Parking for Chef Mickey's dinner

[grays-go-disney]

We're going to hit Chef Mickey's for dinner after a fun-filled day at MK. I'm expecting 3yr old and 1yr old DD's to be pretty beat after dinner, so I want to make a clean get-away back to our offsite resort. We'll be parked at the MK lot during the day, obviously, and I'm planning on moving the car to the Contemporary for dinner. Will I have any trouble parking at the Contemporary? Do I have to get a ticket validated or something to prove that I had reservations?

Thanks for your help!

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Welcome to the DIS!

The parking attendant at the Contemporary will give you a temporary parking pass (for 3 hours, IIRC) while you eat at Chef Mickey's. I don't remember having to get anything validated. Depending on the time of day or year and how busy WDW is, the attendant may call the restaurant to check that you do have a reservation.

Hope you and your DDs have a great time.

 

[goofy4tink]

You should just be able to give the guy in the 'guard shack' your name and confirmation number. That should do it. Another thought though...you can take the monorail directly to the CR from MK (or walk via the path, about 8 minute walk). Then, after dinner, just hop on the monorail, the next stop is the TTC (where your car is going to be parked). It just might be easier to do it that way, rather than go all the way over to the TTC, get the car, and then drive to the CR, park, and then have to drive home. You will be going right by the entrance to the TTC lot when you drive back after dinner at the CR.

 

[cigar95]

I agree with some of the others that using the monorail might be a good option, but for a different reason.

Moving your car from the TTC lot to the Contemporary is pretty complicated - even though the two places are almost right next to each other, you have to exit the lot, head a mile or two down World Drive, find a place to turn around, come back *up* World Drive, through the Toll Plaza (save your parking ticket to simplify things, and be sure to keep to the right), make a quick zig-zag as soon as you pass through the plaza, and head up the road to the CR, where you might be faced with a crowded lot, depending on the time of year.

If you aren't familiar with the roads in this area of WDW, making two wrong turns and having to take the long way around twice (or more) is not out of the question. (But if you want to try it, there are some of us here who can give you very detailed directions.)

Plus, the whole idea of arriving and departing the CR on the monorail is just cool. This resort is the one I think of as my WDW home, even though I've stayed at almost every resort.

 

[grays-go-disney]

So glad I asked! I had no idea The Contemporary was in between MK and parking on the monorail. And good to know that the drive could be tricky. I'm definitely one for playing it safe, especially when young kids and dinner reservations are involved. Thanks!

 

[DemoBri1]

Moving your car from the TTC lot to the Contemporary is pretty complicated - even though the two places are almost right next to each other, you have to exit the lot, head a mile or two down World Drive, find a place to turn around, come back *up* World Drive, through the Toll Plaza (save your parking ticket to simplify things, and be sure to keep to the right), make a quick zig-zag as soon as you pass through the plaza, and head up the road to the CR, where you might be faced with a crowded lot, depending on the time of year.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I thought I remembered an access road on the way out of the TTC lot that could get you back over to the entrance road. Yes...it would be a bit tricky to get back all the way over to the right to get to the resorts, but you don't necessarily have to travel back down World Center Drive for any length of time.

 

[cigar95]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I thought I remembered an access road on the way out of the TTC lot that could get you back over to the entrance road. Yes...it would be a bit tricky to get back all the way over to the right to get to the resorts, but you don't necessarily have to travel back down World Center Drive for any length of time.

If you're thinking of the same access road I am - that one will get you back into the TTC parking lot, but you wouldn't be able to get all the way over to the road that goes to the Contemporary, Poly, and Floridian. (This is the detour road that you come to just before you pass the Toll Plaza on the way out, and just after you pass the Car Care Center.)

If you use Google Maps or Google Earth, you can see the roads in this area pretty clearly. (If anyone wants, I can try to post a link to a relevant page from Google Maps.)

 

[grays-go-disney]

Yes, would you please post the google maps link!

