Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[over50visits]

After reading these replies, I find it funny people are willing to throw something they like/love over a parking fee. I fully understand how expensive to stay onsite and prices go up each Year.... but this of all things they’ve done, it’s this you guys are angry at. Maybe I’ve never let myself to become jaded on what Disney is as a whole and just figured I should expect these things to happen whether I like them or not....

I disagree it is over a parking fee. I believe many are already disappointed at the year-after-year additional fees/reduction in service, and for each person something is the final straw.

For many the parking fees on top of rate hikes for already overpriced hotels is the final straw, some already gave up before now, and others will give up in the future with the next increase (resort fees, fastpass fees, ME fees, lots of possibilities).

It's easy to list the various straws over the years. Loss of non expiring tickets, removal of tips included in DDP (a hidden 20% increase in cost), onsite parking price almost unbelievably high, paying extra for good view of parades and fireworks, ticket price increase far in excess of inflation (no matter how many parks there are you can only do so much in 24 hours), etc.

People aren't reducing giving up on Disney because of resort parking fees, it's just finally putting some over the tipping point.

 

[KenHutch]

What I fear the most if this policy is kept how long before the same bean counter looks at DME and goes hmmm gas costs money and there is a another fee for us. We will make it cheaper than the parking fee so they can't complain or retaliate by driving. And after that resort fees. I am betting they are already trying to figure out how to charge a resort fee for places like AKL (they look at OUR animals) or BC/Yacht after all why should they swim for free. And we will be told its OK its industry standard.

 

[bluecastle]

It takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to drive to Disney from my home. While it would be possible for me to fly, it would be wildly impractical, time-wise and cost-wise. I pretty much have to have my car with me at Disney in order to get myself and my family there.

We have APs and take many day trips, but we prefer spending a night (or more) on property. We really enjoy the resorts. We've stayed in almost all of them. When I get the Disney "urge," I will often check and see what's available for that night, book a room, and surprise the kids. I do that probably 4 or 5 times a year. In this manner, I am procuring a room that was pretty definitely going to go untenanted that night if I had not paid for it. A win for Disney, and for me.

Disney has its flaws. I've noticed. The creme brulee at the patisserie has gotten more expensive at the same time it has gotten significantly smaller. Just a few years ago we enjoyed amazing evenings in the parks in January/February and September/October when crowds were so light it felt like we had the parks to ourselves. That NEVER happens anymore. Ride lines are longer because they don't run the full ride during slower times. But I've always seen Disney as a glass half-full. An $8 pretzel--well, a pretzel tastes so much better at Disney! A $300 character meal--with Mickey! Overwhelming crowds--so many people experiencing the Disney magic, yay! Overflowing trash cans--well, I'm only noticing this because the parks in general are so clean that it stands out in contrast. A horrible website with awful IT, incredibly uninformed phone CMs, someone who WORKS at Beach Club not being able to tell me where their laundry room is--welllll, not everything about Disney can be perfect. I rationalized, I justified, I made excuses, and I tolerated everything that was wrong with Disney because I truly loved everything that was right.

I can't rationalize the resort parking fee. I just can't find a way to make this ok. This is cognitive dissonance at its finest. I LOVE Disney, I want to continue to love Disney, but they're making it SO HARD! It's like being hit by a boyfriend you're crazy about. You want to excuse his behavior--it was just this one time, he'll never do it again, you must have made him really mad, he's just sensitive--because you love him so much, but he HIT you!

I'll still go to Disney. For now, anyway. We have reservations for 6 nights at the end of May. We'll still go. But I'll never pay for parking. And I'm afraid I won't be looking at Disney from a glass half-full perspective anymore. A $300 character meal will just be an overpriced, mediocre lunch with people dressed up in costumes--easy to pass that up. I don't care to add any more Disney t-shirts to my collection. I wouldn't say my love for Disney has gone, but the feeling has...changed. I had to call in to Disney on Tuesday to make some modifications and I was on hold listening to some Disney "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" music. I would usually hum along in the Disney spirit, but this time I just found it annoying and artificially cheerful. I went online to make some ADRs for our trip, but I ended up just saying forget it, I don't want to give Disney any more of my money. We'll still eat, but it won't be dessert parties and character meals.

