Paid parking is coming to WDW resorts March 2018

Will the new resort parking fees impact your travel (planned or future)?

  • Not at all

    Votes: 234 28.6%
  • I might consider staying off site

    Votes: 245 30.0%
  • I will keep my currently booked trip, but will not stay on site after that

    Votes: 161 19.7%
  • I will cancel my booked trip and stay off site instead

    Votes: 37 4.5%
  • I will not be returning to Disney parks in the foreseeable future

    Votes: 79 9.7%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 61 7.5%

  • Total voters
    817
Disney doesn't give a mouse's patootie to loyal or return guests except to give lip service to DVC and sell people timeshares.


This just seems like bad business. Why wouldn't you care (and by care I am strictly speaking of money) about your loyal and repeat guests? We are the ones who spend thousands and thousands there every year. We are the ones who talk up Disney to others (I know several families who have gone after seeing me post about our trips on FB.) This just seems incredibly short-sighted.
 
My perspective on Disney hasn't changed; Disney can do wrong, and Disney is a business. My family has many an entrepreneur and we tend to all be business minded people, so I've always considered Disney a business. Add in that Disney is ran by human beings and it should be clear Disney can indeed do wrong, they have before and will again... so will all humans and human-ran organizations.

Now, I answered the poll above with "Not at all" because them adding on a parking fee does not change the equation when making a decision for me. The equation is: I have this chunk of money (and time) free and clear, I've done all my responsible things such as saving for retirement, paying my bills, sharing with others.... and now I get to decide what I trade this chunk of money I have for. What do I want to do with it? If I decide to go to Disney, I add up how much it'll cost to do that and I either decide to do it or I don't. So, no single increase or fee by itself is ever the issue. It's the experience, and the overall price. I've taken a break from Disney before for a large chunk of time because the experience was not what I wanted, they had slipped in several areas years ago, and it pushed the equation to the "nah" column, but they fixed it and I started traveling there again. This new added fee doesn't impact that for me at all. Consumers are all different and that's ok (for me right now I care more about the poor state of mousekeeping than any other recent change, but still not enough to tip the scale to "nah").

Disney will watch the situation, run their figures, see statistically if this added fee gains them money or loses them money (across many different variables) and respond accordingly, that's the business side. I do feel they have an objective in mind, and I don't think any of us have the info necessary to know why they are doing this and doing it right now. As of now, I still trust their business model enough to guess it is actually for a reason, other people have lost that trust now and that's ok too. If more people bail on them than not, and it actually hurts them, I do think they'll change it though it may take years depending on the data, as that's how statistics based responses work.

One last observation and opinion, in the short term the only "answer" to the poll question above that I think Disney cares about would be, "I've already cancelled my currently booked reservation and will not be coming back to WDW," and apparently very few posters here fit that specific description (if adding generously right now that would be 20 people and only if they really do what they say)... and Disney would only be alarmed if it statistically holds true in the long run and they lose revenue over time because of the parking fee, and/or it doesn't actually do what they want it to do.
 
Does anyone think this ends at overnight parking?

I can see them stating “due to the success of the parking fees, then program has been expanded to day time parking”

I’m sure they will validate with purchases, but I feel like this is only the beginning. They are “allowing” us to get used to it..
 


After reading through the policy, I won't have to pay. Ninety percent of the time, we stay on DVC points. So no charge there. The other 10%, I simply have to register my car, that has a handicap plate.

Although it would make me pay more, Disney could have simply increased room prices and people would have accepted it with little complaint.
 
I personally can't stand parking or resort fees, and I think the psychology of it is interesting. If Disney had just raised their room rates by these amounts, there would have been an outcry and a few complaints about finally getting "priced out," but nothing like we're seeing with this new fee. This thread has gone to 45 pages in just a couple days; and I heard about the new fees on the radio this morning! Did they misjudge the psychological impact of this or do they just not care? Actually, ETA, I guess their real goal is to curb current practices and shape behavior of their guests...
 
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. :rotfl:

It also makes one wonder what they're going to start charging for next.

A parking fee has no affect on my trips, as we don't drive or rent a car, so this in itself won't impact my Disney travel plans. If they start charging for DME or resort fees, etc. that very well might.
 


After reading through the policy, I won't have to pay. Ninety percent of the time, we stay on DVC points. So no charge there. The other 10%, I simply have to register my car, that has a handicap plate.

Although it would make me pay more, Disney could have simply increased room prices and people would have accepted it with little complaint.

They already raised the rates for the year.

And they will do it again next year.
 
My perspective on Disney hasn't changed; Disney can do wrong, and Disney is a business. My family has many an entrepreneur and we tend to all be business minded people, so I've always considered Disney a business. Add in that Disney is ran by human beings and it should be clear Disney can indeed do wrong, they have before and will again... so will all humans and human-ran organizations.

