Paid parking is coming to WDW resorts March 2018

[lodgelady]

The only way I could feel good about this parking fee is if ALL the money goes directly to emloyee raises and bonuses.

 

[knlanf]

Not planning a return until 2019 when our daughter finishes college. Parking costs would not be an issue as we don't bring a car or rent one. With the new parking fees, I guess it depends on your budget and where you want/like to stay. For us now it is like a 10-12K trip for the four of us so if we did have a car another 150-200 bucks wouldn't change our plans. We just don't go until we can afford where we want to stay and that is definitely on property every time all the time. But that's just us.

 

[HopperFan]

As usual the Disney does no wrong crew here (though surprisingly not the dominant group for once) are so extremely short sighted they can't see this coming. Once you have to pay for parking, it changes the calculus on DME. Rather than making it "Free" for onsite guests to lock them in, because that is more convenient than driving, helps offset the cost of flights vs gas / land transportation costs, etc. Now you can CHARGE for DME because its still much cheaper than the crazy rates you charge for parking. In fact this becomes a wonderful circle of price gouging. Disney can now charge for DME, because $25 or $50 is cheaper than 2 nights parking. And then they can increase the price of Parking, because, you have the cheaper option of DME, and then they can increase the price of DME ... and so on ...

What if that is $25 per person, quite the bargain for round trip I agree, but a family of 4 adds $100 = a week of parking at value.

It might be cheaper than renting a car but it will change no ones mind about driving. Flying for many is never going to be close to cheaper - which is why they drive - so the ME vs Parking fee isn’t a discussion or comparison.

What does become a discussion is what value can I get for my money offsite, the answer is usually going to be greater value.

And you are right, many of is apologists are not going to support this one. It’s double taxation.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

But that isn't accurate. Because until now disney has advertised (like, actually advertised) that parking is included in the price of the room. Just like pool access is included. You might not use the pool, but it doesn't mean you didn't pay for access to it. Same as people who were paying room rates but not using parking. Now, you (I think you mean THEY will, not that you are personally) try to spin this all (they) want, but the $300 used to include the parking, now the are charging you even more for it. They used to pull the cost of developing / maintaining parking from the room rate revenues, so you were in fact paying for both, even if they bill was not itemized. You are now either paying double for parking, or they increased the cost of your room significantly if you bring a car. That is the reality, no matter the spin.

I must admit I have never seen a Disney advert that pushes the fact you get free parking (not saying it’s not there, just that I have never seen it). Just saying whether you bring a car or not the room price is the same

And to you next post that referee to the “Disney does no wrong group” I admit I often see things through Disney colored glasses but that doesn’t mean I like everything the do - more I just understand it and view them as a corporation trying to make money that I engage with in a money-for-service transaction.

And anyway, they pushed us offsite long ago

 

[Scifidiner]

If this move is designed (as some suggest) to discourage me from HAVING a car at a Disney resort, it's effect is discouraging from STAYING at a Disney resort.

 

[middlechild]

Does anyone else see this as simply a new revenue stream? And nothing to do about availability of parking, or resort hopping, or any other sane reason for the fee?

 

[Hoodie]

This is probably the final straw, and we don't even get a car 90% of the time. I have always been a 100% stay onsite person. There were so many benefits. Last year we had a split stay booked - AoA Suites and FW Cabin. We were going to get a car for part of the trip because we were going to do some non-Disney stuff, even while staying onsite. We got an amazing offer for one of the offsite hotels so we cancelled the cabins and stayed offsite for the first time in 25+ years. We saved enough money just moving those 4 days offsite to return later in the year for 5 days offsite, and the offsite had a full kitchen and separate bedroom.

Since our last trip (6 months ago?) Disney has added the dog policy, added daily room checks, added grocery delivery fees, added 60 day FP window to good neighbor hotels, and increased prices. The internal transportation was SO bad on our last trip that we almost rented a car just to get around it. Now this. We have a quick trip booked for November onsite that is Disney exclusive, but it will likely be our last onsite trip. My kids are at an age where they want to do non-Disney things as well (and don't need as many breaks) and whereas before we would have likely stayed onsite and rented a car for a portion of the trip for the non-Disney part, I don't see any reason why we'd stay onsite any more. Paying 3-4 times more than offsite for a colored magic band and park package delivery seems rather excessive.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

You really felt the need to quote my post from 35 pages back to argue with me about whether the valet service is free? Yes, it is free. But I am not an awful person so I provide a gratuity to the cast member who retrieves my car. I'm still not paying Disney.

Do you read a book from the middle to the end? I don't think so.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

The only way I could feel good about this parking fee is if ALL the money goes directly to emloyee raises and bonuses.

