Charging Resort Guests for Overnight Parking

Shades of Green has charged for parking
for as long as I can remember- but they
do have a lot a small walk away that is free. I do
pay for parking there, however even with
parking the deal is a good deal.

I am not happy with this at all WDW.

I guess they just want people to stop staying "on site." Opening up EMH to non-Disney hotels and charging for resort parking (and probably dropping 'Free Parking at the Parks' at the same time) without dropping room prices is just adding to the 'money grabs.'

Quoting another site for the info...

Disney to Begin Charging Nightly Parking Fees for Resort Guests Next Week
By Amanda Kondolojy, Wednesday, March 14, 2018 13:51

Though Walt Disney World has always charged a flat fee for guests parking at its theme parks, the resort made waves today by announcing a new policy that will bring parking fees to resort guests, beginning March 21st. Guests with bookings made from this day forward will have to pay a daily fee to park their car at the resort, with a sliding fee scale depending on what resort the guest is staying at. Here’s the fee breakdown:

Deluxe Resorts: $25 per night
Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
Value Resorts: $13 per night
These fees are only for overnight guests staying at the resorts, and guests visiting other resorts for dining, shopping, etc. will not be charged for parking temporarily at the resort.

Interestingly, it was announced that while this change will add quite the cost to most Walt Disney World resort guests, Disney Vacation Club Members will be exempt from this fee only when staying at Deluxe Villa Resorts.

In addition to the daily parking fee, guests who use the Valet Parking amenity at Disney resorts will also see an increase in the fee to use this service, with the price going up from $25 to $33, also effective next week.

Though the addition of a nightly parking fee certainly comes as a bit of a shock to many, it may not be surprising when put into context, as Disney recently hiked ticket prices, have confirmed that they will be raising admission costs again later this year, and have been adding upcharge after upcharge to the Walt Disney World experience, even rolling out a special paid-for FastPass+ tier that can only be purchased by Walt Disney World’s highest paying guests.

And while no one like the idea of paying an average of $20 a night to leave a car at a resort, with attendance at an all time high in spite of rising costs, it is doubtful that Disney will see much of an effect on guest levels because of this change, especially with Star Wars Land on the way next year. It also may be worth noting that while Walt Disney World has historically had free parking at its resorts, there are plenty of hotels that do charge an overnight parking fee, including all of the hotels on property at next-door neighbor Universal Orlando Resort, which charges between $12-$20 nightly for parking at connected hotels.

What do you think about Walt Disney World’s newest fee?

What about AP holders?? You get free parking at the parks. Can I just park at the park over night?? Also I see it says booked after March 21. Does that mean I am in the clear for my trip I already have booked for July?

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Hog;2512025 wrote: What about AP holders?? You get free parking at the parks. Can I just park at the park over night?? Also I see it says booked after March 21. Does that mean I am in the clear for my trip I already have booked for July?

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I'm sure you already know this and were being sarcastic, but no, you cannot park at a park all night.

Good questions about being booked prior to this going into effect. You MAY be charged at the resort once you have checked in, but you may want to call and check first.

You have got to be kidding me. This one really ticks me off. When I look for hotels when I am going somewhere, I start with one of the search criteria being free parking to see if I can find something.

We do pay for parking at the Swan and Dolphin, but I can usually get a good rate for those rooms compared to the rates at other Deluxe resorts. It makes me wonder about their rationale for doing this. The Good Neighbor hotels near Disney Springs are much less expensive even with resort fees and parking charges. They are allowing those guests to have EMH now too.

If you have a trip booked before the fees go into effect on March 21 st you will not have to pay the fees. Any trip paid after March 21 st will be paying the fee. Crazy! Pricing people right out of visiting

Hog;2512025 wrote: What about AP holders?? You get free parking at the parks. Can I just park at the park over night?? Also I see it says booked after March 21. Does that mean I am in the clear for my trip I already have booked for July?

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My understanding is that if you have your reservation booked prior to the March 21 "Gouge me and bend me over" date, you are grandfathered in.

But its an extra $200 if you actually want a key to your room.

And in related news, Disney is also announcing the creation of the Reedy Creek Toll Road Authority...... visitors with Magic bands will be able waive their arms when entering WDW from any of the entrances.... those without magic bands will be able to buy an EZ Mouse Reader to make use of during you travels though out Disney World ..... and remember you can accessorize your EZ Mouse Reader to ensure that the tolls being paid will always be part of your magical experience ......

Heard about parking fees for the first time a few years ago when I had just bought my new car and was ready for a road trip. We've always flown before that. But certainly been hearing about it more and more so no surprise that Disney would jump on this.

This is very much live on the official disney website. Just type in Parking to the search bar to pull the policy up.

I'm so angry over this one.

Hog;2512025 wrote: What about AP holders?? You get free parking at the parks. Can I just park at the park over night?? Also I see it says booked after March 21. Does that mean I am in the clear for my trip I already have booked for July?

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From our friend Wendy Lewis at Magical Journeys (from facebook):

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT to anyone who has a 2018 Disney Vacation already BOOKED AND DEPOSITED.....today's Parking Fee Increase DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR VACATION at all !!!!

The parking policy is for bookings made March 21 and beyond.
Anyone already booked may breathe a sigh of relief!

Prediction - once this becomes the "new norm" and daily parking at the parks hits $25, resort guests will have to begin paying as well .....

Full disclosure - I'm not usually one that automatically goes for the "blatant money grab" theory every time Disney ups their prices.

But here's my initial thoughts on this.

From the Disney site info about parking, it appears that:

Resort guests will be charged an overnight parking fee.

Visitors to the resort get complimentary parking.

DVC members are exempt when staying at DVC resorts (whether on points or cash). I understand this one. Florida timeshare laws dictate this.

My question: how in blazes are they planning on enforcing this. Do the Security Guards now become parking lot attendants? Scenario - If a guest arrives at POP and enters the parking lot at 11am by telling the guard they're just looking the place over, not by saying they're checking in,

Then checks in and says they don't have a car

Leaves the car parked and never uses it until they leave

How will Disney ever know the car shouldn't be there? Are they going to have security take an inventory every night? If they discovered a trespassing vehicle, how would they track it back to a specific guest? (Well, obviously, given enough resources and willingness they could, but would it be worth it?) Will they tow vehicles they think shouldn't be there? (That will not end well).
Are they going to reconfigure the lots and gate them so that a portion (most) of the lot is for overnight guests but some portion will be for the visitors and folks checking in? That'll do nothing but reduce the number of available parking spaces that actual hotel guests can use.

Just a few random thoughts

It seems to me that the implementation of this is going to be costly, largely unenforceable and a PR nightmare.

It also seems backwards. Punish hotel guests to park, but allow visitors to park for free? Really? Why not charge the day guests an hourly fee to park at the resorts instead.

But then, in this case, maybe there really isn't a parking "problem" they're trying to solve and it actually is a "blatant money grab".

Seriously annoyed about this, even though I'm DVC.

Steve