Paid parking is coming to WDW resorts March 2018

[ChipnDale79]

What's next? Magical express?

pay toilets

 

[manning]

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.

Email address ?

 

[Aron1012]

pay toilets

They could start charging a pool fee. We stay at the Poly and it seems pretty much like a public pool with all the non-resort guests who show up. Wonder if they will have to pay for parking??

 

[TheMaxRebo]

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.

I have always heard it stated that for a new promo you are basically booking a new reservation based on what inventory is available then (vs adding a promo onto your existing room) so I would not expect your "included parking perk" to be carried over to a modified reservation. It may happen, they may grandfather you in, but I wouldn't count on it

 

[halfpintpeggy]

When do they start charging for Magical Express, parking at Disney Springs, Fast Passes?

They've already been testing paying for Fast Passes at club level - & people are buying them.

 

[ChipnDale79]

They could start charging a pool fee. We stay at the Poly and it seems pretty much like a public pool with all the non-resort guests who show up. Wonder if they will have to pay for parking??

Or they can just start enforcing their own policies.

 

[stego]

Every now and then I think back to the days when I was oblivious to the "underbelly" that is Disney. Those days are long gone...to put in perspective: think being on splash mountain, the ride stops, and the lights come on. Those who have been there know, and understand. These are the same people who brought you Michael Eisner and golden parachute. Go ahead...google it...I'll wait. Got it? Okay! One of my personal favorite's is Cynthia Harris and her cast member "art show". Seriously.
I'd think that Disney has folks in a room, literally throwing stuff at a board and seeing if it sticks. When it does, great! Then it's off to the test audience, etc. Then back again. Run out of ideas? There's always someone to take their place. Always. I don't think I'm too far off if they're taking bets to see how many pages this runs on the Dis. Probably over 100, but not in the atmosphere of free dining. This too, shall pass, and it will become accepted. When something like this comes up, I think of Frank Wells, and how it is has come to pass. Ying and Yang. Who is Iger's Yang? Exactly. Those in money have ALL the power. Think I'm wrong? What about Joe Rhode and EE? Here's our answer: disco Yeti!
It's not in Disney's interest to fix anything, unless it makes money. Currently you can see River country but it wasn't long ago that the other half of Pop Century sat empty...a "wasteland" indeed. Those of us on the DIS are a small percentile, and among other Disney discuss boards as well. This is a "risk" to Disney, but a manageable one. You're living under a rock if you don't think they're not reading here. My job as a planner is to shield my family from what we all know.
My wife's summers with her sisters were spent in the cotton fields. She didn't leave that until she left home to go to college and leave that behind. Just for one week, we go to our happy place. We've been to many other places, sure. We all know what a room costs in the city, etc. This is just adult life. A few years back Disney decided to take away my wife's favorite character Tigger from the theme parks, except the MK. She wasn't happy, but I worked my magic and all was well, for awhile. The only place to see one of her other favorite's is Beast, and he's only at BOG for dinner.
We've seen the trend, and it's disheartening. And certainly not sustainable. I know you're saying: you haven't said anything about parking! You're right; for me it's beside the point. I can't predict the future but maybe years from now I'll look back and say: remember when?
It comes down to being happy. Last year, my wife wanted to go to Utah to go to Best Friends. She was happy scooping litter boxes for a few days while I sat with 3 cats in my lap. It was quiet...no crowds, just the shelters with our homeless friends. We'd go eat lunch and sit out on the patio looking at the canyon. Peaceful...and serene. Just the animals, the landscape and the wind.
We're going in the fall, with a family friend who's never gone before. We get to see the "world" through her eyes and that is our focus.
Thanks for reading...

 

[rteetz]

Or they can just start enforcing their own policies.

I’m always surprised by this. It was enforced when I was at BC. I didn’t get to check at BLT because it was too cold.

 

[dreiwhit]

You know at some point you have to ask yourself am I a masochist? I mean the crowds, heat, waiting in lines, construction, sub par food, being crammed in buses, more waiting, attractions being closed and then being charged more and more and more for less. I'm close to saying forget it, getting a REALLY nice room at the beach for a week and relaxing........hey that's starting to sound pretty good.

That's the point that my family and I hit on our last trip. The effort of planning. The effort of getting ADRs and FPs. Crowded parks. Costs going up and getting less in return. Nickled and dimed. Rides that break down. Grumpy CMs. Disney vacations that have ceased to be relaxing.

