Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[Jeff Laughlin]

Yes it’s more crowded but why is it more crowded? Do you think it can be due to the fact that a big chunk of MGM and Epcot are closed and people have nowhere else to go but to pile into MK and AK?

Like Len mentioned in the special podcast last week, A lot of the added crowd being felt so far this year is caused by the rides being run at far less than their full capacities from less staffing

 

[deerh]

Since I am DVC member, it will not affect us as we drive some to WDW, but fly a lot. BUT, i think the main problem is people parking at the monorail/boat
resorts and not paying the parking fee at the parks. I think this precipitated a lot of this... People abusing the system.
I know at BWV, parking is hard to come by when we are staying there.. Always has been. So, it essence, the people that will pay for parking
can thank the "abusers of the system". At least I think that is partly the reason why they did this. I do agree with other posters that I think
Disney is becoming a "nickel and dimeing" to death..

DeerH

 

[Nikred513]

I am not sure charging the actual resort guests will stop this from happening. The post from Disney said something about no charge for Day time guests - just a parking fee for guests staying overnight in the resorts.

 

[scjo68]

I can totally see Disney now using parking as a discount. Play/Stay/Park deal. They will make you think youre saving, even when you never paid for it before. Instead of free dining, it will be free parking.

I was thinking this myself. The fee is official now but they can appear "generous" by waiving at slow times- to make you think you are getting a deal.

It is hard for me to find the words to describe how terrible I find this new fee. The room rates have increased over the years and I have paid them. There have been better rates at offsite hotels and I insisted on staying onsite, because I did not want to pay
Parking fees. Now that incentive is gone. We almost always drive. I will not pay Disney a parking fee.

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

Since I am DVC member, it will not affect us as we drive some to WDW, but fly a lot. BUT, i think the main problem is people parking at the monorail/boat
resorts and not paying the parking fee at the parks. I think this precipitated a lot of this... People abusing the system.
I know at BWV, parking is hard to come by when we are staying there.. Always has been. So, it essence, the people that will pay for parking
can thank the "abusers of the system". At least I think that is partly the reason why they did this. I do agree with other posters that I think
Disney is becoming a "nickel and dimeing" to death..

DeerH

Problem is these new parking fees won't address that at all. People can still do that as long as they don't stay overnight! I stayed at the Poly last week and we rented a car. The times we came back to the resort during the day or evening it was more difficult to find a spot to park, but we always found one. The times we returned later after 10 or so there were TONS of spots to park. The lot is full of daytime people, not people who are actually staying there overnight. This new parking fee will not address that at all.

I came back last week and for the first time I felt like I was nickel and dimed and that I was not getting the value for my money anymore. Now I hear this news today and I am angry! Disney is not what it used to be and the greed is really rubbing me the wrong way. At this point with the lack of an advantage to booking FP, the nearly non-existent EMH compared to the past, and no free parking I just don't see what benefit there is to paying the premium price to stay onsite. For the first time in 13 years I will be looking at the Disney Springs hotels, Swan & Dolphin etc. It was always no question I would stay on property, but I think those days may be over.

 

[JerseyJanice]

I doubt they care about filling the dining seats. Less and less on property restaurants are actually owned by Disney. For the dining plan people, they give these 3rd party vendors a flat rate for each credit used and still pocket some cash in the process.

There are still a lot of Disney restaurants and if the waitstaff isn’t making enough in tips, many of the best of them will move on.

We’ve had some phenomenal servers over years. The kind of people who worked at WDW for many years and were rewarded for their talents by being placed in signatures and high end TS. These are the kind of waitstaff who elevate your dining experience to the point where you are happy to pay Disney prices.

If you can’t keep up a certain volume, the whole business of running the parks and resorts profitably and keeping talent gets tricky.

 

[WB1971]

It's a ridiculous money grab, and telling us it's industry standard is a slap in the face. When you raise your standards to those of a true 4-5 star resort hotel AND cut your prices by 25-50%, I'll buy that line. It's also an intentional plan to drive more traffic to Magical Express, doubling the price of a rental car essentially. This gives fewer guests the easy option to venture offsite, more captive audience. No more stopping at target or Walmart for cheap supplies, no more cheap water and beer for the room. This is the problem with public companies, enough is never enough when it comes to revenue and profit. It's just very insulting and disappointing.

 

[DCJ]

Are they going to stop calling us guests now, and just start calling us customers?
Who charges their guests to park when they come over?
Yet another step back for Disney

 

[KrazeeK120]

I interpret as After 3/21 All will be paying..
Ambiguous wording... to their advantage of course.
I’d be prepared to see it added to your folio at checkout ...( which is why they typically request a cc on file)
I guess we ‘ll see what guests report after 3/21.

Any particular reason you interpret it like that?

It specifically says reservations MADE. It says nothing about when the reservation OCCURS.

It actually doesn’t seem ambiguous to me at all, but that’s just my take.

 

[JerseyJanice]

We are staying at the Swan in May and we also have it booked for Christmas. Now I don’t feel so bad when I have to pay the parking and resort fee. Lol.

They hit you with a resort fee at the Swan, but they are also very generous and accommodating to their guests.

