Paid parking is coming to WDW resorts March 2018

[BWallaceKY]

All I can say is this;

Yes it always sucking paying for something that was free in the first place.

HOWEVER! If the average stay is 7 days, and you stay at a deluxe level resort, if the extra $161 is what makes you decide not to stay on property anymore or not go to WDW anymore, than perhaps you shouldn't be going to WDW in the first place? If less than 200 bucks makes it impossible for you to go, than should you really be spending money on a vacation anyway?

I know this is going to sound elitist or mean, but it's true.

An extra $161 wouldn't hurt us at all. But it is pure greed and there is no good reason for it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it will change how we do Disney in the future.

There are a lot of families who have to scrimp and save for years to make Disney happen just once for their kids. An extra $161 really could make a big difference in their Disney experience. Just because a family has to save up and budget very carefully does not mean they have no business going.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I’m sorry if this has already been asked and answered, but has anyone tried to calculate the potential revenue from this? Some guy on local radio estimated as much as $750,000 per day. I have no idea if that’s anywhere near accurate, but at even just half that amount, that would be almost $137 million per year!

So I just did a quick sum of all the rooms at WDW that are Disney resorts and didn't include anything that are villas or resorts that are largely DVC (Old Key West, etc.) - so just regular rooms that are Disney one (didn't include campsites or cabins, etc.) ... that is 22,055

So if 1/3 bring a car that would be 7,352 cars. Majority of the rooms are values, so let's take an average parking cost of $15 -> that would be $110k a day - so $750k seems high. -> you could get to that if you took every room listed as a WDW property (but that includes DVC and thinks like B Resort, etc. - then you get 34,500 rooms) and assumed every single one was occupied and took a car - which is not accurate

I think $150k a night is reasonable, and even that works out to $55m a year, so not peanuts

 

[OSUZorba]

I don't know about that because it would only hurt DS further. It really seems that the stores are hurting, some have already closed down and most restaurants are not difficult to get in to. It would be a real disadvantage to discourage locals and offsite folks in coming there. As long as it's not easy to get to parks from there, I think it should stay free.

I used to think the same thing about Vegas, but now just about every Casino charges for parking and valet, even to their own quests. Parking fees are becoming more common for urban shopping centers, even though it is directly hurts the tenants (Landlords don't seem to care). I could see them having a validation, or something of the sort, or maybe a free "remote" lot. I hope it doesn't happen, but they seem to want to put a fee on everything right now, and they have two expensive garages seating there that only cost them money.

Speaking of, DW and I used to go to Vegas about once a year. The last time we went and stayed the night is when all the hotels started charging resort fees, back in 2011. We stopped going after that. I went through there this summer on our way to Utah, and thought it would be fun to hang out for a while, but the cost of parking and how food prices have gone way up while service went way down made me decide I'll never even stop by when I am in town again.

 

[Rich M]

Wow that is a lot of money if those figures stay true

 

[OSUZorba]

All I can say is this;

Yes it always sucking paying for something that was free in the first place.

HOWEVER! If the average stay is 7 days, and you stay at a deluxe level resort, if the extra $161 is what makes you decide not to stay on property anymore or not go to WDW anymore, than perhaps you shouldn't be going to WDW in the first place? If less than 200 bucks makes it impossible for you to go, than should you really be spending money on a vacation anyway?

I know this is going to sound elitist or mean, but it's true.

It is about Value. On-site already presented a horrible value, but at least it had the selling point of being "all-in" and not being nickled and dimed and have great customer service. No you are being nickled and dimed and they will treat you like a criminal too. So they've lost two have their big selling points in the last couple of months. This charge will also encourage them to further degrade the bus system, potentially hurting that value.

 

[DisneyMountainWoman]

I used to think the same thing about Vegas, but now just about every Casino charges for parking and valet, even to their own quests. Parking fees are becoming more common for urban shopping centers, even though it is directly hurts the tenants (Landlords don't seem to care). I could see them having a validation, or something of the sort, or maybe a free "remote" lot. I hope it doesn't happen, but they seem to want to put a fee on everything right now, and they have two expensive garages seating there that only cost them money.

Speaking of, DW and I used to go to Vegas about once a year. The last time we went and stayed the night is when all the hotels started charging resort fees, back in 2011. We stopped going after that. I went through there this summer on our way to Utah, and thought it would be fun to hang out for a while, but the cost of parking and how food prices have gone way up while service went way down made me decide I'll never even stop by when I am in town again.

But the difference is there is plenty of parking. Maybe not as much in deluxe but all the other resorts there no is no lack of supply.

 

[jade1]

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.

Interested where this goes.

Have friends down there that always hate going to BW/BC without an ADR (usually hard to get anyway) and asking to park for B&C/ESPN/B River/J Rolls etc.

They have gotten picky about parking there, rightfully so if abused to go into EPCOT etc. But they are AP so EPCOT is free anyway-just a long walk.

Anyway they are hoping it becomes a simple process to park no questions asked, and just validate at a BW establishment.

