Resort Parking Fees to be enforced

[tjmw2727]

Magical Express is going to have trouble charging that much though. Most people would switch to Uber or Lyft.

Agree - we like DME on the inbound, its great to arrive, skip bag claim and head to the bus check in when we are ready. Love having the bags delivered to the room!

However since we rarely if ever use DME for the return trip (although we do use RAC) the price per person would have to be fairly low for us to pay for DME.

 

[sandym718]

Those of us with no choice but to drive if we visit at all don't want to subsidize ME either. We are having to pay twice now, and we are paying for something we can't use. If they are going to keep the parking fee, they need to unbundle ME and charge a fee for that as well. After all, it's the industry standard to have paid shuttles to the airport . . .

If guests who drive their own vehicle or rent a vehicle at the airport subsidize Magical Express, guests who use ME should be willing to subsidize guests who drive. It's all built into the resort stay. Or, ME riders need to prepare to pay for ME in the near future.

I agree. It was fair when both DME and parking were rolled into the room cost. Now it’s really punishing those of us who drive. And the fact that it costs more to park at a Deluxe resort? Is the parking spot somehow more deluxe? Ugh. Glad we were booked for this trip before it was put in place

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Magical Express is going to have trouble charging that much though. Most people would switch to Uber or Lyft.

I feel that way about the parking fees. Why pay $20/day on top of the inflated room price when I can stay "off site" for half price and NOT pay to park? It doesn't take long at all to get to the TTC from many of the off site hotels and condos.

 

[fla4fun]

Magical Express is going to have trouble charging that much though. Most people would switch to Uber or Lyft.

Well, I don't know what they would actually charge for the service, and whether it would be a per person or per reservation fee. In my personal opinion, it should be per reservation and around the $15 mark, and then go back to the parking issue and set the resort parking (regardless of whether the resort is value or deluxe) at $15 per reservation as well (not $15 per car). That would be the fair thing to do all around if they insist on having fees to begin with, and they can still enjoy their cash grab.

I would rather they would just get rid of the fees altogether. It's getting too hard to set the budget because there are so many nickels and dimes it's easy to miss one.

 

[Nancyg56]

Well, I don't know what they would actually charge for the service, and whether it would be a per person or per reservation fee. In my personal opinion, it should be per reservation and around the $15 mark, and then go back to the parking issue and set the resort parking (regardless of whether the resort is value or deluxe) at $15 per reservation as well (not $15 per car). That would be the fair thing to do all around if they insist on having fees to begin with, and they can still enjoy their cash grab.

I would rather they would just get rid of the fees altogether. It's getting too hard to set the budget because there are so many nickels and dimes it's easy to miss one.

Before any fees are removed or added, you need to know the reasoning behind each one. For instance, why a parking fee at a resort? The upcharge could easily have been hidden in an increase of cost, yet no. Parking fee. Why "free" transportation to and from MCO? The cost of the convenience needs to have an added benefit in order to remain "free." Why add an alcoholic beverage into a dining plan but refrain from increasing that cost per day, yet raise the cost of a children's plan...no alcoholic beverage? Disney has never discussed their motives, but if I was willing to bet the farm, I would bet the added parking fee is to discourage those who rent a car from doing so. Show a cost that may be the impetus to take the "free" transportation, and then trap millions of discretionary spending dollars that were being spent on area restaurants, shops, and attractions. Add a glass of wine to a dining plan, get people to realize a value from plans that were not being utilized by a lot of guests, and now you have millions of dollars that are paid in advance, earning interest, and allocated to Disney restaurants at "full" price, rather than budgeting funds on gift cards, and keeping those costs down.

There is always a reason and generating income from a fee itself is not always the basis of the fee. Sometimes it is to generate further income elsewhere.

 

[BK2014]

I am not defending Disney's parking fees, but I don't think that charging for parking and charging for DME is the same. Nor would it make sense for Disney to start charging for DME because it now charges for parking at resorts. First of all, I believe that Disney wants to encourage as many people as possible to use DME and their on-site transportation. But beyond that, those who do take DME and use the on-site transportation cause less wear and tear on the roads and parking lots within WDW. Less people with their own vehicles means less traffic congestion on the road within WDW, which helps make the on-site transportation more efficient. Finally, less vehicles leads to less noise pollution and actual pollution and decreases the need for ever-expanding parking lots.

Obviously, there are plenty of good reasons for people bringing their own vehicles, and I don't think they should be charging for overnight resort parking. But in my mind, saying that DME should charge because it is being subsidized by the self-drivers, is akin to the argument that I should get a cheaper dining plan since I don't drink alcohol, or a cheaper park ticket because I don't ride the more popular roller coasters. Almost everyone is paying for something at WDW that they do not take advantage of.

