Paid parking is coming to WDW resorts March 2018

[Rich M]

I read that Disney is not allowed to charge DVC due to some verbiage in there contracts, is there anyway for them to get out of that or do we feel that DVC will always be this way? I do know they aren't charging for them now but wondering if that could ever change

 

[Arielfan98]

What does the price of the room have anything to do with also paying for parking. Most hotels you have to pay for parking whether it's expensive or cheap per night. Disney had made it free for a long time but guests took advantage of it and abused it during the busiest parts of the year. Hell, there's been times when we couldn't even get parking at our hotel because people were parking and going to the parks.
The amount could have been worse...

You're correct about the parking system during the day being abused. But the fact of the matter is it's as simple as giving guests a piece of paper at check-in and asking them to leave it in their cars during their stay. The cars without the paper will be charged for overnight parking. People who park during the day for shopping/dining, etc are only given a 3 hour limit. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but a majority of loyal Disney fans and customers are enraged by this and view this parking fee as a last straw. You have to understand a lot of us didn't care as much about the rise in prices and other fees, but this is uncalled for when you pay double the amount for a hotel room with less space. There are just a lot of circumstances surrounding this that are the last straw for people, it isn't an "overreaction" by any measure.

 

[Colleen27]

I already cancelled my booked trip, but to be fair I only booked it to have a bounceback booking to modify later... This plus the EMH and FP changes prompted me to look at the Disney Springs resorts, and once I started looking I am finding them very attractive. When I can get a suite for 40% less than a standard room at one of the construction zone moderates and the non-Disney resort comes with the perks that matter the most to us, it becomes very hard to justify the Disney premium. And when they want to tack another $100+ to that premium if I decide to drive rather than waste my park days waiting on buses, well, that's a deal breaker.

 

[ZuuL]

You're correct about the parking system during the day being abused. But the fact of the matter is it's as simple as giving guests a piece of paper at check-in and asking them to leave it in their cars during their stay. The cars without the paper will be charged for overnight parking. People who park during the day for shopping/dining, etc are only given a 3-hour limit. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but a majority of loyal Disney fans and customers are enraged by this and view this parking fee as the last straw. You have to understand a lot of us didn't care as much about the rise in prices and other fees, but this is uncalled for when you pay double the amount for a hotel room with less space. There are just a lot of circumstances surrounding this that are the last straw for people, it isn't an "overreaction" by any measure.

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

 

[jhoannam]

I already cancelled my booked trip, but to be fair I only booked it to have a bounceback booking to modify later... This plus the EMH and FP changes prompted me to look at the Disney Springs resorts, and once I started looking I am finding them very attractive. When I can get a suite for 40% less than a standard room at one of the construction zone moderates and the non-Disney resort comes with the perks that matter the most to us, it becomes very hard to justify the Disney premium. And when they want to tack another $100+ to that premium if I decide to drive rather than waste my park days waiting on buses, well, that's a deal breaker.

I hope you send them an email with this information, this is the kind of stuff they need to hear.

 

[Rich M]

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

I agree with you on that but think all of it is getting out of hand everywhere. Luckily we have choices though of were we want to spend our money so if it is too much for people they can simply stop going as some people have stated they would.

 

[Arielfan98]

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

There are locations that charge and do not charge. As an individual who would prefer to live in a budget, I would probably stay at a hotel that doesn't charge for parking. Given Disney is its own resort, that is not an option here. Not to mention a lot of these other high-end places offer reward points or larger rooms for the cost which justifies the parking fee. I would also like to add $91-168 is a huge difference for many families.

 

[HopperFan]

You're correct about the parking system during the day being abused. But the fact of the matter is it's as simple as giving guests a piece of paper at check-in and asking them to leave it in their cars during their stay. The cars without the paper will be charged for overnight parking. People who park during the day for shopping/dining, etc are only given a 3 hour limit. You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but a majority of loyal Disney fans and customers are enraged by this and view this parking fee as a last straw. You have to understand a lot of us didn't care as much about the rise in prices and other fees, but this is uncalled for when you pay double the amount for a hotel room with less space. There are just a lot of circumstances surrounding this that are the last straw for people, it isn't an "overreaction" by any measure.

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

It has nothing to do with the dollar amount and non-affordability. As @Arielfan98 said .... it's the last straw. They have slowly reduced perks, reduced service, reduced room quality ... all while raising room rates. But now that it is not just lost perceived value but actual cash .... it has reached a breaking point for many.

