Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[nkereina]

The savings can be quite significant, depending on where you’re moving from on property to where you’re moving off property. I’m paying $431 per night to stay at the Poly in October (with no parking fee since I’m already booked). I did a little perusing yesterday out of curiosity and found several offsite choices that, even factoring in parking at the parks, were significantly cheaper (between $100-200 per night in most cases). If I were moving from, say ASM, then no, I probably wouldn’t save anything. I see very little convenience to being in the Disney bubble - there are several off-site hotels just as close to the parks as the on-site hotels.

That parking fee at the parks is nothing compared to what you can save and can get offsite. Convenience? I can leave MK at closing and be in bed in my suite before I would likely even get on a bus for any value and some moderates. And I don't have to stand waiting or riding. Last trip other than MK and a transfer day ........ we drove to the parks because it is faster and easier and no waiting around. Nothing else about my perks involves convenience.

The bubble is literally disappearing before our eyes ... when Disney starts nickel and diming my bill, when every room renovation looks like your Hiltons and Marriotts, when towers of rooms are built overshadowing what was once beautifully themed resorts, when dogs are wandering the food courts and pooping in the gardens, when strange men are demanding to enter my room with me uninvited............ talk about a burst bubble. And that doesn't include the shoulder to shoulder crowds in the parks because virtually no one is turned away, way more real world exposure than I deal with in my real life. Sadly Disney is crossing over from theme park resort to amusement park & hotel mentality.

I will assume you have never stayed offsite .... I do both, often. I have over 135 stays onsite, maybe half that offsite. Spring break, for almost half the price of what I was quoted for POP Century I am in a two room suite with some rooms having fireworks views (I can actually go online and choose these with no extra fee), bedroom & living room with kitchenette, microwave and fridge, beautifully appointed, interior hallway, laundry on each floor if I need, fitness center, arcade, shop, very nice and reasonable table service, free breakfast buffet that is amazing with cooked to order eggs and omelets, free evening reception with snacks beer wine alcoholic drinks, lovely peaceful pool and hot tub, outside seasonal bar, inside lounge, grocery across the street, close by dining ......... 10 minutes parking lot to theme park parking lot. One breakfast alone pays for two days parking for our family.

If I want more of a resort feel ............. I have had two bedroom, kitchen, laundry, balcony with fireworks view in Wyndham Bonnet Creek (practically on property) for around $85 a night, that parking fee means nothing.

And the list goes on ............. LOTS AND LOTS offsite. What my one bedroom vs the one bedroom at AoA can save me in ONE NIGHT = 10 days or more in parking fees.

I get if you never stay offsite you can't imagine what you can get there is a better deal but there are truly places offsite that make it two vacations in one and leave you lots of extra cash to do lots of extra things or take another vacation. The "perks" of onsite simply go out the window .............. if you have a car or are close enough to utilize uber/lyft. Very few places would I stay if I needed their shuttle.

All good points, but what I said in my post is that the person who would normally stay on-site and is now going off-site SOLELY because of parking fees may come out disappointed. So its a little different. While they may save money and have these amenities you speak of, they are trading it for the convenience they would find by staying on-site when staying on-site would have been their first choice. I do find on-site resorts to be more convenient, especially for those with young kids that need a quick reprieve - you can't beat walking to two parks from the Epcot area resorts or the monorail. The question then becomes whether that convenience is worth the extra expense, and that's a very personal decision.

We actually did stay off-site a few weeks ago and the traffic and construction is not something we are used to here in upstate NY, so that was a negative for us having to drive. Regardless, like I said in my original post, its going to be different for everyone. I'm not discounting the savings of going off-site, but someone who would typically stay on-site needs to weigh their options before declaring they will go off-site just because of this new fee.

 

[Tink-osophy]

If a bus comes every 20 minutes you’d do about 200/hour on a bus. Gondola will do that is 5 minutes or so.

Remember the big difference is you wait on buses. Gondolas will be coming all the time. I think for morning when people will arrive at staggered times to station it won’t be long lines. After fireworks when a lot of people hit at once probably lines then but everything has lines then.

