Disney Resort Parking Changes

[Jayco29D]

Think many will still trade in even with the parking fee. As I look at it to buy dvc is expensive. If I use my hgvc points to trade in, even with all the fees, still over the years much less then me buying dvc.

Staying at DVC without owning a TS there is even more expensive so I doubt hotel guests will care. If you are paying $1500 a night on average, what difference is a small daily parking fee?

 

[littlestar]

It cracks me up that Disney got a tax break with the recent tax law changes and they added this parking fee on to already expensive room rates. It is never enough I guess.

 

[Jayco29D]

We complain a lot about the parking charge (which will not affect DVC owners) but we do not give Disney credit for the billions it is investing in new attractions, entertainment and resorts.

 

[Mosescan]

Perhaps the parking fee is less about making more money and more about cutting down on traffic at the park. Win/win from Disney perspective.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Staying at DVC without owning a TS there is even more expensive so I doubt hotel guests will care. If you are paying $1500 a night on average, what difference is a small daily parking fee?

Really? $1,500 per night average? We stayed at the beautiful Port Orleans for $218 with tax per night. It was just a hotel room, granted, but it was a sale and we were coming back from a cruise, so we thought it would be nice to stay on property, and I was out of Disney points.

 

[spiceycat]

thanks Jay - I was wondering. I can actually still eat out when at Disney - if they started to charge DVC member $24 per night I could not.

 

[nomoretslt]

Count me among DVC owners that will usually understand the price increases and/or defend Disney and DVC on some of their more questionable moves. But this charging for parking is, in my opinion, nothing but being greedy (and it does not impact upon me, not yet anyway, and it shouldn't as I pay hefty dues every year to maintain things at my home resorts). Lots of families save up for a long time for a Disney vacation. Lots of them drive. Sticking another $10/day to park at Pop Century is really not necessary. What is really annoying is that "visitors" that park at deluxe resorts to go shopping will not be charged. What proof will they give that they went shopping? Is a security guard going to check for receipts before they leave the parking lot? I doubt it. So.....you can park at the BoardWalk in the morning, tell the guard you are going to the shops there, and the ESPN lounge for lunch, but instead walk through to the back entrance to Epcot, tour around there, then take the boat to Hollywood studios or the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Take a bus from Magic Kingdom to Boardwalk, get in your car and drive away, free of charge. Go back and stay at your cheaper off-site hotel. Meanwhile, those that are paying top dollar to begin with get socked with $20/day parking fee (or is it higher) for staying at the BoardWalk. I predict it will make a tough situation even tougher.....it is extrememly hard sometimes to find a parking spot at BoardWalk and Beach Club. I've seen plenty of blogs already with people figuring out ways to take advantage of this new policy. The only thing dumber than this move is the new "pet policy". People are taking advantage and breaking the rules with this also. it's a shame.

 

[chalee94]

What is really annoying is that "visitors" that park at deluxe resorts to go shopping will not be charged. What proof will they give that they went shopping? Is a security guard going to check for receipts before they leave the parking lot? I doubt it. So.....you can park at the BoardWalk in the morning, tell the guard you are going to the shops there, and the ESPN lounge for lunch, but instead walk through to the back entrance to Epcot, tour around there, then take the boat to Hollywood studios or the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Take a bus from Magic Kingdom to Boardwalk, get in your car and drive away, free of charge. Go back and stay at your cheaper off-site hotel.

I completely agree that I would much rather see attempts to reign in abuses of day visitors - especially at the Epcot resorts, monorail resorts and Disney Springs - than to add a parking charge for overnight guests.

 

[Jayco29D]

Really? $1,500 per night average? We stayed at the beautiful Port Orleans for $218 with tax per night. It was just a hotel room, granted, but it was a sale and we were coming back from a cruise, so we thought it would be nice to stay on property, and I was out of Disney points.

I am referring to Grand Floridian, Grand Californian, Aulani, Poly and similar level resorts in the 1 and 2 bedroom sizes, not the value or moderate hotel rooms.

