Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[Kevin355]

No response yet, but I let them know that unlike others that are complaining about the fee I liked it so much I implemented it at home. Now when guest come to visit me I charge them to park in my driveway, the only problem is now I don't have any guest that want to come over.

Saves the wear and tear on your driveway, however. So you are actually saving money!!!!!

 

[disneyholic family]

so i spent yesterday studying offsite alternatives to the two bedroom villas at SSR and found some really beautiful places very nearby...

while it's true we won't get 60 day FP+, i'll have to sacrifice that...
but on the bright side, we'll save about 60 to 70% off the resort rate....not too shabby...

we never do EMH, so that won't be a loss for us..

and we were able to rope drop lots of the popular rides in august, so the only real FP+ issue will be blockbusters like FoP....
we'll just have to make do..

and all of this is assuming we'll actually go back after this..

DD who is really hardcore and the last one to get down on disney was soooooooooooooooooo upset...

after our terrible housekeeping experiences at SSR in august and the deterioration of bus service (no buses from SSR to BB or TL), she was already primed to be upset by this latest money grab...

oh and the number of hard ticket events leaving the parks closed early to regular ticketholders..

disney isn't looking quite so shiny to any of us anymore..

.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

To avoid the parking fee, do I have to book a reservation by 3/21 or BEFORE 3/21 which would mean by today.

BEFORE 3/21

Today, March 20th is the last day for free parking

 

[disneyholic family]

oh....and in august we had 19 on property table service meals...
(we had the disney dining plan..)

if we stay offsite, we'll have a lot more of our meals at the villa, as well as some in off property restaurants...

and just have a few select on property meals.....

so they'll lose our meal money as well..

.

 

[Iya]

I sent my lengthy email to George and I covered three topics; inadequate housekeeping, security checks and the new resort fees. I'll see if I receive a reply. I sent it from my email connected to MDE, so they can easily see my trip history.

 

[Linkura]

The average wait time at a Florida DMV is 35.54 minutes. The site where I found othat didn't specify wait times at the tax collector, but you can make an appointment http://www.octaxcol.com

Not necessarily. Move to Massachusetts. My last trip took maybe 30 minutes (to get an ID), and the trip before that, maybe five minutes in line to get a number. Number was called before I even had a chance to sit.

[/QUOTE]

But the MA RMV really varies by location. The smaller ones seem to be the best bet. Only time I've gone was the one in Wilmington, basically no wait. But I've heard the larger ones, in or near the cities, can have very long wait times. Basically, YMMV.

 

[PrincessV]

To answer a question posed, but for which I lost the quote, I still go to, and plan to continue going to, WDW because 1. it's still an enjoyable place for me and my son, 2. it's convenient - 100 miles down the Interstate, and 3. I have a firm budget and WDW is still a more affordable getaway than anywhere else we'd like to go. The only thing that the parking fee changes for me is how I calculate the cost of accommodations when making a choice: if the added fee costs more than the offsite options we prefer, then we'll stay offsite. This really isn't any different than what I've been doing for years - compare the costs of various options and go with the one that fits my budget.

For me, there's an icky feeling that goes along with the parking fees, but I expect that will pass. As my son so eloquently said the other night, Pay-to-Play has been in effect for a while: things we used to do for free (like grab an ice cream and watch fireworks from a great location) have become costly add-ons (hello dessert parties.) That's never been very irritating because we simply opt not to pay and get our ice cream and watch from somewhere else. The only way to opt out of the parking fee is to not stay onsite. I suppose it's the same idea as skipping the pay-to-play items, even though it feels like it hits harder.

 

[Cathy baby RN]

How were you able to book that far out? I'd like to do this but was only able to book 499 days out. Thanks!

 

[Gryhndmom]

To answer a question posed, but for which I lost the quote, I still go to, and plan to continue going to, WDW because 1. it's still an enjoyable place for me and my son, 2. it's convenient - 100 miles down the Interstate, and 3. I have a firm budget and WDW is still a more affordable getaway than anywhere else we'd like to go. The only thing that the parking fee changes for me is how I calculate the cost of accommodations when making a choice: if the added fee costs more than the offsite options we prefer, then we'll stay offsite. This really isn't any different than what I've been doing for years - compare the costs of various options and go with the one that fits my budget.