Thanks Krandor. It was late here and my math brained was switched off! Buses are less consistent in their frequency, too, so, as long as the gondolas run as efficiently as predicted, they should ease the bus system and traffic congestion quite a bit in that area.

Of course, this doesn't excuse Disney's whole outlook over recent years - if only they were answerable to someone with Walt's vision and heart and not just shareholders and career business execs.

ETA: I can see they need to do something about congestion on the WDW road system, but if that was their motivation for the parking fee, they'd be shouting it pretty loudly right now and letting us know about improvements to their bus system to compensate.

Also ETA: If they respected and cared about their resort guests (their high-paying customers at every resort level) they'd be charging non-resort guests even more to park there. After all, if people want to visit the resorts with limited parking there are already other transport options they can use. Even if they have a meal or shop at the resort they're visiting, they're still not paying anything like actual resort guests - resort guests who might like to eat and shop in their own resort more often, given the chance!

 

[sgtdisney]

would love to know why deluxe are charged more to park! well at least all that lovely parking at disney springs will be put to good hse with people leaving their cars there and getting buses to their resorts.

I am guessing Disney is doing this because Universal Orlando is doing it. They have different prices for parking at their hotels. Remember, they want to follow industry standards. So I guess the old statement WWWD (What Would Walt Do) is now WWUD (What Would Universal Do). Who knew Disney would be following Universal's lead?

 

[Robn752]

If I had not already bought $6000 in Disney gift cards I would cancel our trip in September. After this parking fee issue I did a little research. I found out we could go to Hawaii for cheaper than Disney. Stuck this year but next year we are going to Hawaii.

 

[Tink-osophy]

?..And with DtD becoming more like an overpriced outdoor mall, some of the Disney Magic seems to have become lost. What I like about staying on-site is walking around CBR Lake, spending time with my wife and just relaxing when we don't want to go to the parks, eating at some of the restaurants in Epcot and Magic Kingdom to get some of the WDW experience, and for the cost of the food, the portion seems to be getting smaller...and while the parking fees will not kill us, it is the overall costs that are getting outrageous. Raising prices but lowering expectations/service to your guests is getting old.

This says it so well.

I don't think they realise the elements they keep removing from their own product.

 

[disneydreamer781]

What is next, charging for WiFi!

I hope not but to be honest that makes more sense then paying for parking.

 

[Denise W]

I hope not but to be honest that makes more sense then paying for parking.

Disney did charge for WiFi at first. It was about $10 a day.
Denise

 

[Iya]

check this story out by the Motely Fool has some great insights about what Disney might be thinking
www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/m/a94ca0ce-3662-31b3-a5f9-d931b3a7f07e/ss_disney-world%27s-greedy-move-is.html

That story ignores all the people who drive voluntarily. If I live less than 8 hours away, why would I fly?

 

[disneydreamer781]

I'm not happy about these parking fees but this doesn't affects my love of Disney. These are people at the top making these decisions but Disney to me isn't those people. It's more to me than that and I do have some amazing memories. Disney also got both me and a couple of other family members through some tough times in our lives so no parking fee is going to change that. I wouldn't rob my child of having that those same experiences that we had.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Its 15% here. 18 for good service, 20 for exceptional.

Unless it's completely awful service than for us it's 20%.

 

[Iya]

If a bus comes every 20 minutes you’d do about 200/hour on a bus. Gondola will do that is 5 minutes or so.

Remember the big difference is you wait on buses. Gondolas will be coming all the time. I think for morning when people will arrive at staggered times to station it won’t be long lines. After fireworks when a lot of people hit at once probably lines then but everything has lines then.

I"ll believe the 5000 people an hour claim when I see proof. That number is dubious, at best.

 

[Wakey]

UK customers have been told they don't have to pay until 2020.

 

[HopperFan]

check this story out by the Motely Fool has some great insights about what Disney might be thinking
www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/m/a94ca0ce-3662-31b3-a5f9-d931b3a7f07e/ss_disney-world%27s-greedy-move-is.html

I wonder if this is MF's theory of if they have been fed this ............. because it clearly doesn't describe the scenario accurately.

- NO one that is driving door to door will now change their plans to fly and rely on Disney transportation. They all drive for a reason.

