the ssr bus people

[dianeschlicht]

The only way I hope Downtown Disney would make guests pay for parking is if they only charge guests staying offsite. While that sounds unfair I don't think it is and here is why. Most of the time when I would read a post on the Transportation board or anywhere else about parking at Downtown Disney then going to one of the four parks, it's from a guest who says they are staying offsite. Since they are ones who ask about breaking this rule even if they did not know about it then they are ones who should only pay for parking at Downtown Disney. So what WDW should do is keep it free for all WDW Resort guests the way it is if we decided to drive to the parks. To me that sounds fair and here is another reason why it should be free for Resort guests. Whenever my family & I go to Downtown Disney we always take our own transportation because taking a bus from the Contemporary takes forever, so it's faster if we use our own transportation. I don't care if they would validate our parking if we plan to eat there, because parking should be free the way it always has been. So as a WDW Resort guest when we would arrive at DTD, we would show them our KEY TO THE WORLD CARD and be able to park for free if it ever comes to that.

I agree...It would be easy to do too. There would be a "ticket" booth at the entrances to the parking lot, and a KTTW card gets you free parking, but no KTTW, and you pay. I think there are a fair number of folks who just walk over from the off site hotels and take the buses too though.

 

[crisi]

As for gated parking, pay parking at DTD, I doubt Disney would ever do that because of the economics. They want locals using that district as well, and charging folk to park there will only encourage them to go elsewhere. Besides, an evening out at DD is likely to be longer than 3 hours if you take into account dinner, movie or show, or a club plus shopping.

Is validating parking uncommon in other parts of the country?

Here there is a lot of validated parking. If you spend money at an establishment (enough money), they stamp your ticket and you don't have to pay when you leave the lot. This would cover all those people going to DTD to eat or see Cirque or shop (and actually spend money), but free some spaces from the "the is a free place to park to go to the MK" crowd (and a few spaces from the "DTD is a free place to spend the day and we don't spend any money" crowd). None of the DTD establishments are that interested in people who aren't going to spend money.

If its people walking from DTD hotels all the way to SSR, they need the bus - that's a long walk! I doubt many people do that more than once.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

And, to give someone wrong information on how to get to DD is just plain rude - especially if they're doing exactly what they were advised to do by a Disney CM or a guide book. In fact, I've even been told at resort check in that if I want to get to DD from a park to just take a bus to any resort and switch. They don't specificy resort (the logical choice would be the first bus to a resort between where you are and DD is).

That is a very good point. If a Cast Member told someone if they wanted to get to Epcot from Downtown Disney then taking a bus to SSR would be the best option since it's the closest Resort to Downtown Disney. So maybe the DVC owners & regular guests who have stayed at SSR should not always blame the guests when this happens. Since my family & I have never stayed there is standing on a jammed bus that bad considering how close SSR is to DTD? There were a few occasions when we had to stand on a bus from DTD going to the Contemporary, which is a lot longer of a ride. Also isn't there a walkway guests can take there if they did not want to take a bus back?

I think there are a fair number of folks who just walk over from the off site hotels and take the buses too though.

I personally can not see a guest walking in from a offsite on Lake Buena Vista all to save $10.00 on parking by taking a Disney Transport bus. The walk itself would take quite a long time, plus it can be dangerious with all the traffic around that area.

 

[Starr W.]

I personally can not see a guest walking in from a offsite on Lake Buena Vista all to save $10.00 on parking by taking a Disney Transport bus. The walk itself would take quite a long time, plus it can be dangerious with all the traffic around that area.

Someone posted in an older thread that he struck up a conversation with some people at a SSR bus stop, and found out that is exactly what they had done.

 

[tomandrobin]

I am leaving today, staying at SSR. I'll keep an eye out to see how much of an issue this is or isn't. However, I am not going to sit at the Congress Park bus stop all day taking notes.

Overall, I still don't think its a huge issue. I still think the bus system at SSR is one of the best, if not the best in WDW.

 

[Starr W.]

I am leaving today, staying at SSR. I'll keep an eye out to see how much of an issue this is or isn't. However, I am not going to sit at the Congress Park bus stop all day taking notes.

Overall, I still don't think its a huge issue. I still think the bus system at SSR is one of the best, if not the best in WDW.

