Renting a car and resorts

[crow11ad]

We plan on resort hopping this December so we can see the different resorts and how they are decorated for the hollidays. But can you park at a resort, say the AKL and just go to AK or do you have to park at the park's parking lot?

 

[RLewis]

either. Assuming you are staying on-site and have a parking pass.

 

[gigi1313]

typically you can only get a 3 hour parking pass for "visiting" a hotel... so unless it's a very quick trip to a park, you are better off parking in the park's parking lot... plus, if it's a busy season, it's probably better to park where you "belong" so as not to take spaces away from paying guests...

 

[RLewis]

again, if you're staying on site, there is no 3-hour rule - unless it's something special they do during Christmas week.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by RLewis
again, if you're staying on site, there is no 3-hour rule - unless it's something special they do during Christmas week.

I don't think that's true. The parking passes are given out fairly inconsistently--but isn't that the case throughout WDW?!?! Their purpose is to discourage theme park guests from filling the resort parking lot.

Parking at the Contemporary is a great example. Imagine being able to bypass the TTC, pull your car right up to the CR and walk the short distance to the Magic Kingdom.

By the same token, someone staying off-site could park in the Boardwalk lot and walk to Epcot, saving the $8 parking fee. I don't believe there is any distinction made in issuing the 3-hour passes between on-site and off-site guests--it's simply the overall inconsistency with which they are distributed to all.

 

[MickeyTime]

Originally posted by RLewis
again, if you're staying on site, there is no 3-hour rule - unless it's something special they do during Christmas week.

Not true! You may not park in another resort's parking lot unless you have a PS at the resort or get a pass to park there for 3 hours. (if you want to shop or just check out the resort) Sometimes they enforce it, sometimes they do not, but the resort parking lot is meant for guests of that resort only. Any time you enter a resort parking lot other than the one at which you are staying, you will be stopped by the security guard. If it's not busy, you may be waved on through, or they may issue you parking pass. At certain resorts during busy times (not just Christmas!), they do indeed tow if you do not have a proper parking pass.

They had to start becoming stricter with this because so many people were abusing the system and parking in lots where they weren't staying. It got so bad, that guests staying at certain resorts could not find a spot to park at their own resort. Trust me, I had this happen when staying at the Poly a few years ago, and less than 1/2 of the cars actually had Poly parking passes. It is incredibly aggravating when people are too lazy to park in the lot meant for day parking and you can't find a spot at your own resort!

 

[RLewis]

beg to differ. We've done it everytime we've gone to WDW. In July, we drove to WL, had dinner, then got back in car and drove over to Contemporary (we were staying at Beach Club). We parked as close to the walkway to MK as possible.

At both hotels, the watchman simply looked at the dates on my pass and waved us through. No questions. No time limits.

I actually e-mailed WDW before I left and received a response back that basically said: "Sure, you don't need to worry about parking when you're here". I'll try to get may hands back on the e-mail and post here.

I know it seems that everyone would do this, but they don't. I sure Disney reserves the right to not let anyone on very crowded days (say, for the 4th of July), but in most cases, it's not an issue.

 

[Gorechick]

The Magic Kingdom resorts enforce the 3 hour pass more than any of the other resorts because of their proximity to the park. We had breakfast at Kona Cafe at the Poly 2 weeks ago and were given a 3 hour parking pass. If you have a PS at a resort they will often check a list or just wave you through when they see your on property parking pass. It also depends on how busy or filled the resort is, parking for the resort guests comes first.

 

[Tiffany]

Originally posted by crow11ad
We plan on resort hopping this December so we can see the different resorts and how they are decorated for the hollidays. But can you park at a resort, say the AKL and just go to AK or do you have to park at the park's parking lot?

Yes, you can either self park or valet park, for $6 per day, at the AKL. Some of the resorts that are close to MK and EC issue 3hr parking passes but I have never seen this done at the AKL.

 

[Chuck S]

We have gotten the 3 hour limit at CR and the Poly for self parking. It may depend on 1) Security Alert status, 2) Occupancy, 3) Time of Day or 4) A combination of all of the above. It does NOT matter if you are staying on-site or not...we have always stayed on-site, and sometimes we have a limit - sometimes we don't. It is best NOT to park at a resort then go to a park. In fact, the Boardwalk often puts up signs requesting that folks NOT park there for park access.

 

[DebbieB]

I have received a 3 hour pass in the past at both Contemporary & Poly even though I had a parking permit. I think it's more likely if you don't have a PS. I had a PS in April at the Contemporary and did not get the time limit (they check a list for the name). I've never got one anywhere else, BW, BC, AKL, WL. It may also depend on the time of day. I think they are more suspicious if you want to park in the morning and don't have a breakfast PS.

 

[NotTooGoofy]

When I visited last December, we stayed at CSR and WL. When we went to visit the Boardwalk, they were only letting resort guests park there. I can't say I blamed them since the parking lot seemed full and I imagine many people like to visit the Boardwalk shops and restaurants. So it probably varies from time to time whether they give you a pass or not.