Thank You, Arthur Frommer!

[Jimbo]

Our local paper publishes Arthur Frommer's "Budget Travel" column on Sundays. Today's column leads off with a tip that "can save time and money" when visiting Epcot. The tip? Park in the "free-of-charge" Boardwalk lot!

That oughta ensure that guest parking at BWV will get even worse, and that the boats should be more crowded. Pretty irresponsible if you ask me.

 

[anniet]

I think that tip is in one of his books too.....at least I think that's where my BF and I learned it years ago!

 

[sunking]

maybe they should start asking to see resort identification when entering the parking lot there....

 

[Jimbo]

Originally posted by sunking
maybe they should start asking to see resort identification when entering the parking lot there....

Or maybe charge for parking, but validate in the BW restaurants and bars.

 

[DebbieB]

I think they have tightened up parking more than they did when we first stayed there 2 years ago. I noticed last month one time when we were pulling in on the resort ID side that they were making someone back up in the regular lane. I think the lot across the street is not monitored, so maybe they made them go there. We also had to give our name to get in when we were checking in, they checked a list to be sure.

 

[anniet]

We parked there last March, even though we weren't staying there- they just asked for photo ID and took the license plate number.

It took me a minute to remember why we were there, since I was certain we took the monorail to EPCOT then it hit me.....we went there to purchase DVC!

I don't see them ever completely stopping people who are NOT resort guests from parking there although the validation for bars, restaurants and shops is a good idea.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

This Arthur guy sounds like.....well, I'll be nice.

Anyway, the validating sounds like a good idea, but there are some people that go to The Boardwalk to browse. Should these people be charged? Many people would not go to The BW, and I am sure sales would decrease.....My wife, for example, is always 'just looking'. I always end up carrying the bags of 'just looking' to the car.

 

[Windermere]

We are members of DDE and have parked in the BW parking lot every time we go there to eat dinner at any of the BW restaurants. Have never had a problem parking there and don't think I should be turned away when I go to eat and hit the parks afterwards if I feel like it.

I don't find it to be very convenient to park there if I'm just going to the parks though. Would it really be worth saving the parking fee to park way out there? I wouldn't think most people would use this 'money-saving' tip.

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by Maistre Gracey
My wife, for example, is always 'just looking'. I always end up carrying the bags of 'just looking' to the car.

Maistre Gracey...your wife and mine must have been twins, separated at birth!!!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Maybe that is why we have had difficulty getting into the parking lot at BWV when we have gone to the BW for dinner!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I parked there just once to hook up with friends who were staying at BWV to go into the park. I quickly concluded that after a day in the parks I'd prefer to pay $6 for a tram ride than to slog it from the boat to the car just to save the $6. So maybe for the most part it is a self correcting problem.

I don't see how with all of the restaurants etc they could charge for parking in the lots. Maybe a simpler solution is to require a room key, hand stamp or reservation letter to avoid being turned back to pay a $2 per person surcharge to get in the International Gateway. This wouldn't be as difficult to implement now that they have the bag check before the ticket check.

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

I parked there just once to hook up with friends who were staying at BWV to go into the park. I quickly concluded that after a day in the parks I'd prefer to pay $6 for a tram ride than to slog it from the boat to the car just to save the $6. So maybe for the most part it is a self correcting problem.

I don't see how with all of the restaurants etc they could charge for parking in the lots. Maybe a simpler solution is to require a room key, hand stamp or reservation letter to avoid being turned back to pay a $2 per person surcharge to get in the International Gateway. This wouldn't be as difficult to implement now that they have the bag check before the ticket check.

 

[MACDADDY]

...parking at Boardwalk is getting to be a nightmare. We were there last month before the huge crowds hit and a couple of times I had to search the out-lots to find a place to park. At one time attendent parking was free to DVC members. Is this still the case?

 

[jfulcer]

Originally posted by MACDADDY
[BAt one time attendent parking was free to DVC members. Is this still the case? [/B]

Yes, DVC members still get free Valet parking at the DVC resorts. You may be required to show your room card that says "member" (as I was at BCV this past visit). Of course, that does not include the tip...