 

[Jayco29D]

Count me among DVC owners that will usually understand the price increases and/or defend Disney and DVC on some of their more questionable moves. But this charging for parking is, in my opinion, nothing but being greedy (and it does not impact upon me, not yet anyway, and it shouldn't as I pay hefty dues every year to maintain things at my home resorts). Lots of families save up for a long time for a Disney vacation. Lots of them drive. Sticking another $10/day to park at Pop Century is really not necessary. What is really annoying is that "visitors" that park at deluxe resorts to go shopping will not be charged. What proof will they give that they went shopping? Is a security guard going to check for receipts before they leave the parking lot? I doubt it. So.....you can park at the BoardWalk in the morning, tell the guard you are going to the shops there, and the ESPN lounge for lunch, but instead walk through to the back entrance to Epcot, tour around there, then take the boat to Hollywood studios or the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Take a bus from Magic Kingdom to Boardwalk, get in your car and drive away, free of charge. Go back and stay at your cheaper off-site hotel. Meanwhile, those that are paying top dollar to begin with get socked with $20/day parking fee (or is it higher) for staying at the BoardWalk. I predict it will make a tough situation even tougher.....it is extrememly hard sometimes to find a parking spot at BoardWalk and Beach Club. I've seen plenty of blogs already with people figuring out ways to take advantage of this new policy. The only thing dumber than this move is the new "pet policy". People are taking advantage and breaking the rules with this also. it's a shame.

It is such a shame to me to hear how people scam the systems. This new era of cheating and scamming has become so socially acceptable. What is the new pet policy?

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am referring to Grand Floridian, Grand Californian, Aulani, Poly and similar level resorts in the 1 and 2 bedroom sizes, not the value or moderate hotel rooms.

OMG, that is the price for staying at those resorts? Those hotels are not in my league, that's for sure.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Count me among DVC owners that will usually understand the price increases and/or defend Disney and DVC on some of their more questionable moves. But this charging for parking is, in my opinion, nothing but being greedy (and it does not impact upon me, not yet anyway, and it shouldn't as I pay hefty dues every year to maintain things at my home resorts). Lots of families save up for a long time for a Disney vacation. Lots of them drive. Sticking another $10/day to park at Pop Century is really not necessary. What is really annoying is that "visitors" that park at deluxe resorts to go shopping will not be charged. What proof will they give that they went shopping? Is a security guard going to check for receipts before they leave the parking lot? I doubt it. So.....you can park at the BoardWalk in the morning, tell the guard you are going to the shops there, and the ESPN lounge for lunch, but instead walk through to the back entrance to Epcot, tour around there, then take the boat to Hollywood studios or the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Take a bus from Magic Kingdom to Boardwalk, get in your car and drive away, free of charge. Go back and stay at your cheaper off-site hotel. Meanwhile, those that are paying top dollar to begin with get socked with $20/day parking fee (or is it higher) for staying at the BoardWalk. I predict it will make a tough situation even tougher.....it is extrememly hard sometimes to find a parking spot at BoardWalk and Beach Club. I've seen plenty of blogs already with people figuring out ways to take advantage of this new policy. The only thing dumber than this move is the new "pet policy". People are taking advantage and breaking the rules with this also. it's a shame.

That really is gaming Disney's system. The guards should require they give their names to check dinner reservations or something!

We get free parking with our DVC Annual Pass deal and we are very happy with that. So are the parks charging more than $20 per day for parking now? Is it $24 for parking at AK, MK, Epcot and DS?

 

[Jayco29D]

I had assumed Disney had always charged for hotel parking. The fact that this is a new policy is a surprise considering almost all resorts charge for parking and other resort services. I think it is great that at least owners do not need to pay for parking. Personally, I hate paying resort fees but all the hotels do it.

 

[Mosescan]

Considering even owners at HGVC have to pay $43/day to park at HHV I don’t think this fee is outrageous.

 

[Jayco29D]

Considering even owners at HGVC have to pay $43/day to park at HHV I don’t think this fee is outrageous.

It is quite reasonable, all things considered. It is tiered by resort category so more expensive hotels pay more. Most resorts are charging $30+ per day these days.

 

[littlestar]

I had assumed Disney had always charged for hotel parking. The fact that this is a new policy is a surprise considering almost all resorts charge for parking and other resort services. I think it is great that at least owners do not need to pay for parking. Personally, I hate paying resort fees but all the hotels do it.

I booked an ocean view room with a AAA discount at a Hyatt in Waikiki with free hot breakfast and no resort fees for $231 a night. They exist - you just have to find them.

 

[Dean]

From the way it's described, I don't see how they wouldn't be subject to the fee.

They could wave it completely but as written, DVC members who exchange in wouldn't be charged. Even with all the costs laid out, an exchange can still be a good value even if not as good as previously. A 1 BR can easily be $3-4K as a private/brokered rental.

 

[nomoretslt]

It is such a shame to me to hear how people scam the systems. This new era of cheating and scamming has become so socially acceptable. What is the new pet policy?

