Parking at the Boardwalk

[cassie]

We are staying at POFQ in November and want to visit the Boardwalk. Is there a place to park the car without paying?

 

[DebbieB]

We are staying at POFQ in November and want to visit the Boardwalk. Is there a place to park the car without paying?

There is a guarded lot right outside the Boardwalk entrance and another lot across the street next to the gas station. Both are free. During crowded times, they direct non-hotel guests to use the lot across the street.

 

[cassie]

With a resort pass on the car, do you think we could park at one of the hotels?

 

[rlovew]

Not if it is a weekend, during food and wine, or during a holiday time- they have a very restricted lot due to people coming to park instead of paying to park at Epcot- or just to use the International Gateway to get in so because there is not a lot of parking they send non-Boardwalk guests to the lot described by a PP.

 

[DebbieB]

With a resort pass on the car, do you think we could park at one of the hotels?

Yes, those are the Boardwalk hotel lots. They might be more strict at Yacht or Beach Club if you don't have a dining reservation, especially during the food & wine festival. Swan & Dolphin charges for parking.

 

[cassie]

Thanks for the tips. Two years ago we parked at a lot next to the YC I think and paid. That too was during the F&W festival.

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks for the tips. Two years ago we parked at a lot next to the YC I think and paid. That too was during the F&W festival.

It had to have been the Swan or Dolphin. WDW resorts do not charge for self parking.

 

[goofy4tink]

Let me try to put this into perspective. The parking lot at BW/BWV isn't all that huge. It's okay, but not huge. So...if you are staying at BW and park your car there, you're good to go. But if you take the car out, during the day, and return around 7:30-8? The parking lot is pretty full. And there are no spots left close to the resort. So, you are forced to park way at the back of the lot and make the hike to the resort. But, if you were to go back down to the parking lot around 10 that night? Many of those front parking spots are not open. Why? Because so many people come over and park there so they can grab a bite to eat and head over to Epcot to watch IllumiNations.
I have sat on my balcony, overlooking that parking lot, at night. And about 20 mins after IllumiNations ends, there is a huge exodus!!! It's almost funny.

So, if you want to visit BW, either take a parking spot off towards the rear of the lot or park across the street. I understand that people want to visit these resorts. And they want to eat there and check it out. But, parking at these resorts for park access isn't supposed to happen.
I know that a lot of people seem to think that because they have a resort parking permit, they are free to park wherever they want, onsite. But in reality? That permit allows them to park at the resort they are staying at, as well as at each park, in the appropriate lots.

 

[Pipkin]

Not if it is a weekend, during food and wine, or during a holiday time- they have a very restricted lot due to people coming to park instead of paying to park at Epcot- or just to use the International Gateway to get in so because there is not a lot of parking they send non-Boardwalk guests to the lot described by a PP.

We had absolutely no problem parking at any of the resort hotels two weekends ago, despite the very busy Food and Wine Festival. We parked at the Boardwalk, Yacht and Beach, as well as Animal Kingdom.

 

[jpeppers]

In May we were directed to park across the street but there were no spots. I went back to the gate because my daughter loves the entertainment and the guy sent me to the main lot to the left that had a ton of spots. We were staying off site but no problem, they want your money and don't get it if they send you away.

 

[LisaS]

As others have said it depends on the time of year. We just got back from a stay at BWV during F&W. In the evening they had additional guards at the entrances to the lots checking the parking passes and turning people away. We were relieved because for the first time in several years of October visits, we always found a spot in the lot no matter what time we returned to the resort.

 

[wwaleye]

The last post for this subject seems to be for Oct of 2013, any more recent thoughts on this? We are staying at SSR and would like to spend some time at the Boardwalk. Will they allow us to park there or do we need to find Disney transportation?

 

[goofy4tink]

The last post for this subject seems to be for Oct of 2013, any more recent thoughts on this? We are staying at SSR and would like to spend some time at the Boardwalk. Will they allow us to park there or do we need to find Disney transportation?

Nope, the info is exactly the same. You can park there, but you may have to park across the street vs the resort parking lot for guests. There is a lot, across the street, behind the Hess station that everyone is free to park in. Yes, there are times that non-guests are directed to the resort guest parking area....ask at the guard shack and they will tell you where to park.
Some of us get a bit testy on the subject due to the lack of decent parking spots at our resort. Unlike SSR, there is only one parking lot...vs individual lots for each bldg area at SSR. And a lot of people like to park at BW in order to head over to Epcot, watch IllumiNations and then leave without the headache of large departing crowds! So, it can be difficult to find a parking spot towards the front of the lot from 7pm on..until 10. That's when those that have parked there, for IllumiNations, leave. It's aggravating, to say the least, to pay the rates at BW, and then have to park in the nether regions of the lot because 'day' guests have taken up the more forward spots!!
I'm on of those people that wish Disney would make the resort lots card accessible, with a separate area, not card accessible, for those that want to just visit the resort. It would be a bit further back, but you could still park to visit the resort, without taking up valuable spots from those of us that pay to stay there.
Of course, the other option is driving to DHS, parking there, and then walking, or boating, to the BW area. When you're done, just head back to DHS, get your car and head out.