Parking Policy Changes for Downtown Disney starting 8/16/17

[ashley0139]

I think the new parking rates make perfect sense.

Disneyland wants people to park at Downtown Disney who will spend $$ at Downtown Disney.

If you aren't going to spend $20 at a location while there, then why should you get free parking?

I bet 99% of the people complaining in this thread are using Downtown Disney to go to Disneyland for a few hours, listen to a band or watch the fireworks from outside the parks. The fact that they might spend $6 at Earl of Sandwich doesn't "entitle" them to free parking. Let's face it. A significant portion of people arriving at the Downtown Disney parking lot actually spend very little $$$$ while parked there.

Earl of Sandwich will continue to do just fine with all the families who are buying $40 or $50 of sandwiches, soups and sodas. And Downtown Disney parking will be more available and less crowded.

Knowing how crazy busy Downtown Disney is on a Friday evening makes this a win for me as a Singature AP holder who can park at Mickey and Friends.

99%? Lol. I love people who say "I bet all these people are these people" as though one thing has anything to do with the other. I'm a Signature so I never use the DTD lots so I don't have to worry about timing. I still think it's stupid. Now you've heard from 3 on this two page thread.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

I can't imagine using the DTD free 2-hour parking to go to the parks. By the time you get to the parks you would have such a short time before you had to head back. Doesn't sound all that fun to me. It's not something I've done or would do, but I think this new $20-purchase policy is pretty lame.

 

[SteveMP]

I can't imagine using the DTD free 2-hour parking to go to the parks. By the time you get to the parks you would have such a short time before you had to head back. Doesn't sound all that fun to me. It's not something I've done or would do, but I think this new $20-purchase policy is pretty lame.

As a SoCal Select AP the past couple decades-ish, I have done this and its more stressful than its worth. A couple times to buy gifts in the park, once because I was at a conference nearby and wanted to hop on Pirates real quick. I walk pretty fast, and its easily 15 minutes to get from there to the gate plus a few minutes depending on security lines, then 15 minutes back. Assuming no line at the front gate you have a little less than an hour and a half. But mentally you have about 15 minutes less than you actually do because you are worried about getting charged almost a full day of parking to ride 1 ride. So to assume that many people would purposely put themselves through this stress for an hour is pretty ignorant.

 

[skierrob]

I've gone there COUNTLESS times, i would say once or twice a month for years and years, on the way to nearby conferences and work meetings for breakfast to grab beignets and coffee at Jim Brennans. $5 beignets taste great. Now $25 beignets? No thanks Jeff!

And I have gone there to do Christmas/Birthday shopping and have left empty handed, either due to out of stock items, wrong size, or I was just getting ideas for later. $20 to look around is kind of steep, so back to Amazon/ebay I suppose.

But feel free to make up wild scenarios and statistics if it makes you feel better.

And it appears that you are the type of customer that Disney doesn't want in their parking lot. They'd rather have a parking lot full of people spending $50 a visit instead of a lot full of people spending $5 or "window shopping".

Not saying it's right or wrong, just saying you are the demographic they are trying to get rid of. It isn't an attack, it's a statement about the type of customer this particular *business* wants to attract to their parking lot.

No different than the way Universal charges for parking, btw.

I do think that we can all agree, though, that during most of the day (excluding mornings) Downtown Disney does have a parking problem. Show up on a Friday evening and you can't even get into the lot due to the crowds!

 

[SteveMP]

And it appears that you are the type of customer that Disney doesn't want in their parking lot. They'd rather have a parking lot full of people spending $50 a visit instead of a lot full of people spending $5 or "window shopping".

Not saying it's right or wrong, just saying you are the demographic they are trying to get rid of.

!

I get it. And I understand its all about stock prices and grasping at straws to try to gain confidence in their stock. And I get that they are trying to rid Downtown Disney of people like me, just like Blockbuster tried to get rid of people like me by charging exorbitant late fees, and it worked.

 

[mummabear]

including charging for things that used to be free (WOC,

Besides the dining or dessert packages: how is WOV no longer free?

 

[twodogs]

Correct me if this is wrong: some who don't like this change say they only pop in for under 30 minutes to grab a snack or something, but it costs less than $20, so no validation and no free parking. Currently if you did this, you'd have free parking. Under the new system, there is a 15 minute "initial grace" period which is free, and you are charged $12/hour, in HALF hour increments, minimum of $6. So if you get the first 15 minutes free, then you are charged $6 for the next 30 minutes, you can do whatever you want in DTD for 45 minutes for $6. I realize it was free and now it's not, but if you're truly popping in for beignets (who wouldn't?!?), it's an incremental $6. Not world-ending to me, but others may disagree.

 

[Kender]

And it appears that you are the type of customer that Disney doesn't want in their parking lot. They'd rather have a parking lot full of people spending $50 a visit instead of a lot full of people spending $5 or "window shopping".

Not saying it's right or wrong, just saying you are the demographic they are trying to get rid of. It isn't an attack, it's a statement about the type of customer this particular *business* wants to attract to their parking lot.

No different than the way Universal charges for parking, btw.

I do think that we can all agree, though, that during most of the day (excluding mornings) Downtown Disney does have a parking problem. Show up on a Friday evening and you can't even get into the lot due to the crowds!