I wrote an email and in return got a form letter that didn't even address my concerns. It made me feel even worse. I do think writing in is worthwhile, because while I don't think they're going to backtrack on this, it may give them pause before they initiate any more changes. "Time to raise prices? Uh, maybe not so soon after all the backlash about parking fees. Start charging resort fees? Uh, remember the fallout from the parking fees?" I don't want them to forget this anytime soon. I know I won't.

We won't be renewing our APs next year.

This was perfect!!! It expresses exactly how I feel. Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. I only wish that Disney execs were reading it and realizing this is true for so many people. And I wish even more that they cared. I have always found ways to maintain my rose-colored glasses status and I honestly cannot believe that something as seemingly small as this has finally opened my eyes. Thanks again!

 

[bluecastle]

If you haven't watched Tuesday's DIS unplugged podcast on this subject, please do. Pete makes the case for families like mine who drive, and Ryno goes even further, bringing everyone to tears. It made me feel better knowing there are others who are not just angry about this, but sad about the direction Disney is going. I am not ready to let go completely, but I know that unless WDW dedicates itself to the quality experience it once was, my future trips are going to be planned with the rose-colored glasses off.

 

[patster734]

I didn’t email Disney, because I don’t believe Disney will drop the parking fees based upon email complaints, but I don’t begrudge those that did. IMO, Disney will only make a change if they are hit financially, and with Toy Story Land opening this year, and Star Wars Land next year, I’m sure they anticipate an increase in hotel occupancy even with the parking fee, and with many of us exploring offsite options.

For me personally, I typically use ME, so the parking fee wouldn’t impact me. But the parking fee, in addition to recent decline of quality paired with an increase in price, and future anticipated fees, I decided that my expected split Disney/Universal stay in September would be a full stay at Universal. And when I checked rates for Universal’s Royal Pacific, staying 7 nights instead of 3 nights dropped the rate $70 per night average ($184 vs $254) on the Stay More Save More discount. Because I have a Disney AP, I plan to spend 1 day at Epcot for Food and Wine, and another day park hopping between AK and DHS, but I will Uber/Lyft both days from Royal Pacific.

 

[dachsie]

If you haven't watched Tuesday's DIS unplugged podcast on this subject, please do. Pete makes the case for families like mine who drive, and Ryno goes even further, bringing everyone to tears. It made me feel better knowing there are others who are not just angry about this, but sad about the direction Disney is going. I am not ready to let go completely, but I know that unless WDW dedicates itself to the quality experience it once was, my future trips are going to be planned with the rose-colored glasses off.

Where do you watch it? Link?

 

[cckp72]

In my email to Disney I mentioned we rent a car due to my mobility issues. I really should not have said that because it really doesn't have anything to do with the issue at hand. Anyway, in my reply to their reply, I made that abundantly clear. However, this part of their initial reply to me was quite interesting:

In your email, you share that when you visit the Central Florida area, you rent a car due to mobility concerns. Please know that even with this new policy, valet service at our deluxe resorts remains complimentary for all Guests with disabilities.

I said in my first email that we stay at moderates. I also thought that anyone who had a disability pass would get free overnight parking regardless of where they are staying onsite. This goes against that.

I think they threw this out this new policy hastily, as a cash grab, without thinking it all the way through and now they are scrambling to justify and try to put processes and rules around it. It's not washing with me. I replied quite harshly back. And I am never one to complain, I mean, ever but this I can't let go.

 

[DISNEY1975]

If that's the case, then I could envision a thrifty Brazilian Tour Group getting a single rental, pulling up to one of the Values and then all 40 or so of them piling out of it like one of those clown cars at the circus (while chanting and clapping, of course).

[/MEDIA]

??? How about a thrifty American group, or thrifty German group, or thrifty Asian group? Not sure what you mean about chanting and clapping.

 

[Tink-osophy]

It takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to drive to Disney from my home. While it would be possible for me to fly, it would be wildly impractical, time-wise and cost-wise. I pretty much have to have my car with me at Disney in order to get myself and my family there.