 

[DebbieB]

I sometimes park there when staying at OKW because we like to browse the stores, go to Epcot, then after Illuminations stop at the bakery or ice cream store before going back. It's a more convenient way out of the WS after Illuminations, I think that's more the reason people do it rather than saving the $6.

 

[crisi]

They could issue the same sort of parking pass that they do at the MK resorts (three hours?) This might not be sufficient at the clubs at BW, but they could give you an additional parking pass (validation) to use as you drive out.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by MACDADDY
...parking at Boardwalk is getting to be a nightmare. We were there last month before the huge crowds hit and a couple of times I had to search the out-lots to find a place to park. At one time attendent parking was free to DVC members. Is this still the case?

I also think parking at the BWI/BWV for hotel guests is a big problem. We last stayed at the BWV 12/1/02 -12/07/02 and it was definitely difficult to find a place to park in the late afternoons or early evenings. Our room overlooked the entrance area and I found it frustrating to see the number of cars leaving the lot just after Illuminations.

While valet parking is "free" for DVC members except for a tip, I don't like to use it. I want to keep my own keys and have easy access to the trunk. Trunk access is a big pain if you've valet parked! I'm also a bit paranoid about one of the valets "denting" the rental and then having an expensive problem with the return.

Durning the BWV annual meeting, someone brought up the parking issue. In response, Mr. Vincent Valdez (BWV General Manager) said they are looking into "flipping" the public lot with the valet lot. Apparently, the valet lot is bigger and seldom (if ever) full. "Flipping" will also result in a better situation for the valet personnel because the public lot is closer to the entrance than the current valet lot. I'm not sure how much that will help guests find self-parking, but it should make some difference, at least in the "slower" seasons. I don't think it is right to make hotel guests park in the lot across the street. It's more than 1/2 mile away and requires crossing a busy street. I also wonder how much (if at all) the parking situation discourages people from staying at the BWI.

Personally, I'd like some type of system that allows guests actually staying at the BWV/BWI priority over those just visiting the Boardwalk, going to EPCOT or attending a convention and not actually staying at one of the BW Hotels. There are obviously a number of ways to accomplish this.

I like the idea of charging non-guests $10 for parking (more than for EPCOT) and then allowing the full amount of the charge to be deducted from a same day BW restaurant bill or a same day merchandise purchase from one of the BW stores. As an alternative, I'd like to see a number of spaces set aside for hotel guests that could be accessed only with a resort ID/key card.

I'm hoping that by next December, the parking situation for hotel guests will be at least better than we found it this past December.

 

[DebbieB]

I agree that there should be a gated area for BW hotel guests only. What I hate after going round and round looking for a space is walking through the lot and most of the cars do not have any WDW resort parking permit (BW or otherwise). I also talked to Victor Valdez after the 2000 annual meeting and he said they can't restrict parking because the Boardwalk is an entertainment area and suggested we use the free valet parking. Not a good answer.

We had a couple days of constant heavy rain during our trip and felt bad for the valets who had to keep running down the driveway. I think the parking situation wasn't as bad during our stay (12/6 to 12/13) because more people used valet because of the bad weather (including myself), plus not as many people were going to the parks on bad days.

 

[CarolMN]

Originally posted by DebbieB
...(snip)... I also talked to Victor Valdez after the 2000 annual meeting and he said they can't restrict parking because the Boardwalk is an entertainment area and suggested we use the free valet parking. Not a good answer.

IMHO, Mr. Valdez's 2000 answer was/is an excuse, and I certainly agree with you that it wasn't a good answer!. His answer didn't address the parking issue for hotel guests at all. To me, an answer like that is another way of saying that they are not going to do anything about it and/or don't believe it is a big enough problem for them to take any action.

I am hoping that his comments at the 2002 meeting mean that they now at least see that there is a problem. I can't believe that the parking situation isn't impacting occupancy rates at the BWI. Those guests do not get free valet parking. I would never stay there more than once if I couldn't easily find a place to park my car, and if we weren't BWV DVC owners, I wouldn't stay there again either unless we didn't have a car for the trip.

Enough complaining from me. We had a very nice time in spite of the parking challenges. I will admit that I felt like a lottery winner when we were able to find a spot one evening without driving round and round for 10 minutes!