 

[cigar95]

Well, dang it, google maps is using a Java applet or something to create their maps, so it doesn't create a regular link. But I can give you some instructions:

1 - go to maps.google.com
2 - in the search box, search for 32830 - the WDW zip code
3 - now you'll see a map with Epcot more or less in the center. Just to the left, there's a yellow blurb representing World Drive that ends right about where the TTC Toll Plaza is. Click on that spot (and hold) and drag it to the center of your screen. (It's pretty cool to watch these maps move around)
4 - in the upper left, you'll see some controls for panning and zooming. Click the "+" box three times to zoom in. You'll be able to see Floridian Way, which is the exit road from the TTC area. You'll also see World Drive, which forks in two - one fork heads into the parking lot, while the other fork heads up toward the contemporary.
5 - Now comes the REALLY cool part - in the upper right corner, click on the button that says "satellite", and you'll see a photograph of the entire area you're looking at. It's GREAT. You can see the Toll Plaza itself, and see the roads leading into the parking lot. (You'll also see a giant hidden mickey right in the middle of the screen.)

6 - Just past the Toll Plaza, you can see how the road bears to the left to head into the parking lot. But a small one or two lane road on the right continues straight ahead, toward the resorts.

This is a great tool for seeing all sorts of things around WDW, and lots of other places as well. I used it to figure out a back-road entrance into Universal, for instance.

CAVEAT - I don't know how fast this loads on a dial-up connection. If I'm at home, I use my wife's DSL connection whenever I can, rather than the 56k on my computer.

If I need to explain anything more clearly, please ask.

 

[Uncleromulus]

I might also add that parking at the Contemporary can be a real mess--the lot is always crowded and every time we park there for dinner, it's far away from the hotel--about as far away as you can get and still be on the lot!!
Believe I would opt for the monorail---
And if I'm not mistaken--I believe you could even walk to the Contemporary(??)

 

[goofy4tink]

Here's how to walk to the Contemporary from MK....when you leave the MK, just stay to the left, rather than the right which would take you to the buses, as you exit. You will see a nice walkway that practically runs under the monorail line. Just follow that, you will cross a street (not horribly busy, with a walk button) then past the CR parking lot and on into the CR for your dinner. Or, you can just walk over to the monorail station, to the far left as you exit MK, and take that to the CR...it's the next stop.
When you are done with dinner, hop on the monorail right in the CR, get off at the next stop..TTC...and find your car. It's very, very easy to do.

 

[mouseplanner]

Can someone please explain the parking for the parks to me? What exactly is the TTC? I envision a separate lot for each park or is it one huge lot?

 

[goofy4tink]

Can someone please explain the parking for the parks to me? What exactly is the TTC? I envision a separate lot for each park or is it one huge lot?

Each park has it's own parking lot. The TTC is 'Ticket and Transportation Center'...it used to be a hub area that you could go to in order to get a bus to just about anywhere on-site. Not anymore though. It pretty much serves just MK now. If someone drives themselves to MK, this is where they would park and take a little shuttle type thing from the parking area to the TTC proper, then you would either take the ferry boat or the monorail to MK. You can also take the Epcot monorail from here.

 

[DisneyDadof3]

I have a similar problem. I have ADR's at Chef Mickey's at 7:20a.m. - I think I need to park at the Contemporary to make sure we make the time. However, while my wife walks the kids over the MK after breakfast, I think I need to move the van back to the TTC (since we only have a 3-hour window to park at the contemporary). Is there an easy way to get from the Contemporary back to the TTC without taking the long way around.

 

[DisneyDadof3]

Anyone?

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Check Cigar95's posts above.

Go to google maps and locate the area using his directions, then scroll up to the MK area and hit hybrid. If you come back down N. World Drive (the road that goes to the Contemporary), you can't go all the way to the toll gates to get to the TTC parking lot. Traffic goes off onto Vista Drive, which eventually comes out near Port Orleans.

But if you leave the Contemporary going south, then turn right onto W. Seven Seas Drive, go past the Poly, then left on Floridian Way, follow the map past the (not so) Hidden (from the air) Mickey then past the car care center, there's a lane that loops to the left before you get to the toll gates. That will bring you back up to the TTC parking lot without having to go back out the toll gates and then back in.

 

[DisneyDadof3]

Ok - I see it now - I was looking more on the east side and trying to pull in the TTC heading south. I had considered driving all of the way around to the car center area. Thanks

 

[deelam]

I have a similar problem. I have ADR's at Chef Mickey's at 7:20a.m. - I think I need to park at the Contemporary to make sure we make the time. However, while my wife walks the kids over the MK after breakfast, I think I need to move the van back to the TTC (since we only have a 3-hour window to park at the contemporary). Is there an easy way to get from the Contemporary back to the TTC without taking the long way around.

I thought I read somewhere that you could use the valet at the Contemporary if you want to leave your car there all day. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?