Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[CT Disney]

This whole "industry standards" thing has really grown on me in the last 48 hours - enough to change my avatar by-line. I feel like I could be using this more in my everyday life as an answer to any question that I can't actually answer, but I still need to provide some vague, completely subjective, and noncommittal defense of my inexcusable actions.

I will say this - Disney may inadvertently achieve an unintended effect with this. If Disney wants to look to its competition, perhaps its guests will, too.

I'm also impressed with the near-universal reaction against these fees. I rarely drive (being just far enough that it's possible but usually not worthwhile) or have a rental car, but it seems like even those of us "unaffected" by this are strongly against it. And not least of all because we understand that things like this make it easier to introduce those future fees that do affect us.

I like your new avatar by-line. But may I suggest a change from "Why? Because it's industry standards!" to:

M-I-C-K-E-Y....Why? Because it's industry standards! M-O-U-S-E

I think the old mouseketeers theme song works well here.

 

[n2mm]

Man, every Facebook post from Disney is getting slammed in the comment section about the parking fee. People are relentless with all the sarcastic comments.
This is turning in to a PR nightmare for them.
Seems to be going down the 'social justice' route...if It gains too much momentum they'll be doing a lot of damage control. They just need to look down the road at Sea World as to what can happen when the public is unhappy with the way you run things.

As others have mentioned,it isn't the parking fee itself, but that people are at the 'ENOUGH !' point. The bubble has burst for quite a few to realize just how off the price/benefit ratio has gotten.

I need to make at least one more trip to get money's worth from annual pass...then done. Sure Star Wars will be tempting, but the craziness from it will put me off for quite a while i think.

I agree! I never thought I would reach this point either and I’m a dvc member. But I fight because of my friends and family will be affected by this, and possibly me later when Disney figures a loophole to make us pay too. After 30 years of going and over 20 years of being an AP holder (out of state) I’ve reached my “enough” point too. I removed my rose color glasses a long time ago.

 

[WDW Freak]

If Disney is saying that they are going with the industry standard (to which they shouldn’t lower themselves), I would think that Las Vegas parking fees would be more comparable to Disney. In New York, parking is an extremely scarce commodity and shouldn’t be used as a comparison. Disney is not lacking in available parking, except at resorts where day guests try to get away with parking for free all day.

Below is a sampling of parking fees for 5-star hotels in Vegas. Note that even when there is a parking fee, it tends to be lower than what Disney wants to charge, frequent visitors are not charged at all, and there is a charge for day guests, except less than 1-2 hours.

I would be much less upset if Disney didn’t charge DVC members at all for any resort (I am not DVC), didn’t charge APs, didn’t have tiered pricing, and charged hourly rates for more than an hour. I would also accept the new charge without blinking if they hadn’t lowered the quality of service across the board over the past few years in conjunction with price increases across the board.

I don’t want to be upset with Disney, but after a cooling off period I find myself unable to justify spending the kind of money that we have been. If they are going to be no different than other hotels and the in-park experiences aren’t at all what they used to be (just average compared to other parks), I will be investigating other vacation options. At least at Universal you get Express Pass when you pay decent rates at their top-end hotels. Paying for Club Level at Disney now gives you the opportunity to spend another $150pp minimum to get 3 more fast passes per day. Thanks Disney. You are very generous.

The Venetian and The Palazzo: Parking is free. Valet parking and self-parking are provided as a courtesy to all guests of The Venetian and The Palazzo.

The Cosmopolitan:
SELF-PARKING RATES

• IDENTITY MEMBERS: Self-parking is complimentary for Sterling status or higher, subject to availability. Must have Identity card present.
• 0-1 hour: Complimentary
• 1-4 hours: $7
• 4-24 hours: $10
• 24+ hours: $10 per day (or additional portion thereof)
• Motorcycles and two-wheeled vehicles: Exempt from parking fees

Aria and Bellagio: SELF PARKING
0 to 60 minutes: No Charge (1st Day Only)
Over 1 to 2 hours: $9
Over 2 to 4 hours: $15
Over 4 to 24 hours: $18
M LIFE REWARDS MEMBERS
Self-parking is complimentary* for Pearl, Gold, Platinum and NOIR M life Rewards Members

Mandarin Oriental: Rates are subject to $39 daily resort fee

 

[disneyholic family]

you don't have to go as far as vegas - there are luxury hotels right next to WDW that have free parking - so it's far from an industry standard in the orlando area.