That's why we've already decided not to go to WDW next year. Or the year after. Or the year after that. We're looking for new places to go as a family.

We'll go back to WDW at some point. But we don't know when. Maybe 5 years. Maybe more.

pay toilets

Yep. A $1 to get in and $2 to get out!

 

[hulagirl]

We've seen the trend, and it's disheartening. And certainly not sustainable. I know you're saying: you haven't said anything about parking! You're right; for me it's beside the point. I can't predict the future but maybe years from now I'll look back and say: remember when?
It comes down to being happy. Last year, my wife wanted to go to Utah to go to Best Friends. She was happy scooping litter boxes for a few days while I sat with 3 cats in my lap. It was quiet...no crowds, just the shelters with our homeless friends. We'd go eat lunch and sit out on the patio looking at the canyon. Peaceful...and serene. Just the animals, the landscape and the wind.
We're going in the fall, with a family friend who's never gone before. We get to see the "world" through her eyes and that is our focus.
Thanks for reading...

What a remarkably beautiful, nostalgic, melancholy comment. I read the boards frequently but rarely sign on and comment anymore. This time, it was worth it. We left Disney almost a decade ago, when our kids started getting older and their schedules moved us on to new and different adventures. After a decade away, we came back and found that the true magic we experience, is housed in our memories and in our hearts. Sometimes, it's eating an ice cream cone on the Boardwalk, sometimes it's in the faces of those who have never been there before. Always, though... for me, it's in the way I feel. I hope that the powers that be will somehow remember that, but fear that the almighty dollar clouds the vision sometimes.

I remain grateful. Thanks for reminding me to remember when...

 

[bluezy]

Yeah maybe a minor blip in the budget for someone who can actually afford an $8000 trip. I'm sure a majority of people are not paying that, so I'm sure a lot of people wont just drop another 200 just to park. I don't use a car, but was thinking about it this coming trip.

Thats off the table. Not because I can't pay it, just because the principle of it is worthless to me and can't be justified

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. I believe the majority of people *are* paying close to $8000 and far more for their stays. Have you read through any of the "How much is your trip costing you?" threads? Or go to the Disney site and start pricing vacations at various resorts with dining plans (which soooo many first time visitors think is essential to their trip). If you're a family of four staying anywhere but at Value resort (and possibly some Moderate rooms), you're going to spend over $6,000 on your trip (including travel, food, room, and tickets). I'm not talking about locals with AP's who spend a few nights on property or DVC members. I'm talking "average" cash-paying visitors who are staying for a week.

We're a family of 5 or 6 (depending on how many kids -- all teens and adults -- are traveling with us). We drive to Disney. We stay at a Value Resort (either in a suite at AoA or 2 rooms at Pop). We don't do the dining plan (OOP is cheaper for us even though we still eat what we want, when we want it, and buy all drinks and snacks in the parks). We do one or two table service meals while we're there (they just don't appeal to us -- the kids are past the Character stage and we have far better restaurants at home). While $8,000 is a lot of money (even for us), it's about the least we can spend to stay on property -- which is where we prefer to be.

A family of 4 (which is 2 or 3 people less than us) staying in a standard room at almost any Deluxe resort is going to spend that much money on the room, tickets, and food. If they're eating a lot of table service meals, they'll be over that amount. If they get the DDP or DxDDP they'll be *way* over that amount. If they're in a villa or other "special" room, they're going to spend even more. A family of 4 at many Moderate resorts will be in the $6-8000 range again with just the basics of a room, tickets and QSDP. A family of 4 at a Value resort will usually spend less. While many families spend less than $4000 on a Disney vacation, there are way more who spend closer to the $8-10,000+ range simply because of their lodging choices, Dining plans/TS meals, travel costs, or the size of their family. It's a pretty safe bet to say that nearly every family in a Deluxe resort is spending $8000+ on their trip. (I'm not including those in DVC who will say it's only costing them their $500(?) maintenance fee for the room completely ignoring the $20K + interest they've paid for their points to begin with.)

