TiW valet parking time limit?

[mickeyluv'r]

I will have an AP for my next WDW visit. We're also doing DDP. Therefore, in a general sense, it's not worthwhile for me to get a TiW - except perhaps for the valet option, or for a return trip.

We are planning on dining at our home resort several times. It might be worth getting TiW if I can valet park for free - sometimes at our home resort and sometimes when we visit other resorts to dine. But if/when I use it at my home resort, I'm not going to move the car after dinner.

Usually once you 'get' valet parking it is good for 24hours, right? Is that also true with TiW, or is there a time limit?

I've had TiW before, but only used it to valet park once, and only while we were eating dinner.

 

[MickeyNicki]

The longest we had our car at the TIW valet was 3 hours, we arrived too early for dinner and dinner was 2 hours and then we shopped in the resort. You do have to show your dinner receipt when you pick up your car

 

[xxliz28xx]

We've left it for about 6 hours or so. Had dinner at Kona Cafe then went over to the Magic Kingdom. Came back with no issues.

 

[coopersmom]

I have had the Tables in Wonderland "free valet" applied to our "home" resort at both the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, on two separate trips in September and December '10 . They will ask to see a receipt, but if you ate at a TIW restaurant, they will waive/credit the valet fee for that day. (Not automatic, in my experience, you have to ask, but not complicated either.) I have never tried to have that extended to "we ate at another hotel restaurant" and have your home valet waived for TIW ... Because once you've paid for valet (been tagged) at your home resort, the valet is already covered at other resorts anyway.

Not sure getting the Tables in Wonderland card is worth it just for that, but, yes, I can confirm there is no "time limit" since valet is the same price for 1 hr. or 24 hr.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I have had the Tables in Wonderland "free valet" applied to our "home" resort at both the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, on two separate trips in September and December '10 . They will ask to see a receipt, but if you ate at a TIW restaurant, they will waive/credit the valet fee for that day. (Not automatic, in my experience, you have to ask, but not complicated either.) I have never tried to have that extended to "we ate at another hotel restaurant" and have your home valet waived for TIW ... Because once you've paid for valet (been tagged) at your home resort, the valet is already covered at other resorts anyway.

Not sure getting the Tables in Wonderland card is worth it just for that, but, yes, I can confirm there is no "time limit" since valet is the same price for 1 hr. or 24 hr.

Thanks! I didn't mean that we'd try use it for 24hours when we ate at another resort - more that I'd also use it to valet at other resorts on this visit, and would like to get 24hours when I use it at my home resort.

There's a good chance I'd use it on a return trip towards dining, just not much this trip for dining.

We will be eating at least three times over a week at our home resort, so that covers about $42 of the cost of TiW, and perhaps two other times we'd use it while dining at different resorts if I have it. I might also use it a tiny bit for the food discount, but not enough to justify the cost (like if we do a signature dinner and use a combo of DDP and oop to cover the meal.)

 

[Deb & Bill]

I will have an AP for my next WDW visit. We're also doing DDP. Therefore, in a general sense, it's not worthwhile for me to get a TiW - except perhaps for the valet option, or for a return trip.

We are planning on dining at our home resort several times. It might be worth getting TiW if I can valet park for free - sometimes at our home resort and sometimes when we visit other resorts to dine. But if/when I use it at my home resort, I'm not going to move the car after dinner.

Usually once you 'get' valet parking it is good for 24hours, right? Is that also true with TiW, or is there a time limit?

I've had TiW before, but only used it to valet park once, and only while we were eating dinner.

In order to get free valet parking with the TIW card, you will be required to show a receipt that you dined using the TIW discount. You will be limited to three hours of free valet service. You don't get free all day valet parking.

 

[carlton the bear]

See below. If you park at any of the WDW resorts valet parking is free. There is no time limit mentioned in "the stated rules". Given that there is a specific 3 hr. limit noted if you park at the theme parks, my guess is that you can park as long as you want at valet, and there there is no 3 hr. limit as some posters have suggested.

http://allears.net/din/dde.htm
-- Complimentary parking for the purposes of dining:

Theme Park: after 5 p.m. daily, show membership card at Guest Relations. Before 5 p.m., you'll have to pay parking at the toll booth, then after dining, present dining receipt and parking ticket at Guest Relations for a refund if you have been in the park less than three hours. NOTE: There are some holidays and blackout dates when you will have to pay for parking.

Walt Disney World Resorts - when dining at a Walt Disney World resort, valet parking is complimentary. After dining, present a dining receipt and your membership card at the valet stand. Only valid for one car per membership card.

 

[madalex]

TIW is $75; valet parking is $12/day. If you are going to use it to cover valet parking only, to make TIW be economical, you need to get 6-1/4 days of free valet parking. You mentioned in one post that you will be at WDW for a week. That works out to 7 days of valet parking, which will cost you $84. I'm not sure that I'd get TIW just to save $9 (especially with the hassle factor associated with having to show receipts to get the free parking, etc.). And, you'll still have to tip the valets, which will run another $30 - $40 for a week. If free parking is so important to you, I'd just self park at the resorts. It will be a lot easier.

That all being said, I'm also a little surprised that you think that the DDP is more cost effective than the 20% savings one gets from TIW. I've never done the math to compare the two, but if you are going to eat at several TS restaurants, then TIW always seemed to be a better deal to me.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You have to be clear about the free valet parking. Per the Disney website:
Resort valet services are complimentary to members, for the sole purpose of dining. This privilege will only be extended to one vehicle per membership card. Present your membership card with a valid dining receipt at the Valet Stand upon retrieving your vehicle.