Yes there are places with higher fees ........... but usually the room rates are in line with .... what Disney says "industry standards" and rooms in the areas are comparable. Disney room rates are highly inflated, not in line with "industry standards" and the renovations have also reduced the Disney touches we didn't mind paying for. Folks are finding they can get MUCH nicer rooms for the same rates, or nicer/equal rooms for much less.

Kind of ironic that Disney's decision has opened the door for many to see that there are some really nice alternatives out there.

 

[Colleen27]

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

Don't confuse ability to pay with willingness to do so.

I've been to a lot of large tourist destinations. I seldom pay for parking outside of major cities. But lodging markets are intensely local, and what happens in Vegas has nothing to do with Orlando (although I question your numbers... when we were pricing a trip to Vegas, we were looking at the Bellagio for around $250/nt; none of Disney's resorts have five-star status on the major booking sites, but the four-star Poly is $500+).

But I digress. Disney already charges a very steep premium for their resorts compared to comparable-quality properties in the area... at least 50%, maybe as much as 100% depending on how you define the quality of accommodations. To say that because the $150/nt I-Drive hotel of "moderate" quality charges for parking, the $250/nt Disney-owned moderate should too is disingenuous.

 

[Disneylover99]

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

For the vast majority of people on this thread, the extra money everyone has to fork over is not going to make or break the trip. Most aren't complaining about that.

 

[Rich M]

Don't confuse ability to pay with willingness to do so.

I've been to a lot of large tourist destinations. I seldom pay for parking outside of major cities. But lodging markets are intensely local, and what happens in Vegas has nothing to do with Orlando (although I question your numbers... when we were pricing a trip to Vegas, we were looking at the Bellagio for around $250/nt; none of Disney's resorts have five-star status on the major booking sites, but the four-star Poly is $500+).

But I digress. Disney already charges a very steep premium for their resorts compared to comparable-quality properties in the area... at least 50%, maybe as much as 100% depending on how you define the quality of accommodations. To say that because the $150/nt I-Drive hotel of "moderate" quality charges for parking, the $250/nt Disney-owned moderate should too is disingenuous.

I totally agree. I don't ever mind paying extra for something if its worth it. I go to Christmas Party or Halloween Party because I believe I get my value out of it but there is nothing I am getting out of paying for a parking spot that is still not guaranteed to be there when I return. Now if my room was assigned a parking spot that was near my room and no one can take it over my stay then I will gladly pay for it with a smile.

 

[loveshak22]

But it is an overreaction if 91-168 dollars is far too much for people. How do they cope with places like Las Vegas or other large tourist location that charge almost as much per night and have higher parking fees?

But that's what people are saying, you can't compare Disney to other tourist places because Disney gets money out of you for all parts of the vacation. You can get to Vegas and pay $150 for a nice hotel, easily. Then it's up to you what you want to pay to do. You can go to another hotel and gamble or stay and play at your resort and watch shows. You can walk the strip for free or hang out by the pool or pay for tours. At Disney, for the most part, on top of your room where most are over $150, you're also having to pay Disney for a park ticket for every day you are there, not even counting the money you spend in the parks. And you're definitely not getting free drinks in the parks like sitting at the penny slots!

Now, if we want to use Vegas as the example, and assume all of Vegas is controlled as one entity like WDW, imagine you had to start paying to even get into a casino or to pay to get on the strip and see the Bellagio fountains or Pirate show. And then add to that, let's say they started doing special events in the casino or on the strip so that even if you did pay you'd get less hours to tour/play. And let's say they made all $5.00 tables into $20 tables and penny slots all became $1.00 slots. And let's say Vegas decided to upgrade 1/2 of the strip and so 1/2 was under construction but the prices all went up as well.

Add to that, in most places like Vegas, you get loyalty points for staying and playing at the property to use for future trips. Not so at Disney. I can spend $5k there every year and that never can be used for points for future stays.

I didn't ever believe parking at Disney was free but part of the high priced resort costs. So adding parking has just angered people because it is on top of many, many changes over the last 5 years that have led to more money for less value.

If someone visits Disney every 5 years these changes probably wouldn't even be noticeable, but for people who have been going to Disney regularly for years it's like death by a thousand paper cuts.

