Parking "Hacks"

[Wadecool]

You're a really funny guy. On a completely unrelated note, don't you just hate how sarcasm doesn't come across in text?

And I'd have to disagree with you about the validity of the argument that my contrary tone was justified for not having been initiatory. To quote the immortal words of some rapper whose name escapes me because I never knew it, "Don't start no {edit}, won't be no {edit}."

And if someone wants to tell me that I should "take the high road," or "turn the other cheek," I will say that you are free to your own philosophies, as am I to mine. And my philosophy includes never backing down. I don't care what Jesus or anyone else has to say about it.

Enough said. I couldn't add anything else to this post as it speaks for itself. Carry on.

 

[hakepb]

I'm surprised no one mentions water parks. I've not seen a parking tool booth in a water park.

I guess you have to get back to your car before the water park closes and transportation stops...

 

[gator girl]

A) Assume someone has children because you have children, and probably think that everyone else wants children too. Also probably believe that they are so cute and everyone loves them even when they are putting their gross hands all over everything.

B) Go on message boards and be snarky and sarcastic with no just prompting. Model "this is how we act like jerks on the internet so that we can feel like we are better than other people." Wait for children to become obnoxious entitled Goofuses.

Ironically, I don't (in fact) have kids.

And if you read again, I said I DID see snark. Not that I didn't.

For cripes' sake, I wasn't *attacking* you. I was making jokes about a topic that is thrashed to absolute death on this website. Because clearly a tongue-in-cheek comment about your wife getting ticked at circuitous bus routing is a completely serious indictment on the stability of your wedded bliss and dooms your relationship to failure.

Whatever. Drama is overrated. Carry on. Pay, don't pay, literally hold the parking lot attendant up at gunpoint. What do I care.

 

[MoonFaerie]

Ironically, I don't (in fact) have kids.

And if you read again, I said I DID see snark. Not that I didn't.

For cripes' sake, I wasn't *attacking* you. I was making jokes about a topic that is thrashed to absolute death on this website. Because clearly a tongue-in-cheek comment about your wife getting ticked at circuitous bus routing is a completely serious indictment on the stability of your wedded bliss and dooms your relationship to failure.

Whatever. Drama is overrated. Carry on. Pay, don't pay, literally hold the parking lot attendant up at gunpoint. What do I care.

Unless you'll be there when I am. Then no guns, bombs, really anything that could cause them to shut down the parks or transportation.

 

[heyitsmejosh]

That's Polydweller's point - they don't need to give you anything that's time stamped.

It is true that you can visit resorts. It's also true that they don't want you leaving your car in the lot all day while you go off to a theme park. Particularly if the resort is full, and allowing that would mean there's not enough room for the paying guests to park.

of course they dont... but they dont know that black sedan X came here at 230 and white SUV came in at 300.. i mean its impossible to track what car came in when and what they did..

 

[flortlebap]

How has this not been closed yet?!

 

[DizBelle]

Why do I care if someone does the DTD/resort/park thing? Couple of reasons:

1. If I want to run (drive) to DTD for an Earl of Sandwich lunch or dinner and can't find a place to park because the lots are full of people who parked free for the day
2. If I get on the bus back to my resort at a park and can't find a seat because people are just riding to my resort to grab a bus to DTD
3. Because I believe that a strong society is based on people following rules. There's no excuse for breaking a rule, especially with children observing. I don't care if "it's just parking" or "it's just fountain soda" or whatever, it's still breaking a rule.
4. Too many rulebreakers means too much scrutiny. I don't want WDW to turn into the airport TSA security screening. We've already seen things go away because of abuse/overuse.

So that's why I prefer that EVERYONE follow the rules.

Keep dreaming sister. It ain't gonna happen.

 

[blainekyle]

How has this not been closed yet?!

I think it's a conspiracy.

 

[blainekyle]

Enough said. I couldn't add anything else to this post as it speaks for itself. Carry on.

Wait, so all I have to do to silence self-righteous adversaries is denounce their religious icons? Handy to know.

 

[Alesia]

During holidays and when the resorts are heavily booked they will issue 3-hour parking passes. If they issue a pass and you're there more than 3 hours, they can and will tow you.

If they don't issue a pass, they can't and won't tow you.

