Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[MusicalAstronaut]

Disney: Everyone else does it.

Me: You USED to be better than everyone else.

Exactly. Their prices used to reflect that too but damn. Just emailed them.

 

[DISNEY1975]

If this is true, I better be able to find a parking spot immediately upon getting to the parking lot of the resort after a day in the parks. Paying $24 then having to drive around for 20 minutes waiting for a spot to open because a diner is parked there for free will not sit well with me.

 

[Iya]

Still think it has to go higher up the corporate ladder than this. Just like the call centers you will get a scripted email, phoneconversation.

Tweet Iger. I did.

 

[DisneyDude71]

This news makes me sad / angry

The DME will be so much more busy and after a 9+hour flight I do not want to be hanging around for bus.

Coming from the UK a holiday to WDW costs an absolute fortune ( I understand that it costly for everyone ) and with an extra $250 ish for parking it's disgraceful! This will definitely make us stay offsite in future. We already have a trip booked for October so hoping we won't be charged and then take our business elsewhere in the future.

*waves bye bye to my "free" $200 gift card*

If your already booked your fine.

 

[DisneyArkie]

Just got off the phone with someone I had been working with at Diney Guest Services in regards to an issue we had on the last trip. Her response was that this is a standard in the industry, that they have been charging for parking at their resorts in California and Hawaii for some time, and that other resorts around them charge for parking so this is not a new concept. I expressed my disappointment with their new policy and told them our vacation dollars would be spent elsewhere and she said our comments would be noted. So in other words what I get is, we are doing it and we don't care.

She did confirm that reservations made before the start date of the fee will not be charged for parking.

No point in being upset with her. She does not make these decisions.

 

[P'colaBeachBum]

The person you spoke with is not the one that made that decision, thats just like shooting the messenger. Flood twitter, the corporate emails, shareholders, flood them with the complaints. Not the poor people that have to get all of the grief and anger becvause of the top brass's decision.

It doesn't do any good to flood the shareholder site as they are just the middleman. I'm a shareholder and I'm not happy about the charge either. And I'm really upset that handicapped don't have to pay too. They are also driving in and parking. I see this will be another area of abuse just like the so-called dog pet policy that was implemented.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

Okay, so I'm already booked for June and have been for a couple of months. But once discounts come out, I may switch resorts, and at the very least I'll update my current reservation with the discount. I wonder if I happen to switch resorts, will I lose my free pass on this trip?

We usually fly and take DME, but this trip is part of a larger family road trip, so we'll be driving our own car. We're staying for 7 nights, so that's a hefty price tag no matter which category we stay in (we're currently booked at AoA but may switch to a 1 bedroom at OKW based on discounts). I'm wondering if I should just book a reservation at OKW before March 21st and then cancel one once discounts come out and we choose our resort. Does that make sense? Maybe I'll e-mail my TA.

 

[scrapquitler]

We stayed offsite a couple of times last year. If we have to pay to park, saving money on the room and using the parking money to pay for the rental car makes staying offsite look a lot more appealing.

I'm kind of surprised that they didn't make free resort parking park of the AP perks.

 

[DisneyArkie]

Well with all of you saying your done, hopefully that means more empty rooms, which means free dining discounts to fill them!

Yep I agree. We have had pages and pages of threads about people saying they are done because of room checks. Now this... I may be able to stay anywhere whenever I want with a pretty good discount .

 

[Colleen27]

Yea, but we already pay way more for the room that it costs at comparable hotel/motels

Exactly. Out of curiosity, I looked up the rates for the Disney Springs partner hotels that are also giving EMH and the 60 day FP window. For less than the price of a single room at Pop for our dates, I can book a one-bedroom suite with a king sized bed, living room with a pull-out for the kids, two TVs, a full dining area, and a kitchenette at the Doubletree. I have an AP, so parking at the parks doesn't factor in, and while the Doubletree does charge a parking fee it still doesn't add up to much more than a single very cramped room at Pop ($155 for suite w/parking vs $140 for Pop w/o it). Literally the only amenities we'd be missing out on are ME, Disney transportation, and the dining plan... so if free dining comes along and we're flying, we'll stay on site. If it doesn't, or if we decide to drive, a DS hotel seems like the better choice.

See your state's disabled parking placard rules, but generally they're for mobility disabilities.

And the bar is usually set higher than needing a mobility aid under the ten-miles-a-day walking conditions at Disney, so plenty of people who need mobility assistance when traveling wouldn't qualify for a disability placard under their home state's rules.

 

[dachsie]

Just got off the phone with someone I had been working with at Diney Guest Services in regards to an issue we had on the last trip. Her response was that this is a standard in the industry, that they have been charging for parking at their resorts in California and Hawaii for some time, and that other resorts around them charge for parking so this is not a new concept. I expressed my disappointment with their new policy and told them our vacation dollars would be spent elsewhere and she said our comments would be noted. So in other words what I get is, we are doing it and we don't care.