- Those who rent a car at the airport ... am sure the majority don't do it because they hate the free bus, they do it because they want a car with them to go grocery shop, to go to outlets, to go to other attractions and theme parks, to eat offsite, to drive to other resorts to eat (since in house transport for that is bad) and because they want to drive to the parks. They rent because that is their style. Make it even more expensive to stay at Disney, these folks who already venture offsite will not be woo'd by Disney to stay onsite without a car ......... it will encourage them to explore their other options, it will let them make that break to stay at the Universal hotels that are a better value, it will have them looking at bigger nicer offsite options.

It doesn't take a big dollar figure to upset folks enough to make them change their plans .............. it's a mentality that Disney has embraced the last year or so and many of us were just waiting for the final straw. It's kinda funny that "we" and I mean myself, continue to tell ourselves that Disney rooms, while very overpriced, are worth it ............. even though I've stayed offsite enough times to know they aren't. I think ticket prices are very fair, I think the parties and upsells are fine, I wish they'd expand EMM to all the parks ................... but this is just that line that shouldn't have been crossed. 47 years and suddenly that piece of hot asphalt that is more than covered in my room rate .............. is monetized.

- Add it while things are going good .... well, just remember that when things are going bad or slow or not so good ................ the people that were your base, your constant, you coverage of the fixed costs ............. are the people you are now ripping off, and they have other options. Disney, you don't own Orlando anymore, time you realize that. Maybe they should leave the bubble and see what else is out there competing with them. Forget all the resorts and hotels being built ............. UNIVERSAL is going to be clipping your heels in a few years with a couple new parks, many more new hotels AND lots of other small things that will directly attack Disney's current offerings. This is not the time to encourage folks to stay offsite, explore their options and wake up to what else is out there.

All good points, but what I said in my post is that the person who would normally stay on-site and is now going off-site SOLELY because of parking fees may come out disappointed. So its a little different. While they may save money and have these amenities you speak of, they are trading it for the convenience they would find by staying on-site when staying on-site would have been their first choice. I do find on-site resorts to be more convenient, especially for those with young kids that need a quick reprieve - you can't beat walking to two parks from the Epcot area resorts or the monorail. The question then becomes whether that convenience is worth the extra expense, and that's a very personal decision.

We actually did stay off-site a few weeks ago and the traffic and construction is not something we are used to here in upstate NY, so that was a negative for us having to drive. Regardless, like I said in my original post, its going to be different for everyone. I'm not discounting the savings of going off-site, but someone who would typically stay on-site needs to weigh their options before declaring they will go off-site just because of this new fee.

The folks who are being impacted by this are folks with cars who are already driving to and from and around Disney. They already know what is out there, they already know what the roads look like. They are not going to "not" get a car because of the parking fee.

It's not the amount of the fee that is solely having people look at options ... it's the last straw that is now an additional inflation of room rate. The room rates stopped the seasonal, when they went seasonal/weeknight/weekend and now they have even added Sunday and Thursday to a higher tier. They advertise their lowest price each night but then when you actually book you find your room costs much more. Many have tired of the evolving changes .... less EMH, more & more crowded buses, poor housekeeping particularly at the lower tier hotels as we are sure their hotel shortage is being managed there to keep housekeeping at the deluxe, the addition of dogs, security invasions ......... this was a last straw, not a solely. It's like I finally have permission to stop paying them more than they are worth.

And I don't think they/we are trading for any convenience if they stay in proximity. Again, I am in my bed at my offsite options at the end of the night before I ever get on a bus for POP. The only truly convenient hotels are the monorail resorts and the Epcot resorts and even they have flaws such a being forced to ride two monorails to get to Epcot or having a long walk or long boat ride to DHS. Overall the rest of the resorts are not convenient at all to parks when you depend on buses or small boats. BUT for someone with no car of course it is still a convenience, other than Disney Springs or Bonnet Creek area, I would not stay offsite without a car.