ETA: I did not see the post immediately before mine, which is quite similar, before posting.

 

[Marionnette]

Before any fees are removed or added, you need to know the reasoning behind each one. For instance, why a parking fee at a resort? The upcharge could easily have been hidden in an increase of cost, yet no. Parking fee. Why "free" transportation to and from MCO? The cost of the convenience needs to have an added benefit in order to remain "free." Why add an alcoholic beverage into a dining plan but refrain from increasing that cost per day, yet raise the cost of a children's plan...no alcoholic beverage? Disney has never discussed their motives, but if I was willing to bet the farm, I would bet the added parking fee is to discourage those who rent a car from doing so. Show a cost that may be the impetus to take the "free" transportation, and then trap millions of discretionary spending dollars that were being spent on area restaurants, shops, and attractions. Add a glass of wine to a dining plan, get people to realize a value from plans that were not being utilized by a lot of guests, and now you have millions of dollars that are paid in advance, earning interest, and allocated to Disney restaurants at "full" price, rather than budgeting funds on gift cards, and keeping those costs down.

There is always a reason and generating income from a fee itself is not always the basis of the fee. Sometimes it is to generate further income elsewhere.

All of this makes sense until you factor in the following:

• Individuals who will take their vacation dollars offsite because of this, which means that in addition to not eating onsite (even occasionally), they are also not staying onsite. Only time will tell whether this will impact occupancy at the resorts. The majority of first-time visitors have no idea that the parking fee wasn't always an added cost of their vacation but those who were not advised in advance of their stay could be pretty put off by it and not return.
  
• Families that stay onsite and adjust their budgets downward to compensate for the added cost of the parking fees. Fewer TS meals, fewer souvenirs, etc. But since the parking fees are pure profit, maybe it's a moot point. The profit margin on food, drink and t-shirts isn't anywhere near that.
  
• People who will still stay onsite, take DME and then Uber/Lyft to offsite locations for less than what it would cost to rent a car and park it every night. Those are the real wild cards. If I can let Disney foot the bill for getting me to/from the airport and then use ride sharing to go to Universal, grocery shop or to eat in an offsite restaurant, then Disney hasn't made an impact with the parking fee other than one less car being in the lot overnight.

I'm just going to assume that the bean counters took those into consideration when they weighed the cost benefit of imposing the parking fees.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I am not defending Disney's parking fees, but I don't think that charging for parking and charging for DME is the same. Nor would it make sense for Disney to start charging for DME because it now charges for parking at resorts. First of all, I believe that Disney wants to encourage as many people as possible to use DME and their on-site transportation. But beyond that, those who do take DME and use the on-site transportation cause less wear and tear on the roads and parking lots within WDW. Less people with their own vehicles means less traffic congestion on the road within WDW, which helps make the on-site transportation more efficient. Finally, less vehicles leads to less noise pollution and actual pollution and decreases the need for ever-expanding parking lots.

Obviously, there are plenty of good reasons for people bringing their own vehicles, and I don't think they should be charging for overnight resort parking. But in my mind, saying that DME should charge because it is being subsidized by the self-drivers, is akin to the argument that I should get a cheaper dining plan since I don't drink alcohol, or a cheaper park ticket because I don't ride the more popular roller coasters. Almost everyone is paying for something at WDW that they do not take advantage of.

ETA: I did not see the post immediately before mine, which is quite similar, before posting.

I'm no mechanic, but I would guess that the cost and maintenance of those buses, including insurance, paying/licensing/and retaining the drivers, fuel, oil, batteries, tires, etc, far outweighs the wear and tear on the parking lots from guest cars.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Well, I don't know what they would actually charge for the service, and whether it would be a per person or per reservation fee. In my personal opinion, it should be per reservation and around the $15 mark, and then go back to the parking issue and set the resort parking (regardless of whether the resort is value or deluxe) at $15 per reservation as well (not $15 per car). That would be the fair thing to do all around if they insist on having fees to begin with, and they can still enjoy their cash grab.

I would rather they would just get rid of the fees altogether. It's getting too hard to set the budget because there are so many nickels and dimes it's easy to miss one.

I am sure the fees are separated out for tax and accounting purposes.

 

[Nancyg56]

All of this makes sense until you factor in the following
I'm just going to assume that the bean counters took those into consideration when they weighed the cost benefit of imposing the parking fees.

I do not doubt for one second that Disney has some sort of system that calculates revenues lost for any of their decisions.

