Paid parking is coming to WDW resorts March 2018

[TisBit]

Honestly, I am not too surprised by this. I am glad it is not the "resort" fee, but honestly, I do think it may be coming down the road as well, once the shock of this wears off.

I think a lot has to do with a captive audience and the fact that Disney is more and more congested. If they push more people to taking ME and not renting a car. They have a captive audience and push the use of the new mini vans, decrease traffic on the roadways and decrease fuller theme park parking lots. It also has the potential to decrease use of the resort lots as well, maybe allowing for smaller lots or at least closer parking.

One of the reasons I think this has never come up before is likely because of cost to implement. Having to staff parking lots with cashiers, etc. Now, they can simply use magic bands to swipe out of the lot and showing they have "paid" for the parking. Same thing with the day guests, you can use the ticket machines that require payment if they are going to be start charging day guests. The harder part to implement for that would be doing validations, but again, they are designed to have a separate validation card that then authorizes your free parking.

In all honestly, this has little impact on me since own DVC and almost always stay on points when we are on site. If we don't have the points, we consider off site since we do usually have annual passes. So it might matter once every couple of years, but will play into the pros and cons of staying onsite versus offsite during that time. Unfortunately, Disney is still extremely popular and crowded. I doubt this will have much impact on them and most guests won't know that it is new.

 

[lucas]

First, refillable mugs and now this!

 

[MamaBelle4]

Add me to the list of Disers who emailed Disney.

We are DVC and we stay DVC, so this doesn't impact us (yet), but that doesn't mean it is right for Disney to pull this nonsense.
Ticket increases.
Dining increases.
Parking fees.

There is a line. A PP said if $161 breaks your vacation, you can't afford to go. You know what, we can't really afford to go. There's a million other things we should be spending our money on. But we scrimp and save and we make it a priority. My DH injured his knee in 2012 at work and it is likely he will need a replacement within 10 years. While he is still able to handle Disney, we go. We wouldn't trade those memories we make with the kids for anything.

Now this $161, plus the endlessly increasing room costs, plus the increases on tickets and onsite dining (it really isn't just $161, is it?) Is going to price some families out. And they're getting no more for their increased cost than we got a year ago. It is unreasonable and, to me, unethical.

 

[JaxDad]

Honestly, I am not too surprised by this. I am glad it is not the "resort" fee, but honestly, I do think it may be coming down the road as well, once the shock of this wears off.

I think a lot has to do with a captive audience and the fact that Disney is more and more congested. If they push more people to taking ME and not renting a car. They have a captive audience and push the use of the new mini vans, decrease traffic on the roadways and decrease fuller theme park parking lots. It also has the potential to decrease use of the resort lots as well, maybe allowing for smaller lots or at least closer parking.

One of the reasons I think this has never come up before is likely because of cost to implement. Having to staff parking lots with cashiers, etc. Now, they can simply use magic bands to swipe out of the lot and showing they have "paid" for the parking. Same thing with the day guests, you can use the ticket machines that require payment if they are going to be start charging day guests. The harder part to implement for that would be doing validations, but again, they are designed to have a separate validation card that then authorizes your free parking.

In all honestly, this has little impact on me since own DVC and almost always stay on points when we are on site. If we don't have the points, we consider off site since we do usually have annual passes. So it might matter once every couple of years, but will play into the pros and cons of staying onsite versus offsite during that time. Unfortunately, Disney is still extremely popular and crowded. I doubt this will have much impact on them and most guests won't know that it is new.

 

[Aron1012]

For those who are still calling and emailing, if you get an "industry standard" line, reply that free breakfast is as much an industry standard as parking fees.

We want our free breakfast.

Interestingly I just got a call at lunch in response to my email yesterday. I sent it to Bob Chapek, but the call was from the DVC department because in the email I mentioned that it didn't affect me because of DVC. The guy was very nice and polite and tried to spew the company line about "industry standard". I cut him off quickly there and stated what others have posted that Disney sells itself on not being standard, but rather being the gold standard. I also mentioned loyalty rewards, perks, and higher quality rooms/cleanliness as industry standards. One thing I forgot to mention in the email was the impact this would have on the over-crowded bus system, which will impact us. He said they would be assessing that and other impacts, but certainly didn't sound like they were backtracking.

