No more free Valet parking ...

[MrKTI]

... unless you are staying on points.

Don't know if this has been mentioned on this board. We just learned this last night at the BW.

Only free valet if you are staying at that resort on points. Not sure if you can park at other DVC resorts if you are staying somewhere on points.

The castmember said some manager got nervous about all the free valet parking, and that they were missing out on big revenue.

As usual the valets suffer from lack of tips.

Maybe this has always been the rule, but we have never paid for valet parking.

The waiter at Flying Fish was not happy about this either saying it will effect people (like us) from coming over and eating at the BW.


John

 

[wdwstar]

i believe it has always been free valet on points at dvc resorts only, and as long as you are staying on points at dvc resorts only you can go to another dvc resort and park for free.

quote from the guide


Valet Parking at the Walt Disney World® Resort
Disney Vacation Club Members are not charged for valet parking at Disney's Beach Club Resort, Disney's BoardWalk Resort or Disney's Wilderness Lodge, regardless of where you're staying. You must present your Disney Vacation Club Member card or Walt Disney World Resort ID with your "DVC Member" designation on it when leaving your vehicle to be parked.


You will be charged the daily fee of $6.00 for this service at any other valet parking operation at the Walt Disney World Resort. Once you've paid for the valet service, you'll receive unlimited valet parking for the remainder of the day. Whether or not you are charged to valet park, gratuities are still appropriate. There will be no charge for guests with disabilities who have the proper permits.

i copied this from the dvc members site and i noticed they forgot okw !

 

[wdwstar]

i sent an email to dvc members service bring this to their attention about disney old keywest resort, not mentioned under the free valet.

 

[Granny]

I didn't think that OKW had valet parking, since you park right in front of your villa.


I will be sorry to see this perk reduced to only the DVC resort you are staying at. We are at BWV this summer and I'm sure we'll want to make at least one visit to VWL.

 

[Granny]

Also, in the past, you didn't have to be staying anywhere on site at all in order to use the free valet parking perk. Note that the guide says "regardless of where you're staying"....so you could use this even if you were staying off site.

In fact, I did this in March at the BWV. I was at a convention off-site and had lunch one day at the ESPN Club. There was no problem with the valet parking free of charge for that short time.

 

[CarolMN]

If this is true (must be staying on points at a DVC resort to get free valet parking), then DVC/MS should send a communication out to the members and update the members website.

The current description of the valet parking perk says that if you are a DVC member, you are not charged for valet parking at the DVC resorts that offer it - BWV, VWL & BCV. It doesn't matter where you are staying or how you pay for your stay.


IMHO, it's not right for a BW manager to unilaterally change a DVC perk.

And unless the service rendered was poor/substandard, shame on those who did not tip!

Updated to add:
If this is true, then I expect to find a place to park my car in the self-parking lot. BW management will absolutely need to do something about those who park in the BW lots to go to the parks! No more can they tell me to use the "free" valet service when I call or write about the problem.

 

[wdwstar]

lol. yes your right, i need another cup of coffee please ! no, no just cream, thank you !

 

[childsplay]

I have always taken the "regardless of where you're staying" part to mean, it doesn't matter which DVC RESORT you are staying at, you can valet park for free at any of them. But that certainly doesn't mean that was the intention.

 

[MarkRG]

Boardwalk has been cracking down on parking because people have been abusing it, as written right above me. They have had a no parking in the closer self park lot for years now unless you have a) a dining reservation at Boardwalk or b) are staying there. I would guess they're still trying to figure out how to get the DVCers in line too. They should just apply the same rules to them. Having a direct access to Epcot in this case is a problem for the nearby resorts.

 

[pumpkinboy]

Originally posted by CarolMN
...And unless the service rendered was poor/substandard, shame on those who did not tip!...

Amen to that!
Those fresh-faced youngsters (and not so youngsters) valet parking your car survive on tips, as their wages are not so great (with the employer assuming that they will get tips). So, unless service is substandard, a little something for the valet is appropriate.

 

[DebbieB]

I wouldn't get too excited about this until member services comes out with an announcement. It's like the Disney Store cm's who keep saying the DVC discount is no longer available, they just don't have their facts straight.

 

[gmboy95]

ok a couple of thoughts;

1) "regardless of where you are staying" means exactly what it says....we all know that disney leaves little to chance, and if it where based on point stays only it would say so....as far as i know you only have to shopw your member ID card.

2) Anyone who does not tip the valet guy ought to really cut a picture out of themselves and paste it next to the word "cheap"....that is of course unless the service is sub-standard...I dont think a couple of bucks would kill anyone.

3) This is one of my favorite perks....nothing like pulling the mini-van up with the kids and just being able to walk in.....the problem to me is that quite often I identify myself as a DVC member, and the person does not ask to see my ID....i think abuse can be averted if all mebers who valet park are asked for proper ID.

 

[KellyDVC]

This has to do with valet parking revenue and very little (IMHO) to do with the poor valet's and their tips. Actually, by charging for valet parking, I have no doubt their will be fewer tips - not more.

As a FL resident, I have always found this DVC perk useful. I always tipped $2 in, $2 out. If I have to pay, I will either not valet, or tip $1, $1 out. This is not a win-win solution, especially for the valet drivers.

Thanks.

 

[golfnut1264]

so what you are saying is that if the ESPN Zone raises beer prices that you will tip less to make up the difference...
tipping should have no bearing on the cost ........dont take it out on the little people..the valet drivers... i will still tip $2 everytime i pull in and out....it may cost me an additional 20 bucks the whole trip....

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by MrKTI
... ....(snip)............The castmember said some manager got nervous about all the free valet parking, and that they were missing out on big revenue...............

Originally posted by KellyDVC
This has to do with valet parking revenue ......(snip)......

My understanding is that DVC member dues subsize the valet parking service and that is why it is free to DVC members.

I do agree with DebbieB - this is something that just doesn't sound right and I'm going to wait for some type of communication from DVC/MS before I believe it.

P.S. to MrkTI - I believe you are accurately reporting what happened and what you were told by the CM . I just don't believe the manager and the CM had the authority to change the policy!

 

[Lexxiefern]

Hmmm, we will be checking in to BWV in a couple days and plan on using the free valet parking (we always tip ). Wonder if I should print out that part quoted above from the member's website and bring it with me??

 

[MrKTI]

We just had lunch with two cast members who work at DVC.

Neither is aware of any policy changes concerning valet parking.

I guess I need to read my manual and try and decipher what it says, I assume as posted above. We have always shown our card and had no problems ... and no we don't use the BW to get into Epcot, it is just as easy to drive in and take the tram.

I am also calling my DVC rep and asking him.

We will see, but I will miss this if it goes away.

John

 

[mikayla'sMom]

Hmmm, we will be checking in to BWV in a couple days and plan on using the free valet parking (we always tip ). Wonder if I should print out that part quoted above from the member's website and bring it with me??

Sounds like a good idea!

 

[Sammie]

I seriously doubt one manager could be totaly responsible for the change. It is strickly hearsay that this is the case and we all know that Disney CMs are famous for having incorrect information. I am sure the OP was told this, but I have been told much by CM's at resorts and very little was accurate.

I will say this, personal opinion, I do think many, not necessarily DVC members, overuse the valet parking situation to gain access to the parks.

I have always wondered if this is will be another situation where the actions of a few will adversely affect others that do not do this.

 

[Pa@okw95]

I think this post was some mistake. I won't go beyond that other than to say what others have, that is a lot of people working at WDW do not know what end is up. This looks like another one of those cases.