 

[SL6827]

I agree. It was fair when both DME and parking were rolled into the room cost. Now it’s really punishing those of us who drive. And the fact that it costs more to park at a Deluxe resort? Is the parking spot somehow more deluxe? Ugh. Glad we were booked for this trip before it was put in place

Eventually all the parking will be the same price as it is for a Deluxe resort.

 

[Deb & Bill]

What will happen is that most guests driving a vehicle will have a HC tag for their car meaning free parking. Some states they are hard to get, but others not so difficult. Or else they will bring Grandma along on the trip to use her tag. Unless Disney decides to start charging those vehicles to park at the resorts.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

But beyond that, those who do take DME and use the on-site transportation cause less wear and tear on the roads and parking lots within WDW.

You're going to tell me that my standard class rental car is causing more wear and tear than the buses? I get it that a large number of cars, etc etc, but come on those buses can stress roads especially given that they do roughly the same route time and time again in addition to what the other poster was talking about.

This may be a random example but its one that I experience all the time. We have a cloverleaf interchange that was recoated with a material that helps drivers not lose control as easily on rainy or icy conditions. It was completed and within a week there was 4 large depressions on the cloverleaf. Those depressions were not caused by an average vehicle out there. They were caused by large heavy vehicles like dump trucks, semis, etc and it's not going to get fixed any time soon. They basically let heavy weighing traffic on too quickly.

 

[justreading]

What will happen is that most guests driving a vehicle will have a HC tag for their car meaning free parking. Some states they are hard to get, but others not so difficult. Or else they will bring Grandma along on the trip to use her tag. Unless Disney decides to start charging those vehicles to park at the resorts.

I know people with HC tags get free valet parking at a delux resort, but do they get free parking at a moderate or value resort also?

 

[Minniesgal]

Shouldn’t be able to do that anymore.
Only can park if pay at another resort

Or have a DVC membership as DVC members don’t pay for parking

 

[BK2014]

You're going to tell me that my standard class rental car is causing more wear and tear than the buses? I get it that a large number of cars, etc etc, but come on those buses can stress roads especially given that they do roughly the same route time and time again in addition to what the other poster was talking about.

I could have made this point more artfully. Of course compared 1 to 1 the bus does more damage to the road than a family size car. But each additional guest driven car takes an additional toll on the roads. Each family that decides to drive their own vehicle creates additional stress on the infrastructure, as it means an additional car using the roads and parking lots. But each family that takes DME and/or on-site provided transportation does not require an additional bus on the roads. So assuming that DME and the WDW buses are going to be running anyhow, WDW benefits by either a) getting revenue from those who decide to drive and park or b) by encouraging more people not to drive and park and instead use the provided transportation.

Again, not in support of the parking fees.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Or have a DVC membership as DVC members don’t pay for parking

As long as they are staying at a DVC resort or using points at a non-DVC resort. If they have a cash reservation booked other than through DVC, they pay to park at the resort.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I could have made this point more artfully. Of course compared 1 to 1 the bus does more damage to the road than a family size car. But each additional guest driven car takes an additional toll on the roads. Each family that decides to drive their own vehicle creates additional stress on the infrastructure, as it means an additional car using the roads and parking lots. But each family that takes DME and/or on-site provided transportation does not require an additional bus on the roads. So assuming that DME and the WDW buses are going to be running anyhow, WDW benefits by either a) getting revenue from those who decide to drive and park or b) by encouraging more people not to drive and park and instead use the provided transportation.

Again, not in support of the parking fees.

Each family that opts to not use their own transportation or uber/lyft and instead uses only Disney's transportation adds an additional toll on the roads. You can't just have everyone using Disney's transportation. That would create an even worse situation than you have now with longer lines of people and either Disney would say "deal with it" or they would add more buses. Both options would create added stress to the roads as the buses would have to travel more often to pick up the people waiting for the bus or there would be just that many more buses on the roads to account for the additional people who used to use their own transportation and now are using Disney's.

You can realistically only have a fraction of people opting to not using their own transportation or uber/lyft and instead using only Disney's transportation before you end up adding potentially even more stress on the system to account for those added people into Disney's transportation system.

 

[PrincessV]

FWIW... I'm semi-local, so always drive, always have my car. If I do overnight stays, they're usually offsite, and likely alwyas will be now that there's a parking fee onsite. I do day trips, too, and and often go to WDW resorts for meals. I just parked at AKL for lunch this past Sat - had no ADR, didn't mention that I was going to a TS, just pulled up, said, "I'm just here for lunch!", showed my ID, and was told by the security guard to "Enjoy!" Same as it ever was.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

Or have a DVC membership as DVC members don’t pay for parking

I wish they would extend that to APs. I almost stayed on site for the first time ever, but then when I made the reservation they reminded me there would be a parking charge. I told them nevermind.