"Premium parking"

[manning]

just waiting for them to announce the Magical Premium Parking Dessert Party at $95 a pop.

The entertainment would be watching cars come and go.

 

[manning]

Wait for the pay toilets. Those who don't want to pay will have Fastpass +. Don't eat Prunes and drink beer.

 

[Michael S]

You will be walking all day . . . if not you will be waiting . . .so you can walk . . .or wait for the tram . . or pay the premium. I agree with others, that for folks that do not mind the expense (beyond those with budgets), you can enjoy it, but good that it is optional at this point. I gather they will make enough from it, without having to raise across the board, so could be a win win.

 

[mom2rtk]

You will be walking all day . . . if not you will be waiting . . .so you can walk . . .or wait for the tram . . or pay the premium. I agree with others, that for folks that do not mind the expense (beyond those with budgets), you can enjoy it, but good that it is optional at this point. I gather they will make enough from it, without having to raise across the board, so could be a win win.

Is there an "enough" level?

I highly doubt this is going to prevent any price increases at any point in time.

 

[jlewisinsyr]

Since the elimination of the AAA preferred parking, Disney has a selection of spots, closer to the parks that can be leveraged as an additional purchase. I don't particularly mind this, its optional. One thing I love about Universal is their valet parking and specifically red carpet valet and use it every time I go. It's about convenience for me, but to others, that might not be high on their priorities, but it really has minimal impact on everyone. Same would apply for the premium parking at Disney.

 

[soniam]

Saw the signs and parking at MK on 3/15 and 3/19. It looked like it was the Aladdin lot near the accessible lot. We got their at AM EMH RD on Tuesday about 7am, and we were put in Simba. We left just after lunch and preferred didn't look even half full. On Saturday, we didn't arrive until about 3pm. The preferred still wasn't very full. It didn't even look half full when we left about 6pm. We never saw the signs at Epcot, which we went to on 3/17. We did get there very early, like the first ones at bag check. So, maybe they hadn't put up the signs yet or it was too dark to see them. We were parked in Imagination just a row or two back, right behind CMs. It was pretty close, so I don't know where preferred was.

 

[SureAsLiz]

Saw the signs and parking at MK on 3/15 and 3/19. It looked like it was the Aladdin lot near the accessible lot. We got their at AM EMH RD on Tuesday about 7am, and we were put in Simba. We left just after lunch and preferred didn't look even half full. On Saturday, we didn't arrive until about 3pm. The preferred still wasn't very full. It didn't even look half full when we left about 6pm. We never saw the signs at Epcot, which we went to on 3/17. We did get there very early, like the first ones at bag check. So, maybe they hadn't put up the signs yet or it was too dark to see them. We were parked in Imagination just a row or two back, right behind CMs. It was pretty close, so I don't know where preferred was.

I've posted some observations in the other thread on the strategy board, but they are pretty similar to yours. Epcot was barely used on Sunday, and MK had a little more use both Saturday and Sunday, but nowhere near full.

These are the lots being used for preferred. I need to update them because the entirety of both lots isn't preferred, so they each have a lower capacity than is highlighted here

 

[memo10]

We went last Friday. They are parking preferred in Aladdin and jafar. We arrived at 9pm and there was no one in the ticket booth taking money. There was however a cm guarding the entrance to aladdin. We ended up parking at simba. The preferred lot was mostly empty.

The fact that there wasn't anyone accepting money (meaning I couldn't even pay for preferred parking if I wanted to) yet they were paying someone to stand there and guard the empty spots was incredibly asinine to me.

Here's the thing. I get that other theme parks nickel and dime everyone. But if I wanted to go to an average theme park, I'd go to Busch gardens or something. Disney is not just another theme park and I think that all these fees they're imposing (or are rumored to be imposing) lessens the uniqueness of Disney. I don't understand why Disney is trying to emulate other parks at the risk of alienating loyal guests.

 

[memo10]

Trying to upload another picture!

 

[Maineiak]

...I don't understand why Disney is trying to emulate other parks at the risk of alienating loyal guests.