She did confirm that reservations made before the start date of the fee will not be charged for parking.

Did you remind the CM that Disney also charges way more than other places with comparable rooms?

 

[NashvilleMama]

Still think it has to go higher up the corporate ladder than this. Just like the call centers you will get a scripted email, phoneconversation.

This is true but I can tell you for certain that they track volume of incoming emails/calls by topic and report those up the ladder. I just emailed guest services.

 

[DisneyArkie]

I was thinking more along the lines of the fact that not every disability may be a physical one. I have some experience with PTSD and for a long while, crowded public transportation upset me to the point of severe panic attacks (although I was not on any Disney trip during this time period). Would someone not consider that person as having a disability of some sort? I hope I am not being offensive here, that is not my intent, but more that a lot of people experience what are considered disabilities that aren't physical ones and don't warrant a disabled placard. I guess what I'm saying is, it can be a murky line to decide who is disabled enough to have the fee waived, and who isn't. I don't mean to delve into driving this off topic but I think it could be a point of contention. Maybe I am overthinking it, but I think it's not going to end well with Disney being the arbiter of who is "disabled enough."

I would recommend if your ptsd is aggravated by “crowded” public transportation that you skip disney. Not trying to be a jerk just stating the facts.

 

[niccikatie]

And what they don't seem to comprehend is that people LIKE that fees like that are hidden. People use those "extra" (or "obviously charged") fees as *negatives* for going over to Universal, or staying at the swolphin, etc. They liked that Disney cruises let you bring your booze on; it was a *selling point*. When they do this, it diminishes the specialness of Disney in their eyes.

Obviously they don't care what we THINK of them as long as we (or someone new if "we" leave) keep paying them. But they should.

Yep. We last cruised with DCL in 2015 right when they changed the alcohol policy. We will not cruise with DCL again. At that time, I wrote to express my displeasure and was pretty told that there would be people to replace me. We had a glorious 2 week Panama Canal cruise - it was AMAZING. I'm sad I can't recommend their product anymore. They changed the policy after we booked and did not grandfather people in. I don't trust them anymore.

Judging by the fact that they're building three new ships, they were right! Oh well, we've found other lines that we like just as much or more - so I guess we all win? It makes me sad, though, as I used to recommend DCL and I will no longer do that. Maybe that's where they lose?

The more I think about it the less sense it makes. I mean, at this point, would anyone notice if they raised resort rates by $25 a night?? Id just roll my eyes, make a joke about selling organs for my trip and move on. But to take something that's been free for a million years and charge? The optics are terrible.

I agree with this completely.

At what point does enough become enough and you say no more disney? I am right on the precipice now.

We are there. This was likely going to be our last trip for a long while, but this cements it. We don't even drive and this is just over the top to me. We'll enjoy our trip in August and be done. It makes me sad, but so did painting over the pink in my DD's room this week, LOL!

Doesn’t matter someone will just replace them. They will still get their money.

Yep. Sadly, this is the case. Or it will until it isn't. Then, we'll see discounts getting people back to the parks and this pattern will continue. Disney knows how to make money!

 

[DisneyArkie]

We stayed offsite a couple of times last year. If we have to pay to park, saving money on the room and using the parking money to pay for the rental car makes staying offsite look a lot more appealing.

I'm kind of surprised that they didn't make free resort parking park of the AP perks.

Just wondering because I have no idea. Do you not have to pay to park at the parks if not staying on property?

 

[Jennasis]

I sent my letter.

 

[Colleen27]

Just wondering because I have no idea. Don’t you have to pay to park at the parks if not staying on property?

Unless you're a passholder, yes. I suspect quite a few of the people upset by this change are passholders who live close enough to visit often and not far enough away for flying/ME to be an alternative.

 

[Stitch_Is_King]

The person you spoke with is not the one that made that decision, thats just like shooting the messenger. Flood twitter, the corporate emails, shareholders, flood them with the complaints. Not the poor people that have to get all of the grief and anger becvause of the top brass's decision.

Perfectly aware she is not the one that made the decision. As my comment stated, I was working with her on an issue we had during our last stay, so I emailed her to express my concern and she called me, not the other way around. She wanted to discuss the issue with me so we did. I was polite and professional in stating my concern and what I will be doing with my vacation dollars going forward.

As far as other corporate emails I have already flooded them, also taken to twitter as well. I'm also a shareholder and am not happy about the decision.

 

[Lehuaann]

How many hotels offer destination packages to bring you onsite for multiple days and spend thousand of dollars?

This isn’t an industry standard move. Not even close...

 

[Stitch_Is_King]

Did you remind the CM that Disney also charges way more than other places with comparable rooms?

Sure did.