More Parking Insanity...

[Finally08]

It really depends on the guard. We have had very nice guards tell us it was no problem to park at the Contemporary and stay there (this is when I had ressies and asked about going to Mk after) - heck I had one that when I asked if I could valet park he told me not to spend the money, just park myself and enjoy the park.
BUT, the one time we visited Beach Club so we could eat at Beaches n' Cream and check out the resort, the guard was bordering on rude and seemed like he didn't even want to let me IN. I told him what we were there for and that I thought we could get 3 hours temporary parking so we could eat and he made some snotty remark about it, grumbled and then seemed to begrudgingly let us in.
Let me tell you I watched the clock like a mad woman and we didn't even stay and enjoy our ice cream after lunch because I was afraid he would be having our car towed as we neared the 3 hour mark. I have no desire to visit that resort again because it was too much stress.

 

[cm8]

It really depends on the guard. We have had very nice guards tell us it was no problem to park at the Contemporary and stay there (this is when I had ressies and asked about going to Mk after) - heck I had one that when I asked if I could valet park he told me not to spend the money, just park myself and enjoy the park.
BUT, the one time we visited Beach Club so we could eat at Beaches n' Cream and check out the resort, the guard was bordering on rude and seemed like he didn't even want to let me IN. I told him what we were there for and that I thought we could get 3 hours temporary parking so we could eat and he made some snotty remark about it, grumbled and then seemed to begrudgingly let us in.
Let me tell you I watched the clock like a mad woman and we didn't even stay and enjoy our ice cream after lunch because I was afraid he would be having our car towed as we neared the 3 hour mark. I have no desire to visit that resort again because it was too much stress.

Parking at BWV is too much stress as well. It took us almost an hour to get a parking space on a Friday night while we were there After that we gave up and Valet. We needed a HCA space and they were always full and many of the cars didn't have plates or placards to park there Never again, we just valeted and went on about our business having to valet park really slowed us down as we love to drive everywhere and came and went like every few hours

 

[ppony]

"The Happiest Place on Earth" would be that much more "Happy" if people thought of others instead what is best for them and they can get away with.

A HOLY AMEN to that!

 

[Suellen]

The Boardwalk is a touchy issue though. If Disney provides an area with ongoing entertainment and encourages people to partake of it, it makes it difficult to police the parking quite as much. How many hours are people allowed to walk around, rent bikes, play games, buy caricatures, etc. The Boardwalk area is more akin to DTD, it just has the added burden of being convenient to two theme parks as well

They provide a parking lot for these activities. It is behind the Hess.

 

[fla4fun]

The enforcement levels do vary depending on many factors.

For example, I had an ADR for 5pm at CR, and arrived at the guard shack about 4:40pm. I was not aware that there was a huge convention at the hotel, and the guard would not allow me to park there, even though I was on the list with a legitimate ADR. I was told to park at MK parking and take the monorail in. Obviously, I didn't have enough time to do that and make it back in time for the ADR, so I didn't dine there that night. But it does show that even with a legitimate reason for wanting to park at CR, you may be turned away if the circumstances warrant it.

I have also stayed at BW when they have been very strict on who was allowed to park in the main lot, and who had to park in the Hess lot.

I have received the three hour permits, and I have been allowed to park for several hours, depending again on the occupancy of the hotel, and other events taking place there.

I have also been in the position of having to circle the parking lot at my resort for more than 30 minutes, trying to find any open space to park in. So I have seen both sides of the coin and am happy when they take steps to make it easier to find a parking spot at the resort you are staying in.

I do have one "souvenir" that is parking related. Back when the Concourse Steakhouse was open at CR, I would stop there at least a couple times a week on the way home from work for dinner. So I guess security got used to seeing my car there on a regular basis (and it was kind of an unusual car, so it didn't blend in well with others). One night, I came out to find a cast member parking citation on the windshield that threatened to notify my manager if I continued parking in "guest" parking. I got a good laugh out of that one!

 

[igk]

What I don't understand is that aren't you given a ticket to display on the dash at the main theme park lots? So if you blagged your way in saying you were going to a resort, then swerved over to the main lot you wouldn't have a ticket to display?
It would then be easy enough for an illegally parked car to be spotted and ticketed/towed.

 

[Suellen]

We've never paid
For parking therefore never have a reciept to display.

Annual passholders just wave there card and go in.
I question this practice too as no one really even looks at it.

 

[SRUAlmn]

We stayed at the BWI during the Fourth of July in 2009. We left and drove our car to AK to do a little shopping on July 4th, and when we got back to the BWI (around 4:00) there were NO parking spaces left (not even in the overflow lot.) Our only option was to valet. After Epcot's July 4th show was over, we sat on our balcony and watched the HOARDES of people pour out of Epcot, down the Boardwalk, and out towards the parking lot. I really wanted to go down and ask which one of them wanted to pay for our valet fee It was so annoying! It seems as though the parking policies aren't always enforced

 

[seashoreCM]

(copied from another post)
The concierge should have comped the valet fee and the tips upon your request as soon as you walked in the door.