We have APs and take many day trips, but we prefer spending a night (or more) on property. We really enjoy the resorts. We've stayed in almost all of them. When I get the Disney "urge," I will often check and see what's available for that night, book a room, and surprise the kids. I do that probably 4 or 5 times a year. In this manner, I am procuring a room that was pretty definitely going to go untenanted that night if I had not paid for it. A win for Disney, and for me.

Disney has its flaws. I've noticed. The creme brulee at the patisserie has gotten more expensive at the same time it has gotten significantly smaller. Just a few years ago we enjoyed amazing evenings in the parks in January/February and September/October when crowds were so light it felt like we had the parks to ourselves. That NEVER happens anymore. Ride lines are longer because they don't run the full ride during slower times. But I've always seen Disney as a glass half-full. An $8 pretzel--well, a pretzel tastes so much better at Disney! A $300 character meal--with Mickey! Overwhelming crowds--so many people experiencing the Disney magic, yay! Overflowing trash cans--well, I'm only noticing this because the parks in general are so clean that it stands out in contrast. A horrible website with awful IT, incredibly uninformed phone CMs, someone who WORKS at Beach Club not being able to tell me where their laundry room is--welllll, not everything about Disney can be perfect. I rationalized, I justified, I made excuses, and I tolerated everything that was wrong with Disney because I truly loved everything that was right.

I can't rationalize the resort parking fee. I just can't find a way to make this ok. This is cognitive dissonance at its finest. I LOVE Disney, I want to continue to love Disney, but they're making it SO HARD! It's like being hit by a boyfriend you're crazy about. You want to excuse his behavior--it was just this one time, he'll never do it again, you must have made him really mad, he's just sensitive--because you love him so much, but he HIT you!

I'll still go to Disney. For now, anyway. We have reservations for 6 nights at the end of May. We'll still go. But I'll never pay for parking. And I'm afraid I won't be looking at Disney from a glass half-full perspective anymore. A $300 character meal will just be an overpriced, mediocre lunch with people dressed up in costumes--easy to pass that up. I don't care to add any more Disney t-shirts to my collection. I wouldn't say my love for Disney has gone, but the feeling has...changed. I had to call in to Disney on Tuesday to make some modifications and I was on hold listening to some Disney "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" music. I would usually hum along in the Disney spirit, but this time I just found it annoying and artificially cheerful. I went online to make some ADRs for our trip, but I ended up just saying forget it, I don't want to give Disney any more of my money. We'll still eat, but it won't be dessert parties and character meals.

I wrote an email and in return got a form letter that didn't even address my concerns. It made me feel even worse. I do think writing in is worthwhile, because while I don't think they're going to backtrack on this, it may give them pause before they initiate any more changes. "Time to raise prices? Uh, maybe not so soon after all the backlash about parking fees. Start charging resort fees? Uh, remember the fallout from the parking fees?" I don't want them to forget this anytime soon. I know I won't.

We won't be renewing our APs next year.

Anyone who thinks this is just about a parking fee should read this!

Everyone currently directing the Disney ship should read this. ...Should read this whole thread... But with an open-mind. Not a narrow, closed, all I can see are short-term $$$-mind.

It doesn't say much for the future if the only perceived value is financial. The idea of all the $$$ is that they can be exchanged for something else of value!


Like you, I'm still trying to see Disney as the "uniquely detailed, high-quality specialness" it used to be! I want to believe all this isn't so! ...Because Disney used to be something within society that had great value in exchange for our $$$.

 

[NicoleLarson]

It takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to drive to Disney from my home. While it would be possible for me to fly, it would be wildly impractical, time-wise and cost-wise. I pretty much have to have my car with me at Disney in order to get myself and my family there.

We have APs and take many day trips, but we prefer spending a night (or more) on property. We really enjoy the resorts. We've stayed in almost all of them. When I get the Disney "urge," I will often check and see what's available for that night, book a room, and surprise the kids. I do that probably 4 or 5 times a year. In this manner, I am procuring a room that was pretty definitely going to go untenanted that night if I had not paid for it. A win for Disney, and for me.

