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  1. #81
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    Quote Originally Posted by paragon View Post
    Just emailed this entire thread to Iger.
    Hey, don't do that. They may charge me for those maps.

    Besides, I'm sure they have rules/filters and none of these emails are making to them. Even if so, not being read. I'm sure like most people, he already gets hundreds to thousands of emails a day.

    I agree w/ the above. Nothing is going to change. They know they don't need to.
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  3. #82
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    Well I received my call from Disney this morning, which was a surprise to get on a Sunday morning at 9:00am. The call was someone from "The Executive Office of WDW Guest Experience" and lasted 29 minutes 48 seconds.

    After the call, my armchair evaluation of this decision was that it was not made oblivious to the blowback that was going to occur. The person I spoke with seemed well-versed in the company answers to a wide variety of points that I could bring up regarding this fee. She opened the conversion with her primary talking point, after which the conversation was led by me and the Disney rep was definitely well prepared and I did not get the impression that Disney was ill-prepared for the backlash.

    First, the good news.
    Quote Originally Posted by My phone call with Disney
    [/GOODNEWS]

    Now for everything else...

    Excuses for the fee:

    1) Bring WDW policy into consistency with other Disney properties, including "Aulani, Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris"

    2) Be in line with the hospitality industry at large

    3) "Almost all" hotels in the greater Orlando area do it

    4) Allow them to better manager limited parking "particularly at Deluxe Resorts"

    5) Bring WDW into the same policy as other Disney properties (my duplication is intentional)

    I began by focusing on how for me, as a non-user of Disney's Magical Express, I was infuriated that I am forced to "pay" for DME despite not using it while now being slapped with an additional fee to park my car. Her quick response was that "DME users are not taking up a parking space" which provoked me to cut her off for the only time in 30 minutes that either of us did so. I asked her if she was claiming that DME service cost Disney nothing, or if she was claming that parking lots cost Disney more to operate than DME? Her response was "certainly not" and then she went into two reasons why cars were bad and DME was good.

    1) Parking at Deluxe resorts has become a large problem for those resorts

    2) Substantial investments have been required in road infrastructure to support demand, and was needing even more to support new lands, including Toy Story and Star Wars.

    My response was to #1 was that they could have better-managed the parking situation at Deluxe resorts without adding a fee, and as a matter of fact they have done the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of addressing the Deluxe parking problem by charging the people staying at a Deluxe resort a fee to park at their home resort, and going out of their way to "stick it to them" by NOT charging a fee to day guests, who are the ultimate cause of the Deluxe resort parking problem. Her response was that they "will be partnering with a software company" to better manage day guests and to enforce limited parking, including towing of vehicles overstaying their time. I asked if this meant there was going to be dedicated parking areas for day guests in order to manage their time, and she said no and went back to how they were going to "use our new partner software" to manage both overnight and day guest parking. At this point I said "good luck getting a parking spot at Disney Springs" with people trying to leave their car there, to which she said they would be towed after 3am, as well as towed away from theme park parking if left overnight, and she specifically urged me to "pass along to anyone on social media expressing a desire to do this that they will be towed." I also asked if this new policy meant the end of direct-to-room for drivers, and she said no that the software would add it to their folio when they scanned their band at the security gate. I told her my hunch is that there is no way Disney was actually going to start checking 1000+ cars at Pop Century to see who isn't registered each night, and that ultimately it will be another example where the liars will get the last laugh (people who claim to be day guests but are actually overnight guests). She reiterated that the software would address these problems, but that she "didn't have the details on specific resorts in order to comment on how things will be handled at each resort."