The most interesting part to me was he called from DVC. Does that mean they are so flooded with calls they are now assigning them to other divisions? He said they had received lots of feedback.

 

[DisUniversal]

Although I have not been there yet so I don't know but is it really fair to compare Universal and Disney? I don't know anyone who says I am going to Orlando for 10 days to go to Universal. I always hear of people saying I am going to go for a couple days while I am in Orlando for Disney.

You'd be surprised. I know people who have come down here just for Universal. Not 10 days, but that was still the primary focus of the trip. There's really nothing unfair about comparing the two...Universal meets or exceeds Disney quality in just about every way.

 

[Scifidiner]

Yea I don't think you understand how "affording stuff" actually works. See, because when I am budgeting for something, the thing might be $2000, and I might look at my income and my bills and say, yea I can afford $2000 for X. And then, when you make it $2100 ... I look at my budget and say, ah crap, I can't afford $2100 for X. For a lot of people, maybe you don't understand this, $100 - $200 can make a difference in what they can (or want to) afford or not for a vacation.

Now sure you could say, well then just stay one night less. I shouldn't have to point out that that exact thing would end up costing Disney millions, you would be changing the whole calculus of value and worth. To me there is a massive difference between a 5 night or a 4 night, or between 4 night and 3 night stays (which a lot of people do).

But thanks for telling people what they can and can't afford and how they should be living their lives.

This X10!

We could afford $800.00-900.00/night if we wanted to. But guess what I don't want to. As I've stated in the past what I can afford and what I'm willing to pay are different. My wife and I have worked hard to get where we are and because of this know the value of a dollar. The problem for me is the cost of a WDW vacation has gone up exponentially, however the value has not kept pace. We have increasing paid more for the same, now we are paying for what used to be free. I would file that under "insult to injury".

 

[Rich M]

Yeah, until they let themselves in while you are in the shower, or doing what adults do. I don't need a welfare check, and at most it would slightly change someone's tactics, but would do nothing to actually stop a shooting. Further, there are almost no rooms at Disney that actually have the type of view required to be an effective mass shooting stand, but they check ever room. It is nothing but security theater, and I'd prefer my privacy and peace.

Regardless, you can get your wellness checks, and I will go to hotels that treat me like a customer not a criminal.

Until something happens and then you will be looking for more places until it is industry standard to do so.

 

[TLM2015]

I agree with this. I know that hotel prices have gone up since I last stayed on property. I guarantee if I tried to get the same room at Pop Century for this August that I had in August 2015 ... it would be more expensive. And I'm okay with that. But parking? Just "feels" greedy. Something that was "included" is now costing extra at no added value. I mean .. it isn't any stretch to think they will start charging a "transportation" fee now for using the busses. I mean .. the parking fee is missing on a whole segment of the guests (those who fly in and take Magic Express).


In general I don't like "fee" based charging. It just insults my intelligence as a consumer and just makes me not enjoying consuming their product.

I mean why not just charge $60/room (and advertise you can stay at Disney for under $70/night!)

but charge a fee for:
- Parking ($15/day parking fee)
- Getting Magic Bands - ($10/day "Magic" fee)
- Using the TV in room - ($10/day "energy" fee)
- Getting room service - ($20/day "cleanliness" fee)
- Using the heating/AC in your room. ($10/day "comfort" fee)
- Using the toiletries ($1.00 per day per toiletry used)

Yes, some people could save money but opting out of a lot of these, but it would it be a logistics nightmare to keep track of what people use or don't use, it just makes the customer feel like they are being "nickel and dimed" and not a good experience.

Just determine what you need to charge for the ENTIRE service you are providing to make money and be done with it.

Parking (at any business that OWNS the property it sits on) is part of doing business. If they didn't construct a parking lot, then customers would not be able to come there. So why charge for it? Why not just lump the cost of maintenance into your product?