 

[Rich M]

But that's what people are saying, you can't compare Disney to other tourist places because Disney gets money out of you for all parts of the vacation. You can get to Vegas and pay $150 for a nice hotel, easily. Then it's up to you what you want to pay to do. You can go to another hotel and gamble or stay and play at your resort and watch shows. You can walk the strip for free or hang out by the pool or pay for tours. At Disney, for the most part, on top of your room where most are over $150, you're also having to pay Disney for a park ticket for every day you are there, not even counting the money you spend in the parks. And you're definitely not getting free drinks in the parks like sitting at the penny slots!

Now, if we want to use Vegas as the example, and assume all of Vegas is controlled as one entity like WDW, imagine you had to start paying to even get into a casino or to pay to get on the strip and see the Bellagio fountains or Pirate show. And then add to that, let's say they started doing special events in the casino or on the strip so that even if you did pay you'd get less hours to tour/play. And let's say they made all $5.00 tables into $20 tables and penny slots all became $1.00 slots. And let's say Vegas decided to upgrade 1/2 of the strip and so 1/2 was under construction but the prices all went up as well.

Add to that, in most places like Vegas, you get loyalty points for staying and playing at the property to use for future trips. Not so at Disney. I can spend $5k there every year and that never can be used for points for future stays.

I didn't ever believe parking at Disney was free but part of the high priced resort costs. So adding parking has just angered people because it is on top of many, many changes over the last 5 years that have led to more money for less value.

If someone visits Disney every 5 years these changes probably wouldn't even be noticeable, but for people who have been going to Disney regularly for years it's like death by a thousand paper cuts.

That was probably the best comparison I have seen on here.

 

[ZuuL]

But that's what people are saying, you can't compare Disney to other tourist places because Disney gets money out of you for all parts of the vacation. You can get to Vegas and pay $150 for a nice hotel, easily. Then it's up to you what you want to pay to do. You can go to another hotel and gamble or stay and play at your resort and watch shows. You can walk the strip for free or hang out by the pool or pay for tours. At Disney, for the most part, on top of your room where most are over $150, you're also having to pay Disney for a park ticket for every day you are there, not even counting the money you spend in the parks. And you're definitely not getting free drinks in the parks like sitting at the penny slots!

Now, if we want to use Vegas as the example, and assume all of Vegas is controlled as one entity like WDW, imagine you had to start paying to even get into a casino or to pay to get on the strip and see the Bellagio fountains or Pirate show. And then add to that, let's say they started doing special events in the casino or on the strip so that even if you did pay you'd get less hours to tour/play. And let's say they made all $5.00 tables into $20 tables and penny slots all became $1.00 slots. And let's say Vegas decided to upgrade 1/2 of the strip and so 1/2 was under construction but the prices all went up as well.

Add to that, in most places like Vegas, you get loyalty points for staying and playing at the property to use for future trips. Not so at Disney. I can spend $5k there every year and that never can be used for points for future stays.

I didn't ever believe parking at Disney was free but part of the high priced resort costs. So adding parking has just angered people because it is on top of many, many changes over the last 5 years that have led to more money for less value.

If someone visits Disney every 5 years these changes probably wouldn't even be noticeable, but for people who have been going to Disney regularly for years it's like death by a thousand paper cuts.

I go to Disney every year as well, I just take it as it is. If people want to pay their premium prices they do and if they don't they don't. Same goes for the parking. If complaining didn't stop Disney from rising prices year after year, why do people think it will change now? Its just complaining to complain at this point. It falls on deaf ears of the Disney execs.

Will this New change hurt them? probably not. But only time will tell.

(Sorry to all if I seem rude or aggressive at all during my posts )

 

[Arielfan98]

I go to Disney every year as well, I just take it as it is. If people want to pay their premium prices they do and if they don't they don't. Same goes for the parking. If complaining didn't stop Disney from rising prices year after year, why do people think it will change now? Its just complaining to complain at this point. It falls on deaf ears of the Disney execs.

Will this New change hurt them? probably not. But only time will tell.

(Sorry to all if I seem rude or aggressive at all during my posts )

I didn't take your posts as rude, but I think you are missing essential points. Now, I don't expect you to agree with us and I respect your opinion. I am just hoping you at least understand why we are upset about this and see it as a last straw. A lot of us dedicated Disney fans are well aware of the premium prices and we have willingly paid for them each year as they increase. However, please do not mistake those increased prices with this completely unnecessary overnight parking fee. I believe that at first Disney won't do anything about it, but I also believe if they see loss in profit as a result of this (which has a fair chance of occurring), they will stop it. This has just a left a bad taste in my mouth and I know I'm not the only one. There is something to be said when a majority of Disney fans view this as a last straw.

