The problem that Disney is having right now is an issue of customer service versus profit. Their marketing has done such a great job that there almost isn't a slow time anymore. When demand increases, companies naturally raise their prices. With the increased crowd levels, providing that magical service becomes more of a challenge and requires additional labor to provide.Recently, Disney has actually been experiencing a slight downturn in attendance at the parks, yet they are still raising prices - including this new resort parking fee.

What I think is actually going on is that Disney is trying to raise prices to help control crowding and still balance out a per cap ($'s spent per person entering the park). Per cap is a way that a lot of retail and especially amusement entities measure 'success'. If they can keep the per cap at the same rate, or even find ways to get a higher per cap with less crowds then it becomes a win-win situation. Less crowds means fewer employees which means a huge reduction in payroll overhead. Less crowds means less wear and tear on the attractions/facilities - translate less maintenance overhead. This all boils down to profitability for them. If they can reduce crowds by 2%, get an increased per cap to cover the difference, and save 5% in overhead, they will do it in a heartbeat! It's just smart business.

I'm not saying I like the parking fees because I actually hate it. I wonder what that is going to do to the ability to 'resort hop' for people looking to just take in the sights. Are they going to charge them a $13-20 fee just to park at the resorts to look around? (I thought that the parking fee would be an attempt to stop people from parking at the resorts to avoid paying for parking at the parks....but people staying at the resorts already park for free at the parks)

As a Disney purist, I hate the increased prices. As a business owner, I understand the strategy.