Disney has its flaws. I've noticed. The creme brulee at the patisserie has gotten more expensive at the same time it has gotten significantly smaller. Just a few years ago we enjoyed amazing evenings in the parks in January/February and September/October when crowds were so light it felt like we had the parks to ourselves. That NEVER happens anymore. Ride lines are longer because they don't run the full ride during slower times. But I've always seen Disney as a glass half-full. An $8 pretzel--well, a pretzel tastes so much better at Disney! A $300 character meal--with Mickey! Overwhelming crowds--so many people experiencing the Disney magic, yay! Overflowing trash cans--well, I'm only noticing this because the parks in general are so clean that it stands out in contrast. A horrible website with awful IT, incredibly uninformed phone CMs, someone who WORKS at Beach Club not being able to tell me where their laundry room is--welllll, not everything about Disney can be perfect. I rationalized, I justified, I made excuses, and I tolerated everything that was wrong with Disney because I truly loved everything that was right.

I can't rationalize the resort parking fee. I just can't find a way to make this ok. This is cognitive dissonance at its finest. I LOVE Disney, I want to continue to love Disney, but they're making it SO HARD! It's like being hit by a boyfriend you're crazy about. You want to excuse his behavior--it was just this one time, he'll never do it again, you must have made him really mad, he's just sensitive--because you love him so much, but he HIT you!

I'll still go to Disney. For now, anyway. We have reservations for 6 nights at the end of May. We'll still go. But I'll never pay for parking. And I'm afraid I won't be looking at Disney from a glass half-full perspective anymore. A $300 character meal will just be an overpriced, mediocre lunch with people dressed up in costumes--easy to pass that up. I don't care to add any more Disney t-shirts to my collection. I wouldn't say my love for Disney has gone, but the feeling has...changed. I had to call in to Disney on Tuesday to make some modifications and I was on hold listening to some Disney "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" music. I would usually hum along in the Disney spirit, but this time I just found it annoying and artificially cheerful. I went online to make some ADRs for our trip, but I ended up just saying forget it, I don't want to give Disney any more of my money. We'll still eat, but it won't be dessert parties and character meals.

I wrote an email and in return got a form letter that didn't even address my concerns. It made me feel even worse. I do think writing in is worthwhile, because while I don't think they're going to backtrack on this, it may give them pause before they initiate any more changes. "Time to raise prices? Uh, maybe not so soon after all the backlash about parking fees. Start charging resort fees? Uh, remember the fallout from the parking fees?" I don't want them to forget this anytime soon. I know I won't.

We won't be renewing our APs next year.

Thank you for sharing this, I feel exactly the same. I want to write a letter but I can't seem to find the words. However, this helps. I think most of all, I'm not mad or even sad...I'm disappointed. We are in your exact situation, we live an hour away so we always drive. We did a quick impromptu trip last weekend and I was very overly critical. Our newly refurbished room at POP, had broken fixtures AND the door stopped locking while we were out....so our stuff was just open to anyone that opened the door. According to maintenance, it's an ongoing issue...REALLY?! So the parking fee is a complete slap in the face and it's simply the straw that broke the camel's back for us.

 

[Tink-osophy]

...The fees are not on the confirmation email - even though there's a lot of boilerplate language on that (including the notice as to house-keeping room checks). So I'm going to say this will be a surprise to some (or many) - at least those who aren't reading all the fine print. Sort of an "anti-pixie dust" thing.

This is sad and funny!

 

[kittyab]

I don't think they will back down on this latest money grab. I will not pay a parking fee. I am sure they will squeeze me in some other way.

I do not begrudge anyone staying off site. The resorts are cheaper and often offer a free breakfast with their free parking. Besides the fast passes what other benefits of really staying on site?'

Many of those off site resorts offer transportation to the parks. Once you are at the parks you can use the Disney buses and Monorail.

 

[ZuuL]

Anyone who thinks this is just about a parking fee should read this!

Everyone currently directing the Disney ship should read this. ...Should read this whole thread... But with an open-mind. Not a narrow, closed, all I can see are short-term $$$-mind.