.

 

[amylevan]

Maybe it's just me, but I could care less whether a resort charges parking or resort fees or not. I look at the bottom line.

Choice A: Rooms for $100/night + $15 parking = $115/night
Choice B: Rooms for $115/night + no fees = $115/night
These are both equal.

What makes me mad about the WDW parking fees is the fact that they already charge MORE than the "industry standard" for what they are offering. Throw in the parking fees and it's an almost 10% increase in room prices that are already out of control.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I agree if you are in a big city you would expect to pay for parking. If I were to go downtown in my area, I couldn't even get out of my car without paying to park. So I rarely go there. I rarely need to. If I have to go for an event or show, then I will pay to park at the venue because I have to. I expect to pay to park at places like shows, theme parks, cruises- and if I have to I will. But for these shows, cruises, parks, etc., I have stayed in hotels with free parking.

I agree that the difference is that my hotels are in more suburban areas rather than downtown. But, WDW isn't in downtown Orlando. It's in a suburban area, isn't it? It's not urban, it's not rural, it's sub-urban.

Right now I have a choice. I can find WDW area accomodations with free parking. If that is no longer the case in the future, and I want to go to WDW, I will pay for parking at the hotel of my choice. For years I would not even consider staying off-site. The less-expensive, nicer options that I was aware of charged extra fees and Disney didn't, so I stuck with on-site. Disney is basically introducing me to new options now. So we'll see. I might like them better, I might not. I used to be loyal to Disney, I'm not now. I know they don't care. That's fine, they are a business. Their choice.

Yes, they are a business. As I've become older I've also become a realist. I don't think the same way about things that I used to. I also know that Disney looks at it in the way, that if they lose me as a guest, there is always someone else waiting in line. That's not going to happen though and I'll freely admit it. As far as parking fees go, I wasn't happy when I first heard the news but after a couple of days, I've just thought about it more and maybe I can just make changes on a future trip or go somewhere else. There are more important things in the world to get upset about, to me this isn't one of them. I'm also a DVC member so I've been paying dues, which by the way, have gone up every year, so I've been pretty been much paying already through the maintenance fees. I do stay at other Disney hotels using cash reservations but now I just may not be doing that as much anymore. If I do, I'll make some changes. I won't say I'm loyal to Disney, because frankly I don't know what that means, to be loyal? I do go other places and not just to Disney parks. I still love Disney though and that is not going to change because of parking fees, or after hours events, etc. I love Disney because of what it has meant to me and other family members over the years. Without going into details, we got through some tough times because of Disney. But I digress...

 

[DISNEY1975]

We spent 2 weeks in Italy last summer for about what we just spent on 8 days at BCV in feb. Flights r/t were $1550 total for 4 of us (2 adults, 2 kids) on United. It wasn’t some crazy airline at some crazy time. We’re going to Europe again this summer and our flights there are cheaper than flying to Orlando. Going to Europe isn’t as crazy expensive as one might think. Obviously it can be, but it doesn’t have to be.

My co-worker, frequent business traveler, just went to Ireland on Norwegian Air for $340 RT. She told me to book with them too and I told her she could test it out first before I gave them any of my $$. She cam back last Thursday and said it was perfectly fine. Plenty of legroom, not charged for carryon or bathroom use, seats reclined, the were given drinks, snacks and light breakfast. Not sure why the low low price, but everything seems up be OK with them. She would complain if there was a problem. I was thinking it would be like Spirit or Ryan Air, but I guess its not.

 

[PrincessV]

Wondering... has anyone who’s spoken with WDW by phone received details about day parking and what “Select” dining/shopping/recreation qualifies for free parking? I have some ideas on that, but haven’t seen any info from WDW on the subject yet.

I’ll be sad if I can’t park for free for 10 minutes to buy a couple chocolate chip cookies at a resort QS when staying offsite. But for folks needing to plan ADRs six months from now, it might be helpful to know just what qualifies for free day parking!

 

[Tink-osophy]

Man, every Facebook post from Disney is getting slammed in the comment section about the parking fee. People are relentless with all the sarcastic comments.
This is turning in to a PR nightmare for them.
Seems to be going down the 'social justice' route...if It gains too much momentum they'll be doing a lot of damage control. They just need to look down the road at Sea World as to what can happen when the public is unhappy with the way you run things.

As others have mentioned,it isn't the parking fee itself, but that people are at the 'ENOUGH !' point. The bubble has burst for quite a few to realize just how off the price/benefit ratio has gotten.

