Parking fee when visiting a resort--apparently just a rumor! My apologies!

[Robo]

Can't quite seem to figure it out...do they mean they are charging all off-site guests who try to park at a Disney resort without an ADR, or are they charging ANYONE, including WDW Resort on-site guests who parks at a resort if they aren't staying there?

We are DVC and drive to WDW. We usually drive our car to the parks and have free parking. We drive to resorts, usually to an ADR but sometimes just to hang, but never to go to a park. That would make no sense lol.

Testing charging guests a fee for anyone not staying at the resorts in question to park at the resorts in question.

It makes lots of sense to park at the Contemporary and walk to and from a day at MK.
But, of course, there is not nearly enough room at the Contemporary parking lots for guests with cars (who do not have a room booked at the Contemporary) to do so.

 

[ArwenMarie]

$25 seems low. I wonder how long that is for.

I guess if you have an AP and get free parking at the parks, it would encourage you to do that instead.

 

[Boopuff]

Earlier this month we golfed and drove over to the GF. We wanted to have lunch and see the gingerbread house. We were turned away at the guard house. No entry with out an ADR. So now I wonder if it was just that guard. Maybe each guard has his/her own answer to the "can I visit the resort" question. BTW - I'm an AP holder and we stay onsite so that just doesn't matter...

 

[kandb]

I get that tow fees are expensive but I'm not talking an outside company. Disney Towing a subsidiary of Disney Transport.

Disney will never tow cars, IMO. They do not want to "upset" their paying guests and do not want the bad publicity.

 

[HopperFan]

Disney will never tow cars, IMO. They do not want to "upset" their paying guests and do not want the bad publicity.

They have and it's reported every so often from guests staying at the MK resorts. They are not towing "paying" guests. They are towing folks who are not paying to stay at the resort.

Exactly. So many big changes recently didn't have to happen, if Disney CMs would just follow through on their own rules.

I strongly disagree.

Having had experience with this, I can tell you that the guards have never once told us about any sort of time limit on parking. Everyone here says there is one; I say there is, supposedly, one. I have NEVER heard this from a guard or a CM at WDW.

And we all won't agree on every topic.

I will agree that guards need across the board training to make sure they are doing their job. But any guest parking at a hotel to then go to a park ... common sense, not allowed.

And I was not talking about people who have legitimate reasons to be parking at the resort. I am talking about, and I think the reasoning behind this is, many folks who stay offsite and who had/have old FL APs that do not include parking - park at the resorts to avoid the $20 parking fee. Anyone who parks their car at a resort they are not staying in (even those who would normally get free parking) and then head to a park know they are in the wrong. They are utilizing a parking space that is not for their use.

You hear people on here tell you to do it, you hear people at Disney say they did it and you hear FL residents say they do it all the time. Many of these folks used to park at DTD then bus to avoid the fee, which is why there are no longer buses from there to parks.

 

[Robo]

Earlier this month we golfed and drove over to the GF. We wanted to have lunch and see the gingerbread house. We were turned away at the guard house. No entry with out an ADR. So now I wonder if it was just that guard. Maybe each guard has his/her own answer to the "can I visit the resort" question. BTW - I'm an AP holder and we stay onsite so that just doesn't matter...

It is common during the holiday times (including Easter/Spring Break) for hotel non-residents to be restricted from parking at the MK area hotels. And, yes, it can depend on the specific guards and your timing vs. the number of other folks there at the time.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Just to correct the record, Florida law is very very specific and very strict on when private property owners can tow cars.

There is very particular signage that must be at every public entrance to a parking lot and it must include the phone number and name of the towing company.

To my knowledge, none of the Disney resorts currently meet the requirements of Florida law. If they're towing in spite of this, they have all sorts of civil liability.

Well I watched 2 CM's directing 2 tow trucks as to which cars they wanted towed, 4 that I saw. They had papers and we're checking the plates agaimist.the paperwork, looked like ducks to me.



As to signage, Disney is not.only privet property , but also a privete goverment .
If they want to tow I doubt they would have any.problems.doing it.

Others have also reported seeing cars being towed.

AKK

 

[KimberlyE]

First and foremost, if you are a guest at said resort, you should have a reserved space or at least a reserved section to park within. Resort guests should never be without parking at their own resort. I don't think that anyone should park at a resort just to go to the parks. If you're eating, shopping, visiting spa, etc. then you should be allowed to park at said resort for free. The issue then becomes should you be allowed to go the parks after your meal/shopping/spa treatment etc. without moving car to the TTC. Disney may have rules about this but they certainly aren't enforced consistently. I will say that it is nice that in slower times, Disney staff are empowered to relax the rules - creating that bit of pixie dust. However, I can see how this doesn't translate well during peak times when they do have to enforce the rules - especially for folks who are used to being allowed to park all day for free.

