Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[fla4fun]

Not gonna lie, the quick change from the "i'd never stay outside the Disney bubble" folks to an off property exodus over a $14/night fee is pretty darn amusing.

I am glad you are amused. I hope it comes to pass. Charging for parking at the resorts is a low blow, and something I find extremely offensive (just like resort fees) and if the trips I already have booked were not grandfathered in, so to speak, then I would have to cancel one of them to afford the parking on the other two. Most of us have a set travel budget and can’t absorb additional costs without making a cut somewhere else. My first cut would probably be dining. I would bring more food with me, and drop my on property dining down each day by the amount of the parking. I hope they lose a substantial part of their business, especially those who live within a radius where flying isn’t practical. These are the same folks who kept them going after 9/11 and during the big recession. If Disney treats them badly, there won’t be anyone there to bail them out when the going gets tough. My AP expires right after my last trip this year, and I will be thinking hard about whether Disney gets those 44 nights of vacation time they have been every year. At best, they will be getting fewer of those nights, and they may get none of them.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I think that was DisneyArkie's point...if it REALLY bothered you THAT much, you'd cancel a trip when you still qualified for the benefit, instead of waiting until after.

Maybe I misunderstood.

There’s no reason to cancel if the benefit is still there as it doesn’t affect my budget.

 

[acwsmom]

Emailed my break-up letter to Disney this morning. This isn't THE reason we won't be returning for an on-site stay - it's just the final straw. I'm done. We had already stopped taking the busses because the wait for the busses had gotten too long and they rarely stacked bus pick-ups at the end of the night or beginning of the morning the way they used to. EMH's are disappearing and being replaced by paid events. The price of the value rooms have doubled in the past 10 years and discounts have disappeared. FPs are being offered to off-site guests so the number of people competing for the same FP's at 60 days out has grown. Perks are disappearing and it's getting harder to be able to afford being able to stay on-site. I've been saying for a year or two now that they're going to out-price us and, today, we decided it was the day. It's not just the cost of this one change that has done it, but it's the icing on the cake. I can stay off-site for the price I USED to be able to get for a value 10 years ago, plus I get queen-sized beds, a living room, and a kitchen. And, if I have a kitchen, there's no sense in eating all of our meals at Disney. And if I'm already off-site, the appeal of other Orlando attractions suddenly appears. So not only have they lost us as resort guests, but they've lost a good chunk of our food budget. And more than likely, we'll start getting two- or three-day tickets and finding new places to explore. I loved my Disney bubble when I stayed onsite and didn't have to touch my car for a week. But that bubble has burst. Maybe they have intentionally done this so people with "value-sized" budgets stop coming and free up space at the parks for those with "deluxe-sized" pockets. So they probably don't care. But I still feel like it's their loss since it will also impact the chances of my children wanting to spend week-long on-site vacations at Disney in the future with their own families. We'll do our trip next week and our big splurge we already had planned for June. But that will truly be the last time we stay onsite. And more than likely, it'll be the last time we do a full week at Disney too. I just can't justify it anymore.

 

[OneinThree]

For goodness sakes this is a vacation destination. If it makes y’all this mad don’t go. Nobody is making you take a vacation. I don’t agree with it but my goodness the threats and out right anger is comical.

Probably less pain involved with you avoiding this thread than many of us long-time enthusiasts parting with our Disney World vacations -u think?

 

[famsen]

Technically, you're talking about two separate reservations as I understand it.

^THIS! I am booked but was waiting for discounts. If I make a change that requires a whole new reservation number I would be paying parking fees. Too much hassle. I cancelled and emailed Guest Relations to let them know why. Parking fees and the mandatory room checks just tipped the scales against Disney's favor with me.

 

[Lisann]

It would be really cool if Disney resorts lowered their prices to industry average "because everyone else does it."

This is the best quote I have seen all year.

 

[bloomcruisers]

I think that was DisneyArkie's point...if it REALLY bothered you THAT much, you'd cancel a trip when you still qualified for the benefit, instead of waiting until after.

Maybe I misunderstood.

I believe what people are saying is that basically this parking fee is the straw that broke the camel's back. It bothers them greatly and they will not pay it ... ever!
But they will still enjoy their last already scheduled trip with the free parking.
And I am one who is in that same boat.
I have a 10 night trip next month and 4 nights in the fall already scheduled onsite. I won't cancel them, but will definitely look to the Disney Springs hotels which now get the perks that used to be exclusive to onsite properties for my future bookings.
As an AP holder with 25+ onsite stays over the years, including 2 earlier this year, this is the straw for me. I will consider many other options including condo rentals in addition to Good Neighbor hotels, but my onsite stays are over.

 

[DJ!]

Disabled valet parking was free at the resorts. How will this work with the new charges? (of course after you register the car with the required documents)

Self and Valet parking will remain free with a disability parking placard under the new system.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I agree with you, seems like charges continue to come while crowds continue to rise. People complain and get upset than end up going back, reminds me of what Pete says on the Podcasts, stop complaining if your just going to spend money on the product.