I'm sad to be saying to negative comments about Disney. ...But it's what they've decided to be at the moment and you put it so well, especially that last part which is very succinct.

but they're censoring the posts - the new threads have angry posts, but once their scrubbers get to work, they clean them up...the older posts have been cleansed and replaced with rah rah posts....no doubt by their social media bots....

Imagine how much respect and goodwill they could earn if they didn't follow the crowd by brushing this kind of thing under the carpet! They're just leaving big piles under rugs which their guests stumble over! I think they're forgetting what goodwill and respect from the public are worth in the long run. Or, not worth when they're lacking. .......................Just my thinking, FWIW!

If Disney is saying that they are going with the industry standard (to which they shouldn’t lower themselves), I would think that Las Vegas parking fees would be more comparable to Disney. In New York, parking is an extremely scarce commodity and shouldn’t be used as a comparison. Disney is not lacking in available parking, except at resorts where day guests try to get away with parking for free all day.

.......The MK and Epcot deluxes seem to have more like 800 rooms (inc DVC) (Poly and WL are closer to 1000 now, apparently), whereas the moderates and values have closer to 2000 (POP has closer to 3000).

Are their car lots more than twice the size of the deluxes, then? (Genuine question, because I don't know!)

And do they have anywhere near the visitors and "illegal" parkers? Also, does Disney allow for all the spaces that these visitors (good and bad! *evil laugh*) take up at the deluxes in their calculations and justifications? ...Hmm.

 

[DISNEY1975]

Wondering... has anyone who’s spoken with WDW by phone received details about day parking and what “Select” dining/shopping/recreation qualifies for free parking? I have some ideas on that, but haven’t seen any info from WDW on the subject yet.

I’ll be sad if I can’t park for free for 10 minutes to buy a couple chocolate chip cookies at a resort QS when staying offsite. But for folks needing to plan ADRs six months from now, it might be helpful to know just what qualifies for free day parking!

My assumption is free day parking is for anyone who does not have their car in a lot at 2am. Shops are closed, lounges are closed, restaurants are closed, pools are closed, recreation is closed (oh...but Captain Cooks is open 24 hours. If I stay at the Poly can I say I was at Captain Cooks for a snack at 3am?)

Im guessing it would be only resort guests being charged because frankly unless they build some toll booths at the entrance/exits, nobody is collecting actual money. It will all be billed to your guest folio to have that final kick when you leave. If you dont have a running tab at the resort, who will they charge? Nobody.

 

[greg9x]

but they're censoring the posts - the new threads have angry posts, but once their scrubbers get to work, they clean them up...the older posts have been cleansed and replaced with rah rah posts....no doubt by their social media bots...

.

I was surprised the ones I'm seeing are still there, they're not getting to them all yet. It'll spill over to the fan pages though and Disney can't sanitize those.

 

[scjo68]

I won't say I'm loyal to Disney, because frankly I don't know what that means, to be loyal? I do go other places and not just to Disney parks. I still love Disney though and that is not going to change because of parking fees, or after hours events, etc. I love Disney because of what it has meant to me and other family members over the years. Without going into details, we got through some tough times because of Disney. But I digress...

I can only answer for myself, but being "loyal" to Disney meant that when we went to WDW, we never even considered staying off-site. Many of our friends and relatives routinely stay off-site and they enjoy it. I was not convinced when they praised their resorts-though I was glad they were happy with their choices; I knew our on-site resorts worked better for us. Of course we traveled to other, non-Disney destinations. But we also usually had a Disney tripped planned for our future. Also, I felt "loyal" to Disney if other people complained about it. I would feel defensive when anyone described what the didn't like about Disney. I didn't argue with them beacause they were entitled to their opinion, but I did feel as if something important to me was being attacked.

Now, I am one of the "complainers" and have been investigating other resorts. We still love the parks- and actually have a trip planned that will still include free parking. I have gotten though tough times because of Disney also. So am certainly not anti-Disney. Just feeling less "loyal" than before. Maybe that's a good thing. I am just open to more options for future WDW trips.

 

[SmithSmith]

I don’t think this has been talked about. Sorry if it has.


I’m angry about this, but I’m also embarrassed.

Everyone in our life knows we go to WDW and stay at their resorts, so we often get asked for help. Each friend we’ve helped has balked at the current prices. What’s going to happen after the 21st? They’re going to think we’re crazy for paying that. I kinda feel like my reputation is on the line...