That really is gaming Disney's system. The guards should require they give their names to check dinner reservations or something!

We get free parking with our DVC Annual Pass deal and we are very happy with that. So are the parks charging more than $20 per day for parking now? Is it $24 for parking at AK, MK, Epcot and DS?

Disney is doing an "experiment" with having dog-friendly rooms in some resorts. We've been told this does not include DVC rooms....but I've seen dogs where they shouldn't be and dogs in the parks that are not service dogs, but do not wish to get into a discussion regarding this.

As it stands now with parking at a resort where you are dining, the guard will scan your band for a reservation and then let you in. However, ESPN doesn't need reservations nor do any of the stores or ice cream places, so they usually won't let you in unless it is a non-busy time (lol, there isn't a non-busy time any more). So with this new policy, you won't need to have you band scanned to get in....just say "I'm going shopping at Wyland Galleries and getting something to eat at BoardWalk Bakery". This really is not a good idea. Those people should be charged a fee to park also. I know Auliani charges non DVC to park....it was $25, might be up to $35 now. However, if you present a dinner receipt or a shopping receipt, you don't get charged....although that may have changed also.

 

[chriskre]

. Where will the extra money go? Hopefully back to the owners for the parking lot upkeep to offset maintenance fees.

Hopefully but don't count on it.
Disney is squeezing profits any way they can.

No chance. The resorts are completely packed, and Disney is already extending some "on site" perks to those who book packages staying at offsite neighbor hotels but booked through WDTC. There is only one reason to do that: people are calling to book an onsite stay, and the Resort is full when they call.

Disney is fanatical about measuring things. They have a very good idea of how many people this will turn away, and are comfortable with that number.

They always have been comfortable keeping up appearances.
They are really pushing hard the value of "owning" your home at Disney.
Honestly for a die hard fan like us it does seem to make sense.
I've no regrets owning DVC just wish I had bought multiple smaller contracts.

This is why the TUG philosophy is "Buy where you want to stay." I am relatively new to timeshares but I have heard this again and again so I decided to only buy places I will be happy staying. I have been reading about how unpredictable exchanging is and how expensive exchanging is becoming. RCI properties are low quality (in general) so I can't see most DVC owners making a deposit to trade for an RCI property. So I doubt this will affect many people who bought traders with RCI since I have read it is very hard to trade into DVC these days except for perhaps Saratoga Springs.

There are so many great resorts in Orlando.
It's not a must to own in Orlando to stay there unless you want to stay
in the Mouse's house, then it's definitely worth owning there.

I believe in buying where you want to stay, except exchanging works quite well, and I am a big fan of exchanging for that reason.
........
But unless you want to go to the same ol' places all of the time, you have to either exchange or buy into a point system.
.........
You cannot buy everywhere you want to be. I would never buy Orlando, except DVC.

I own my RCI points and HGVC points in Orlando along with DVC points.
I have never stayed in Orlando at my home resorts using my HGVC or RCI points.
I do use my DVC points there because I bought them to use there.
Owning in Orlando is a good value for MF's and work great for trading in the mini systems.

We complain a lot about the parking charge (which will not affect DVC owners) but we do not give Disney credit for the billions it is investing in new attractions, entertainment and resorts.

Yes they are finally upgrading things.
If you think about how much you get for your daily park ticket $100 doesn't seem so bad and it's an even better value if you buy a multi-day ticket or annual pass. Of course if you get a pass then you will be spending a bunch of cash trying to save money at Disney! LOL

Perhaps the parking fee is less about making more money and more about cutting down on traffic at the park. Win/win from Disney perspective.

I'm sure this is part of the plan.
Parking can be crazy at many times of the year.
Coming home late means you will be schlepping thru the huge parking lots, but then again that happens at all the Orlando resorts not just Disney.

I am referring to Grand Floridian, Grand Californian, Aulani, Poly and similar level resorts in the 1 and 2 bedroom sizes, not the value or moderate hotel rooms.

It is crazy what people will pay to stay in those rooms.
When I see the rack rates with very little discounting going on you know that someone is paying those rates.
I remember asking for the rates of the 2 bedroom at GF and it was $2500 for the night we were staying there.
But then again it's the same when I stay in a 2 bedroom Marriott, if you check marriott.com and see their asking prices.
Obviously someone is paying it.

OMG, that is the price for staying at those resorts? Those hotels are not in my league, that's for sure.