For me, there's an icky feeling that goes along with the parking fees, but I expect that will pass. As my son so eloquently said the other night, Pay-to-Play has been in effect for a while: things we used to do for free (like grab an ice cream and watch fireworks from a great location) have become costly add-ons (hello dessert parties.) That's never been very irritating because we simply opt not to pay and get our ice cream and watch from somewhere else. The only way to opt out of the parking fee is to not stay onsite. I suppose it's the same idea as skipping the pay-to-play items, even though it feels like it hits harder.

Hey @PrincessV it was my question I asked a few pages ago. Thanks for the answer, great thoughts!

 

[ElenaJane]

Just got my call back from Mr. Kalogrisis's office! I just sent the email after 5pm last night and did not put my phone number in it. They really did look me up to get my number! Big Mickey is watching! The woman I spoke to had the same talking points I have heard others have had. She says that they will "monitor" the day parkers, for whatever that will mean. She also started in with the "keeping in line with the industry standard" and I very politely stopped her right there, and explained that Disney is an industry leader, and yes, other hotels charge for parking, but they are hundreds of dollars less a night. She then started to argue that Universal Resorts charge for parking, and I just so happened to have recently booked Royal Pacific and Portofino and I could quickly rattle off those room rates and how they are literally hundreds less than what I was looking at Disney. She seemed to run out of talking points then, but "thanked me" for my feedback. I do not envy her job at all! I was careful to be kind and polite, but not agreeing with what I do not agree with.

I have not gotten anything back from the email I sent the regular customer service email address when this all broke last week.

 

[MCC Retired]

As a Florida AP Member, living far enough from WDW to needing lodging , we always stayed onsite
and made enough trips to make the AP monthly $$ worth it.
Will now not renew and won't be tempted to visit so often . We will just rely on those 3 Day Ticket Fl Resident Deals
when we wish to visit the Greedy Mouse, no pressure.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

How were you able to book that far out? I'd like to do this but was only able to book 499 days out. Thanks!

FYI............Book your reservation in the future, let's say July 2019.
A couple times a year, modify the dates to a later set of dates.
Eventually you fine tune it to match the dates of a trip you want to take later in 2019, or 2020, or 2021.
The key to this is that you have to actively manage the reservation.

 

[yaya74]

No.........the original date stamp makes you grandfathered for free parking

Here is what I did: Made 3 reservations for the future. Printed out paper copies of each. Made 3 paper copies of the new policy that identified March 21st as the turnover date.

You can modify in any way..............change resorts, change dates, change people. As long as it has the original reservation number, you are safe.

I plan on using mine in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Each will be an annual visit for us.

This is an awesome news to me! I do remember from my last trip that my reservation number was the same though I changed my choice of resort. I might need to change my resort for our upcoming trip and I thought I had to pay for parking..... thank you!!!!

 

[Tiggerette]

If there's a live DIS PODCAST today, I'm curious to learn if what Disney charges average per night is industry standard. I would think that the collective experience and wisdom they have with Dreams Unlimited there would be very knowledgeable awareness about "industry standards" with respect to average per night costs and fees.

 

[JacknSally]

If there's a live DIS PODCAST today, I'm curious to learn if what Disney charges average per night is industry standard. I would think that the collective experience and wisdom they have with Dreams Unlimited there would be very knowledgeable awareness about "industry standards" with respect to average per night costs and fees.

It's prerecorded today since the team is in Italy. I hope they recorded it after this news broke, though! I was looking forward to their take on it.

 

[bobbiwoz]

In my letter to guest services I only identified myself as a stockholder concerned about negative press Disney was getting do to additional fees and certain changes. I got this reply and note they do not mention Industry Standards, but bringing WDW in alignment with Aulani and DL.