We save up for about 2 years to go to Disney. We plan our trip when we have all of the money saved up for the trip we want -- if it takes more than 2 years to save it up, so be it. I'd venture to guess that anyone spending more than $5-6000 on their Disney vacations isn't really going to be swayed by this extra cost. I'm not saying they're going to like it, but it's not really going to be a deal-breaker. I know a lot of people are upset about these parking fees (me included), but realistically, most of the people saying they're not going to stay on property because of it are just having a knee-jerk reaction and will probably still stay on property (not saying everyone will but many will). And even if those people don't stay on property, Disney doesn't seem to have a problem filling rooms to their desired capacity levels. As others have mentioned, Disney's "bread and butter" are those families coming for their once (or twice) in a lifetime trip. After next week, the vast majority of newbies planning trips won't even know that the parking fee wasn't always there. There will be a backlash from returning customers for a few weeks and then it will pass.

 

[Rich M]

pay toilets

$1 to enter. 0.50 for TP. $1 for a stall. FP+ will be available

 

[ChipnDale79]

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. I believe the majority of people *are* paying close to $8000 and far more for their stays. Have you read through any of the "How much is your trip costing you?" threads? Or go to the Disney site and start pricing vacations at various resorts with dining plans (which soooo many first time visitors think is essential to their trip). If you're a family of four staying anywhere but at Value resort (and possibly some Moderate rooms), you're going to spend over $6,000 on your trip (including travel, food, room, and tickets). I'm not talking about locals with AP's who spend a few nights on property or DVC members. I'm talking "average" cash-paying visitors who are staying for a week.

We're a family of 5 or 6 (depending on how many kids -- all teens and adults -- are traveling with us). We drive to Disney. We stay at a Value Resort (either in a suite at AoA or 2 rooms at Pop). We don't do the dining plan (OOP is cheaper for us even though we still eat what we want, when we want it, and buy all drinks and snacks in the parks). We do one or two table service meals while we're there (they just don't appeal to us -- the kids are past the Character stage and we have far better restaurants at home). While $8,000 is a lot of money (even for us), it's about the least we can spend to stay on property -- which is where we prefer to be.

A family of 4 (which is 2 or 3 people less than us) staying in a standard room at almost any Deluxe resort is going to spend that much money on the room, tickets, and food. If they're eating a lot of table service meals, they'll be over that amount. If they get the DDP or DxDDP they'll be *way* over that amount. If they're in a villa or other "special" room, they're going to spend even more. A family of 4 at many Moderate resorts will be in the $6-8000 range again with just the basics of a room, tickets and QSDP. A family of 4 at a Value resort will usually spend less. While many families spend less than $4000 on a Disney vacation, there are way more who spend closer to the $8-10,000+ range simply because of their lodging choices, Dining plans/TS meals, travel costs, or the size of their family. It's a pretty safe bet to say that nearly every family in a Deluxe resort is spending $8000+ on their trip. (I'm not including those in DVC who will say it's only costing them their $500(?) maintenance fee for the room completely ignoring the $20K + interest they've paid for their points to begin with.)

We save up for about 2 years to go to Disney. We plan our trip when we have all of the money saved up for the trip we want -- if it takes more than 2 years to save it up, so be it. I'd venture to guess that anyone spending more than $5-6000 on their Disney vacations isn't really going to be swayed by this extra cost. I'm not saying they're going to like it, but it's not really going to be a deal-breaker. I know a lot of people are upset about these parking fees (me included), but realistically, most of the people saying they're not going to stay on property because of it are just having a knee-jerk reaction and will probably still stay on property (not saying everyone will but many will). And even if those people don't stay on property, Disney doesn't seem to have a problem filling rooms to their desired capacity levels. As others have mentioned, Disney's "bread and butter" are those families coming for their once (or twice) in a lifetime trip. After next week, the vast majority of newbies planning trips won't even know that the parking fee wasn't always there. There will be a backlash from returning customers for a few weeks and then it will pass.

Family of 4, value resort planned for august, assuming we'll get some level of discount.

I've budgeted for right at $5k for this trip, that's a week long stay and it includes tickets, food, hotel, and some spending money.

I don't know how off i am compared to other people.

 

[lucas]

pay toilets

Maybe then they will have some real toilet paper.

 

[Rich M]

I've budgeted for right at $5k for this trip, that's a week long stay and it includes tickets, food, hotel, and some spending money.

I don't know how off i am compared to other people.

