No more Resort Parking Fees for resort guests , effective now 👍

[RoseGold]

Not sure what you mean. DVC members are not exempt. They pay parking fees for cash stays and annual fees for point stays.

Parking is in DVC dues, but not in hotel rack rate.

To make the 40% DISCOUNT math work, they need rack rate to be higher, as it used to be.

 

[Juliet25]

As it should be. No reason to pay to park in a lot that was half empty. Central FL isn’t NYC.

 

[gottalovepluto]

As it should be. No reason to pay to park in a lot that was half empty. Central FL isn’t NYC.

I noticed Disneyland had no such announcement

 

[gottalovepluto]

No to be a cynic but I do have to wonder what’s in it for Disney here.

The administrative hassle and complications finally too much? Reports of errors in charging were somewhat frequent. Factor in the variables of cash guests that do pay, DVC guests that don’t, maybe you don’t have a vehicle the whole time, etc, etc that I’m sure caused administrative challenges for CMs. The whole system was never particularly well run, IMHO.

D’Amaro said it was due to guest feedback in a NYT interview today. I call baloney but that’s the official line and they are sticking to it, it wasn’t just the parks blog.

I think they’re either seeing a decent drop off in bookings for spring & don’t want own up to it or they’ve opened more hotel inventory and want to fill it (I am not convinced they operated the hotels at full capacity this last year).

 

[gottalovepluto]

. If occupancy continues to struggle the way TAs and ITKs are saying it is, I would expect more perks to return. I would have never thought they'd roll back parking fees so I feel like almost anything is on the table now, even some kind of DME return.

Interesting, didn’t realize even the TAs were seeing the drop but they really are the front line for seeing that sort of thing.

I was SHOCKED when I read the news yesterday. Wasn’t even on my radar as something they would ever change.

 

[SL6827]

D’Amaro said it was due to guest feedback in a NYT interview today. I call baloney but that’s the official line and they are sticking to it, it wasn’t just the parks blog.

I think they’re either seeing a decent drop off in bookings for spring & don’t want own up to it or they’ve opened more hotel inventory and want to fill it (I am not convinced they operated the hotels at full capacity this last year).

Bingo!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't disagree with the premise of it was a hassle to have it because I think it was. It's been pretty well reported how they were not the best at tracking the vehicles and assigning it to the correct folio. I also don't disagree about them reviewing the hotel bookings but I think it was over a much longer time period and not just thinking about spring or summer bookings but rather how the pandemic has affected it as well. I also don't disagree that it could also be using customer complaints.

The thing about something like this is you sorta gotta stick with it. Paid vs free overnight parking isn't a yo-yo "as needed" type of charge so I think it's a combination of many things. It must have though been a change they felt they could absorb over the long-term (not even sure how much of a money maker it truly was though...) to formerly announce they will be removing the fee.

 

[kylenne]

Interesting, didn’t realize even the TAs were seeing the drop but they really are the front line for seeing that sort of thing.

I was SHOCKED when I read the news yesterday. Wasn’t even on my radar as something they would ever change.

Same. Our TA has said a few times before that she’s seeing way more availability in 2023 than at this time last year, across resorts and levels.

She’s with one of the “agency exclusive rate” agencies too and now I wonder if we’ll actually see the return of those too. Even before the pandemic closures Disney was pumping the brakes on those group convention blocks, dates and resorts had gotten much more limited and savings not as big as in the past, they also stopped offering tickets altogether. We still stuck with her just because she’s fantastic and I hate waiting on hold with Disney but the price advantage over standard discounts had all but dried up. I never expected them to come back but I also never expected them to go back on the parking fees.

 

[_19disnA]

I am sure the Disney executives will likely 'spin' these sorts of changes to suit their purpose. I seem to recall when they first announced the various Genie options it was to 'improve customer experience' when the real reason was to try and generate more $$$. If the real reason for the parking change is they see advance bookings and/or park attendance slowing they certainly will never admit that. TA's who have a lot of Disney experience are probably a good barometer of how things are actually going.

 

[thanxfornoticin]

I wonder what percentage of guests this change actually impacts? Non-DVC resort guests staying with a car?

I'm with many posters here, though - never saw them rolling back the parking fees. I thought there was a much better chance they'd start charging DVC guests before they'd eliminate it! This had to bring in a lot of money daily/weekly/monthly for Disney.

 

[_19disnA]

My guess is since Iger has returned he probably commanded those working for him to come up with some ideas that have minimal cost impact (positive or negative) to try and generate some positive PR.