Now, I answered the poll above with "Not at all" because them adding on a parking fee does not change the equation when making a decision for me. The equation is: I have this chunk of money (and time) free and clear, I've done all my responsible things such as saving for retirement, paying my bills, sharing with others.... and now I get to decide what I trade this chunk of money I have for. What do I want to do with it? If I decide to go to Disney, I add up how much it'll cost to do that and I either decide to do it or I don't. So, no single increase or fee by itself is ever the issue. It's the experience, and the overall price. I've taken a break from Disney before for a large chunk of time because the experience was not what I wanted, they had slipped in several areas years ago, and it pushed the equation to the "nah" column, but they fixed it and I started traveling there again. This new added fee doesn't impact that for me at all. Consumers are all different and that's ok (for me right now I care more about the poor state of mousekeeping than any other recent change, but still not enough to tip the scale to "nah").

Disney will watch the situation, run their figures, see statistically if this added fee gains them money or loses them money (across many different variables) and respond accordingly, that's the business side. I do feel they have an objective in mind, and I don't think any of us have the info necessary to know why they are doing this and doing it right now. As of now, I still trust their business model enough to guess it is actually for a reason, other people have lost that trust now and that's ok too. If more people bail on them than not, and it actually hurts them, I do think they'll change it though it may take years depending on the data, as that's how statistics based responses work.

One last observation and opinion, in the short term the only "answer" to the poll question above that I think Disney cares about would be, "I've already cancelled my currently booked reservation and will not be coming back to WDW," and apparently very few posters here fit that specific description (if adding generously right now that would be 20 people and only if they really do what they say)... and Disney would only be alarmed if it statistically holds true in the long run and they lose revenue over time because of the parking fee, and/or it doesn't actually do what they want it to do.

Very well stated! Very much how we feel about this too.
 
Does anyone think this ends at overnight parking?

I can see them stating “due to the success of the parking fees, then program has been expanded to day time parking”

I’m sure they will validate with purchases, but I feel like this is only the beginning. They are “allowing” us to get used to it..

As I noted yesterday, the language they use now is day guests get "complementary parking with select purchases, dining, and experiences." That allows a lot of leeway in the validation space. Weekdays at POP it could be $25 minimum spent at a restaurant or gift shop, while weekends at Poly it could be $150 minimum for validated parking. They simply do not spell that out specifically on their page right now, which says a lot in itself.
 
It also makes one wonder what they're going to start charging for next.

A parking fee has no affect on my trips, as we don't drive or rent a car, so this in itself won't impact my Disney travel plans. If they start charging for DME or resort fees, etc. that very well might.
I could see them charging for DME honestly. Lots of people say Disney needs to follow industry standards, but that would mean they would have to start charging for FPs and have less park hours, like most theme parks in the industry. Everyone has a breaking point I think. While this won't change me going, it might change HOW I go.
 
This doesn't affect me only because I never have a car at WDW. If I did, it would.

Also, if, as some posters seem to think, this is the intro to charging for DME, that'll be good news for car services and Uber.
 
I personally can't stand parking or resort fees, and I think the psychology of it is interesting. If Disney had just raised their room rates by these amounts, there would have been an outcry and a few complaints about finally getting "priced out," but nothing like we're seeing with this new fee. This thread has gone to 45 pages in just a couple days; and I heard about the new fees on the radio this morning! Did they misjudge the psychological impact of this or do they just not care? Actually, ETA, I guess their real goal is to curb current practices and shape behavior of their guests...

well, I am sure the price increase for the rooms are coming too - first for those on the gondola when those open and then basically everything when Star Wars: GE opens ... so it isn't this instead of room rate hikes, it's this plus room rate hikes

I just think they see no issue with filling rooms - especially with all the new stuff opening soon and this is a way to a) get more $ and b) discourage people from having cars while staying on property and thus spending more $ on property .... if this leads to pushing some people off site, so be it, they don't think they will have issues replacing that guest
 
Other random thoughts:

-I'm really surprised they didn't roll out a charge for DME first. That's been rumored for years and actually offers a leg up on car services if they kept the luggage delivery. Also give an option to go directly to the park instead of just to your resort. I think it would be worth it to a lot of people to be picked up at MCO, get dropped off at a park, then return to your room with your luggage waiting.

-I wonder if language will be adapted for AP holders. Right now AP holders get complimentary parking at the parks but the current overnight parking language excludes them as a freebie. It would make zero sense for a passholder to stay onsite right now if the theme park parking is included but resort parking isn't.
 
This doesn't affect me only because I never have a car at WDW. If I did, it would.

Also, if, as some posters seem to think, this is the intro to charging for DME, that'll be good news for car services and Uber.

I would be surprised if there is ever an explicit charge for DME and they WANT you to take DME as that "traps" you on site (less so now with Uber, but a lot of people still don't feel comfortable/want to use Uber)

Down the road I could see a broader "resort fee" breaking that out form your room fee which covers DME in addition to other amenities - but personally I would be shocked if they ever do like $25/person for DME
 
Sorry, I have not read this whole thread.

If we are staying at POP Century and paying the parking fee, what happens if we drive over to the Polynesian to eat at Captain Cook's or if we drive over to Port Orleans to eat in their food court? We have done this for years. But, now will they allow it at all or will they charge us to park again?
 

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