Well are we going to be charged to park with DVC?

[Dean Marino]

Fascinating, the new parking fees have been removed from the main WDW parking information page

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/parking/

They still remain, so far, at the individual resort's pages

And for good reason. Being "overnight", they did not address the real issue: Day Trippers trying to avoid Park Parking Fees.

UNLESS - there was an undisclosed issue with people sleeping in their cars overnight, in WDW owned Resort Parking lots. A Security Hazard.

The issue remains: Day Trippers avoiding Parking fees. Prime targets? WDW transportation from DS. Parking at the Contemporary.
The "new policy" failed to address any REAL issue.

Solution? No bus transport from DS without an MB scan. Yup, gonna cost some money.
No Parking at Contemporary without an MB scan.

The infrastructure exists. Use it.

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

 

[kristenrice]

Two things:
1. People need to compute just how much of their vacation time they will be losing just to play this game, and
2. They will now be a captive audience so Disney will be more than happy to cart them around. Of course, they can Uber or whatever but that will just cut into the savings and the next thing you know they'll be saving 50 bucks total in exchange for 2 hours of vacation time lost per person.

I think this plan was aimed towards those who drive to WDW but choose to use Disney transportation once they are on property. Some people don't live far enough away to fly and see Disney transportation as a perk of staying onsite. They drive their car to the resort, park it and never use it again until it is time to leave. For those folks, this fee is a real slap in the face. Driving to the airport would cost them some time at the beginning and end of their vacation, but it could save them quite a bit of money.

 

[sleepydog25]

As you point out, not everyone drives. By doing it in this manner, the price increase only hits the drivers, not DME guests.

The more I contemplate this, I think it's just another means of encouraging overnight guests to use DME and stay on WDW property. Think of it as a "Universal Studios tax." Want to rent a car and venture to USF / Sea World / Legoland, etc. for a couple days? Now it's going to be even more costly.

The next step is to charge for DME. It won't be much, but they'll charge for it eventually: "Our surveys have found people like the security and convenience of never having to worry with driving while on property. To that end, we're making DME the ultimate experience for those flying into MCO. To help offset increased fuel costs, personnel pay, and logistics required to support DME, effective May 1, 2019, each person over 3 years old will be charged a $10 fee. However, that includes round trip from MCO to the resort of your choice and back. To help make this an even better service, each person will also receive 1 free FP in addition to any they may already have or have purchased (Ed. note: yep, that's coming, too)."

 

[tjkraz]

The next step is to charge for DME. I won't be much, but they'll charge for it eventually: "Our surveys have found people like the security and convenience of never having to worry with driving while on property. To that end, we're making DME the ultimate experience for those flying into MCO. To help offset increased fuel costs, personnel pay, and logistics required to support DME, effective May 1, 2019, each person over 3 years old will be charged a $10 fee. However, that includes round trip from MCO to the resort of your choice and back. To help make this an even better service, each person will also receive 1 free FP in addition to any they may already have or have purchased (Ed. note: yep, that's coming, too)."

Well, DME has been around for 13 years now (2005, I believe) and predictions of Disney charging are at least 12.5 years old.

Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. DME plays a very effective role in keeping people on property. As stated, I think this parking fee is just a surreptitious method of nudging more people toward DME. If they need more money to fund DME, keeping it "free" and adding a buck or two to hotel rates or ticket prices seems like a more effective way. Charging for DME just gets people re-thinking their transportation options.

 

[kristenrice]

The next step is to charge for DME. I won't be much, but they'll charge for it eventually: "Our surveys have found people like the security and convenience of never having to worry with driving while on property. To that end, we're making DME the ultimate experience for those flying into MCO. To help offset increased fuel costs, personnel pay, and logistics required to support DME, effective May 1, 2019, each person over 3 years old will be charged a $10 fee. However, that includes round trip from MCO to the resort of your choice and back. To help make this an even better service, each person will also receive 1 free FP in addition to any they may already have or have purchased (Ed. note: yep, that's coming, too)."

For me, I'm all about the budget. For my family of 4, if DME charged $10/person, R/T, it would probably be the cheapest and most convenient option and I would still take advantage of it. I'm thinking Disney would charge more like $30/person, though, which puts DME up into the price range of a town-car service and at that price point, I would use Uber.

 

[Ben E N]

The next step is to charge for DME. I won't be much, but they'll charge for it eventually: "Our surveys have found people like the security and convenience of never having to worry with driving while on property. To that end, we're making DME the ultimate experience for those flying into MCO. To help offset increased fuel costs, personnel pay, and logistics required to support DME, effective May 1, 2019, each person over 3 years old will be charged a $10 fee. However, that includes round trip from MCO to the resort of your choice and back. To help make this an even better service, each person will also receive 1 free FP in addition to any they may already have or have purchased (Ed. note: yep, that's coming, too)."