As far as parking at DTD and then taking the bus to the parks, yes, you can do that, but it's a huge waste of time (particularly after a long day in the parks.) Also keep in mind that bus service from DTD doesn't start until 10:00 or so, so you won't be able to get to the park before 11:30 or so.

 

[blainekyle]

Ironically, I don't (in fact) have kids.

And if you read again, I said I DID see snark. Not that I didn't.

For cripes' sake, I wasn't *attacking* you. I was making jokes about a topic that is thrashed to absolute death on this website. Because clearly a tongue-in-cheek comment about your wife getting ticked at circuitous bus routing is a completely serious indictment on the stability of your wedded bliss and dooms your relationship to failure.

Whatever. Drama is overrated. Carry on. Pay, don't pay, literally hold the parking lot attendant up at gunpoint. What do I care.

I believe the language you used was along the lines of "I've seen snark," which I guess I misread to be phrased the way people sometimes say "I've seen x, and this is no x." Sorry about that; it was my bad.

And, okay, you weren't "attacking" me. I didn't use that word, and I think it would be an overstatement. But you're saying that you were just making jokes? Well, yeah, you were, but at my expense. If I started dropping jokes about how you smell so bad that your resort has started sending extra buses just so that guests don't have to ride with you, it would still be offensive. And that's just an example. Luckily, I don't know what you smell like.

 

[goofy4tink]

I just recently got back from a trip to WDW (staying off-site). We had an AP holder in the family so got free parking anyhow.

On the first day we had a character breakfast at O'Hanas. When I drove up to the MK parking booths the CM directed me to stay to the right to go to the Polynesian. Didn't get asked to pay for parking or to show the AP.

At the Poly security gate had to show a driver's license and say we were having breakfast at O'hanas. We were told to park anywhere. We were NEVER told there was a 3-hour resort parking limit. In fact, this is at least the tenth time I've been to WDW and have never been told there is a 3-hour parking limit.

We ended up leaving the car at the Poly all day while going to MK after breakfast. Our car was there when we got back at the end of the day, too. Not to suggest that my experience is representative of everyone's, but...

I know that I would be extremely upset to find my car towed because of an unwritten, unstated 3-hour parking limit at a resort. I would also fight to the end to make sure that I didn't pay a cent of the towing fees.

So, if there really is a 3-hour limit, why are security attendants not informing people? Is my experience different because I have never been to WDW during a peak season?

There are many times, during the year, that there is actually signage up that says 'parking is not provided for park access'. If you see that signage, are you still going to try and get in and park for the day??

I don't disagree that the lot is small, but at least half of it (maybe even 3/4) was empty the entire time...

But sit and watch what happens when the parks close for the day. All those resort guests return with their cars trying to find a place to park.

of course they dont... but they dont know that black sedan X came here at 230 and white SUV came in at 300.. i mean its impossible to track what car came in when and what they did..

Seriously?? You don't think so?? I have been sitting on my BLT balcony, having my morning coffee, around 8:45-9ish. I have watched the security guy drive around the parking lot, just below me. He looks in windshields, and if he doesn't see a resort parking pass, he notes it. I have seen the security people come back, at various time periods during the day, making notations as well. Now, I can't say for sure what is going on, but I do know they track the cars in these lots...especially the small ones.

So, again, I say...drive over to Pop, park there since the lots are huge, and take a bus to a park from there. But, that's probably not what you 'fee avoiders' want to do. You want free parking, with easy park access. And there is nothing anyone here, on this board, is going to say that is going to change your minds.

 

[Bob NC]

I have watched the security guy drive around the parking lot, just below me. He looks in windshields, and if he doesn't see a resort parking pass, he notes it. I have seen the security people come back, at various time periods during the day, making notations as well. Now, I can't say for sure what is going on, but I do know they track the cars in these lots...especially the small ones.

So unfair!!! What do they have against small cars?????

stir

 

[blainekyle]

So, again, I say...drive over to Pop, park there since the lots are huge, and take a bus to a park from there. But, that's probably not what you 'fee avoiders' want to do. You want free parking, with easy park access. And there is nothing anyone here, on this board, is going to say that is going to change your minds.