Anyone else feel this way?

One thing is for sure, next time a friend asks for advice, I am going to advocate they stay offsite.

 

[disneyholic family]

The MK and Epcot deluxes seem to have more like 800 rooms (inc DVC) (Poly and WL are closer to 1000 now, apparently), whereas the moderates and values have closer to 2000 (POP has closer to 3000).

Are their car lots more than twice the size of the deluxes, then? (Genuine question, because I don't know!)

And do they have anywhere near the visitors and "illegal" parkers? Also, does Disney allow for all the spaces that these visitors (good and bad! *evil laugh*) take up at the deluxes in their calculations and justifications? ...Hmm.

the deluxes - the monorail resorts and the epcot resorts have serious parking problems because of all the day parkers who try to get around the parking fees in the theme parks by parking at the deluxes that are close to the parks (either MK or Epcot)...

the values, moderates and SSR and OKW do not have parking problems. They have more than ample parking for every guest to bring a car (though not every guest brings a car - but there is an excess of parking at all of those resorts).

 

[scjo68]

I don’t think this has been talked about. Sorry if it has.


I’m angry about this, but I’m also embarrassed.

Everyone in our life knows we go to WDW and stay at their resorts, so we often get asked for help. Each friend we’ve helped has balked at the current prices. What’s going to happen after the 21st? They’re going to think we’re crazy for paying that. I kinda feel like my reputation is on the line...

Anyone else feel this way?

One thing is for sure, next time a friend asks for advice, I am going to advocate they stay offsite.

Yes! I'm asking my friends to recommend off-site places. I'm having to "eat my words"

 

[greg9x]

I don’t think this has been talked about. Sorry if it has.


I’m angry about this, but I’m also embarrassed.

Everyone in our life knows we go to WDW and stay at their resorts, so we often get asked for help. Each friend we’ve helped has balked at the current prices. What’s going to happen after the 21st? They’re going to think we’re crazy for paying that. I kinda feel like my reputation is on the line...

Anyone else feel this way?

One thing is for sure, next time a friend asks for advice, I am going to advocate they stay offsite.

Yes, Disney is turning their unpaid spokespeople in to anti -advocates. It was always 'fun' to help someone new and show them the benefits of staying on property even though it cost a bit more. Now a lot are going to steer people away.

 

[DISNEY1975]

the deluxes - the monorail resorts and the epcot resorts have serious parking problems because of all the day parkers who try to get around the parking fees in the theme parks by parking at the deluxes that are close to the parks (either MK or Epcot)...

I dont think the MK/EP deluxes would have enough spaces even if their overnight guests all brought cars....or even 1/2 their guests. Poly lot is very small, as is YC/BC.

 

[Disneylover99]

I don’t think this has been talked about. Sorry if it has.


I’m angry about this, but I’m also embarrassed.

Everyone in our life knows we go to WDW and stay at their resorts, so we often get asked for help. Each friend we’ve helped has balked at the current prices. What’s going to happen after the 21st? They’re going to think we’re crazy for paying that. I kinda feel like my reputation is on the line...

Anyone else feel this way?

One thing is for sure, next time a friend asks for advice, I am going to advocate they stay offsite.

Most of the people who ask me for advice are first timers with young kids. Everyone flys. I'll just recommend they not rent a car. I almost always recommend Value resorts anyways.

 

[Kevin355]

Received a phone call from WDW today. The CM on the line could not have been better. She was excellent. She stated that WDW is reconsidering the fees, but don't see it disappearing anytime soon. I aired my concerns for about 15 minutes and she kept reassuring me WDW considers the guests as important cogs. She also stated that many of the concerns that I have aired have been talked about by Jeff Drenning (?) and the rest of the board members. WDW did not expect this amount of backlash. I kept reiterating the "industry standards" line that WDW put out, and then I told her that WDW set the industry standard and that every place wanted to be like WDW. She stated that has been one of the biggest complaints.

With that said, I doubt that anything happens.

 

[disneyholic family]

I dont think the MK/EP deluxes would have enough spaces even if their overnight guests all brought cars....or even 1/2 their guests. Poly lot is very small, as is YC/BC.

you could be right - those lots are exceedingly small for their resorts - especially with the addition of DVC. Also the GF lot is miniscule - even before they added DVC.

my post was in answer to her question - the values and moderates, as well as SSR and OKW, have ample parking for everyone. More than ample.

.