It doesn't say much for the future if the only perceived value is financial. The idea of all the $$$ is that they can be exchanged for something else of value!


Like you, I'm still trying to see Disney as the "uniquely detailed, high-quality specialness" it used to be! I want to believe all this isn't so! ...Because Disney used to be something within society that had great value in exchange for our $$$.

it always comes to what you make out of it. If you want to stay off site, stay off site. If you want to pay extra for better spots viewing the parades (not sure why people would do that) go for it.

Hell we don’t get the dining plan anymore when we found it’s cheaper and has better options paying out of pocket. Nor do we do any of these extra things except for the Halloween party, desert party(s) (My father has a major sweet tooth) and maybe one of the behind the scenes tours (not likely though)

 

[UncleMike101]

??? How about a thrifty American group, or thrifty German group, or thrifty Asian group? Not sure what you mean about chanting and clapping.

Apparently you've never been on a WDW bus returning to a value resort from one of the parks after closing.
The South Americans, especially the girls, seem to think that everyone wants to hear them sing at the top of their lungs, in Spanish, for the entire trip back to the resort.
My SIL, who is Puerto Rican, wouldn't translate what they were singing because he said it was too gross.
He's not a prude........

 

[Pkltm]

It takes me an hour and fifteen minutes to drive to Disney from my home. While it would be possible for me to fly, it would be wildly impractical, time-wise and cost-wise. I pretty much have to have my car with me at Disney in order to get myself and my family there.

We have APs and take many day trips, but we prefer spending a night (or more) on property. We really enjoy the resorts. We've stayed in almost all of them. When I get the Disney "urge," I will often check and see what's available for that night, book a room, and surprise the kids. I do that probably 4 or 5 times a year. In this manner, I am procuring a room that was pretty definitely going to go untenanted that night if I had not paid for it. A win for Disney, and for me.

Disney has its flaws. I've noticed. The creme brulee at the patisserie has gotten more expensive at the same time it has gotten significantly smaller. Just a few years ago we enjoyed amazing evenings in the parks in January/February and September/October when crowds were so light it felt like we had the parks to ourselves. That NEVER happens anymore. Ride lines are longer because they don't run the full ride during slower times. But I've always seen Disney as a glass half-full. An $8 pretzel--well, a pretzel tastes so much better at Disney! A $300 character meal--with Mickey! Overwhelming crowds--so many people experiencing the Disney magic, yay! Overflowing trash cans--well, I'm only noticing this because the parks in general are so clean that it stands out in contrast. A horrible website with awful IT, incredibly uninformed phone CMs, someone who WORKS at Beach Club not being able to tell me where their laundry room is--welllll, not everything about Disney can be perfect. I rationalized, I justified, I made excuses, and I tolerated everything that was wrong with Disney because I truly loved everything that was right.

I can't rationalize the resort parking fee. I just can't find a way to make this ok. This is cognitive dissonance at its finest. I LOVE Disney, I want to continue to love Disney, but they're making it SO HARD! It's like being hit by a boyfriend you're crazy about. You want to excuse his behavior--it was just this one time, he'll never do it again, you must have made him really mad, he's just sensitive--because you love him so much, but he HIT you!

I'll still go to Disney. For now, anyway. We have reservations for 6 nights at the end of May. We'll still go. But I'll never pay for parking. And I'm afraid I won't be looking at Disney from a glass half-full perspective anymore. A $300 character meal will just be an overpriced, mediocre lunch with people dressed up in costumes--easy to pass that up. I don't care to add any more Disney t-shirts to my collection. I wouldn't say my love for Disney has gone, but the feeling has...changed. I had to call in to Disney on Tuesday to make some modifications and I was on hold listening to some Disney "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah" music. I would usually hum along in the Disney spirit, but this time I just found it annoying and artificially cheerful. I went online to make some ADRs for our trip, but I ended up just saying forget it, I don't want to give Disney any more of my money. We'll still eat, but it won't be dessert parties and character meals.

