Parking at DTD

[CurtWill]

I know that parking at resorts when visiting the parks is frowned upon UNLESS you are actually staying at that resort. This is especially true of the CR where parking is limited.

 

[jenjersnap]

Hope OP has no intention of being at the parks for rope drop. DTD stores open at 9:30, buses start running from the resorts at 8:30 ... you do the math.

 

[winterman]

The pros of parking at a hotel and riding to the park are that it will be free, you can bring your old refillable mugs to get a drink while you wait, and if you get hot during the day you can take the bus back and swim at the resort pools. The only con is that all the good wheelchairs are gone since you are waiting for a bus and might have to stand in lines now.

 

[goofy4tink]

I've been to WDW ooohhhh about 60 times. I know the process of swapping busses. You guys are way over estimating the amount of time it would take from DTD to MK via GF Monorail.

Anyway, like marc70879 said, I can bring an old mug and fill it up at the GF on the way through. I may not even need to spend a dime all day.

Soooo many trips to WDW and you have to come here and find out how to park at DTD for free park access??? Surely you jest.

 

[Cinderella94]

Hope OP has no intention of being at the parks for rope drop. DTD stores open at 9:30, buses start running from the resorts at 8:30 ... you do the math.

Busses start running at 6:40 am, just btw .

 

[NickP33]

Wow, where to start.

1) I'm not trying to scam the parks. I'm trying to keep money in my pocket. Just as Disney tries to increase their revenue by taking money out of mine. Putting a gift shop at the end of a ride that your kids just had a great time on is not trying get every dollar out of your pocket?? I'm just trying to find a balance.

2) I'm not stealing. I was kidding about the refillable mug. That was a joke. Although God has given most of you an awesome ability to do the admirable thing in all situations, he obviously left out the sense of humor.

3) Yes, I've been to Disney around 60 times and I wasn't asking permission or the "process" of how to swap busses. I simply asked, "Has anyone ever parked at DTD to avoid parking charges."

4) If my child would catch something from a Disney bus, I'm sure they're just as likely to catch something from a ride or a line. Even if I drove, I would still more than likely take a boat or monorail from parking lot.


I love how everyone judges when I asked a question about saving money. Usually those who bark the loudest have the most to hide.

 

[marc70879]

How is that scamming Disney? Maybe his kids love riding the Disney buses buy he doesn't want to pay $400 a night at a Disney hotel. Plus who are you to basically call him an unfit parent? He just asked if anyone has ever taken the bus from DTD to MK and y'all crucify him. It's not like he is saying I am going to dress my kids in old clothes , take them to the parks, spill stuff on them purposely, then go to guest relations and see if they will give them a free new outfit. Or he isn't asking if he takes the 3D glasses home from the park and use them on his tv.

We don't even know this poor guy or his kids. They might be normal Americans or just the lowest scum on earth. But we can't judge him unless we know him. I don't know how y'all are able to sleep with what y'all have said about this poor guy.

 

[NickP33]

I just don't get why you would rather expose your children to every illness going around at the time to save $12. Hmmmm, wonder what the doctor costs and any medicine they may need from picking up some illness costs.

Basically saying that if you stay on Disney property and use their busses to the park....good for you.

If you stay off property and use Disney transportation in a manner it's not intended....your kids will get sick from the busses.

 

[NickP33]

.

BTW, I'm not a troll. Please refer to my previous post on this site. I love this site. I just asked a questions and people started crucifying me.

 

[jenjersnap]

Busses start running at 6:40 am, just btw .

Multiple sources, including the Disney Mom's Panel and the WDW site, state that buses start running to DTD at 8:30 - google it, if you don't believe me. Seems you have this confused with the resort to theme park buses which do start running much earlier.

 

[Cinderella94]

Multiple sources, including the Disney Mom's Panel and the WDW site, state that buses start running to DTD at 8:30 - google it, if you don't believe me. Seems you have this confused with the resort to theme park buses which do start running much earlier.

Ah, you're right! I misread. It would be silly for buses to run to DTD that early .

 

[WDSearcher]

1) I'm not trying to scam the parks. I'm trying to keep money in my pocket. Just as Disney tries to increase their revenue by taking money out of mine. Putting a gift shop at the end of a ride that your kids just had a great time on is not trying get every dollar out of your pocket?? I'm just trying to find a balance.

Come on. Disney's a business. It's their job to increase their revenue, just as it is the job of wherever you work to increase their's. But putting a gift shop at the end of a ride doesn't take money out of your pocket unless you decide to buy something. It's your choice. No one is forcing you. There's your balance. If you find it impossible to say "no" to your child when they want something, that's not Disney's fault.

Look at your own business ... your own place of work. If a consumer was coming in constantly saying, "Oh, come on ... give me this for free ... all of your other products are so expensive, you should give me this one for free just so it will all balance out!", how far is that likely to go with you or your bosses? Are you likely to give them that product or service for free simply because they spend too much elsewhere in the store? Probably not.

 

[CarolA]

When I go to Epcot or MGM I'm sure I will just park at the theme park, but the day I go to MK, why not park at DTD and catch a bus to GF. I can either walk or take the Monorail from there.

I mean, parking in MK parking isn't a breeze. You still have to catch a boat or monorail. $15 isn't a lot of money in the big picture, but it does cover another meal or a couple of snacks.

You do realize that the buses don't run FROM DTD to the resorts until DTD has been open for a while. It's NOT a loop. So the bus might come FROM the GF and then go someplace completely different and not "reload" for example. I learned this when a family was getting on at the resort to go to another resort for breakfast. The bus driver suggested they go to a park instead since there would be a "dispatacher" there to SEE them waiting and get a bus but there was not such a person at DTD and you might have to wait quite a while! So if DTD opens at 8:30 or 9:00 you could be sitting there until 10 or so to catch that bus!

You also have to do this to come HOME when you are tired and hot. Hike or bus to resort. Wait for next bus etc...

(Not to mention that there have been reports of people getting notices on thier cars for "excessive" length of stay at DTD.. No one has ever reported what happened if they ignored the notice however!)

Now what you are doing is not fair to those who want to go to DTD for it's intended reason since they won't have as nice a parking space because you are "above the rules" but whatever.. I figure the two hours or so you waste will be plenty of punshment. At the cost of two admissions to Disney that's pretty high to save the parking fee LOL!

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Does anyone ever park at Downtown Disney or a resort and ride a bus to the theme parks to avoid paying for parking?

I'm leaving tomorrow for an impromptu trip with my wife and 2 kids 26months and 10 months. I hate to be cheap, but saving a buck everywhere I can will help.

Thanks

Ugh, please don't do this. If you need to save a buck, then please save your money and go on vacation when you can afford it.

I hate to sound cruel or unsympathetic but this is just wrong! I have not read the other replies but I have a strong feeling I am not alone in this.

 

[Floydian]

I'm sure it has been done, can be done, and will be done. For me, even though I think that the parking fee is excessive, my time is still worth far more than the cost of parking.

Luckily, I have the time to waste driving around DTD parking lots for 20 minutes, hoping to be the first one to spot a family headed to their car, then following them all the way there to get a place to park.

Hmm, maybe it would be faster to park at a Resort then take a bus to DTD, instead of trying to find a spot at DTD on a Saturday evening.

 

[CanadianGuy]

t the risk of being overexplanative of Disney parking rules.

Parking costs $12 a day. It's free to guests of Disney resorts.

Further discussions on how to get around Disney's policies in this regard is moot.

Knox