would not have to "steal" the parking fee if they had the annual pass.... I am not saying you condone it, you are the messenger of this scam not the scam artist...

If they are FL residents and have season passes, those do NOT come with parking.

Disney has a policy written out for just about everything that goes on there that they offer to the public. That is their official policy and if you are an honest person that reads rules and accepts them then that's all you need and you move on.

And you can do that and have a whole plan on how to follow the rules, and ask a different question (how do I get to the MK parking lot after we have dined here) and be told that you don't need to move, that it's fine to leave your car there and that you're silly for even thinking of it.

 

[Belle0101]

Where have you been -- we've already done those threads...

You mean I'm late to yet another party? I miss all the fun.

 

[Arnir]

and how you can maybe still get away with parking at those resorts, if you can come up with a good enough excuse

I'm sure you meant, "how could someone ELSE do that" because no one HERE would ever ask a question like that with nefarious intentions. I mean, after all, we're all just talking about it, right?

This board can be hilarious some days.

(PS - not poking fun at you, maxiesmom, etc., if that isn't clear)

 

[linzbear]

Beach Club & Contemporary are two different things. Contemporary is the only resort that can walk to MK. You also cannot walk to the MK from the MK parking lot.

Beach Club is not the only resort that can walk to Epcot. Also, the Epcot parking lot is just as close to the entrance of Epcot, and the walk from the Epcot parking lot would likely be closer than the walk from your car at Beach Club.

That said, I have used BC to park when going to WS. The only time I had a 3h limit was a Friday morning of F&W. Didn't really bother me as we were only planning on staying 3-4h anyway, and I was pretty sure they weren't going to start towing people away until later in the day.

 

[DVC-Don]

It varies, but I've found the MK resorts to be a little more restrictive. This January we tried to go to the Contemp just to look around. We told the guard that my daughter, who was in the car, just moved in for the College Program and got assigned to the shops in the Contemp Concorse and we wanted to get a look. My daughter had her CP housing ID with her but had not gotten her employee ID (yep, there are two ID's) yet. We were refused entry. He said he would have let us in if she had the employee ID. So we drove over to the WL and took the boat over.

 

[Arnir]

I think this falls into the category of it all depends on who (whom?) you ask. It's stuff like this that quite often drives management nuts. And non-mgt CMs as well.

 

[Sammie]

If you had asked could you park there and go to Epcot, the answer might have been different, especially considering there is a sign at the Yacht and Beach entrance, that says, "They do not provide parking for park admittance".

The problem is what if hundreds of people did this, instead of parking in the theme park lots. What chaos, that would be.

 

[Sammie]

OP - My Husband and I have been to WDW many times during off peak times. We have found that they were not enforcing many of the parking rules often discussed on the DIS. For example, we were once given permission by the guard at the gate to eat lunch at Beachs and Cream and then go over to DHS for the afternoon. Now at this time the parking lots weren't even half full so it was no big deal. We've also been encouraged by the staff at the Poly to valet park at the Poly exclusively for MNSHP. We weren't going to the party that night but my scooter was all decorated with lights and they thought we were. No problem. Anyway. We just figure that WDW enforces rules when they need to, which usually isn't when we are there. Disney seems to understand that rules can be flexible for guest enjoyment. Some on the DIS don't like that concept.

That is all well and good until a paying guest is deprived a parking spot by someone not staying there, is that fair?

Personally if the resort is not sold out, and the guard is aware of that and allows you to park, fine. However peak times at the parks is not always the same as peak times at the resorts. Hopefully the guard is aware of the occupancy of the resort before making his or her decision.

The problem is most don't ask if they can park there long enough to go to the theme park, they simply say nothing, or make something up, or avoid mentioning going to the theme park as the OP did.

At least you were up front about your intentions.

I do think the guest staying there should have guaranteed parking over day guests and there should be separate lots with parking spaces closer to the resort for those staying there.

 

[fbarker]

Well I just got home from 9 awesome days at WDW.

Not sure if this will spark mroe debate or controversy or if people will dislike me even more but here is what I found out....

We had dining reservations at Cape May Cafe at the Beach Club one night and wanted to go to Epcot after.

Now according to many people here I would be given a parking pass for about 3 hours then I would have to move my car (reminder, I was staying at AKL).
so we checked in at the gate and I asked the gaurd how long I was allowed to park at this hotel....he shrugged his shoulders and said, "however long as you like" so we parked, ate, then went to Epcot for quite a few hours.

so again I ask, what would stop me from parking at the Contemporary and walking to the Magic Kingdom.

Sounds like it's not as strict as you all led me to beleive.

Again, I'm not a hater, just wanting to participate and pass along what I learned.

Jaffa

Someone correct me if I am wrong but when we go to the BC in order to get to Epcot, the back way, they will have us park in the lot furthest east. Because we are staying on property they will let us park there for as long as we want, but we can't get into the main BC parking lot.

This works well for us.

 

[kneedeep]

It varies, but I've found the MK resorts to be a little more restrictive. This January we tried to go to the Contemp just to look around. We told the guard that my daughter, who was in the car, just moved in for the College Program and got assigned to the shops in the Contemp Concorse and we wanted to get a look. My daughter had her CP housing ID with her but had not gotten her employee ID (yep, there are two ID's) yet. We were refused entry. He said he would have let us in if she had the employee ID. So we drove over to the WL and took the boat over.

By chance were you there during Marathon weekend? We stayed at the CR for that and were warned that for that time only registered guests who provided a room key could park there due to the race. Apparently in the past spectators would drive to CR, park under the 2 or 3 hour rule and as a result there would be no spaces left for registered guests. They were even asking people with dining reservations at CR to park at one of the other resorts and take the monorail.

 

[A Mickeyfan]

If they are FL residents and have season passes, those do NOT come with parking.

Yes this is true, BUT if you really read my post, I did not say seasonal pass, I did say "annual" and the "annual" comes with the free parking, the "seasonal." doesn't. I am aware of the differences.. which is "why" I stated "annual", but thank you for clarifying for those who may not have known this...
most who "go all the time" do have annual because of the parking prices.. unless they stay onsite.. then in that case, they would not be scamming to park in the lot..

 

[Sammie]

Someone correct me if I am wrong but when we go to the BC in order to get to Epcot, the back way, they will have us park in the lot furthest east. Because we are staying on property they will let us park there for as long as we want, but we can't get into the main BC parking lot.

This works well for us.

Never heard that at Beach Club, there is a day guest parking lot at the Boardwalk.

So you are parking in the lot for the Beach Club Villas,

They are not supposed to provide any parking for access to the theme park unless you are staying at that resort. There is a sign.

Except for valet parking at the Beach Club, the parking lots are all connected. There is no main BC parking lot.