Touring Hotels by Car Question

[erinuga]

A friend of mine will be going to WDW but not staying on property. Can she and her family still visit resorts like AKL and WL by car? I think she can, but someone was telling me you had to have a resort pass- which doesn't make sense to me, since you can eat at a restaurant without staying on property. Can she simply tell security that she is coming to see the resort in case she wants to stay there during her next visit?

I want to make sure I am giving my friend good advice- so any help would be great

Thanks!

 

[GoofyasGoofy]

I think that that should be O.K. You could also call AKL just to make sure... they may have special parking for those that are just visiting the resturaunt.

They could also just park at Downtown disney and take the busses!

 

[disnut8]

The resorts that she will have a problem at are the monorial resorts since some people park there for access to Magic Kingdom without paying for parking. She shouldn't even think about trying to drive to the Contemporary to visit the resort. Besides, it's easier to just walk over there from the Magic Kingdom. The Beach Club and the Yacht Club are also places where it might be difficult because of their location to Epcot and the same thing with people avoiding the parking fee.

But the Animal Kingdom Lodge and the Wilderness Lodge are fine. We stay offsite and visit the Animal Kingdom Lodge all the time on our way to the Animal Kingdom. You could get a three hour pass at security but a resort visit doesn't usually last more than three hours anyway. And at the Animal Kingdom Lodge, we are almost always told to have a great time or to make sure we take our cameras. She'll be fine.

 

[erinuga]

That's what I thought! Thanks guys

 

[Bear-N-Babe]

I've been told that Disney encourages people to 'check out' their hotels, for the prospect of future stays. I friend of mine lives close to Disney, and often visits the hotels to eat at the restaurants. She has never had a problem with being granted the 3-hr parking pass. Just last week, she and her hubby went to a few of the hotels and told the guard that they were going to see the Christmas decorations and get a bite to eat. No problem. By the way, she said that a lot of the Christmas decorations are already up at the hotels.

 

[standleyent1]

My DD and I always go to the resorts to see the Xmas lights or just to hang out and maybe eat at a favorite restaurant. I always get a DDE card so I use valet parking because it is free for DDE card holders. Your friend just needs to tell the guard that they are dining or shopping or just checking out the resort. You need not worry about the monorail resorts as I have never had a problem driving into them and finding parking (before I had the DDE card). If you can, spend the money and take advantage of the valet service I think its around $7-$10 per deluxe resort. This time of year is absolutely beautiful and your friend should take the time to see as many resorts as possible.
Have Fun!!