Sister and I are going in Oct. We got 7 days tickets but doing a splits stay. 2 nights at AKL, and 3 nights at Poly, with a 3 day cruise in between. Disney cost with 7 day park hopper and rooms is $2500 so for a family of 4 with food and spending money that seems about right to me.

 

[lucas]

I'm not sure I agree with that statement. I believe the majority of people *are* paying close to $8000 and far more for their stays. Have you read through any of the "How much is your trip costing you?" threads? Or go to the Disney site and start pricing vacations at various resorts with dining plans (which soooo many first time visitors think is essential to their trip). If you're a family of four staying anywhere but at Value resort (and possibly some Moderate rooms), you're going to spend over $6,000 on your trip (including travel, food, room, and tickets). I'm not talking about locals with AP's who spend a few nights on property or DVC members. I'm talking "average" cash-paying visitors who are staying for a week.

We're a family of 5 or 6 (depending on how many kids -- all teens and adults -- are traveling with us). We drive to Disney. We stay at a Value Resort (either in a suite at AoA or 2 rooms at Pop). We don't do the dining plan (OOP is cheaper for us even though we still eat what we want, when we want it, and buy all drinks and snacks in the parks). We do one or two table service meals while we're there (they just don't appeal to us -- the kids are past the Character stage and we have far better restaurants at home). While $8,000 is a lot of money (even for us), it's about the least we can spend to stay on property -- which is where we prefer to be.

A family of 4 (which is 2 or 3 people less than us) staying in a standard room at almost any Deluxe resort is going to spend that much money on the room, tickets, and food. If they're eating a lot of table service meals, they'll be over that amount. If they get the DDP or DxDDP they'll be *way* over that amount. If they're in a villa or other "special" room, they're going to spend even more. A family of 4 at many Moderate resorts will be in the $6-8000 range again with just the basics of a room, tickets and QSDP. A family of 4 at a Value resort will usually spend less. While many families spend less than $4000 on a Disney vacation, there are way more who spend closer to the $8-10,000+ range simply because of their lodging choices, Dining plans/TS meals, travel costs, or the size of their family. It's a pretty safe bet to say that nearly every family in a Deluxe resort is spending $8000+ on their trip. (I'm not including those in DVC who will say it's only costing them their $500(?) maintenance fee for the room completely ignoring the $20K + interest they've paid for their points to begin with.)

We save up for about 2 years to go to Disney. We plan our trip when we have all of the money saved up for the trip we want -- if it takes more than 2 years to save it up, so be it. I'd venture to guess that anyone spending more than $5-6000 on their Disney vacations isn't really going to be swayed by this extra cost. I'm not saying they're going to like it, but it's not really going to be a deal-breaker. I know a lot of people are upset about these parking fees (me included), but realistically, most of the people saying they're not going to stay on property because of it are just having a knee-jerk reaction and will probably still stay on property (not saying everyone will but many will). And even if those people don't stay on property, Disney doesn't seem to have a problem filling rooms to their desired capacity levels. As others have mentioned, Disney's "bread and butter" are those families coming for their once (or twice) in a lifetime trip. After next week, the vast majority of newbies planning trips won't even know that the parking fee wasn't always there. There will be a backlash from returning customers for a few weeks and then it will pass.

I guess we are lucky. We could never afford that. As Florida residents, living 200 miles south of WDW, we go several times a year. We drive up and stay usually at POP Century. Most of my FL resident co-workers also make several trips a year, driving there and stay on property.

 

[dmetcalfrn]

Just received a 2 Park ticket offer email from Universal. We have had USO AP in the past and stayed onsite. The Express Pass was very valuable to us. Off to work out some details.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Maybe then they will have some real toilet paper.

that's an "enhancement" for an additional fee.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Just received a 2 Park ticket offer email from Universal. We have had USO AP in the past and stayed onsite. The Express Pass was very valuable to us. Off to work out some details.

#KeepPounding.

nothing else to say here, just wanted to say that LOL

 

[bluezy]

Family of 4, value resort planned for august, assuming we'll get some level of discount.

I've budgeted for right at $5k for this trip, that's a week long stay and it includes tickets, food, hotel, and some spending money.

I don't know how off i am compared to other people.

I'd say you're in the ballpark. When our kids were younger (actually "kids"), we used $1200/person for a general budget amount. Now that they're older, we budget more like $1500/person just to be safe.