Parking fees fiasco and effects on SSR and/or Disney Springs?

[Dean]

This seems to be much ado about nothing. They have an implementation plan or they wouldn't have announced it. The plan will not be perfect and thus will be tweaked. I know some see this as a slippery slope but in reality it's likely a good move as it has those paying that use a given service. In reality this likely helps DVC members by controlling parking at DVC resort. I'm reminded of all the discussions about moving to the full week at a time 11 months out as well as the valet parking issue. IMO and as was discussed a year or 2 ago on DIS, many felt this was an inevitable event.

 

[Dean Marino]

OK - what is going to go wrong....
1) Park at DS.
2) Walk over the bridge to SSR.
3) Catch bus.
4) Reverse, on return trip.

This is not new. It's a Disney Transportation hole, well known. I personally feel sorry for our SSR - DVC bretheren .

 

[MinnieMouse100]

This is not new. It's a Disney Transportation hole, well known. I personally feel sorry for our SSR - DVC bretheren .

And one ( as an SSR owner and frequent visitor) that make me swear under my breath when we cannot get on and have to wait on yet another bus. I for one would have no problem with them charging parking at DS.

 

[drjackal31]

I'm sure it is a problem and I'm not looking forward to dealing with it as new SSR owners. I would think it would make more sense to park at DS and then take the buss from DS to the contempo and walk over, but I guess that depends on the time of day.

 

[Mazz519]

Wont be long before they charge for parking at Disney Springs..... all good things come to an end...... Disney has become very Stingy and will try to get every penny out of every family.... its very sad

 

[disneynutz]

OK - what is going to go wrong....
1) Park at DS.
2) Walk over the bridge to SSR.
3) Catch bus.
4) Reverse, on return trip.

This is not new. It's a Disney Transportation hole, well known. I personally feel sorry for our SSR - DVC bretheren .

And SSR owners are paying almost 9 Million Dollars per year on transportation!

Bill

 

[jodifla]

Wont be long before they charge for parking at Disney Springs..... all good things come to an end...... Disney has become very Stingy and will try to get every penny out of every family.... its very sad

Maybe , but is there really enough to draw people there? I can't think of another shopping center in Florida that charges you to park.

 

[Chuck S]

Maybe , but is there really enough to draw people there? I can't think of another shopping center in Florida that charges you to park.

Yes, but as utilities and insurance are always increasing, I would expect shopping centers, especially malls, to exploit this untapped revenue stream sooner rather than later. All it takes is one business management graduate to point it out to mall owners. Especially if they offer a 2 hour "free" limit with validation from a store. Especially the more high-end malls and shopping centers, like Disney Springs has been transformed into.

 

[Dean]

Maybe , but is there really enough to draw people there? I can't think of another shopping center in Florida that charges you to park.

I don't think shopping center is the correct comparison, Universal is likely the best comparison and they charge with a few special exceptions.

 

[RRB]

And SSR owners are paying almost 9 Million Dollars per year on transportation!

Bill

Hi Bill. What's interesting is that on a cost per point basis, OKW pays more for transportation than SSR. Go figure.

 

[Patricksp]

Yes I know people that stay off site and then park at Disney Springs, they catch the bus to the Contemporary and walk to the magic Kingdom.

 

[crisi]

Maybe , but is there really enough to draw people there? I can't think of another shopping center in Florida that charges you to park.

CityWalk, which is Disney Springs closest analogy, has always charged to park. Since Disney leases the stores out, they don't care if locals shop and dine there or not. They want to give their guests a shopping and dining experience. Guests can scan MBs at exit - the ones who drive in and have a car. There will be fewer rentals at Disney resorts with the per day charge.

 

[crisi]

BTW, I just got done working in downtown Minneapolis where I would pay to park in a large ramp - one that serviced both a hotel (that validated) and people who worked downtown. It really wasn't a big deal to leave each day - even though most people were leaving at the same time. Multiple lanes and multiple exits. Credit card readers at the exit. Scan your ticket, run your card, you are out. If you had validation, you had a bar code on your receipt to scan.

Heck, the Twins and the Vikings play downtown and people park. If you can park in a ramp for U.S. Bank Stadium and it isn't a big deal to pay at exit when everyone leaves as the game ends, it won't be a big deal for them to charge at the Springs.

 

[jodifla]

BTW, I just got done working in downtown Minneapolis where I would pay to park in a large ramp - one that serviced both a hotel (that validated) and people who worked downtown. It really wasn't a big deal to leave each day - even though most people were leaving at the same time. Multiple lanes and multiple exits. Credit card readers at the exit. Scan your ticket, run your card, you are out. If you had validation, you had a bar code on your receipt to scan.

Heck, the Twins and the Vikings play downtown and people park. If you can park in a ramp for U.S. Bank Stadium and it isn't a big deal to pay at exit when everyone leaves as the game ends, it won't be a big deal for them to charge at the Springs.

That is a downtown with limited parking. Disney Springs just doesn't have that much to distinguish itself. Plenty of
area restaurants and the same shops elsewhere with free parking. City Walk benefits from adjacency to Universal.

Disney may gamble with this, but i thinlk it could blow up on them. Malls in suburban areas don't charge to shop. The entrance fee torpedoed Pleasure Island after awhile.

 

[crisi]

They don't care, Jodi. To them its real estate. With the exception of World of Disney almost everything in DS is leased out to some restaurant or retail corporation - they don't have risk. So they don't care if it succeeds or fails, they've made their money at lease signing.

 

[disneynutz]

They don't care, Jodi. To them its real estate. With the exception of World of Disney almost everything in DS is leased out to some restaurant or retail corporation - they don't have risk. So they don't care if it succeeds or fails, they've made their money at lease signing.

I think that they care because they collect a percentage of the sales.

Bill

 

[Dean]

They don't care, Jodi. To them its real estate. With the exception of World of Disney almost everything in DS is leased out to some restaurant or retail corporation - they don't have risk. So they don't care if it succeeds or fails, they've made their money at lease signing.

They may take a cut and it may be determined by volume of sales. Plus if sales aren't robust, they will lose companies or have to lower rent at some point. It seems many are under the premise that pay to park will hurt the volume or prices for the resorts, restaurants and Disney Springs. IMO it will not have much, if any, effect given the current climate. Now if there's a downturn, it'll be a different situation but that's true with or without paid parking.

 

[crisi]

I think that they care because they collect a percentage of the sales.

Bill

Not that much. They made back their capital investments in updating Downtown Disney to Disney Springs at lease signing. As long as they have enough storefronts to bring in Disney resort guests, the percentage is gravy. And since they have a pretty good idea what the real estate was bringing in in prior incarnations (as Disney Marketplace and then as Downtown Disney) - and with Magic Bands, I suspect they'll know exactly what percentage of their guests they are likely to loose if they add paid parking. Any paid parking is likely to have a few components - it probably won't apply to anyone staying at a Disney resort - it probably will be validated for anyone arriving from offsite with a sufficient spend - in which case it will only discourage those that don't want the bother, the people who are just going to browse, and the people using it as theme park parking - in which case they loose almost nothing in revenue - and gain what they loose on paid parking at the parks.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Heck, the Twins and the Vikings play downtown and people park. If you can park in a ramp for U.S. Bank Stadium and it isn't a big deal to pay at exit when everyone leaves as the game ends, it won't be a big deal for them to charge at the Springs.

Except you pay the event parking fee when you pull in to park and they leave all the exit gates open when you leave for the Twins and Vikings.

 

[crisi]

Except you pay the event parking fee when you pull in to park and they leave all the exit gates open when you leave for the Twins and Vikings.

Depends on which lot you use.