It's not good for over night parking. Just for the purpose of dining.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

TIW is $75; valet parking is $12/day. If you are going to use it to cover valet parking only, to make TIW be economical, you need to get 6-1/4 days of free valet parking. You mentioned in one post that you will be at WDW for a week. That works out to 7 days of valet parking, which will cost you $84. I'm not sure that I'd get TIW just to save $9 (especially with the hassle factor associated with having to show receipts to get the free parking, etc.). And, you'll still have to tip the valets, which will run another $30 - $40 for a week. If free parking is so important to you, I'd just self park at the resorts. It will be a lot easier.

That all being said, I'm also a little surprised that you think that the DDP is more cost effective than the 20% savings one gets from TIW. I've never done the math to compare the two, but if you are going to eat at several TS restaurants, then TIW always seemed to be a better deal to me.

What you say is true. TiW is not likely to save me money on this one visit, but we are likely to go to WDW more than once this year, so any savings will really come on a return trip.

I have done all the numbers for DDP, vs. TiW for our group several times. They always come out about equal.

Our next visit to WDW is with extended family. DDP is easier since it's prepaid. With TiW, every meal involves annoying negotiations. There's considerable value in avoiding hassle.

Other times we go to WDW, we go it alone, and are happy to rely on TiW instead for any dining discounts.

I was just thinking it might be fun to valet park part of trip. My family got a hoot out of using the valet last year (the one time we used it).

 

[carlton the bear]

You have to be clear about the free valet parking. Per the Disney website:
Resort valet services are complimentary to members, for the sole purpose of dining. This privilege will only be extended to one vehicle per membership card. Present your membership card with a valid dining receipt at the Valet Stand upon retrieving your vehicle.

It's not good for over night parking. Just for the purpose of dining.

Of course it is not good for over night parking, but at the same time there is no 3 hr time limit. Nowhere on the WDW web site that you quote does it mention a time limit. I think you are assuming when you visit a resort the guard sometimes gives you a 3 hr. parking pass that the same applies here; unless you are specifically told when you valet park that there is a 3 hr. time limit, if your dining experience let's say takes you 4 hours (for whatever reason), I don't think anyone is going to care.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Of course it is not good for over night parking, but at the same time there is no 3 hr time limit. Nowhere on the WDW web site that you quote does it mention a time limit. I think you are assuming when you visit a resort the guard sometimes gives you a 3 hr. parking pass that the same applies here; unless you are specifically told when you valet park that there is a 3 hr. time limit, if your dining experience let's say takes you 4 hours (for whatever reason), I don't think anyone is going to care.

Actually, the last time we used the TIW card to dine at the GF, we were told by the valet at the valet stand that it was limited to three hours as well.
That was in early June.

 

[n2mm]

We just used the free TIW valet parking at the Grand Floridian 2 weeks ago. One was for our dinner at Narcossees and the other night was a the Grand Floridian Cafe. Both times we had to show our TIW card when dropping off and BOTH times we were asked for our dinner receipt. They actually took it and looked at the times and handed it back to us. While in the past I've usually just had it in my hand along with my card out, this time they checked it closely. I honestly don't know what the time limit is as we just use it for the purposed intended -- To dine at the location. Normally we would self park, but not at the Grand Floridian -- this is one place I always use the free valet perk.

 

[bumbershoot]

See below. If you park at any of the WDW resorts valet parking is free. There is no time limit mentioned in "the stated rules". Given that there is a specific 3 hr. limit noted if you park at the theme parks, my guess is that you can park as long as you want at valet, and there there is no 3 hr. limit as some posters have suggested.

The info you quoted gave the actual answer.

when dining at a Walt Disney World resort

When you are dining, you can use valet.

Each time we used it, we showed the receipt that showed that we had used TIW (they didn't seem to need the card, though I always had it in my hand anyway).

I have to imagine that the valet staff will have a problem when you pick up your car in the morning, with a receipt from lunch the previous day.


But it'll be easily answered while you are at WDW!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I have had the Tables in Wonderland "free valet" applied to our "home" resort at both the Grand Floridian and Polynesian, on two separate trips in September and December '10 . They will ask to see a receipt, but if you ate at a TIW restaurant, they will waive/credit the valet fee for that day. (Not automatic, in my experience, you have to ask, but not complicated either.) I have never tried to have that extended to "we ate at another hotel restaurant" and have your home valet waived for TIW ... Because once you've paid for valet (been tagged) at your home resort, the valet is already covered at other resorts anyway.

Not sure getting the Tables in Wonderland card is worth it just for that, but, yes, I can confirm there is no "time limit" since valet is the same price for 1 hr. or 24 hr.

I think basically goes to what Iwas asking. Perhaps I should clarify again that I'm talking primarily about valet parking at my home resort after dining at my home resort. I could see where leaving my car overnight at another hotel wouldn't work, nor would that be particularly useful to me.

But what some of you seem to be saying is that - in essence - I can't use the valet parking perk if I'm parking/eating at my home resort, or that I can only use the valet parking perk at my home resort if I move my car after three hours.

Perhaps I should go to the source. I tried calling TiW yesterday and all I got was a very LONG electronic message. At the end, came an electronic voicemail. I'm still waiting for the callback.....