Good morning Barbara,

My name is Thomas and I am a Leader with the Guest Experience Services team at the Walt Disney World Resort. I received your message regarding our recent changes to Resort Hotel parking and I wanted to take a moment to respond, first of all to thank you for taking the time to write to us to raise your concerns but also to thank you for your commitment to the Disney Brand as a stockholder. Our team certainly values hearing from our Guests, especially on matters such as this, as your voice helps us to understand the impact of changes that are made across our organization. I want to personally assure you that your concerns have been heard and will be shared with the appropriate areas and Leadership. As I'm sure you are aware, we occasionally make adjustments based on a variety of factors within our company, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii, but also based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests.

Barbara, please be assured that we are committed to continuing to provide unique experiences and quality entertainment in our Theme Parks and Resorts. Should you wish to discuss further, I would be happy to set up time with you at your convenience. I can be reached as a reply to this email. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your thoughts on this recent change.

Warmest regards,

Thomas Gauthier
Guest Experience Services Manager
Walt Disney World Resort

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I think that this has directly affected how I vacation. I just allocate more money to other experiences. I spend extra time outside of Disney. I will apply my money offsite because staying onsite means less nowadays. I think more and more people will start to do this. Even with a good salary, this is enough greediness. I actually don't go in the frequency I used to. I used to spend a week at Disney. Now with all the hikes and greedy decisions(I understand its a business) I just don't get the same emotion. Price hikes on tickets are a big one every year. Just like 5-6 years ago it was below a 100 dollars. Now a park hopper is upwards of 170. It takes two to tango. Paying for parking at the resorts doesn't create the right story for my magical experience. They already did charge for parking it was just built into the resort price. I believe it will reflect on the bottom line at some point. For now, they are making money hand over fist.

Same here. We used to be pretty much only disney on vacation (cruise, parks, all of it). Now it is occasionally disney. We get that it is a business but do not appreciate being fleeced. Feels sleezy. This will only push us away more.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

In my letter to guest services I only identified myself as a stockholder concerned about negative press Disney was getting do to additional fees and certain changes. I got this reply and note they do not mention Industry Standards, but bringing WDW in alignment with Aulani and DL.

Good morning Barbara,

My name is Thomas and I am a Leader with the Guest Experience Services team at the Walt Disney World Resort. I received your message regarding our recent changes to Resort Hotel parking and I wanted to take a moment to respond, first of all to thank you for taking the time to write to us to raise your concerns but also to thank you for your commitment to the Disney Brand as a stockholder. Our team certainly values hearing from our Guests, especially on matters such as this, as your voice helps us to understand the impact of changes that are made across our organization. I want to personally assure you that your concerns have been heard and will be shared with the appropriate areas and Leadership. As I'm sure you are aware, we occasionally make adjustments based on a variety of factors within our company, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii, but also based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests.

Barbara, please be assured that we are committed to continuing to provide unique experiences and quality entertainment in our Theme Parks and Resorts. Should you wish to discuss further, I would be happy to set up time with you at your convenience. I can be reached as a reply to this email. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your thoughts on this recent change.

Warmest regards,

Thomas Gauthier
Guest Experience Services Manager
Walt Disney World Resort

Ha - so the "based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests" has finally come into it!

That's a whole lot of email that doesn't really say anything.

 

[Tink-osophy]

so i spent yesterday studying offsite alternatives to the two bedroom villas at SSR and found some really beautiful places very nearby...

while it's true we won't get 60 day FP+, i'll have to sacrifice that...
but on the bright side, we'll save about 60 to 70% off the resort rate....not too shabby...

we never do EMH, so that won't be a loss for us..

and we were able to rope drop lots of the popular rides in august, so the only real FP+ issue will be blockbusters like FoP....
we'll just have to make do..

and all of this is assuming we'll actually go back after this..

DD who is really hardcore and the last one to get down on disney was soooooooooooooooooo upset...

after our terrible housekeeping experiences at SSR in august and the deterioration of bus service (no buses from SSR to BB or TL), she was already primed to be upset by this latest money grab...

oh and the number of hard ticket events leaving the parks closed early to regular ticketholders..

disney isn't looking quite so shiny to any of us anymore...