Disney convenience "perks" - I don't get the DDP anymore because it has no dollar for dollar value and it's no more convenient than me using my CC. Actually less because I have to eat by their rules and keep track of my credits. I can eat better for less by paying OOP. Ship to resort, what a pain to have to keep going to gift shop to get my things and have messages on my phone - when I shop I send it to the front of the park and pick it up on the way out. FP+ - we have no problems even day of except for FOP and 7DMT. EMH ........... so few and far between that when you go they are just as crowded as normal hours because there is no disbursement of guests to other parks. MagicBands - have plenty and even then I wear my specialty ones I bought. So ..... no perks for all that money, and more and more folks come on here to complain about what they thought they were getting vs what they actually got.

Currently Magical Express is a perk, for those who fly and have no interest in having a car. That will not change. What will change is those who have cars because they want cars ... and now that last straw has folks at a point to see how much nicer their hotel/lodging can be if they look offsite.

There are some resorts out there that shine huge over Disney, there are hotels out there with same rates that are leaps and bounds way better than Disney. Driving my own car to parking lot ready to go when I am VS waiting for a bus that will possibly/probably be crowded leaving me standing and eating up maybe 4 times more time .... is not a negative, and it is actually a convenience. I understand that for you, offsite is not an option. That is okay, everyone should do what is best for them. But I would never presume that people would be disappointed just because I would be.

 

[disneydreamer781]

I hope Disney steps up their bus service then. It was downright awful on the last trip we had without a car. They may not bother though because they want people to take the Minnie Van but I have to wonder how many Minnie vans will be available. Hard to believe there's that many. So they let day guests park but not registered guests? I'm still trying to wrap my head about that one.

 

[Fldisneyfamily4321]

Well after a day of thinking I’m cancelling my reservations. Although I was already booked it didn’t affect me. I’m not mad. It’s called it’s their business and they can do what they want. We have been repeat customers for a long time. Time to move on and explore more of our great nation. They will replace me with someone else and I doubt they even notice. I just decided to spend my yearly 6-10,000 elsewhere. Expensive habit anyways.

I’m not making threats of staying off property. Y’all have to realize you are still giving them money going to the parks and eating the food. I’m completely not going to Disney.

So true ! I spent 10 days in England for under 4,000 including very nice hotels and airfare! I have already paid our April trip ( and did get a nice upgrade ) so I will still take that trip but after I am not renewing our AP ( fl resident) and sticking to DCL which I enjoy more then parks and will go other destinations... over the price hikes for what you get ...

 

[trvlgirlmq]

Thank you Disney for finally giving me the push to go offsite again. Hate the dog policy, hate the "security" theatre and refuse to pay inflated motel rates plus parking.

We had planned to rent DVC points (I know I would get free parking but it's the principle) for 10 nights and it would be about $3100 for a studio at BWI. I can rent a 3bed/2bath condo for 14 nights for $1863! More than $1000 difference. The kids have been asking to go see HP stuff at Universal. I just found the money.

 

[JakAHearts]

I'm not happy about these parking fees but this doesn't affects my love of Disney. These are people at the top making these decisions but Disney to me isn't those people. It's more to me than that and I do have some amazing memories. Disney also got both me and a couple of other family members through some tough times in our lives so no parking fee is going to change that. I wouldn't rob my child of having that those same experiences that we had.

Same here. It doesn't make me happy and I will think about it every night when I go to park my car, but I will still go. I did write a light hearted email though just to make sure I was part of the voice. Don't think I didn't start it out "I'm trying to stay all Hakuna Matata about this parking fee thing..."

 

[Cinerama261]

But your timeshare rental fee is what $199 for the week?

54,000 RCI points, RCI fee $229 and $49 a day for parking.

 

[lambdabeta]

I agree. Just adding $24 a night to a week long stay is not cheap and needs to be evaluated with planning costs. My room at Bay Lake Tower is more expensive than a room at the Four Seasons. It'll probably be my last stay on property for a while. I just don't understand why they didn't just increase the prices of their hotels. People expect those to go up and wouldn't have complained at all, but doing it this way makes the charge in your face and a ton of people are complaining to them

They did raise room rates in February. They went up $15-20/night. This is on top of that.

 

[focusondisney]

If schools book their resort rooms as convention rates (I don't know if they do) then they will not pay the parking fee. At least for now, convention rate resort guests do not pay the parking fee.

Is that exemption listed somewhere? And does that include people who book travel agent deals that are booked convention rates but aren't attending an onsite convention?