 

[loveshak22]

I go to Disney every year as well, I just take it as it is. If people want to pay their premium prices they do and if they don't they don't. Same goes for the parking. If complaining didn't stop Disney from rising prices year after year, why do people think it will change now? Its just complaining to complain at this point. It falls on deaf ears of the Disney execs.

Will this New change hurt them? probably not. But only time will tell.

(Sorry to all if I seem rude or aggressive at all during my posts )

I don't take it as rude and I think many people may think the same as you and that it's just an additional cost to add to your vacation and move on with life - LOL!

Will Disney execs change their mind because of the complaining? Doubtful.

Is there a valid reason for many to complain though? Yes. To many this is a valid reason to voice their complaints because it's been never-ending that services and perks and quality are decreasing and there's always some other price increase. Truly, it seems non-stop. And I feel like there is such an outcry over the parking fees that seem small to some, because they just raised park tickets and resort fees and APH costs and then this is 'oh by the way'...

And there are a lot of rumors about bigger changes coming that are going to increase costs again. So sandwiched between the recent increases and potential larger rumored changes throw in this 'nickel and dime' parking changes and this 'overreacting' is the result.

And for Disney fanatics, it's also time to start watching for Fall discounts, which should hit mid-April after this takes effect. And hopes aren't high based on last year's discounts changes that Disney is going to be too generous this year. So for people hoping for some small discount they now have to plan for this increase cost that will eat into that savings.

 

[Disneylover99]

I go to Disney every year as well, I just take it as it is. If people want to pay their premium prices they do and if they don't they don't. Same goes for the parking. If complaining didn't stop Disney from rising prices year after year, why do people think it will change now? Its just complaining to complain at this point. It falls on deaf ears of the Disney execs.

Will this New change hurt them? probably not. But only time will tell.

(Sorry to all if I seem rude or aggressive at all during my posts )

It seems to fall on deaf ears, but maybe not. Do I think they will reverse this parking fee? No. But I do think they were unexpectedly hit with a big backlash and they'll think twice before hitting us with any additional fees like this in the near future. At least I hope so.

 

[DisFanDad]

I really wish people would stop saying "most hotels charge for parking" that is demonstrably false. Most Orlando hotels ? Perhaps. But not most hotels.

 

[firefly_ris]

WDW also has the gift of an enormous amount of space, whereas hotels charging hefty parking fees in the middle of a city where space is at a premium is a little more understandable.

 

[HopperFan]

I go to Disney every year as well, I just take it as it is. If people want to pay their premium prices they do and if they don't they don't. Same goes for the parking. If complaining didn't stop Disney from rising prices year after year, why do people think it will change now? Its just complaining to complain at this point. It falls on deaf ears of the Disney execs.

Will this New change hurt them? probably not. But only time will tell.

(Sorry to all if I seem rude or aggressive at all during my posts )

I think you are missing some of the conversation ..............

I don't think anyone really thinks Disney will back track or change their mind. Although I do think they will "waive" it for certain packages as if they are giving it out for free.

The whole point of the poll and thread is how will this impact your Disney travel? Will this last change that now involves money cause folks to change their minds.

Here we are at:
62.3% saying this is going to change their Disney travel plans in some way.
29.3% saying not at all but this is very broad, could mean folks like me who already booked future trips offsite (thanks to security)
8.4% saying other which could also mean a change

I have to say even I am surprised by these numbers. I didn't expect this many to say that enough is enough, that they are open to looking at other lodging options or even other destinations. I don't think I've ever seen a survey on a Disney issue that was this strongly opinionated more or less against Disney. I do think if everyone who is looking to make changes emails Disney to let them know, they may have some thinking to do about the future ......... because in a few years of folks staying offsite they may find the dollars diluted, heading into other parks, restaurants, shops etc.

I really wish people would stop saying "most hotels charge for parking" that is demonstrably false. Most Orlando hotels ? Perhaps. But not most hotels.

YUP! I stay at many Disney area hotels and timeshares that do not charge for parking .... or charge so little on top of their lower nightly rate that it doesn't even register. I have 3 trips book, all 10 minute drives to parks, all in Lake Buena Vista .... only one is charging me, $10, but the suite and amenities I am getting for $70 less per night than POP Century ... peanuts I'd gladly pay.