It took us almost an hour to get a parking space on a Friday night while we were there After that we gave up and Valet.

(copied from another post)
You did not have to valet park every time, did you? Extra pixie dust from the concierge would be appropriate. Ask for something reasonable, like a few rounds of fast passes, or maybe a lanyard pin (as opposed to a discount PIN) or two.

For example, I had an ADR for 5pm at CR, and arrived at the guard shack about 4:40pm. I was not aware that there was a huge convention at the hotel, and the guard would not allow me to park there, even though I was on the list with a legitimate ADR. I was told to park at MK parking and take the monorail in. Obviously, I didn't have enough time to do that and make it back in time for the ADR, so I didn't dine there that night. But it does show that even with a legitimate reason for wanting to park at CR, you may be turned away if the circumstances warrant it.

(copied from another post)
You were cutting it too close. Half an hour more would be appropriate. Then the maitre d' should honor your reservation as if you showed up exactly on time. Defined as: Since on time means 10 minutes before the time you have reserved, they should shoot for seating you 10 minutes after you get there, although seating you after others both with ADR's scheduled before your arrival and who actually arrived before you did.

Nothing is required to be left displayed on your winshield when you use theme park parking lots. YOu may take the parking receipt with you. All they check for is cars left for days as if abandoned (and illegal use of handicapped spaces).

The resort is obligated to provide parking at no charge for guests staying there. A good starting point is that resort parking lots should be managed and/or sized so that the occupancy does not exceed 98 percent on 98 percent of the days of the year. A space too small to park in because of neighboring cars does not count as part of the 2% of unoccupied spaces. Perhaps some additional spaces could be striped along the aisles, although not within twenty feet of the bumpers of cars parked across the aisle.

 

[goofy4tink]

The Boardwalk is a touchy issue though. If Disney provides an area with ongoing entertainment and encourages people to partake of it, it makes it difficult to police the parking quite as much. How many hours are people allowed to walk around, rent bikes, play games, buy caricatures, etc. The Boardwalk area is more akin to DTD, it just has the added burden of being convenient to two theme parks as well

NOt really. Yes, it has Jellyrolls, but other than that, it is really no different. Yes, it has roaming entertainers, but other resorts have some form of entertainment as well...it's just inside the resort. Same thing with the boardwalk shops....other resorts have similar shops but they are located within the resort.
I have heard way too many people come here and complain that they spent all this time and effort to get to BW since it was billed as a mini-DTD, only to find sporadic entertainment.
But that being said, there is parking provided....behind the Hess Station. But most people don't want to walk that far.

For those that think the parking lots should guarantee a spot for those actually staying there, next time you are at a resort that has this problem, Polynesian, Contemporary, Yacht and Beach and especially Boardwalk, and you can not park in the lots where as a guest you are entitled to, park in valet.

Then go inside and tell the on duty manager that you are in valet and you expect the resort to either make the cars that are in the lot and not staying at the resort move or for them to give you valet free.

When the guest that is staying there begins to put Disney on the line for not providing parking for them, only then will they start turning people away at the gates.

The issue isn't so much 'no' parking spots, but parking spots way in the outermost reaches of the lots. Then, at park closing, you see all these empty spots up front.

They provide a parking lot for these activities. It is behind the Hess.

I try telling people this but they refuse to believe me.

What I don't understand is that aren't you given a ticket to display on the dash at the main theme park lots? So if you blagged your way in saying you were going to a resort, then swerved over to the main lot you wouldn't have a ticket to display?
It would then be easy enough for an illegally parked car to be spotted and ticketed/towed.

The issue is that so many guests are allowed to park wherever they wish to. Disney does very little about it. So, sure, if you have a parking permit from, say, BW, that tells the CMs at the parks that you are entitled to park there for free. Some will tell you that if you have that parking permit on the dashboard, it means you can park anywhere at WDW. No...it means that you get free parking at the parks, as well as shows the CMs at your resort that you are entitled to use the guest parking lot.

This could all be easily remedied by making all guest lots key accessible only.There could be a small short term spot for those checking in..once they have room keys, they can head to the guest lots. And there could be a further away area for those 'visiting' the resort. As I've said before, they would get a parking ticket, which could then be validated at a shop or restaurant. If validated and returned within that 3 hr period, the parking is free. But, if it isn't validated, or the return is many hours later, then they have to pay to park. Seems like a no brainer to me.