I was there at Thanksgving, staying in the CP area and other than one couple on Thanksgiving night, who DH gave directions to, they were the only ones I saw on the bus that specifically stated they were going to DTD. None of the evening trips back from the parks was the SSR bus packed to the gills. Even after Illuminations at Epcot.

 

[dwelty]

I love the name of this post "The SSR bus people" Sounds like a 20/20 show topic. Where can I send a check to help these poor people?

 

[Starr W.]

I love the name of this post "The SSR bus people" Sounds like a 20/20 show topic. Where can I send a check to help these poor people?

You too? Is there a refugee camp somewhere at SSR that I missed? Should I have sent over leftover breakfast bars to them instead of taking them home?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Someone posted in an older thread that he struck up a conversation with some people at a SSR bus stop, and found out that is exactly what they had done.

Since I don't know why these people did that the only thing I will say is that sounds like such a waste of time all to save $10.00 on parking. If they did not have a car or transportation from their offsite hotel was horrible I can see why they that, however I still think it's stupid to do a thing like that.

 

[Starr W.]

Since I don't know why these people did that the only thing I will say is that sounds like such a waste of time all to save $10.00 on parking. If they did not have a car or transportation from their offsite hotel was horrible I can see why they that, however I still think it's stupid to do a thing like that.

I agree with you, but DH & I have read threads we shake our heads at about how people save money at WDW. One woman travels with a small cooler, this is on an airplane, with frozen pre-cooked meatballs and other meats to cook at her DVC.

 

[crisi]

Since I don't know why these people did that the only thing I will say is that sounds like such a waste of time all to save $10.00 on parking. If they did not have a car or transportation from their offsite hotel was horrible I can see why they that, however I still think it's stupid to do a thing like that.

I agree, and I doubt that the walking over from DTD hotels is common. Those hotels are not that cheap - the cheapest rack rate is more expensive than the Values. And they all have their own buses which run every 30 minutes. A twenty minute or half hour walk to SSR from a DTD hotel to save a possible ten minute wait on your bus doesn't sound like a deal to me.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

I agree, and I doubt that the walking over from DTD hotels is common. Those hotels are not that cheap - the cheapest rack rate is more expensive than the Values. And they all have their own buses which run every 30 minutes. A twenty minute or half hour walk to SSR from a DTD hotel to save a possible ten minute wait on your bus doesn't sound like a deal to me.

If someone wanted to walk from one of the DTD hotels it would make more sense to go straight to the DTD bus station & get the 1st bus they see. So to me it does not make sense for them to walk over to SSR.

 

[JodyTG]

Maybe they just need more buses for SSR. JMO

I don't want to have to pay for that.

 

[BroganMc]

For anyone wondering, from the Congress Park bus stop to DTD bus parking is just under 1/2 mile - equivelant of walking from the entrance to World Showcase to the American Pavilion.

You also have to cross the street from the SSR bus stop and make your way into the resort buildings where the pool is or up along the side to connect to the walkway that borders the lake. I can see a lot of folks getting lost and gaining the impression that SSR is a huge resort if they're dumped here.

It's not something I would do if I stayed elsewhere (mostly because I'd like to return to my room and freshen up after a park day), but apparently others are. The question is whether the practice is employed enough to be inconvenient for SSR guests... i.e. are so many DTD visitors using the bus that guests can't get on. I haven't really seen the busses jammed, not in the Value resort levels.

This is mainly something I'd be looking at and interested in as an owner. It's the practice of CMs recommending the SSR bus as a shortcut that bothers me. I don't have any control over the parking cheaters and clever resort hoppers. If CMs are encouraging a handful of guests to board a bus, that's entirely different to 20-30 guests.

 

[UConnJack]

I think there are enough posts here about people sometimes observing large numbers of people getting on/off at CP and heading to DTD to suggest it may be becoming a problem. If it isn't a big problem now, I'll bet it becomes one. Here are the issues as I see them in order of consequence:

1) Off-site visitors using the free parking at DTD and walking over to SSR for transportation to the parks. Don't tell me people don't do this to save $10. We all know the lengths to which many people will go to "cheat the system" just to save a few $$. They have been doing this at the EPCOT and monorail resorts for years (and shouldn't), and they keep having to go through periods of cracking down when it becomes a big problem. They stopped direct DTD-park busses to keep this from happening, but people are starting to figure out they can just walk over to SSR.