I wrote an email and in return got a form letter that didn't even address my concerns. It made me feel even worse. I do think writing in is worthwhile, because while I don't think they're going to backtrack on this, it may give them pause before they initiate any more changes. "Time to raise prices? Uh, maybe not so soon after all the backlash about parking fees. Start charging resort fees? Uh, remember the fallout from the parking fees?" I don't want them to forget this anytime soon. I know I won't.

We won't be renewing our APs next year.

While I see where you are coming from and fully agree on the thought of things being over priced, comparing Disney to an abusive boyfriend is just wrong. I am far from the PC type of gal, but this to me was just too far. It is insensitive to survivors of domestic abuse.

 

[Tink-osophy]

it always comes to what you make out of it. If you want to stay off site, stay off site. If you want to pay extra for better spots viewing the parades (not sure why people would do that) go for it.

Hell we don’t get the dining plan anymore when we found it’s cheaper and has better options paying out of pocket. Nor do we do any of these extra things except for the Halloween party, desert party(s) (My father has a major sweet tooth) and maybe one of the behind the scenes tours (not likely though)

I kinda wish you were right in your simplification of this thread, but even if you're content with your viewpoint (and you are perfectly entitled to hold it ), you're still misrepresenting ours! (Which we are entitled to hold, too! ) Perhaps read a few more posts to get a better idea of what most of us are really talking about. ...ETA: Otherwise, we'll just be going round in circles!

 

[SaharanTea]

I encourage anyone who hasn't yet to write in to those email addresses. Even if you can't articulate your feelings, at least let them know you are upset by the move, even if it's a single sentence.

It might do nothing at all, but it takes as much effort as making a post to this message board. It can't hurt.

 

[JacknSally]

While I see where you are coming from and fully agree on the thought of things being over priced, comparing Disney to an abusive boyfriend is just wrong. I am far from the PC type of gal, but this to me was just too far. It is insensitive to survivors of domestic abuse.

As someone who had a mentally and physically abusive longtime boyfriend, I had no problems with the analogy the OP used here. It wasn't done to belittle anyone or their experiences with abusive relationships. It wasn't malicious. I thought it was a solid analogy.

Disney is a company, first and foremost, but it is weirdly unique in that people, especially longtime fans, feel that they have such a deep connection to and relationship with this brand. So many of us have years worth of memories and experiences not just in the parks but with Disney as a whole, and it's a very personal thing. We often develop this intense loyalty to the brand and people get very protective and defensive when it comes to Disney because they connect to it so deeply. Because of that, a lot of people are blind (or choose to be blind) to the situations where Disney doesn't return that loyalty. They make excuses and rationalize the higher costs despite lower quality products and services, and remain devoted even though Disney is obviously not reciprocating, even though others are saying "Can't you see the problem here?"... The same sort of thing happens in many abusive relationships.

 

[ZuuL]

I wish you were right in your simplification, but even if you're content with your viewpoint, you're still misrepresenting ours! Perhaps read a few more posts to get a better idea of what most of us are really talking about.

Jesus Christ, I already know your view points of being penalized for driving. I was just stating what I do to get around a lot of these extra cost. But I guess you can’t even do that now. No,I have to angry at this because other people tell me to be angry at.

Hell I can’t even me moderate in the conversation before getting the repeated “you just don’t understand” responses. I’m not stupid. I can fully comprehend what’s going on.

What’s sad is I did have empathy for you guys but now that has almost diminished after receiving so many passive aggressive to what feels like an insult to my intelligence responses. Congrats you have one less to care about your groups unfairness.

 

[mrswillson]

Jesus Christ, I already know your view points of being penalized for driving. I was just stating what I do to get around a lot of these extra cost. But I guess you can’t even do that now. No,I have to angry at this because other people tell me to be angry at.

Hell I can’t even me moderate in the conversation before getting the repeated “you just don’t understand” responses. I’m not stupid. I can fully comprehend what’s going on.

What’s sad is I did have empathy for you guys but now that has almost diminished after receiving so many passive aggressive to what feels like an insult to my intelligence responses. Congrats you have one less to care about your groups unfairness.

If you truly understood everyone's viewpoints, then perhaps your statement several pages back of "I don't understand how anyone could throw away their relationship with Disney over parking fees" (obviously paraphrased) was unnecessary.