I really highly doubt it. The whole idea of MDE is to make people captives of Disney. By charging to use the service, you are making it more likely they will find a different way onto, and off of, the property. Not worth $10 a person when they can make twice that money from one quick service meal.

 

[wnielsen1]

Well, DME has been around for 13 years now (2005, I believe) and predictions of Disney charging are at least 12.5 years old.

Well, they'll charge for it. But it will be disguised as a resort fee.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Well, DME has been around for 13 years now (2005, I believe) and predictions of Disney charging are at least 12.5 years old.

Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. DME plays a very effective role in keeping people on property. As stated, I think this parking fee is just a surreptitious method of nudging more people toward DME. If they need more money to fund DME, keeping it "free" and adding a buck or two to hotel rates or ticket prices seems like a more effective way. Charging for DME just gets people re-thinking their transportation options.

Yes, it did start in 2005. May 1st, 2005. The reason I remember is that we traveled and first used it on May 5th, 2005. It was great because it was so new that lots of people didn't know about it, so we traveled on a less than half full bus. However, it was a little difficult to find. Also back in those days,CMs were able to stand and wave on the second floor with their big Mickey gloves. And because we're among those people who drive from home, then use Disney transportation when on property, we're a little nervous. Thankfully, we're DVC, so currently exempt from the overnight charges, but they'll get us somehow, I predict!

 

[tjkraz]

Well, they'll charge for it. But it will be disguised as a resort fee.

Again, maybe someday. But if you have been making that prediction since the debut of DME, you've been wrong for 12+ years now.

 

[wnielsen1]

Again, maybe someday. But if you have been making that prediction since the debut of DME, you've been wrong for 12+ years now.

I haven't. But I hear what you are saying.

There has been significant chatter in the last 12 months on a parking fee and/or resort fee. The parking fee is here. The resort fee is coming (probably in a year). Let's hope that the parking fee is rolled into it.

 

[sleepydog25]

Well, DME has been around for 13 years now (2005, I believe) and predictions of Disney charging are at least 12.5 years old.

Maybe they will. Maybe they won't. DME plays a very effective role in keeping people on property. As stated, I think this parking fee is just a surreptitious method of nudging more people toward DME. If they need more money to fund DME, keeping it "free" and adding a buck or two to hotel rates or ticket prices seems like a more effective way. Charging for DME just gets people re-thinking their transportation options.

I hear you, and to be sure, my remarks were meant in jest. . .partially. While there may have been rumors the last dozen or so years without them becoming reality, that observation is not a guarantor for the future. The primary flaw is that just because people drive doesn't mean they do much outside of Disney already. We drive 95% of the time, and we only infrequently hop offsite. If I'm a family coming to Disney and have my heart set on going to US, I'd do it regardless of the barriers Disney puts up. Not having a car at Disney won't keep people from Uber, Lyft, or even renting a car. Is the next step to somehow prevent those services? Perhaps. More germane to the discussion, however, is that if I've planned a week-long vacation only to find out my family of four will now have to pay an extra $40 for DME, I doubt I'd do much more than shrug. As @kristenrice says above, to her (and I suspect many others) that would still be a cheaper option than anything else. Sure, they may roll it into a charge called "resort fee" or "transportation fee," but given Disney's track record the past few years, I do see a charge of some sort appearing. If it's a service they provide, they will charge for it--I mean, someone has to pay Iger's $45M salary. It's only a matter of time.

 

[peabody58]

First off, as a DVC member, this parking thing will not directly impact me and we drive every time (6 hrs).

Last year we went to US/CBBR instead of WDW. They charge parking and it is tiered to the specific resort. As a cheap skate it irritated me to pay $64 for parking. And for the record, we spent twice as much as a comparable WDW trip and had 1/2 the fun. At least US/IOA is off our bucket list.

I did however like the fact that I could get a spot, and I also liked the gate-controlled entry into the parking areas. I hope the resorts implement similar gate barriers, especially at BLT and BWV. I also hope they implement day-use charges (2-3 hr validated dining exception of course).

 

[tjkraz]

If I'm a family coming to Disney and have my heart set on going to US, I'd do it regardless of the barriers Disney puts up.

Here I disagree. Speaking for my family, it's a sliding scale...cost vs. benefit. My wife is a Harry Potter fan but we haven't been there since WWOHP opened, and 95% of the reason is cost. When we look at the fact that adding another day to our park hoppers is only $10-15 per person (or free when we have APs) vs. the $400+ for USF single day tickets, the decision is made. That visit to USF isn't worth the extra cost.

