Theme Park Parking Fee Increase Tomorrow (update in first post)

[mom2rtk]

Thanks, Nextgen....you are awesome (and waaaaaaaaaaay over budget). Let me guess....this will be reported as increased "guest spending".

You know it!

Isn't that why the band is "magic"?

 

[kbelle8995]

Boy am I glad a member of my party decided to drop me off next week.

Price increases continue and will continue unfortunately. It will be food price increases and stroller rental/wheelchair next if they haven't done so already.

 

[wareagle57]

I'm in business. I like the way Disney thinks. The parks are full, there really is no good time to go like a few years ago, why not? This will not hurt attendance at all. $2 a car is going to mean a lot of extra money coming in each day.

I have a degree in business as well, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, and I HATE the way Disney thinks. At least currently. "Charge whatever you can because people will still pay it and you can get away with it" is not a good business strategy. Neither is "don't put any effort into improving the current product because the parks are full as it is."

If Walt and thought this way, there would be no Disney World, probably not even a Disneyland or Walt Disney Corp. Yes, it's a strategy that can work once you become powerful enough which Disney is. But it doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Creating goodwill with your customer is much more important and well worth making a little less.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

You need the card for dining and merchandise discounts

Yep

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I have a degree in business as well, with an emphasis on entrepreneurship, and I HATE the way Disney thinks. At least currently. "Charge whatever you can because people will still pay it and you can get away with it" is not a good business strategy. Neither is "don't put any effort into improving the current product because the parks are full as it is."

If Walt and thought this way, there would be no Disney World, probably not even a Disneyland or Walt Disney Corp. Yes, it's a strategy that can work once you become powerful enough which Disney is. But it doesn't mean you SHOULD do it. Creating goodwill with your customer is much more important and well worth making a little less.

Absolutely this!

 

[Dan Murphy]

Starting tomorrow, guests will be charged $17 to park a standard car at all four Walt Disney World theme parks' parking lots. This is $2 up from the current price of $15, which was raised in June from $14.

Downtown Disney "parking" (as if there really is any left), Disney Water Park parking, and parking for select annual passholders and Disney Resort Hotel guests will remain free.

UPDATE: The pricing increase did in fact go in effect today with a standard car, limo, or motorcycle costing the previously mentioned $17. RVs and trailers will be $18 and busses and tractor trailers will be $21. What I didn't predict was the $5 price increase in Disney Resort Hotel valet parking, which is now $20 (up from $15).

Source.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/parki...esorts-now-in-effect-at-walt-disney-world.htm

 

[Traveliz]

Here now. This morning at 7am valet was 20.00.

As far as not needing your actual Ap now for discounts and using the cars you get I have found that not one CM has wanted that card or known what it was and wanted to see my actual AP ticket for the merchandise discount so keep that in mind for now.

Liz

 

[andyman8]

Source.

http://www.wdwmagic.com/other/parki...esorts-now-in-effect-at-walt-disney-world.htm

Actually didn't get it from there (or anywhere on the internet for that matter) just a CM friend. Would have cited it if I had. Anyways, glad to see other sites spreading the info.

 

[FLSarah]

It comes in the box with the AP Magic Bands. A gold card if your parking is included and a black card if not. The cards are also for the AP discounts.

If you order a Magic Band, you no longer need the separate AP Pass. You do get a Parking Pass (either gold or black)

Thanks. I received my new MB last week but didn't take them out of the box yet. I just checked, and I received the cards too.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

This is getting ridiculous. They are really trying to stick it to off-site guests.

 

[Marionnette]

This is getting ridiculous. They are really trying to stick it to off-site guests.

Why do you say this?

I guess I don't see a $2 parking fee increase as sticking it to offsite guests, in and of itself. If anything, I'm seeing less and less incentives for guests to choose to pay Disney's over-priced onsite rates for their tiny resort rooms and sub-par level of service. You will most likely still have a bigger room and more amenities for less cash when you choose an offsite resort. The $2/day extra for parking isn't that big of a deal when you consider the bigger picture.

 

[mom2rtk]

Why do you say this?

I guess I don't see a $2 parking fee increase as sticking it to offsite guests, in and of itself. If anything, I'm seeing less and less incentives for guests to choose to pay Disney's over-priced onsite rates for their tiny resort rooms and sub-par level of service. You will most likely still have a bigger room and more amenities for less cash when you choose an offsite resort. The $2/day extra for parking isn't that big of a deal when you consider the bigger picture.

Yeah, 21% in less than a year isn't much at all.

And not to worry. Disney still has a chance to stick it to onsite guests when the new resort room rates come out in a few months.

Between the early ticket price increase and the early parking price increase, it seems they have developed a way to show some revenue increases and link it to MM+.