Channeling my inner lockedoutlogic here....because Disney isn't targeting loyal guests?

 

[DisneyDiva33415]

The premium/preferred parking has been a hot button issue for some here on the Disboards. Everybody seems to have a story of what they saw, but I have yet to see somebody actually review parking from their experience. I was at EPCOT, yesterday, Monday, March 21. We decided to try the premium/preferred parking. (Since we are AP's and don't have to pay otherwise, it was a "why not?" moment.) EPCOT opened at 9am yesterday and we got there at about 9:10am. The attendants were not pushing the parking but there were signs offering it for $35. When we asked about doing it, the attendant simply replied, "You want to do the add on? Okay!" then proceeded to take my $15. In return we got a hot/neon pink slip under the windshield wiper. She then directed us on where to go, which was a little difficult with many cars trying to merge right and ours trying to go left. As we drove by, we noticed the Journey parking lot was completely full and Discover was half filled. Then, as we were pulling in, we noticed that there were only seven other cars before us. As soon as we hopped out of the car, a guy was offering mini Dasani water bottles to each individual in the car. The SUV next to us that had eight people file out seemed to really enjoy this perk, since it was obviously a savings for them. A few more cars pulled in as we were walking away.
We stayed until park close at 9pm and noticed two things: a - the parking lot was full as we were leaving right before the end of Illuminations and b - the cars that were originally next to us were gone and new ones had taken their place. It was ridiculously cold yesterday, low to high 50's most of the day with horrible, bone chilling wind. Most people did not expect this and the shops were filled with people (adults and children alike) buying sweatpants, leggings, long sleeve shirts, and jackets for a good two hours. Maybe the people who utilized parking did so because it was so cold. Maybe they just wanted to be closer regardless. One thing was for certain, I could see bag check from my parking spot and it was incredibly easy to leave at night. The only other time this has ever happened was when we parked on the grass in the trees in between the resort buses and monorail station because the parking lot was full during F&W. Time will tell if people keep utilizing this service. If words gets out that complimentary water is a thing, I can see large vehicles of people really going for this. Will I do it again? Depends, but the convenience was nice.

 

[davper]

You said it was easy to get out. Did they have a separate exit for you?

 

[memo10]

The premium/preferred parking has been a hot button issue for some here on the Disboards. Everybody seems to have a story of what they saw, but I have yet to see somebody actually review parking from their experience. I was at EPCOT, yesterday, Monday, March 21. We decided to try the premium/preferred parking. (Since we are AP's and don't have to pay otherwise, it was a "why not?" moment.) EPCOT opened at 9am yesterday and we got there at about 9:10am. The attendants were not pushing the parking but there were signs offering it for $35. When we asked about doing it, the attendant simply replied, "You want to do the add on? Okay!" then proceeded to take my $15. In return we got a hot/neon pink slip under the windshield wiper. She then directed us on where to go, which was a little difficult with many cars trying to merge right and ours trying to go left. As we drove by, we noticed the Journey parking lot was completely full and Discover was half filled. Then, as we were pulling in, we noticed that there were only seven other cars before us. As soon as we hopped out of the car, a guy was offering mini Dasani water bottles to each individual in the car. The SUV next to us that had eight people file out seemed to really enjoy this perk, since it was obviously a savings for them. A few more cars pulled in as we were walking away.
We stayed until park close at 9pm and noticed two things: a - the parking lot was full as we were leaving right before the end of Illuminations and b - the cars that were originally next to us were gone and new ones had taken their place. It was ridiculously cold yesterday, low to high 50's most of the day with horrible, bone chilling wind. Most people did not expect this and the shops were filled with people (adults and children alike) buying sweatpants, leggings, long sleeve shirts, and jackets for a good two hours. Maybe the people who utilized parking did so because it was so cold. Maybe they just wanted to be closer regardless. One thing was for certain, I could see bag check from my parking spot and it was incredibly easy to leave at night. The only other time this has ever happened was when we parked on the grass in the trees in between the resort buses and monorail station because the parking lot was full during F&W. Time will tell if people keep utilizing this service. If words gets out that complimentary water is a thing, I can see large vehicles of people really going for this. Will I do it again? Depends, but the convenience was nice.