I do wonder what would really cause many guests to stop going.

Except that park attendance isn’t rising. Disney has admitted that. Attendance is down. It’s their manipulation of wait times and active efforts to spread the crowds to all seasons that makes it seem that way. People are actually finding other vacation options. They are making more money because of all the upsells.

 

[DisneyArkie]

Probably less pain involved with you avoiding this thread than many of us long-time enthusiasts parting with our Disney World vacations -u think?

I am long time enthusiast. I just know I’m not forced to go there.

 

[NashvilleMama]

Not gonna lie, the quick change from the "i'd never stay outside the Disney bubble" folks to an off property exodus over a $14/night fee is pretty darn amusing.

We almost always stay OFFsite and are staying onsite this coming trip, and it's a big stretch for us....meaning it's hard to convince my DH to go to Disney in the first place, and this may push him over the edge. I'm glad it's not going into effect this time but I do think this is going to be a consideration for lots of people who are doing the math between on and off site stays.

 

[yaya74]

I also sent an email to Disney.

I have no problem paying for overnight parking. But I don't like the fact that day guests can get free parking. Disney is penalizing customers who fork out thousands and thousands of dollar to stay there and rewarding those who go there to grab a meal or a cup of coffee, or even not spending a dime if they are just checking out resorts!

 

[DisBuckMan]

There’s no reason to cancel if the benefit is still there as it doesn’t affect my budget.

Commitment to a cause can be a funny thing.

 

[Farro]

Except that park attendance isn’t rising. Disney has admitted that. Attendance is down. It’s their manipulation of wait times and active efforts to spread the crowds to all seasons that makes it seem that way. People are actually finding other vacation options. They are making more money because of all the upsells.

Well if Disney's plan is get to get less people to come as said on this board , then your post and this thread would lead me to believe everything they are doing is working.

 

[JacknSally]

Not sure if this has been addressed yet (only 11 pages in so far) but I've seen several people mention that they should just raise the hotel rates per night and keep the fee hidden, and people would be less upset about this.

There are two reasons for them to not include this fee as part of the hotel rate.

1) Disney rooms do show up on Priceline, Expedia, etc. at a discount from the rates you'd find on the Disney website. When people book the discounted 3rd-party rate, Disney loses the difference between the rack rate and the discounted rate. Plus, the 3rd-party sites take a percentage of the discounted rate for themselves, so Disney is also losing that portion of the revenue. So basically, if a room at Disney is $200 for the night, and you book it through Priceline at $150, Priceline will take out their cut and then the hotel only gets $125 for that room, resulting in a loss of $75. This only applies to the room RATE, though, not any applicable resort fees. By listing the parking as a separate fee from the room rate, Disney can collect 100% of this fee with every single booking, no matter what. Not raising the room rates also helps them appear more competitive in search results, since those show rates only and never the applicable fees and taxes.

2) Fees are taxed differently than the room rate. Usually the room rate earns an occupancy tax and a state tax - sometimes there will also be an additional city tax, depending on where the hotel is located. Fees aren't taxed at the same rate and don't usually earn the occupancy tax, so hotels don't have to pay that additional tax on them back at tax-time.

Essentially by making it a separate fee, the hotel can pocket more money than if they just raised the room rates.

Not at all saying that this new fee is in any way ok with me. These kind of choices by Disney have us seriously considering this being the last year we visit WDW until something changes for the better. Just wanted to shed a little light on the probable reasons they're adding a fee instead of just increasing the rates.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Commitment to a cause can be a funny thing.

I’m not committed to any cause. I just don’t see a need to cancel the trip (or move offsite) until the change actually affects my budget.

 

[OneinThree]

I just know I’m not forced to go there.

I think this is the second time in this one thread I have to remind someone that this latest development isn't some sort of aberration. People have had an issue with Disney's declining value for price and this latest nonsense is icing. A forum such as this one is the perfect place to share those opinions.

 

[Networth]

Except that park attendance isn’t rising. Disney has admitted that. Attendance is down. It’s their manipulation of wait times and active efforts to spread the crowds to all seasons that makes it seem that way. People are actually finding other vacation options. They are making more money because of all the upsells.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...ney/os-bz-disney-earnings-20170508-story.html

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-quarter-earnings-20180202-story.html

 

[sbd78]

Does anyone have the email to complain? Because I want to complain...

The parking fees were one of the things that kept me from the Swan/Dolphin. Guess they just became a much more enticing option. I can stay there for the price of a moderate, and have the location and amenities of a deluxe. Since we are a family of 5, we have to stay moderate or up anyway. (And I refuse to pay value family suite prices.)

 

[KrazeeK120]

^THIS! I am booked but was waiting for discounts. If I make a change that requires a whole new reservation number I would be paying parking fees. Too much hassle. I cancelled and emailed Guest Relations to let them know why. Parking fees and the mandatory room checks just tipped the scales against Disney's favor with me.

I’m fortunate that I already booked my October trip at the Poly with a discount. Otherwise, I’d be in the same boat as you.