 

[JanaDee]

What a disappointment. Given all the recent changes/increases at Disney, not that big of a surprise, though.

 

[jeffn5631]

WDW is becoming an upper middle to rich only class venue to visit or vacation. Right now Bush Gardens is offering with the purchase of their Fun Card a free card to their water park Adventure Island. Also, I can purchase a soda and popcorn refill container for only 2.00. I don't think WDW is planning anything like that for their patrons but only higher prices for anything and everything.

 

[Marionnette]

Yeah, 21% in less than a year isn't much at all.

And not to worry. Disney still has a chance to stick it to onsite guests when the new resort room rates come out in a few months.

Between the early ticket price increase and the early parking price increase, it seems they have developed a way to show some revenue increases and link it to MM+.

Statistics. You can used them to reinforce or shoot down a POV whenever you want. You say 21%. I say $3. We're both right but WOW, 21% sounds so much more...outrageous! Unless they wanted parking attendant CMs to be dealing in quarter and dimes by making change, any increase is going to have to be in dollar increments. A $1 increase would have been more palatable but Disney likes to push the envelope as much as they can. Don't be surprised when Universal follows suit and raises their current $16 parking fee before Diagon Alley and Hogwarts Express open this summer.

$3 in less than a year still stinks and anyone who has to pay it certainly has a right to be irritated. I just don't see it as a direct attempt to stick it to their day guests when their resort rates have also been increasing at a phenomenal rate.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

Why do you say this?

I guess I don't see a $2 parking fee increase as sticking it to offsite guests, in and of itself. If anything, I'm seeing less and less incentives for guests to choose to pay Disney's over-priced onsite rates for their tiny resort rooms and sub-par level of service. You will most likely still have a bigger room and more amenities for less cash when you choose an offsite resort. The $2/day extra for parking isn't that big of a deal when you consider the bigger picture.

It has been evident that Disney is highly suggesting to people that they should to stay on property. Parking rate increase, FP+ different booking dates, etc. I would agree it's backfiring as the hotels aren't that spectacular anymore compared to other options.

I wonder if more and more people are choosing to drive to the parks versus taking the resort buses. Busier parking lot with no revenue coming in as they are resort guests. Need to increase the price for offsite people to make up the extra manpower? All I can say is thank goodness for free AP parking.

 

[momimouse27]

This doesn't surprise me and seems in line. Our local Six Flags charges $20 for one day to park at poorly maintained lots that are hard to get out of on a busy day. Our zoo charges $15 and it's a zoo that is heavily subsidized by tax payer dollars. Sea World parking is $15 too. I've always been impressed with the well maintained Disney parking lots and how efficiently they get so many people in and out. I usually stay offsite and just do one day per year at a Disney Park. The $2 extra fee won't affect my doing a one day visit.

I agree with this. When I think of how much we pay to park for sporting events in downtown Atlanta, or Six Flags, the parking fee for WDW seems in line. But then it's one of the reasons we hardly ever stay offsite anymore. Disney knows that, and it works to their benefit.

I don't necessarily agree it's become a rich persons vacation though. We priced a trip to London the other day, thinking we might take our daughter as a graduation gift. The airfare alone was $1300 a person, when it was $600 3 years ago when my oldest went. I still feel Disney is a decently priced vacation for a family, but I will agree they are heading in a direction that makes it difficult for us. If they do away with free dining, trips may become too much for us. .

 

[KYDisneyDad]

Yeah, 21% in less than a year isn't much at all. And not to worry. Disney still has a chance to stick it to onsite guests when the new resort room rates come out in a few months. Between the early ticket price increase and the early parking price increase, it seems they have developed a way to show some revenue increases and link it to MM+.

Ding Ding Ding..... You are so on the mark with this!


Hate to say it but the pricing is comparable to event parking fees just about anywhere you go.

BUT I do not want to hear any BS about the percent increase in revenue being a result of Next Gen / My Magic when price increases for tickets, food, merch, resorts, and everything else keep increasing at these percentage rates.

 

[clsteve]

Ding Ding Ding..... You are so on the mark with this!


Hate to say it but the pricing is comparable to event parking fees just about anywhere you go.

BUT I do not want to hear any BS about the percent increase in revenue being a result of Next Gen / My Magic when price increases for tickets, food, merch, resorts, and everything else keep increasing at these percentage rates.

Maybe so, but MM+ was an over 50% hit on income for 1Q. You may not want to hear it, but they gotta make that up somewhere.

 

[WillAustin]

Maybe so, but MM+ was an over 50% hit on income for 1Q. You may not want to hear it, but they gotta make that up somewhere.

They'll just correlate "increased guest spending" with the implementation of MM+.