We wondered if the paper slip was the "ticket". There were pink ones at MK too.

 

[memo10]

Channeling my inner lockedoutlogic here....because Disney isn't targeting loyal guests?

Clearly.

 

[DisneyDiva33415]

You said it was easy to get out. Did they have a separate exit for you?

Not that I know of. I do not think it would be possible to do so at EPCOT, but then again I did not know we could park on the grass there until last November when we did so! I will also admit I was not fully paying attention at that point as I was fiddling with the heater in the car and trying to gain feeling back in my frozen fingers! However, I can say we did bypass quite a bit of traffic because everyone was on the trams or waiting for them while we could very easily walk to the car. We went out the road between our lot, Amaze, and Imagine. Create, which was behind us, and Explore, behind Imagine had not yet been reached by the trams by the time we were past these lots. There were a few people who walked who managed to beat the slowness of the tram, but still did not beat us out. The only others who did were those in Journey, but those people had to have gotten to EPCOT really, really early to get those spots, and they were going out a different way than us. One thing I would like to mention is when we were getting in the vehicle we saw a lot of miserable looking people on the tram who realized that we were to/in our car already. I do not know if they realized that we were the premium/preferred parking section or not. Like I said before, I think the weather had quite a bit to do with it.

 

[DisneyDiva33415]

We wondered if the paper slip was the "ticket". There were pink ones at MK too.

As soon as you pull in, the guy who tells you what spot to park in hands out the water and takes the slip right off. I was curious if Magic Kingdom had the same color or a different one to deter people sneaking into the premium/preferred section. So they have pink too? Interesting. I wonder if they do different colors on different days, kind of like how they do for MNSSHP, to keep from double dipping? Like are Monday's pink, Tuesday' X color, Wednesday's Y color, etcetera? I am going to MK on Thursday in the evening, so I will look to see what colors the slips are there. We never physically touched the slip. The Disney attendants put it on and took it off. This makes me wonder if there is something on them to signify that they are parking slips, or if they are plain paper.

 

[memo10]

As soon as you pull in, the guy who tells you what spot to park in hands out the water and takes the slip right off. I was curious if Magic Kingdom had the same color or a different one to deter people sneaking into the premium/preferred section. So they have pink too? Interesting. I wonder if they do different colors on different days, kind of like how they do for MNSSHP, to keep from double dipping? Like are Monday's pink, Tuesday' X color, Wednesday's Y color, etcetera? I am going to MK on Thursday in the evening, so I will look to see what colors the slips are there. We never physically touched the slip. The Disney attendants put it on and took it off. This makes me wonder if there is something on them to signify that they are parking slips, or if they are plain paper.

The paper at mk was plain. (We stopped and looked) Only a few of the cars had them so that makes more sense that the attendants took them and must have just missed a few. We went on Friday and they were pink.

 

[DisneyDiva33415]

The paper at mk was plain. (We stopped and looked) Only a few of the cars had them so that makes more sense that the attendants took them and must have just missed a few. We went on Friday and they were pink.

I find it interesting that they do not add something to the slip to signify that it is from Disney or rush to get them off the cars as soon as they are parked. It is a little far fetched to assume that people would steal or counterfeit slips, but we all know of dumb acts by Disney guests trying to save money or get everything they can while on vacation. At EPCOT, the distance between the attendants and the lot is short, so one could not sneak a slip under the wiper without being caught. MK on the other hand is a different story. There is a brief time where it could be done. I feel like it is only a matter of time before we hear about guests trying to cheat the system.

 

[scrapquitler]

Your post makes me wonder something. Will resort guests get to park in premium parking areas? I would assume so but that could be revenue lost.

Pay the upgrade from regular to premium parking price, and I'm sure that they'll let resort guests park there.

 

[jade1]

I could maybe see at the CR or somehow closer to MK.