Yes they are! You are a DVC owner so you can stay there too.
I always check the price of my room before checking in and it's always crazy high.
Even a studio at Animal Kingdom can go for $400-$500 a night at some times of the year.
Makes my DVC points a great value which is exactly what the mouse wants me to think. LOL

They could wave it completely but as written, DVC members who exchange in wouldn't be charged. Even with all the costs laid out, an exchange can still be a good value even if not as good as previously. A 1 BR can easily be $3-4K as a private/brokered rental.

I hope this is the case but they don't waive the $190 fee for DVC owners exchanging in so we shall see.

 

[Jayco29D]

Yes, chriskre, you are correct in your observations, IMO. I am shocked too at how much people are paying to stay at Disney and some of the upscale Marriotts in Hawaii. $1500 per night for a 1 bedroom at Aulani, Grand Cal and Grand Floridian. $2500 for 2 bedrooms. Poly studios are over $1000 at times. And they are sold out if you look them up a few months in advance.

 

[Goofy6294]

I think that it's not the charge so much as the perception of Disney starting to nickel and dime its guests. It could have easily added a small amount to the room rates rather than creating a separate fee and not gotten this backlash from the fan community. Bad move in my opinion. And for the record, my family is voting with our wallet. We used to average a trip every couple of years or so, but now it's around once every 4 or 5 years. AND, as of our last trip, we've begun staying offsite.

Count me among DVC owners that will usually understand the price increases and/or defend Disney and DVC on some of their more questionable moves. But this charging for parking is, in my opinion, nothing but being greedy (and it does not impact upon me, not yet anyway, and it shouldn't as I pay hefty dues every year to maintain things at my home resorts). Lots of families save up for a long time for a Disney vacation. Lots of them drive. Sticking another $10/day to park at Pop Century is really not necessary. What is really annoying is that "visitors" that park at deluxe resorts to go shopping will not be charged. What proof will they give that they went shopping? Is a security guard going to check for receipts before they leave the parking lot? I doubt it. So.....you can park at the BoardWalk in the morning, tell the guard you are going to the shops there, and the ESPN lounge for lunch, but instead walk through to the back entrance to Epcot, tour around there, then take the boat to Hollywood studios or the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Take a bus from Magic Kingdom to Boardwalk, get in your car and drive away, free of charge. Go back and stay at your cheaper off-site hotel. Meanwhile, those that are paying top dollar to begin with get socked with $20/day parking fee (or is it higher) for staying at the BoardWalk. I predict it will make a tough situation even tougher.....it is extrememly hard sometimes to find a parking spot at BoardWalk and Beach Club. I've seen plenty of blogs already with people figuring out ways to take advantage of this new policy. The only thing dumber than this move is the new "pet policy". People are taking advantage and breaking the rules with this also. it's a shame.

This does happen, but especially at the deluxe resorts, more enforcement is taking place. The "bump and dump" ADR thing still happens, but a lot more folks are being forced to pay for valet if they want to visit a resort without a room reservation or ADR. We even had to pay for valet at Poly on our last trip because we showed up 2 hrs early for a legitimate ADR.

 

[Jayco29D]

The parking fee in DVC hotels does make it an added benefit to be an owner, I guess.

 

[bendadin]

They could wave it completely but as written, DVC members who exchange in wouldn't be charged. Even with all the costs laid out, an exchange can still be a good value even if not as good as previously. A 1 BR can easily be $3-4K as a private/brokered rental.

My bet is that it will at least be waived for DVC members. I had an exchange during one of MK Moonlight Magic parties. I couldn't book it online when the window opened because it wasn't "DVC points" but once I called in, they could see that I was a member staying on property, so they made the reservation.

 

[Deb & Bill]

DVC members already pay for parking lots in their annual fees. The ones who need to pay are the day guests who fill up the MK resorts and BW parking lots and all leave after the evening show. So the guests who arrived in the afternoon or returned in the early evening to the resort they are paying to park at cannot find a parking place at all. Anyone not a registered guest should be paying to park at the resort lots. They could throw them a discount for any purchases at that resort made during the time they park, dining or shopping. Make every guest take a ticket when they enter the lot and pay based on the time they parked. At no time would it be less than the theme park parking lot fees for a half day or more. So you are parked at the Contemporary for four hours with no purchases, you pay $25 to exit the lot. If you dined at a table service restaurant with a minimum of $100, you get three hours free and pay the hourly rate for the additional hour.

 

[avad88]

We are FL residents and have season passes so we get free parking at the parks (thus far). We visited Hollywood Studios this week and the parking fee went up from$20 to $22 during the past few weeks. We enjoy going about once a month or so but won't renew our season pass if they start charging parking fees to season pass holders.