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

[TisBit]

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.

Disney Springs does have a draw, just like CityWalk. It is Disney, its a destination area and always will be, and is on Disney property, which people enjoy.

I also think that Disney will not create a bad situation. You will likely see them have a limited time parking, say 2 hours or 4 hours free. After that, you need validated parking to get out (or a magicband with AP, DVC or paid resort parking). Same as most garages that are not manned, you pay before you leave at kiosks or at the gate itself. This isn't rocket science and most garages already operate this way.

As for pleasure island, its demise was much more than its entrance fee. In fact, I think most people would agree it's death was when they opened it up with no entrance fee as a walkway from Downtown to Westside. They toned everything down outside and you now had families moving through crowds of drinking/partying/club guests. Between that and being wasteland of other activities, its death was easy. In fact, I think that in the new Disney Springs concept, they could have more easily allowed something like pleasure island to remain. Having it in one part of the a much larger, pre designed concept, versus the slow build out that happened before resulting with it being stuck in between two shopping districts. If they gated off a section at either end of Disney Springs (with nothing on the other side) and had a few clubs/bars that only opened at specific times, but could be closed off completely at other times. It could work....but Disney didn't want that so, it would never happen.

 

[Donna M]

Reread my original post and deleted it because I misinterpreted what I was referencing. Oops!

 

[Spartan86]

I see a problem coming from AP holders too. I don't have an AP, since we travel once a year and stay at DVC, but when I looked up info for a friend I saw that parking is no longer free. If I lived in Florida, I'm not sure I would buy an AP now if I had to pay $22 every day I wanted to use my pass. What I know my friend said she does, is she parks at a resort and takes a bus to the park to avoid the parking. I have another friend who does that too. It's free to park in the resorts for day guests,.... now. How are they planning to monitor that whole mess?

The Platinum and Platinum plus still include parking. Are you saying the Florida Resident AP’s do not? I’d be thinking the websites would be exploding with that info if it were the case.
ETA, WDW website still says parking included with the FL AP’s. Not sure what you saw, but probably related to a different ticket offer?

 

[erionm]

I see a problem coming from AP holders too. I don't have an AP, since we travel once a year and stay at DVC, but when I looked up info for a friend I saw that parking is no longer free. If I lived in Florida, I'm not sure I would buy an AP now if I had to pay $22 every day I wanted to use my pass. What I know my friend said she does, is she parks at a resort and takes a bus to the park to avoid the parking. I have another friend who does that too. It's free to park in the resorts for day guests,.... now. How are they planning to monitor that whole mess?

All WDW Annual Passes include free standard parking at the theme parks for which that pass is valid for.

 

[NJOGRE]

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.

Totally agree as an owner at SSR. They should also have people staying at SSR scan the ban at the Bus Terminals, you scan you are in you don;t scan you are out. I have not problem scanning to get on a bus for SSR.

 

[hakepb]

How many “walk overs” to SSR are free Parker’s vs DS area hotel guests that walk to SSR for more frequent bus service?

 

[Dean Marino]

How many “walk overs” to SSR are free Parker’s vs DS area hotel guests that walk to SSR for more frequent bus service?

Well? There is really no way to know this - until the SSR buses start to demand MB scanning.

DW and I do not OWN, or GO TO SSR. But we ARE DVC owners, and really hate to see our brethren getting screwed . And you are getting screwed .

Were it us.... as an SSR owner? I would DEMAND MB screening on SSR buses. That, or stop charging SSR owners for this service.
This DS transportation hole is well known. HAS been for years. Probably time for SSR OWNERS to make a statement about this.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't know why CityWalk is brought into the discussion here. They aren't the same thing location-wise. Of course Universal charges for parking there...it serves as their theme park parking. However, if you go after 6pm it's free (as of Feb 2017 when they removed the fee for after 6pm entirely with the exceptions of when HHN is going on). Why? Because Universal knows you're less likely to be using it to get access to the theme parks and more likely to be there to enjoy CityWalk itself

You actually walk through CityWalk in order to get to the theme park entrances. Disney Springs is in no way set up that way.

It would make more sense to use the argument well Universal charges for CityWalk if for Disney all 4 theme parks were located side by side with Disney Springs located right in front of them and you would walk through Disney Springs in order to get to the theme parks and no Disney theme park had their own separate parking.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I'm intrigued by how many people do use the loop of SSR buses. I don't doubt it occurs I'm just intrigued on how bad it actually is.

I guess it also brings up if it's frown upon to use another resorts bus rather than your own resort you are staying at? Or does the particular resort matter in how much it's frowned up?

 

[Disneybuckeye]

Have stayed at SSR several times in Congress Park and the Springs. I never had to wait for an extra bus or noticed a huge influx going to the parks. I did notice during the day lots of people using it to go from a park to downtown Disney, but not enough that anyone had to wait for a second bus.

With the new parking garages that is a long walk to get to a SSR bus. Would be horrible at rope drop just to save $22.

 

[SL6827]

Well? There is really no way to know this - until the SSR buses start to demand MB scanning.

DW and I do not OWN, or GO TO SSR. But we ARE DVC owners, and really hate to see our brethren getting screwed . And you are getting screwed .

Were it us.... as an SSR owner? I would DEMAND MB screening on SSR buses. That, or stop charging SSR owners for this service.
This DS transportation hole is well known. HAS been for years. Probably time for SSR OWNERS to make a statement about this.

Disney may very well do this with at SSR, even if they forgo it at all other resorts. Who knows?

 

[Nuclear Monkey]

Disney may very well do this with at SSR, even if they forgo it at all other resorts. Who knows?

Since they haven't built a central hub like the TTC, I am convinced they are going to do this for the gondola.