This was few pages back but this is exactly how I feel. My argument with spending money on Disney has always been quality of product and above industry standards. It seems that WDW has forgotten that part of what they are selling is a feeling. Why else would I pay $170+ for a value resorts? I like the Disney bubble, that is a feeling not a solid product. I also still felt that they have good customer service and I really don't like being nickel and dimed that's not why I go to Disney and pay a premium price. There are so many other places that do that and I don't go to them as frequently because it is annoying. I also try to avoid paying resort fees. Since Disney likes to sell the emotion of things and therefore charge more, they shouldn't be surprised when people use the same emotion to decide to stay elsewhere and that's the camp that I am in. I fly in and I prefer renting a car instead of Disney transportation. I've only used DME once and it was nice. However, I priced out the Best Western in Disney Springs which would give me the same benefits and a larger nicer room for $99/nt. Yes it charges resort fees and parking but the total will only come up to $116 vs the $150+ for Pop Century. There would be breakfast and I can earn rewards for the stay. If I wanted to give up the perks of EMH and 60+ fast pass, I could stay at Hyatt in the area pay $125 no resort or parking fees get free breakfast and earn points there.

My very long winded point (sorry) is that part of the on site pull was partially emotion and the feeling of value even if that value was not necessarily dollars and cents. If they keep with the fees and add ons, it does decrease that feeling for many people, myself included, that feel that perhaps my money should be spent elsewhere as there are many options in Orlando. Am I going to stop spending money on Disney completely? No I do have lots of nostalgia for WDW but will I spend a lot less between getting discount tickets and off site accommodations and that also means less on food at Disney. Absolutely. I'm not delusional, it is a business and they are leaving money on the table I guess by not charging parking and resort fees (yeah these are coming) so they can follow industry standard if they want to but until they pick up the other industry standards (rewards programs, better service, or room rates that are in line with the rest of the industry) it's just a blatant money grab and I find it annoying. Being on the West Coast, the bubble was kind of the reason why I went to Florida instead of DL in Cali where I stay offsite at a motel equivalent anyway that was walking distance.

 

[Rich M]

You'd be surprised. I know people who have come down here just for Universal. Not 10 days, but that was still the primary focus of the trip. There's really nothing unfair about comparing the two...Universal meets or exceeds Disney quality in just about every way.

Good point and I hope this does happen so it can spread more people through out Orlando. I hope Sea World and stuff also get better also so that then we only have the desire to go for a couple days.

 

[MrJT]

Wonder how well this would go down with DVC?

In California, parking was free if you were staying DVC.

 

[SaharanTea]

You'd be surprised. I know people who have come down here just for Universal. Not 10 days, but that was still the primary focus of the trip. There's really nothing unfair about comparing the two...Universal meets or exceeds Disney quality in just about every way.

Yep. There's a guy in my office who has taken his family to Universal several times, and he's never stepped foot in Disney World. They may have also hit Legoland, but he didn't visit the Mouse at all.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

This X10!

We could afford $800.00-900.00/night if we wanted to. But guess what I don't want to. As I've stated in the past what I can afford and what I'm willing to pay are different. My wife and I have worked hard to get where we are and because of this know the value of a dollar. The problem for me is the cost of a WDW vacation has gone up exponentially, however the value has not kept pace. We have increasing paid more for the same, now we are paying for what used to be free. I would file that under "insult to injury".

Right, there is a difference between being able to afford something and something being worth what you would have to pay for it - so therefore, do you want to budget for the cost of it. I would think the vast majority of people that vacation at WDW could figure out a way to come up with another $161 or whatever (skimp from somewhere else or just not go as often/take longer to save up for it) - but at some point it becomes "is it worth it?"