 

[Cynt]

Yay on the parking! That change never made sense to me.
I don't mind paying for Genie Plus, but anything over $20 a day seems excessive. I don't like the fluctuating prices. I also liked it when you can add on to your ticket when purchasing. Last October's trip was so much easier than what it's going to be this year having to buy it daily.

I'm glad they dropped the resort parking. DUMB!! But the fluctuating prices drive me crazy. Charge a flat rate and be done with it. Average all the different rates for the year and charge that. AARRGGHH!!!

 

[georgina]

I wonder what percentage of guests this change actually impacts? Non-DVC resort guests staying with a car?

No idea, but people who live in Florida and nearby states do drive their personal cars to Disney. We usually rent one because DH hates the buses. My next trip is offsite anyways.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

No idea, but people who live in Florida and nearby states do drive their personal cars to Disney. We usually rent one because DH hates the buses. My next trip is offsite anyways.

We live 8 hours away and always drive to WDW, but my DH would much rather take the bus than drive to the parks, for him that is part of the vacation. We have been lucky and have not been charged for parking the 2 trips since they started charging. We are doing a WDW/US trip in March and now only have to pay at US for parking, which stinks but their resort rates are so much better than WDW that it more than makes up for it, plus, their buses are much better and then you add the free EP for staying in one of their premium resorts.
Now if WDW can do something where we do not have to get up early to pay for G+ and reserve a top tier ride that would be great.

 

[stinkpickle]

I think they’re either seeing a decent drop off in bookings for spring & don’t want own up to it or they’ve opened more hotel inventory and want to fill it (I am not convinced they operated the hotels at full capacity this last year).

Yeah, I'd bet the pandemic revenge travel surge to Disney is finally fizzling out.

 

[SL6827]

Yeah, I'd bet the pandemic revenge travel surge to Disney is finally fizzling out.

Right. It has to come to an end at some point.

 

[5kidsmommy]

We are planning a last minute WDW trip since my husband has a business trip in Florida and he asked if I wanted to do a couple days at Disney while we were down there. Of course I said yes. We went twice in 2020, one pre-pandemic and once in September and we haven't been back since. We have had a couple Universal trips since then but I missed Disney. Usually we rent DVC or stay at the Fort in our camper so the parking fee wasn't an issue for us.

I had planned on staying offsite on this trip since it's only two days but they had a discount for our dates and without the parking fee it's actually cheaper than the offsite hotel we had planned. Not quite as nice as a room since it's a value resort but since they got rid of the parking fee we are doing it. I would have stayed offsite if we would have had to pay for parking. This change is a welcome surprise plus being able to get a discount a month out is also a nice surprise.

Yeah I assume trips are down for a lot of people but this works out for me.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

It's a step that makes me think that maybe some trip in the future won't feel like Mickey is hanging me over the railing shaking out my loose change.

Mickey has henchmen for that...

 

[JeffjonesHfx]

Question?? I see that Disney's policy for parking at a resort if you're not staying on-property is stated as "Standard self-parking is complimentary for day Guests while they enjoy select dining, shopping, entertainment and recreation experiences at Disney Resort hotels."

I can see how this works for resorts that require ADRs or have entertainment (e.g. Hoop-Dee-Doo) as that is easy to confirm and has times attached to it, but what about resorts like POP? We have friends staying at POP and we are off-property at Flamingo Crossing. We intend to pick them up each day at POP to go to the parks. I assume its not a hassle to just drive in, pick-up and leave, but, what if we would rather take the Skyliner to HS instead of driving? Can we leave our car at POP for the day, without worry? Also, our friends won't have a vehicle, so their entitlement to free parking won't be used on another car? Any ideas on the best way to share the use of the car during the day and avoid hassle/fees from Disney (resort or parks)?

 

[musicguy856]

Question?? I see that Disney's policy for parking at a resort if you're not staying on-property is stated as "Standard self-parking is complimentary for day Guests while they enjoy select dining, shopping, entertainment and recreation experiences at Disney Resort hotels."

I can see how this works for resorts that require ADRs or have entertainment (e.g. Hoop-Dee-Doo) as that is easy to confirm and has times attached to it, but what about resorts like POP? We have friends staying at POP and we are off-property at Flamingo Crossing. We intend to pick them up each day at POP to go to the parks. I assume its not a hassle to just drive in, pick-up and leave, but, what if we would rather take the Skyliner to HS instead of driving? Can we leave our car at POP for the day, without worry? Also, our friends won't have a vehicle, so their entitlement to free parking won't be used on another car? Any ideas on the best way to share the use of the car during the day and avoid hassle/fees from Disney (resort or parks)?

If you give them the info of who is staying there they should let you in. They don’t use parking passes so staying there for the day shouldn't be a problem.