Is a $10 DME fee going to make the difference? Perhaps not on its own. But whenever Disney tinkers with the economics, it will be enough to get SOME people to reconsider their approach. Admittedly the parking fee could swing some people to off-site, which not what Disney aims to do. But as long as those guests are replaced with people willing to pay the fee, there's no harm done. I'm sure they expect Toy Story Land and (more so) Star Wars to really drive occupancy.

The two overarching goals are:

1) Fill all hotel rooms
2) Keep as many as possible from leaving Disney property

Seems to me the parking fee should help with #2 by discouraging car rentals. Charging for DME would have the opposite effect.

 

[wnielsen1]

1) Fill all hotel rooms
2) Keep as many as possible from leaving Disney property

Seems to me the parking fee should help with #2 by discouraging car rentals. Charging for DME would have the opposite effect.

It is also having a negative impact on #1

 

[tjkraz]

It is also having a negative impact on #1

That remains to be seen. Disney is heavily betting on Toy Story and Star Wars (and Avatar, and Ratatouille, and...) to boost demand in the next couple of years. They're clearly wagering that even with the parking fees, demand will still be sufficient to fill most/all available rooms. And if the parking fee discourages car rentals and off-site ventures, so much the better.

 

[Ben E N]

That remains to be seen. Disney is heavily betting on Toy Story and Star Wars (and Avatar, and Ratatouille, and...) to boost demand in the next couple of years. They're clearly wagering that even with the parking fees, demand will still be sufficient to fill most/all available rooms. And if the parking fee discourages car rentals and off-site ventures, so much the better.

Yeah, the 60 day FP hook will fill those rooms up easily. It's a smart short term move by Disney, but just a kind icky long term feeling. It may the be way of the world, but it removed some of the "magic" feeling that made it easier to tolerate issues such as run down monorail, etc. By taking all they can from people, they are opening themselves up to people being as critical as they can be.

 

[deerh]

Speaking of parking and charging at the resorts.....
Can you imagine the LINES of cars at the "proposed gates" (if they implement them at each resort?)!!???? WOW!!
There would be a LINE of cars paying/exiting/entering, etc....
That would "add time" to getting to a resort/restaurant/etc...
Just food for thought...
Questions:
1. HOW would they do the gate system?
2. HOW do you pay for it? Automated? Security booth?
3. HOW do you work in "day passes"? I can hear it now, a 4 min explanation as to "Oh, I am here only to eat at the Flying Fish
at BW, and I will not be paying, just staying for my dinner".... Meanwhile, the line backs up longer and longer...

LOTS of questions about this "new parking plan"...

My .02 cents worth....

Deerh

 

[n2mm]

Speaking of parking and charging at the resorts.....
Can you imagine the LINES of cars at the "proposed gates" (if they implement them at each resort?)!!???? WOW!!
There would be a LINE of cars paying/exiting/entering, etc....
That would "add time" to getting to a resort/restaurant/etc...
Just food for thought...
Questions:
1. HOW would they do the gate system?
2. HOW do you pay for it? Automated? Security booth?
3. HOW do you work in "day passes"? I can hear it now, a 4 min explanation as to "Oh, I am here only to eat at the Flying Fish
at BW, and I will not be paying, just staying for my dinner".... Meanwhile, the line backs up longer and longer...

LOTS of questions about this "new parking plan"...

My .02 cents worth....

Deerh

Been thinking about it too. We arrive in April and will wonder how it’s all implemented.

 

[Wakey]

Again, maybe someday. But if you have been making that prediction since the debut of DME, you've been wrong for 12+ years now.

Over on WDWMagic a tipster 12 months ago said they’d decided to intro parking fees. He / she even said what they said they’d use as an excuse and said what the prices would be. Save prices were revised down a couple of dollars he / she was absolutely spot on including the excuse they are trotting out. I’m absolutely convinced this person has insider knowledge.
They also said they’d decided to, in addition, put on a resort fee.
The only reason it won’t happen is this has been so much of an uproar that they are scared off. But even then I suspect it will be on the back burner only.

 

[Wakey]

Speaking of parking and charging at the resorts.....
Can you imagine the LINES of cars at the "proposed gates" (if they implement them at each resort?)!!???? WOW!!
There would be a LINE of cars paying/exiting/entering, etc....
That would "add time" to getting to a resort/restaurant/etc...
Just food for thought...
Questions:
1. HOW would they do the gate system?
2. HOW do you pay for it? Automated? Security booth?
3. HOW do you work in "day passes"? I can hear it now, a 4 min explanation as to "Oh, I am here only to eat at the Flying Fish
at BW, and I will not be paying, just staying for my dinner".... Meanwhile, the line backs up longer and longer...

LOTS of questions about this "new parking plan"...

My .02 cents worth....

Deerh

In U.K. we have car parks that just read your number plate. They could put them in. When leaving pay at a machine or on an app and put your number plate in, and barrier reads it again as you drive out and lifts the barrier.