For years, we booked via AAA and utilized the diamond parking at the TTC. No issues as it was super close parking. After the AAA/Disney perks were gone, we experienced parking further away and taking trams at the TTC. After we purchased our AP's, we learned about the valet parking for an ADR via TIW. It was heaven for those MK days! We now book ADR's at a monorail resort for our MK days - using the AP/TIW valet perk- and we do leave our car with the valet to go to the park. We ask every time if that's okay (since there is supposed to be a set amount of time for valet parking for an ADR via TIW) and every time we're told "not to worry", "it's okay", and "to go and enjoy the parks". The valet attendants aren't worried about enforcing the time limit rule. We present our receipt from the ADR (even though it is long past the time limit for valet per TIW rules) and a generous tip at the end of the day.

We do it purely to avoid the TTC hassle. I wish that Disney would make some of their TTC parking valet parking. We have a child who still needs a stroller and has medical issues which require bringing in a cooler; all the loading and unloading for trams is frustrating. I'd happily pay extra to valet park at the TTC and free up the ADR and valet spot at a monorail resort for someone else. (I know we could take a bus from our resort but for us, the negatives for Disney busses is more than the negatives from the TTC parking.)

 

[Jennasis]

Testing charging guests a fee for anyone not staying at the resorts in question to park at the resorts in question.

It makes lots of sense to park at the Contemporary and walk to and from a day at MK.
But, of course, there is not nearly enough room at the Contemporary parking lots for guests with cars (who do not have a room booked at the Contemporary) to do so.

Not for us. We own at BLT and walk to the MK "legally" when we stay there. If we are staying elsewhere we NEVER drive to MK. We take the bus. I may be the minority but when I make ADR's or even resort-hopping plans, I take transportation into account and don't plan ADR's that would make it attractive to park "illegally" (for lack of a better word). Then again, we usually only visit another resort if we have an ADR which would exempt us from this new charge anyway.

 

[Robo]

Not for us. We own at BLT and walk to the MK "legally" when we stay there. If we are staying elsewhere we NEVER drive to MK. We take the bus. I may be the minority but when I make ADR's or even resort-hopping plans, I take transportation into account and don't plan ADR's that would make it attractive to park "illegally" (for lack of a better word). Then again, we usually only visit another resort if we have an ADR which would exempt us from this new charge anyway.

You're talking about something else, now...
Rules vs. practicality.

In your earlier post (re-quoted below) you simply laughed (literally) that it made no sense to park at a near-park resort and go into the park.

We drive to resorts, usually to an ADR but sometimes just to hang, but never to go to a park. That would make no sense lol.

I pointed out that it DOES make sense, and in your most recent post, you did too, as you said that you walked to MK when staying at BLT.

I don't park illegally at the MK area resorts (nor do I recommend that others do,) I was just responding to your statement.

 

[Jennasis]

Hmmmm, what if there were assigned spaces for resort guests? At BLT the parking lot has spaces that are numbered/lettered. What if each room had an assigned parking spot (yes I know some people may have multiple cars, but each room gets ONE assigned spot)?

You're talking about something else, now...
Rules vs. practicality.

In your earlier post** you simply laughed (literally) that it made no sense to park at a near-park resort and go into the park.

**


I pointed out that it DOES make sense, and in your most recent post, you did too, as you said that you walked to MK when staying at BLT.

I don't park illegally at the MK area resorts (nor do I recommend that others do,) I was just responding to your statement.

In my earlier post, I meant it made no sense FOR ME lol. I know if makes sense for others. Sorry for being unclear in my original post.

 

[OKW Lover]

Hmmmm, what if there were assigned spaces for resort guests? At BLT the parking lot has spaces that are numbered/lettered. What if each room had an assigned parking spot (yes I know some people may have multiple cars, but each room gets ONE assigned spot)?

And those that didn't come by car? Their space would be empty while others with two cars have to do something else?

 

[dISNEYlOveer]

How about when you check in, you say that you need x number of spots. So there are (should) be plenty of spots available, and since not everybody comes with a car, their spot goes to someone else.