That $1000 bonus Disney said were giving castmembers. Ain't happening

 

[ITALIANNYC]

The only way I could feel good about this parking fee is if ALL the money goes directly to emloyee raises and bonuses.

I should get a bonus for the money I’ve spent at Disney. A extra fast pass would even be nice.

 

[ChipnDale79]

Does anyone else see this as simply a new revenue stream? And nothing to do about availability of parking, or resort hopping, or any other sane reason for the fee?

that's all it is. it's just pure money grab. It'll be a lot of money for Disney.

 

[jsbowl16]

My wife, DD6 and I drive to Disney from PA each summer so we always have a car but we never leave the bubble. Now that they have pushed us off of Disney property with the price increases, we will leave the bubble and explore other parts of Orlando. Looks like their plan backfired in our case.

 

[bluezy]

I pay $150 for a hotel room over night and 2 weeks parking at my airport. Compared to what, $24 a night for 2 weeks ?

That's kind of comparing apples and oranges. The hotel stay with free long-term parking works (and makes sense) when you're going to an airport. You won't get that kind of deal if remote parking lots start popping up in the Orlando area. To use your example as a comparison I'd have to find an offsite Disney area hotel that allows me to book a room for one night but leave my car there for 7 nights and they'll shuttle me over to my onsite Disney Resort and pick me up there again at the end of my stay. I highly doubt the offsite hotels are going to start offering that service.

We need to compare off site lots (no hotel involved). The closest major airport to me charges $24/night for onsite long-term parking. Offsite lots run between $8-20/night with most of them being $11-20 (and the ones at the lower end of the range don't have the best reputations). The smaller more local airport charges $14/night for long-term or $79/week. My point was that if I'm going to go through the trouble at Disney to park in a hypothetical offsite lot and have to shuttle back and forth (and losing the convenience of having my car in a close-by parking lot for when I forget to get my medication out of the glove box when we originally unloaded the car) to avoid the parking fee, I'm going to be wanting to save a lot of money. If I'm staying at a Value resort, I'm paying $13/night. I don't imagine offsite parking would be available for less than $8/night. If I'm going to give up the convenience of having my car close by "just in case", I'm going to want to save a lot more than $5/night. Obviously, if we're staying at a Deluxe or Moderate resort it would be a little easier to save money on parking if there is an offsite option.

Sadly, the reality is that the parking fees probably won't have any effect on our stays at Disney. It simply means that we will have to add another $100-200 to the total cost of the trip. Our trips are usually over $8000 anyway, so that's a minor blip in the budget.

 

[BWallaceKY]

I’m a massively loyal Disney enthusiast who spends thousands of dollars annually with them (just about every discretionary dollar I have, in fact). But I really do believe that I’ll be taking my sub cockle to other vacation destinations.

I may not abandon Disney altogether, but this parking fee thing is enough for me to want to spread the wealth. If Disney is going to be like everyone else, I might as well give everyone else a try.

This is exactly how our family feels. There is a big world out there and while we do go on other vacations, we spend the vast majority of our time and dollars with Disney. We have a trip booked for November and we were planning to get APs and go a few times next year. That will not happen now.

 

[ITALIANNYC]

Sadly, the reality is that the parking fees probably won't have any effect on our stays at Disney. It simply means that we will have to add another $100-200 to the total cost of the trip. Our trips are usually over $8000 anyway, so that's a minor blip in the budget.

Yeah maybe a minor blip in the budget for someone who can actually afford an $8000 trip. I'm sure a majority of people are not paying that, so I'm sure a lot of people wont just drop another 200 just to park. I don't use a car, but was thinking about it this coming trip.

Thats off the table. Not because I can't pay it, just because the principle of it is worthless to me and can't be justified

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I wonder - will passholders have to pay this parking fee?

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

let me just say it makes me very warm and fuzzy inside that people who don’t even park realize why this is wrong and that’s it not just about money, it’s principle.

okay carry on.

 

[NYDisneyKid]

A parking space is a parking space and IF you absolutely insist on charging to park, make it a flat fee across the board. They don't charge more to park in MK vs. DHS .

Shhhhhh....Don't give them any more ideas

 

[Missyrose]

I wonder - will passholders have to pay this parking fee?

By all accounts from guest relations, yes, AP holders will pay the fee. The only reason DVC members are exempt are because they pay for parking lot upkeep in their annual maintenance fees, so charging them the parking fee would mean charging them twice for the same thing.

 

[Lee Matthews]

So many places I've read about people complaining about the price hikes yet can easily be bought off with free fast passes if Disney were to lol