    My response to #2 (the road infrastructure expansion) was that the new policy charging a fee to park-and-leave your car at a resort, but still allowing on-site guests to park for free at the theme parks did nothing to encourage the use of "public transit", and I kept going back to the costs of operating resort parking was far below the cost of DME or of the theme park parking lots, both of which remain "free". It was during this part of the conversation that I said this fee was nothing but a money grab that in the past Disney rose above, and that these nickel-and-dime fees are what made me never consider the Dolphin & Swan or any of the other "good neighbor" hotels. I added that now that Disney is just like the offsite hotels with parking fees, as well as the recent expansion of access to 60-day FastPasses, the value of staying onsite was greatly diminished for paying the premium cost for onsite stays, especially for drivers like myself. I reiterated my irritation that DME was free but parking was not, to which she replied "of course the cruise shuttle is not free, and I'm not sure why it is free for the airport but not for the cruises" but that it was-what-it-was. She also mentioned that "a large majority" of overnight guests arrive via air and that this policy did not affect a large portion of guests (she may have even gave percentages, but I can't say for sure).

    At some point during her spiel about the "software" to be used to manage day guests, she went out of her way to talk to me about a firm change coming out of all of this. She said while it has always been official policy that anyone driving to another resort should only be allowed in if they have a meal reservation, Disney has very rarely enforced this policy. However, she was very firm that as the new policy comes into effect, there will be NO CAR allowed inside a resort's parking lot unless it's their home resort or they have an ADR at a restaurant within that resort. To make it clear how specific she was being, she gave me an example of how she personally enjoys eating at Mara's at AKL, and because Mara is CS and not TS that she would no longer be allow to park at AKL to go visit Mara, that she would have to park at the AK parking lot. She further talked about Pop Century, a resort I had talked about earlier with the 1000+ cars to check, was an example that because it did not have a TS restaurant, nobody would have a reason for ever going there as a day guest. I told her right away that I took exception to that statement, that I had in fact done just that once when I was staying at another resort but went to just look around the grounds (and another time where I was visiting family), to which she replied that "of course you could still do that by riding a bus from a theme park." So I said "so let me make sure I understand you fully, I have previously resort-hoped via my car to see Christmas decorations at WL and then the GF the first week of December (not peak times) as well as visited friends at the Cabins, and was waived on through the gate no problem, but now I will unconditionally not be allowed to do this?" Her response was "yes, that is correct".

    I will give her credit that she NEVER rushed our call to come to an end, but after that last statement I had heard enough and I finally expressed my appreciation for the call and my disgust with the new policy, and that I planned on voting with my wallet. We said our goodbyes and ended the call, after which I felt a little cathartic for about a half-an-hour, but as I starting writing it all down that all melted away and now I am even angrier than I was to begin with. For the first time in my life I have Googled Universal Studios.
    Disney Dream May 2019, WDW Dec 2019

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  5. #83
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    Thanks Goofy4TheWorld for sharing with us and kudos for only cutting her off once. Love the part about their new software, IT can't handle what they have now so I'm sure this will work .
    - Lynn -
    INTERCOT Staff: Theme Parks, DVC

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  7. #84
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    Quote Originally Posted by VWL Mom View Post
    Thanks Goofy4TheWorld for sharing with us and kudos for only cutting her off once. Love the part about their new software, IT can't handle what they have now so I'm sure this will work .
    I bet they start w/ that whole, give us your license plate jazz, when you check in. I hate when the rental car companies don't have that printed on their key tags.
    ===================

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  8. #85
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    Quote Originally Posted by Goofy4TheWorld View Post
    . . .
    now I am even angrier than I was to begin with. For the first time in my life I have Googled Universal Studios.
    “ Welcome to Universal Studios; where you’ve always had to pay for parking!”

    Seriously, Disney should just tell us the truth:
    “We are charging for parking at hotels because:
    1) We can.
    2) It will make more money for us.
    3) We will still sell out our resort rooms.”

    It’s not about managing the parking problem, or improving the infrastructure, etc.
    We who don’t like it can either stop staying at WDW resorts, or . . . Well there’s no other choice, really. Because of #3 above, arguing about it, debating about it, or complaining about it is nothing more than spittin’ into the wind.
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  10. #86
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    Quote Originally Posted by texas211 View Post
    Hey, don't do that. They may charge me for those maps.

    Besides, I'm sure they have rules/filters and none of these emails are making to them. Even if so, not being read. I'm sure like most people, he already gets hundreds to thousands of emails a day.