 

[Suellen]

There are two issues being discussed here which i think is causing confusion.

a. saying you are going to a resort to get through the gate at MK without paying for parking and then proceeding to the MK parking lot. I mean this is really out and out stealing.

b. parking at a resort you aren't staying at to walk to a park for either convenience or to save the money. Again.... blatantly stealing OR preventing others from getting something they paid for as part of their resort fee. Not exactly stealing... but a bit unethical at the least.

It isn't my job to police what goes on. My only complaint is when we stay at those resorts and have to park at the Hess or WORSE can't find a spot period. We have a handicapped plate and now at least know we can valet for free. The worst though is that the SSR and OWK of the world seem to never, ever have a free HC space either.

Really there are parking issues. Period.

 

[Bullseye]

either way.. they should not be doing it...... I am NOT Disney elite.. I follow the rules, that is all. I don't want my passes to go up in price due to others who decide not to follow rules. We all know that when someone steals, prices go up .. fact of life... profit and loss.... who is the one on the loss side, the consumer is! We guests will be at a loss when the parking price and pass prices continue to increase due to people who continue to scam the system... so once again.. regardless who did it, your parents or their neighbors, it is wrong... Just because it isn't your parents, doesn't make it right.. and as I said, you are only the messenger.. and you do not condone what they are doing.. Sooooo read that a little slower... and you may understand what I said too...

Yeah, I understand exactly what you said. You didn't read the sentence well enough and called my parents thieves plain and simple. You were too busy and quickly climbing up on your moral high horse to interpret the sentence. Instead of saying oops made a mistake sorry didn't read the sentence right you instead simply get back on the soap box. Meh, I hope the weather is good up there.

Why do you feel it's acceptable to besmirch the integrity of a poster's parents because you refused to properly comprehend the information repeatedly provided?
How would you feel if somebody were describing your parents as thieves, especially when you went to extra effort to be clear?

Yeah Mickeyfan you got busted pointing the finger at the wrong party and your retort didn't make any sense. Why don't you just gracefully acknowledge your mistake and move on. I think the majority of us agree with you that we should do the right thing and not park at resorts (we're not staying at) and then go to the parks.

 

[vinotinto]

Having stayed twice at the BC/YC, I think you were lucky because the YC is a convention hotel and the parking can get quite full with people coming to conventions. I think if there aren't any conventions they will let you park, but if it's full from conventions they will be much more strict. Same with parking at CR, which is another convention hotel. It all depends on what is happening at the hotel at that time, which may be different than what is happening at the parks, when it comes to convention hotels. If after you reach the BC gates, you were told that you had to park at Epcot, and walk through it to get to Cape May, would you have been able to get to your ADR? If you get told that you have to park at MK and take the monorail to CR, would you have been able to get to your ADR?

I've driven to both B and D at CR, but I always allow myself enough time so that if I can't park, I have time to go to the MK lot and arrive at my ADR. And more frequently, I have simply parked at MK and taken the monorail to CR to avoid worrying about when I have to move the car or whether I will even be allowed to park.

 

[DOPEYLUVER]

I must say I was entertained by the person who posts on a message board to people he or she doesn't know. And then gets upset that these people he or she doesn't know are misreading the post and commenting on the unknown person's unknown parents. Really? Who cares?

If any of you have anything bad to say about my family, go for it.

 

[larryz]

I question this practice too as no one really even looks at it.

It's useful if you change parking lots on the same day -- you don't have to pay for parking twice if you show the receipt...

 

[Suellen]

It's useful if you change parking lots on the same day -- you don't have to pay for parking twice if you show the receipt...

Not sure what this has to do with Annual Pass parking



I was saying that flashing the annual pass when no one ever asks to even hold it and they look exactly the same as a regular park ticket seems odd to me.

 

[larryz]

Not sure what this has to do with Annual Pass parking



I was saying that flashing the annual pass when no one ever asks to even hold it and they look exactly the same as a regular park ticket seems odd to me.

I tho't you were questioning the utility of the parking fee receipt...

 

[Suellen]

It's useful if you change parking lots on the same day -- you don't have to pay for parking twice if you show the receipt...

We've never paid
For parking therefore never have a reciept to display.

Annual passholders just wave there card and go in.
I question this practice too as no one really even looks at it.

nope....I'm saying AP holders don't have receipts to display since we don't get one. We just wave our card and go in. <---- I question this because they have no idea if it is valid or even an AP.

I'm also saying they can't tell who didn't pay for parking by looking at receipts as AP holders don't have one to display and there is really no way to tell the difference between who didn't pay and who is an AP holder.

 

[larryz]

Aha -- I linked your response to a previous comment about people saying they're going to CR then veering off to the TTC parking lot, and assumed you were saying they wouldn't have a receipt -- just like AP holders, who also don't have receipts -- and how it's useless to check for the receipts, equating in my mind your comment as saying giving receipts is a "questionable practice."

My bad. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[gonnago]

This my friends is one of the many reasons I only use disney transportation