Parking at Resort then going to Theme Park

[TraderStitch]

Hi Everyone,

Long time browser of Disboards, first time poster. I couldn't seem to find this exact answer anywhere.

My family and extended family (15 in group) will be staying off site for our upcoming trip. We have breakfast reservations for Topolino's.

The question is if we park at the Riviera, 3-4 vehicles, can we take the Skyliner for our day at Epcot or do we need to move our cars to Epcot parking? It will save a lot of time to leave the cars there but I also don't want to cause any issues or get in trouble.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

 

[_auroraborealis_]

If you pay for valet parking, you can leave the cars.

Otherwise, you do need to move. Your dining reservation is good for 2-3 hours of parking, not a free parking pass for the day.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi Everyone,

Long time browser of Disboards, first time poster. I couldn't seem to find this exact answer anywhere.

My family and extended family (15 in group) will be staying off site for our upcoming trip. We have breakfast reservations for Topolino's.

The question is if we park at the Riviera, 3-4 vehicles, can we take the Skyliner for our day at Epcot or do we need to move our cars to Epcot parking? It will save a lot of time to leave the cars there but I also don't want to cause any issues or get in trouble.

Thank you in advance for any advice!

No. You cannot leave your car all day at Riviera (or any resort you're not staying at) unless you valet park.

 

[serenitynow]

And they do tow

 

[TraderStitch]

, you do need to move. Your dining reservation is good for 2-3 hours of parking, not a free parking pass for the day.

I was planning on doing valet because we didn't want to take advantage of the system. Just wasn't sure if valet was ok to leave the vehicles or not.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If you pay for valet parking, you can leave the cars.

Otherwise, you do need to move. Your dining reservation is good for 2-3 hours of parking, not a free parking pass for the day.

I still haven't seen this published anywhere official, so shame on Disney for that. The closest thing to official seems to be an old Disney Parks Moms Panel blog post.

OP's situation is pretty clear because he's an off site guest who isn't entitled to free theme park parking, but it gets grayer when you're talking about an on-site guest who is entitled to free theme park parking but parking at a different on-site resort than their own.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I still haven't seen this published anywhere official, so shame on Disney for that. The closest thing to official seems to be an old Disney Parks Moms Panel blog post.

OP's situation is pretty clear because he's an off site guest who isn't entitled to free theme park parking, but it gets grayer when you're talking about an on-site guest who is entitled to free theme park parking but parking at a different on-site resort than their own.

A little grey, but logically not very. Reality is that resort lots are not designed for volume beyond that of users of the resort's room inventory, and the desirable lots of theme park parking cannot handle volume based on "I got brekkie and gonna park all day." Even for dining, it's a bit of a stretch sometimes for handling the volume - especially places like Boardwalk and CR.

 

[FunnyLady1966]

I still haven't seen this published anywhere official, so shame on Disney for that. The closest thing to official seems to be an old Disney Parks Moms Panel blog post.

OP's situation is pretty clear because he's an off site guest who isn't entitled to free theme park parking, but it gets grayer when you're talking about an on-site guest who is entitled to free theme park parking but parking at a different on-site resort than their own.

Good observation!

 

[_19disnA]

I believe valet parking is MORE expensive then regular parking, so that is something you should ask the guard at the entrance. Disney doesn't want people to park for FREE at any of their hotels as a way to 'game' the parking fee normally associated with parking @ MK/Epcot/HS. You aren't trying to 'game' the parking fee if you plan to pay MORE then everyone else.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

A little grey, but logically not very. Reality is that resort lots are not designed for volume beyond that of users of the resort's room inventory, and the desirable lots of theme park parking cannot handle volume based on "I got brekkie and gonna park all day." Even for dining, it's a bit of a stretch sometimes for handling the volume - especially places like Boardwalk and CR.

You and I know that, but most people who visit the World don't have thousands of Disney fan community message board posts under their belt.

To random Joe "Visits Once Every Six Years" Tourist, it's not obvious why you wouldn't be able to park wherever you want on property, whenever you want, as a resort guest. "I pay to park at my resort, which gets me free parking in the theme parks" to "I pay to park at my resort, I have a bona fide dining reservation at a different resort, so I'm going to leave my car there when I head to an adjacent theme park (at which I'm also entitled to free parking)" doesn't feel like a stretch.

As a pragmatic matter, I was a local and a Cast Member for several years and that Contemporary parking lot was almost always less than 25% full. The only resorts that I recall consistently pushing up against capacity constraints were Grand Floridian, which doesn't have much parking to begin with, and Y/B/BW during festival seasons.

I have zero problems with Disney's policy in this area, but they should spell it out in plain English on their website.

 

[Her Dotness]

Yes, you will pay more than the theme park lot fee for valet parking at $33/day. Theme park lot costs only $25/day. Either fee covers other theme park lots or resort valet parking for the rest of that day in case you plan dinner at a resort with valet parking, for instance.

However, since you mention extended family...if anyone in your group has a valid disabled placard (bringing paperwork along is wise, just in case), the vehicle that person is in can valet park free and leave the car there the entire day. You leave their placard with the attendant who parks the car for you.

Really, unless the above privilege applies to more than one person you could split up to qualify other cars, it's probably simpler to drive over to the Epcot lot. Otherwise, you may all end up in Futureland somewhere, tired, hot and ready to leave, realizing you must walk all the way back to the Skyliner station or take a resort bus to Riviera.

Much more sensible to move cars to the Epcot lot, IMO.