Housekeeping is always great, and they give you more of anything you ask for—like bottled water and coffee (Starbucks). There’s complimentary cucumber water in the lobby and coolers of drinking water around the pools and recreation. Towels all over the place.

It’s a luxurious resort in a fantastic location. I hope you enjoy it as much as my family does.

 

[Skippyboo]

The onsite rooms are over priced enough, the housekeeping and maintenance is mediocre now, the buses have a long wait, overcrowded, rides keep breaking down. HS and Epcot Future World are jokes of parks. We waited what 7 years for Pandora which has one great ride and a crappy boat ride. Toy story land is a spinner and a kiddie coaster big whoop.

Let’s not forget that Pulse Night Club Shooter was scoping out Disney Springs. You have a terrorist attack at WDW. That’s going to wreck the tourist industry like 9/11 did.

 

[wellesleyprincess]

I definitely think the Universal hotels give more bang for your buck with the unlimited express pass included. Disney's deluxe don't really offer much more than the other level hotels except proximity to the parks.

The one thing complaint about charging for parking at Disney hotels (which is now a moot point since it's happening) is that the resort is too spread out to rely for reliance on transport. For example, at Universal you can walk to the parks from all the hotels. You also have a shuttle that takes you to the other hotels if you have a dinner reservation (basically a free version of Minnie Vans). Given how spread out Disney is it isn't always feasible to go from say All Stars to Boardwalk with 3 kids and two strollers using transportation to make an 8 am character breakfast. It seems like if you're going to charge for parking you need to offer more hotel to hotel transit options or insure that not having a car is not an issue.

 

[marx]

I agree. I just called concerning my Oct ressie which I made last Nov., no charge for that. Also it's on rented DVC points, I neglected to ask about that. I'm settling the estate for a relative who left a disabled parking tag which is valid until 2022, very tempting.

Bill From PA

As someone who has a handicap placard, I have found it sometimes difficult to find accessible parking at some resorts. The parking fee will only make this worse.

 

[DIS-OH]

I sent an email expressing my displeasure at the “resort overnight parking fee.”

On my last two trips (Dec 2017 @ POR and Feb 2018 @BC), we have waited 45 minutes for a bus to MK. Both times, the board indicated a bus would arrive in 20 minutes. Both times we watched the arrival time adjust over and over. At POR, a MK bus approached the bus stop and then drove past without stopping. Both times we needed to be at the MK for a specific reason at a specific time. Both times, after waiting 45 or more minutes, we gave up and drove ourselves in the rental car.

I included this bus issue in my email, as well as how frustrating it is to take Disney buses to the water parks.

We’ll see if I get a follow up call...

 

[PleasejointheFarque]

OK, I get it, must pay for parking now. Other resorts charge for parking and they are just bringing WDW resorts to industry standards, blah, blah, blah...

The one thing that absolutely infuriates me is that a non-guest can get free "day guest" parking. If they were to charge a per-hour parking fee to day guests (like other hotels do), I would be fine paying to park my car overnight at the resort we are staying.

But, non-WDW guests have been coming to park at the resorts to avoid park parking fees, and non-resort guests have been parking at the monorail/Epcot resorts to "dine" and "shop," to avoid busing. I am going to be pissed if they get free parking and I don't, or if they are using a spot that I could be parking in.

I agree, as BLT DVC we are being constantly pushed out of the parking as its full of day guests who go to chef mickey for breakfast and then park there til park closing. Lat time we were there in 2016, we were parking in the back row most of the time and the DH had to move the car late at night to a closer spot, then rinse, repeat for the 14 days.

The car park dance gets old very quick.

 

[hoodedrooster]

Finally, the tipping point for me. I’m done after 45 years of visiting WDW. Had enough of the prices and fees. There is much more to do in the world for the same or far less money. Sad day for me.

 

[PleasejointheFarque]

Finally, the tipping point for me. I’m done after 45 years of visiting WDW. Had enough of the prices and fees. There is much more to do in the world for the same or far less money. Sad day for me.

Maybe this year might be our last for a while as well, the AP prices alone make my eye twitch, they used to be such value. Sigh.......

 

[Octoberbaby]

I have no problem paying for parking. But I'm one of THOSE people who will defend Disney to the death. Honestly, if I am paying thousands for a vacation, how can I complain about a few hundred dollars? Disney is a buisness with expenses just like any other business. And the crowds are increasing, which means more upkeep on the resorts.

 

[kittyab]

I have no problem paying for parking. But I'm one of THOSE people who will defend Disney to the death. Honestly, if I am paying thousands for a vacation, how can I complain about a few hundred dollars? Disney is a buisness with expenses just like any other business. And the crowds are increasing, which means more upkeep on the resorts.

Not everybody can afford to pay the extra $$$ per day to park. People will either find a way to do without a vehicle or stay off site.

 

[Roy Disney]

I have no problem paying for parking. But I'm one of THOSE people who will defend Disney to the death. Honestly, if I am paying thousands for a vacation, how can I complain about a few hundred dollars? Disney is a buisness with expenses just like any other business. And the crowds are increasing, which means more upkeep on the resorts.

Up keep on a parking lot?
This way of thinking is what Disney is counting on, what’s a few hundred dollars more I’m already paying thousands for this trip.
They are nickel and diming their “guests” to death and automatically raise everything every year.