    I agree w/ the above. Nothing is going to change. They know they don't need to.
    He may see how witty we are and hire us to Make Disney Great Again!
    I'll meet you at the Rainbow Bridge.

  11. #87
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    Quote Originally Posted by joonyer View Post

    Seriously, Disney should just tell us the truth:
    “We are charging for parking at hotels because:
    1) We can.
    2) It will make more money for us.
    3) We will still sell out our resort rooms.”
    #3 is the one I call in to question - if they were constantly selling out there hotel rooms why have they decided to covert so many to DVC? I would think those rooms brought in more money if they were sold out every night then they will now. Curious if anyone knows the comparison numbers on this that they could share?
    - Lynn -
    INTERCOT Staff: Theme Parks, DVC

  12. #88
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cinderelley View Post
    He may see how witty we are and hire us to Make Disney Great Again!
    Now we'll be banned and ostracized. They'll send us through Schweitzer Falls.
    ===================

    2016 POR
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  13. #89
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    All of their reasons/excuses boil down to "We want to make things easier for us at the expense of our customer", which is one of the great sins of customer service. To be fair, they've been going down this road for some time. I could never attend anything at Disney Institute and keep a straight face these days.

  14. #90
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    Quote Originally Posted by VWL Mom View Post
    #3 is the one I call in to question - if they were constantly selling out there hotel rooms why have they decided to covert so many to DVC? I would think those rooms brought in more money if they were sold out every night then they will now. Curious if anyone knows the comparison numbers on this that they could share?
    I also continue to get offers (although at a slower rate than recent years) to stay on property. I wouldn't think they would be sending out promotions to people for them to call in and be told they're all booked. Maybe that is their plan, but that would be one of the worst marketing campaigns to run.

  15. #91
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tekneek View Post
    I also continue to get offers (although at a slower rate than recent years) to stay on property. I wouldn't think they would be sending out promotions to people for them to call in and be told they're all booked. Maybe that is their plan, but that would be one of the worst marketing campaigns to run.
    My offers have pretty much all but dried up, other than the occasional Disney Visa offer. I couldn't tell you the last time I received any form of pin code offer, 2010 maybe. I used to get them with some frequency but nothing for the past several years.

  16. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by Cinderelley View Post
    You will choose which button to use based on whether it is liquid or solid waste and be charged based on how much water that particular flush takes. Then you will be charged per square of toilet paper.

    I would imagine that a majority of people fly in for their visit to Disney World, so this isn't an issue for them.
    We fly in, but the last three trips we rented from Alamo on property. The extra $300 cost was offset by having so much flexibility getting to/from the parks and not having to rely on Disney Transportation. I don't see us paying the rental fee and the daily cost to park. Disney is hurting its partner Alamo and putting added pressure onto the bus system.

  17. #93
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    Personally, I think that if they are going to charge overnight guests, they should also charge day guests. It just seems a bit more equitable to me. That way it would weed out those trying to avoid the theme park parking charge. They could make an exception for those with dining reservations or put a reasonable time limit by requiring you to scan your band or take a ticket on your way in and out. At the Swan and Dolphin you scan your room key or take a ticket. Your room key allows you in-and-out privileges and charges you a lower rate.
    DVC Member
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  18. #94
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    Yeah, we'll still rent a truck when we go. Which will be less, b/c of numerous reasons. The Disney Buses just aren't what they used to be. We primarily only use the bus at MK. Maybe EPCOT if I plan to get liquored up at the FW festival and not staying on a boat ride resort.
    ===================

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  19. #95
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    So I said "so let me make sure I understand you fully, I have previously resort-hoped via my car to see Christmas decorations at So I said "so let me make sure I understand you fully, I have previously resort-hoped via my car to see Christmas decorations at WL and then the GF the first week of December (not peak times) as well as visited friends at the Cabins, and was waived on through the gate no problem, but now I will unconditionally not be allowed to do this?" Her response was "yes, that is correct".WL and then the GF the first week of December (not peak times) as well as visited friends at the Cabins, and was waived on through the gate no problem, but now I will unconditionally not be allowed to do this?" Her response was "yes, that is correct".