Just got my call back from Mr. Kalogrisis's office! I just sent the email after 5pm last night and did not put my phone number in it. They really did look me up to get my number! Big Mickey is watching! The woman I spoke to had the same talking points I have heard others have had. She says that they will "monitor" the day parkers, for whatever that will mean. She also started in with the "keeping in line with the industry standard" and I very politely stopped her right there, and explained that Disney is an industry leader, and yes, other hotels charge for parking, but they are hundreds of dollars less a night. She then started to argue that Universal Resorts charge for parking, and I just so happened to have recently booked Royal Pacific and Portofino and I could quickly rattle off those room rates and how they are literally hundreds less than what I was looking at Disney. She seemed to run out of talking points then, but "thanked me" for my feedback. I do not envy her job at all! I was careful to be kind and polite, but not agreeing with what I do not agree with.

I have not gotten anything back from the email I sent the regular customer service email address when this all broke last week.

In my letter to guest services I only identified myself as a stockholder concerned about negative press Disney was getting do to additional fees and certain changes. I got this reply and note they do not mention Industry Standards, but bringing WDW in alignment with Aulani and DL.

Good morning Barbara,

My name is Thomas and I am a Leader with the Guest Experience Services team at the Walt Disney World Resort. I received your message regarding our recent changes to Resort Hotel parking and I wanted to take a moment to respond, first of all to thank you for taking the time to write to us to raise your concerns but also to thank you for your commitment to the Disney Brand as a stockholder. Our team certainly values hearing from our Guests, especially on matters such as this, as your voice helps us to understand the impact of changes that are made across our organization. I want to personally assure you that your concerns have been heard and will be shared with the appropriate areas and Leadership. As I'm sure you are aware, we occasionally make adjustments based on a variety of factors within our company, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii, but also based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests.

Barbara, please be assured that we are committed to continuing to provide unique experiences and quality entertainment in our Theme Parks and Resorts. Should you wish to discuss further, I would be happy to set up time with you at your convenience. I can be reached as a reply to this email. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your thoughts on this recent change.

Warmest regards,

Thomas Gauthier
Guest Experience Services Manager
Walt Disney World Resort

The fact that they are ignoring these indications of their downturn in quality and having their CMs dish out such seemingly meaningless justifications for this latest move -- shows a disappointing disrespect towards their "guests".

I suppose they have got away with disregarding quite a bit in recent years and now assume they can say and do these things and we'll just buy it all ...at Disney prices, of course!

 

[Iya]

In my letter to guest services I only identified myself as a stockholder concerned about negative press Disney was getting do to additional fees and certain changes. I got this reply and note they do not mention Industry Standards, but bringing WDW in alignment with Aulani and DL.

Good morning Barbara,

My name is Thomas and I am a Leader with the Guest Experience Services team at the Walt Disney World Resort. I received your message regarding our recent changes to Resort Hotel parking and I wanted to take a moment to respond, first of all to thank you for taking the time to write to us to raise your concerns but also to thank you for your commitment to the Disney Brand as a stockholder. Our team certainly values hearing from our Guests, especially on matters such as this, as your voice helps us to understand the impact of changes that are made across our organization. I want to personally assure you that your concerns have been heard and will be shared with the appropriate areas and Leadership. As I'm sure you are aware, we occasionally make adjustments based on a variety of factors within our company, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii, but also based on feedback that we hear directly from our Guests.

Barbara, please be assured that we are committed to continuing to provide unique experiences and quality entertainment in our Theme Parks and Resorts. Should you wish to discuss further, I would be happy to set up time with you at your convenience. I can be reached as a reply to this email. Once again, I appreciate you taking the time to write to us with your thoughts on this recent change.

Warmest regards,

Thomas Gauthier
Guest Experience Services Manager
Walt Disney World Resort

I addressed both the "industry standards" and "alignment with other resorts" by telling them not to bother using that excuse, since we all know it's bullcrap.