Instead of each room getting an assigned spot, every reservation, with the spots just being numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. rather than by room number.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I've been to the GF self parking lot. It is small. And it is shared with cast parking, so it fills up quick. I have heard of them telling guests with ADRs that they have to pay for valet, maybe when the lot is full.

Disney will never tow cars, IMO. They do not want to "upset" their paying guests and do not want the bad publicity.

They also do not want their guests who have paid to stay in the monorail resorts to complain because they can't find parking and/or have to pay for valet at their own resort. I believe Contemporary and Polynesian have towed cars on occasion. Neither resort has enough space to handle both resort guests and people who like leaving their cars there all day while they enjoy the Magic Kingdom. I also think it would make no sense for WDW to tolerate a guest having made a breakfast reservation for 8 AM at 'Ohana, has the breakfast and then leaves their car in the Polynesian lot until 11 PM to spend the day at Magic Kingdom. I'm sure they would like to figure out ways to avoid this happening.

and the TIW time limit should be enforced. I wonder how much of that is due to the valets not working for Disney AND wanting a good tip.

 

[Jennasis]

How about when you check in, you say that you need x number of spots. So there are (should) be plenty of spots available, and since not everybody comes with a car, their spot goes to someone else.

Instead of each room getting an assigned spot, every reservation, with the spots just being numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. rather than by room number.

I like it.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Problem is if you end your night at a different resort, transportation is done for the night and your car cannot be parked at the park or you'll never get back to your resort. I don't mind doing extra walking or waiting, but I also don't want to be up till midnight moving my car around.

Disney won't leave anyone stranded. Park at a park, use WDW transportation to get to any other park, they work get you back to the park where your car is.

Or Guests can park at their ending park. Or just drive between parks.

 

[tobikaye]

How about when you check in, you say that you need x number of spots. So there are (should) be plenty of spots available, and since not everybody comes with a car, their spot goes to someone else.

Instead of each room getting an assigned spot, every reservation, with the spots just being numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. rather than by room number.

Except, then people would have to go back to going to the desk to check in or have the guards on duty assign the spots as people arrive slowing down traffic entering. Plus, if someone is checking out on that day, their spot would not open up until the next day since resort amenities are available until midnight. So, on a big turn over day, there could be availability issues if more than normal are using cars during that time.

I like the idea of time limits and paying upon exiting with a set free time limit, such as 2-3 hours. Then a set rate for 4-6 hours and everything over at $25. The parking rates for over 6 hours would need to be higher than parking directly at the parks or valet.

I know some had mentioned that if someone submitted a receipt for something they purchased at the resort over a set amount that the rate be waived, but that is too easy to do with much of the merchandise in the resorts being the same as at the parks. A person could just decide to pick up that item at the resort instead of the park as they leave and get a whole days parking for a souvenir they would have gotten even if they had paid to park at the theme park.

Also, they should not charge for ADRs, but they do need to limit the times. If not, you will see a lot of people making reservations for 1 and then just paying the $10 fee for missing their reservation. Or, they would try to show up 5 hours before their reservation.

 

[aaarcher86]

Disney will never tow cars, IMO. They do not want to "upset" their paying guests and do not want the bad publicity.

I highly doubt towing a few cars for improper parking is going to send them on a bad publicity spiral.

Honestly, I don't think Disney is worried about bad press as much as everyone thinks. They've gotten a ton with the switch over to the DAS and it's all blown over with attendance increasing.

 

[mom2rtk]

I highly doubt towing a few cars for improper parking is going to send them on a bad publicity spiral.

Honestly, I don't think Disney is worried about bad press as much as everyone thinks. They've gotten a ton with the switch over to the DAS and it's all blown over with attendance increasing.

Agreed. I don't think towing a few cars would result in any more bad publicity than charging $500+ per night and not having a spot available to park one's car.

 

[Dug720]

It is common during the holiday times (including Easter/Spring Break) for hotel non-residents to be restricted from parking at the MK area hotels. And, yes, it can depend on the specific guards and your timing vs. the number of other folks there at the time.

Not just MK resorts. A few years ago when I was stuck there because of the Christmas Blizzard in the Northeast, my sister, our friends and I were going to go to Beaches & Cream for dessert (this was before B&C took ADRs), and we were directed to a satellite lot down and across the road because we weren't staying at the resort and did not have an ADR. My guess is that in addition to providing some extra parking, the fact that you had to cross the street and walk a ways was intended to discourage people from using those resort lots as parking for EPCOT or Studios.