Of course the spending levels could be too high if not F Fish or Yachtsman, so there is that.

Much easier overall though.

 

[OSUZorba]

What security junk are you referring too?

Them doing the daily room checks that have less than a zero percent chance of actually preventing anything, and treating anyone that complains about it like a criminal.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Interested where this goes.

Have friends down there that always hate going to BW/BC without an ADR (usually hard to get anyway) and asking to park for B&C/ESPN/B River/J Rolls etc.

They have gotten picky about parking there, rightfully so if abused to go into EPCOT etc. But they are AP so EPCOT is free anyway-just a long walk.

Anyway they are hoping it becomes a simple process to park no questions asked, and just validate at a BW establishment.

Of course the spending levels could be too high if not F Fish or Yachtsman, so there is that.

Much easier overall though.

Key part is what they mean by "select" - "complementary parking with select purchases, dining, and experiences."

 

[Roxyfire]

I'm curious -- what "change" should occur, exactly? Disney deciding to "leave money on the table" as my former consulting colleagues used to say a lot?

If they find that this policy ends up costing them money, they'll reverse. If they make more because either people don't change their habits or they easily replace those disenchanted with new guests, they'll keep it in place. How should this work, in your view?

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Companies will do whatever they can to avoid leaving any money on the table. However, there's only so much they can grab before people walk away from the table entirely. They would've been smarter to institute an across the board $10-$15 resort fee for each room. Then, if you choose to forego housekeeping, for example, you can get a credit for that resort fee on your account. Then it hits every room, raises the amount slightly, and could be waived under certain conditions. But it's a small enough amount that people could just sigh and wave away.

 

[STLstone]

Just an FYI for anyone reading...

Disney Springs hotels are NOT "Good Neighbor Hotels"
and "Good Neighbor Hotels" do NOT get 60 day FP+ or EMH.

I know this was put out there by the big website many follow, and they in turned shared, but it is inaccurate information.

The Disney Springs hotels are "Official Walt Disney World Hotels" ~~~ http://disneyspringshotels.com/ and yes they do get EMH and 60 FP+ for the duration of this year. Next year is unknown at this point.

The "Good Neighbor Hotels" do NOT get these benefits, and there are way too many of them so I hope not in the future. https://www.wdwgoodneighborhotels.com/

Just want to make sure folks have a good understanding where they are booking and what benefits they will get so no surprises.

Thank you for this. I had no intention of ever learning about these, until yesterday...

 

[jade1]

Key part is what they mean by "select" - "complementary parking with select purchases, dining, and experiences."

Yep, interested where this goes.

 

[DisUniversal]

An extra $161 wouldn't hurt us at all. But it is pure greed and there is no good reason for it. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth and it will change how we do Disney in the future.

There are a lot of families who have to scrimp and save for years to make Disney happen just once for their kids. An extra $161 really could make a big difference in their Disney experience. Just because a family has to save up and budget very carefully does not mean they have no business going.

That's the biggest problem I have with this. Families who scrimp and save for that once in a lifetime trip are also the ones most likely to drive to WDW because it's almost always cheaper than driving. Seems like they have the potential to be affected the most by this money grab.

 

[Scifidiner]

You know at some point you have to ask yourself am I a masochist? I mean the crowds, heat, waiting in lines, construction, sub par food, being crammed in buses, more waiting, attractions being closed and then being charged more and more and more for less. I'm close to saying forget it, getting a REALLY nice room at the beach for a week and relaxing........hey that's starting to sound pretty good.

 

[leafylogs]

Disney say it puts them in line with the rest of the industry so how long before they start with resort fees (like a lot of the industry does)?

 

[Sue M]

Hi neighbors! We live in SE Boca Raton, very close to Deerfield/US 1! I can't wait for Brightline to Orlando! We will definitely give it a try. (We see it go by all the time by Camino Real/Dixie Hwy.)

Yes, US1 is very close to our hotel! Love having the new Trader Joes there! My first stop after we arrive. Hotel room has kitchen!

 

[Sue M]

Disney say it puts them in line with the rest of the industry so how long before they start with resort fees (like a lot of the industry does)?

I wonder how they think this puts them in line with the rest of the industry when their room rates are a mile above the industry incl Universal resorts.

 

[Rich M]

Them doing the daily room checks that have less than a zero percent chance of actually preventing anything, and treating anyone that complains about it like a criminal.

I will take the extra security any day. Shouldn't be a big deal to answer your day and say hello. Its a welfare check.

 

[OSUZorba]

But the difference is there is plenty of parking. Maybe not as much in deluxe but all the other resorts there no is no lack of supply.

We were specifically discussing Disney Springs. But Vegas has insane amounts of parking too.

 

[Rich M]

I wonder how they think this puts them in line with the rest of the industry when their room rates are a mile above the industry incl Universal resorts.

Although I have not been there yet so I don't know but is it really fair to compare Universal and Disney? I don't know anyone who says I am going to Orlando for 10 days to go to Universal. I always hear of people saying I am going to go for a couple days while I am in Orlando for Disney.