If a vacation was $4,000 and you thought it was worth that, and now it is $5,000 and you feel you get less for the money, maybe it isn't worth it ... though others might think it is still worth it at $10,000 or whatever - and plenty of people in this world that think it isn't worth $2,000

And that is I think the big issue with this change is that you (the universal you, not specifically you) are getting less for your money rather than more money but move/better value for it .... at some point the return isn't there

So you either have to reduce the cost (stay less days, stay off site, counter service vs table service, etc.) but that also lessens the return for some people (but maybe you can cut the cost by 40% and the return by only 10% and then it is worth it again)

 

[cottontail]

For my family the charge is going to really add up. I have a child on the spectrum who cannot go every day to a park. We usually stay ten nights and hit a park every other day. We are from Canada our dollar is low. Ten nights will be $190 U.S. at Riverside. I'm sure there will be some sort of tax so I will round it out to $200.00 with our exchange to pay $200. U.S. will cost us $260.97 for a parking fee. That is a huge hit to the pocket. We stay at Riverside for the peaceful atmosphere.

Deb.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

One thing I forgot to mention in the email was the impact this would have on the over-crowded bus system, which will impact us. He said they would be assessing that and other impacts, but certainly didn't sound like they were backtracking.

Exactly what I'd expect (some of us said this SOMEWHERE in this giant thread!) -- they made an assessment and decided to put this charge in place. They will assess over time and adjust if necessary (based on bottom line $$ and feedback) -- they can tweak parking prices, keep as is, modify other impacted services, etc. Like any business would do.

There is nothing so egregious about charging for overnight parking as a hotel that they would reverse out of this now because of some calls -- even many calls. The calls aren't telling them anything they didn't know, I'm sure: some people will be upset by this -- even very upset. They obviously calculated that on net, they'd come out ahead.

Only fear of PR issues (e.g. new hotel room check post-Vegas) and/or some sort of political campaign is likely to cause a knee-jerk policy reaction, I would think.

 

[Aron1012]

Exactly what I'd expect (some of us said this SOMEWHERE in this giant thread!) -- they made an assessment and decided to put this charge in place. They will assess over time and adjust if necessary (based on bottom line $$ and feedback) -- they can tweak parking prices, keep as is, modify other impacted services, etc. Like any business would do.

There is nothing so egregious about charging for overnight parking as a hotel that they would reverse out of this now because of some calls -- even many calls. The calls aren't telling them anything they didn't know, I'm sure: some people will be upset by this -- even very upset. They obviously calculated that on net, they'd come out ahead.

Only fear of PR issues (e.g. new hotel room check post-Vegas) and/or some sort of political campaign is likely to cause a knee-jerk policy reaction, I would think.

I think you're probably right about that, but it is possible they put this out as a trial balloon of sorts. Disney has a business model based on very few fees, but more value-added additions or services. The pushback likely won't reverse this decision but it may impact future considerations. And then again maybe the increased revenue will only encourage the corporate greed to go farther. Time will tell....

 

[JenniferYoung44]

So, if you make a booking now to avoid paying for parking and then add a promo like free dining or AP room discount later when it comes out, will you have to pay for parking? Even if you are able to modify the existing reservation? Or maybe only if you have to book a whole new reservation.

 

[bgraham34]

For my family the charge is going to really add up. I have a child on the spectrum who cannot go every day to a park. We usually stay ten nights and hit a park every other day. We are from Canada our dollar is low. Ten nights will be $190 U.S. at Riverside. I'm sure there will be some sort of tax so I will round it out to $200.00 with our exchange to pay $200. U.S. will cost us $260.97 for a parking fee. That is a huge hit to the pocket. We stay at Riverside for the peaceful atmosphere.

Deb.

This is the crap that really pisses me off. And you aren't budgeting for that and you really shouldn't have too. It was once free that they are taking advantage of people because they can.

 

[cottontail]

Hi I sent three emails to top executives last night. Received a phone call from a women today calling on behalf of one of the wdw executives, who said that they received my email, that he reads every email. They are getting alot of input from unhappy guests, and to keep on emailing to see if they will make a change. When you think of it disney's hotel rates are above industry standards, (therefore parking should be included) we are also putting money out for their passes, meals at disney hotels or in parks, souvenirs guest experiences etc. If you don't agree with this give them an email.

Deb.

 

[manning]

What's next? Magical express?