    My lips are moving, but words aren't coming out ..... one of the simple pleasures of visiting WDW gone .... unless of course you want to spend an additional day or two plotting the logistics of visiting various resorts .....
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  20. #96
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    It’s a hidden fee that you normally don’t find out about until you’re there. I think it’s something most people would prefer to just have added to the room rate than be told on check-in that there’s a “parking fee”. Come on. They hit me with that at Shades of Green when I took my family last year. I had everything budgeted out perfectly until I was hit with that on check in. It’s really a lousy way to do business. Just increase the room cost and quit with the bait and switch tactics already. I think people appreciate knowing up front how much everything will cost prior to the trip.

  21. #97
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    The more I think about this, the more I think there is something else going on here, bedsides just a cash grab. I mean if Disney had just added $13-$26 to the rack rate of the rooms I don't think most people would have even noticed. In this case they went out of there way to not only add the new parking fee, but tell people about it months in advance. Having said this I can only think of two reasons that they may be doing this (other than a cash grab).

    1. Reduce traffic on property - The problem with this theory is the number of guest that they may lose to offsite locations, that are cheaper and do not charge for parking. Also, I have been hearing rumors that the reason the bus service is so bad lately is that Disney is having a hard time recruiting bus drivers to work for them.
    2. Fix the parking problems at the Deluxe resorts - As mentioned by many people the biggest problem with the parking at the Deluxe resorts is the day guest. IMHO it is the day guest that should be getting charged for parking.
    "Welcome, Foolish Mortals..."

  22. #98
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tekneek View Post
    I also continue to get offers (although at a slower rate than recent years) to stay on property. I wouldn't think they would be sending out promotions to people for them to call in and be told they're all booked. Maybe that is their plan, but that would be one of the worst marketing campaigns to run.
    Yes, that may be true, but have you ever looked to see what was available on those offers? The last two or three had the most expensive rooms (at ANY resort that had ANY rooms available) only.

    They seem to be filling most of the 'value' priced rooms at each resort, but cannot get the 'top of the line' rooms filled...even with discounts of 30% or more.
    -Bud

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  24. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by Speedy1998 View Post
    The more I think about this, the more I think there is something else going on here, bedsides just a cash grab. I mean if Disney had just added $13-$26 to the rack rate of the rooms I don't think most people would have even noticed. In this case they went out of there way to not only add the new parking fee, but tell people about it months in advance. Having said this I can only think of two reasons that they may be doing this (other than a cash grab).

    1. Reduce traffic on property - The problem with this theory is the number of guest that they may lose to offsite locations, that are cheaper and do not charge for parking. Also, I have been hearing rumors that the reason the bus service is so bad lately is that Disney is having a hard time recruiting bus drivers to work for them.
    2. Fix the parking problems at the Deluxe resorts - As mentioned by many people the biggest problem with the parking at the Deluxe resorts is the day guest. IMHO it is the day guest that should be getting charged for parking.
    If you don't see this as anything other than a blatant cash grab, I'm not sure what to say. And just thing, every year (or twice a year) they can ratchet up the parking rates a dollar or two......and STILL raise room costs 5-7%.

  25. #100
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    Quote Originally Posted by RunDMV View Post
    If you don't see this as anything other than a blatant cash grab, I'm not sure what to say. And just thing, every year (or twice a year) they can ratchet up the parking rates a dollar or two......and STILL raise room costs 5-7%.
    Well, I think all of the reasons are true. But they are in it to make money. Its more of the feeling right? Of being 20 buck to death? I'd rather pay 1 fee, be done w/ it.

    If they build it, they will come, so charge... They are going w/ that.
    ===================

    2016 POR
    2015 CS
    2014 WDW-Offsite
    2014 Disneyland-offsite
    2014 CBR
    2013 Dolphin
    2012 POR
    2012 WDW-Offsite
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    1998 Dixie Landings
    1990's, Dixie Landings, Misc Offsite

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