Actually, I would love to just park at Pop Century. That's the resort I'm used to staying at, and I don't think the bus ride is all that long. But even that I would wonder about from a moral standpoint. If I was getting a consensus here from the other DISers that this is widely accepted as unoffensive, I'd totally do it--but I don't think that's the message I'm receiving, and I understand that. I am the OP (it might be easy to lose track of this now, on the 8th page), but I am not the evil "do anything to save a penny" monster that the rhetoric here has been suggesting. I'll note again the fact that I came here with a question. My original post wasn't, "Hey, guess what, I'm going to stay off-site and come park in your resort lots to skip the parking fees, and there's nothing you can do about it." I came asking for opinions, which I received, unfortunately in many cases coupled with some harsh and judgmental language and accusations.

 

[gator girl]

If I started dropping jokes about how you smell so bad that your resort has started sending extra buses just so that guests don't have to ride with you, it would still be offensive. And that's just an example. Luckily, I don't know what you smell like.

Ironically, I do (in fact) smell bad.

 

[Lynne M]

OP, while I'm not in any way advocating or excusing rudeness, I think there's a pretty simple explanation for why it happens, if you look at it from the perspective of the regulars on this board....

We average at least 4 threads a week asking for ways to avoid paying for parking at the theme parks. It gets discussed here, at great length, pretty much every single day. Every single thing that could possibly be said on the topic has been said, several times over. The inevitable result when it comes up yet again, is snark, and lots of it. Not saying that that's what we want to have happen, and as moderators we do want people to realize that the question may not be new to them, but it is to the poster, and to be respectful. But, when you're dealing with 'topic fatigue', it happens.

The other thing that's going on here is that most frequent visitors to WDW have had those fun times when they were late for their long-awaited DTD dinner reservation because they had to drive around the DTD lot for an hour, looking for a space.

Or, when they paid the hefty premium to stay at a Disney resort so they'd be close to the theme parks, and then had to drag their exhausted, cranky kids and their exhausted, cranky selves across the entire parking lot at their resort, because the lot was packed full of cars and the only space left was about a mile from their room.

Then they come here, read a post asking if it's OK to stay offsite and park at DTD to avoid paying $14, or if it's OK to stay offsite and park in some resort lot to avoid paying $14, and their blood pressure goes through the roof, remembering all the times they couldn't find parking.

Again, there's no excuse for posters to be rude. But the bottom line is, all of the ways to get out of paying for theme park parking are going to inconvenience someone else, and probably someone who arguably has more right to the parking space than you do. And that's going to get peoples' hackles up.

 

[Wadecool]

Wait, so all I have to do to silence self-righteous adversaries is denounce their religious icons? Handy to know.

Your own posts do more to erode your position than anyone else ever could. Keep up the good work.

 

[Bob NC]

And that's going to get peoples' hackles up.

Can we all agree to leave my hackles out of this?

 

[Evoga]

During holidays and when the resorts are heavily booked they will issue 3-hour parking passes. If they issue a pass and you're there more than 3 hours, they can and will tow you.

If they don't issue a pass, they can't and won't tow you.

As far as parking at DTD and then taking the bus to the parks, yes, you can do that, but it's a huge waste of time (particularly after a long day in the parks.) Also keep in mind that bus service from DTD doesn't start until 10:00 or so, so you won't be able to get to the park before 11:30 or so.

This post has the most valid information for the OP. Don't forget wilderness lodge if its busy and take the boat across.

The car pass issued is just a piece of paper with your name, resort name and check in an out dates which is very easy to print yourself . The security guards handed me one without any logo which makes it deadly simple to make. I am surprised they haven't implemented a more robust system.

 

[heyitsmejosh]

Seriously?? You don't think so?? I have been sitting on my BLT balcony, having my morning coffee, around 8:45-9ish. I have watched the security guy drive around the parking lot, just below me. He looks in windshields, and if he doesn't see a resort parking pass, he notes it. I have seen the security people come back, at various time periods during the day, making notations as well. Now, I can't say for sure what is going on, but I do know they track the cars in these lots...especially the small ones.

So, again, I say...drive over to Pop, park there since the lots are huge, and take a bus to a park from there. But, that's probably not what you 'fee avoiders' want to do. You want free parking, with easy park access. And there is nothing anyone here, on this board, is going to say that is going to change your minds.

honestly i have never seen anyone driving around writing down cars that have nothing in the windshield and i go there every 2 or 3 months.. that being said i dont know who you are calling fee avoiders the guy was just asking a question and it was answered a while ago no one else here really said they did it.