2) Non-SSR WDW resort guests using the SSR bus to get from the parks to DTD. I have more sympathy for them, they aren't trying to avoid parking fees, but because Disney encourages this specific route, it still puts an imbalanced strain on the SSR busses rather than spreading the connections out amongst all the resorts.

3) People walking from the off-site LBV hotels to SSR to use the bus. I do not think this happens to a noticeable level.

What should be done about it?

1) Timed/paid/validated parking at DTD. Won't happen. Disney would never risk compromising the visitation and $$ flow at DTD by instituting parking fees.

2) Resume the DTD to parks busses. Would make the parking problem worse at DTD again since I don't think they would institute paid parking there to discourage it.

3) Stop encouraging the parks to SSR bus and walk to DTD route to people. Tell them to connect to a DTD though the TTC or any resort without specifying SSR. Could happen "officially", but we all know the CM's will still recommend it.

4) Put in a gate at the bridge from DTD to SSR to be accessed with a key card (my vote). At least limit its use to WDW resort guests in general to discourage the off-site guest use, but you could also limit it to just DVC and/or SSR guests. And don't give me the argument that all WDW ticket holders (i.e., including off-site visitors) are entitled to use the bus system. That's true, but that doesn't give them the right to park at DTD or use resort amenities (i.e., the bridge) to access the bus system. If they want to take the bus, fine, let them walk all the way around to the front gate....where they should be turned away anyway since they aren't a resort guest.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

1) Timed/paid/validated parking at DTD. Won't happen. Disney would never risk compromising the visitation and $$ flow at DTD by instituting parking fees.

As I said earlier in this thread. If WDW were to charge guests for parking at Downtown Disney, they should only charge the offsite guests. It would be unfair to have onsite guests pay for parking there because some of the offsite guests who try to cheat the system at WDW. So the onsite guests would show their KTTW cards upon arriving & they would go right threw. Just like they would when parking at the Magic Kingdom, Epoct, Disney MGM Studios & the Animal Kingdom since parking is free for WDW Resort guests. So I don't care if they would validate parking based on eating at the Rainforest Cafe, because for me it's a mattter of a principal that WDW Resort guests should not have to pay any type of parking fee's at DTD, although I do agree with you that I do not see this happening anytime soon.

 

[dwelty]

As for gated parking, pay parking at DTD, I doubt Disney would ever do that because of the economics. They want locals using that district as well, and charging folk to park there will only encourage them to go elsewhere. Besides, an evening out at DD is likely to be longer than 3 hours if you take into account dinner, movie or show, or a club plus shopping.
Dirk

Actually Disney does this right now with DTD Anaheim. They require validation to park there otherwise you pay an hourly rate. This was done to keep guests from parking there to avoid paying the 11.00 resort parking fee. DTD Anaheim is very popular with locals despite this. And there are alot of competing venues in the area, Universal City Walk, Irvine Spectrum, and the Block at Orange. (Universal City Walk requires a steep fee for parking with or without validation) I think requiring validation at DTD Orlando is a great idea.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Actually Disney does this right now with DTD Anaheim. They require validation to park there otherwise you pay an hourly rate. This was done to keep guests from parking there to avoid paying the 11.00 resort parking fee. DTD Anaheim is very popular with locals despite this. I think requiring validation at DTD Orlando is a great idea.

I think the only reason they could this at Downtown Disney in Anaheim is because they must have thought of it when it 1st opened. Since Downtown Disney in Orlando has been free parking from the start that is why a lot of people would be upset, no matter if they would validate your parking. I say the only way to stop guests from cheating the system is to charge the offsite guests to park there, because they are the only ones who would not want to pay the $10.00 fee at the parks by taking a bus from SSR or getting on the 1st Resort bus they see.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DTD in Anaheim opened after DTD in Orlando. I bet they already figured out the problems based on DTD Orlando.

 

[UConnJack]

DTD in Anaheim opened after DTD in Orlando. I bet they already figured out the problems based on DTD Orlando.

DTD in Anaheim is also a completly different animal. You can walk right to the parks form DTD so it would have been obvious (and easy) for people to use DTD parking to access the parks.