But what about people like my mom and myself? People who while we do normally stop in only for a quick snack (and she stays with the car because someone has to stay with the cat if we're not going to kennel her), who've also been known to spend on the higher end of that $20. Yet sub $20 in several locations that add up to quite a bit more than that $20 minimum?

Sure, they're guaranteeing that they will get at least some money from the stop and that people will spend at least $20 in a single location to get "free" parking, but is it worth losing say $50-100 spent? Possibly more in the case of groups that are paying separately (I know, we could argue if they arrived in different cars it might not make a difference, but what if they carpooled for the sake of this point)? I'd like to think since it is Disney that they've run the numbers and deem the potential loss of business not one that will impact them significantly enough. In fact, I'm sure they're hoping for an uptick in spending. But what gives me pause is that while they can and do track the spending of APs due to discounts at Disney owned businesses, they don't track at the non-Disney stores in DTD. It feels like they're missing a piece of the puzzle that might give a better business picture. We all know that they closely monitor AP spending and usage inside the parks.

I do agree that they are a business and they are trying to discourage non-shoppers from going to DTD, but I worry that this weeding out of the "non-spenders" will discourage those who might spend quite a bit all because they don't want to feel pressured to make a single $20+ transaction. This is why I believe validation with any purchase would have been a more agreeable change.

Correct me if this is wrong: some who don't like this change say they only pop in for under 30 minutes to grab a snack or something, but it costs less than $20, so no validation and no free parking. Currently if you did this, you'd have free parking. Under the new system, there is a 15 minute "initial grace" period which is free, and you are charged $12/hour, in HALF hour increments, minimum of $6. So if you get the first 15 minutes free, then you are charged $6 for the next 30 minutes, you can do whatever you want in DTD for 45 minutes for $6. I realize it was free and now it's not, but if you're truly popping in for beignets (who wouldn't?!?), it's an incremental $6. Not world-ending to me, but others may disagree.

The grace period is not an additional 15 minutes. It's a grace period to leave if you change your mind/can't find parking/etc. If you exit at 16 minutes, you will be charged for half an hour. If you exit at 31 minutes, you will be charged for an hour. Most paid parking garages/lots I've been to have something like this.

I live in the SF Bay Area and my shopping habits include actively avoiding shopping centers that require me to pay to park unless I have zero choice. Usually because of work. But at least then I can make work pay for parking.

No snack is worth the stress of making sure I'm back in my car and at the gate to exit within 30 minutes of entering. If there's any back up, I'll be paying more than the cost of my snack if I'm even one minute over 30 minutes.

 

[twodogs]

Got it. So if you are truly "under 30 minutes" as someone posted, it will be $6. It will be $12 for an hour.

I wonder if the business who validates your parking actually has to pay disney a fee for the validation?

For example, my practice is in a building connected to a hospital. The hospital charges for all parking on the hospital campus; there is no free parking. As building tennants, we can "validate" our patients' parking, but it means we just pay the hospital for the patients' parking, and it is free to the patient. So I eat the cost of the patients' parking if I validate it. Each business in the building can choose to validate or not.

DTD businesses don't sound like there is a choice to not validate if the purchase is over $20. So if the DTD business that validates your parking actually has to pay disney to do that, you can bet they won't do it for less than the minimum. Since these businesses are mostly independently owned, Disney may charge them to validate since the business, not Disney, got the profit off of the $20 you just laid out to avoid the paying parking fee to Disney. Just a thought.

 

[SteveMP]

Correct me if this is wrong: some who don't like this change say they only pop in for under 30 minutes to grab a snack or something, but it costs less than $20, so no validation and no free parking. Currently if you did this, you'd have free parking. Under the new system, there is a 15 minute "initial grace" period which is free, and you are charged $12/hour, in HALF hour increments, minimum of $6. So if you get the first 15 minutes free, then you are charged $6 for the next 30 minutes, you can do whatever you want in DTD for 45 minutes for $6. I realize it was free and now it's not, but if you're truly popping in for beignets (who wouldn't?!?), it's an incremental $6. Not world-ending to me, but others may disagree.

Some people may welcome a 150% tax on their food items, but i'll just go somewhere else. Needless obsorbitant taxes that line the pockets of the rich are something I usually vote against. You may just be different. /Shrug

 

[Kender]

Got it. So if you are truly "under 30 minutes" as someone posted, it will be $6. It will be $12 for an hour.

I wonder if the business who validates your parking actually has to pay disney a fee for the validation?

For example, my practice is in a building connected to a hospital. The hospital charges for all parking on the hospital campus; there is no free parking. As building tennants, we can "validate" our patients' parking, but it means we just pay the hospital for the patients' parking, and it is free to the patient. So I eat the cost of the patients' parking if I validate it. Each business in the building can choose to validate or not.

DTD businesses don't sound like there is a choice to not validate if the purchase is over $20. So if the DTD business that validates your parking actually has to pay disney to do that, you can bet they won't do it for less than the minimum. Since these businesses are mostly independently owned, Disney may charge them to validate since the business, not Disney, got the profit off of the $20 you just laid out to avoid the paying parking fee to Disney. Just a thought.

Actually what I'll be doing is not spending any money at all. It's lost business from me.

But since you bring it up, I have my doubts any business in DTD will pay for the validation. Remember that a movie ticket is cheaper than $20 and you'll get four hours of validation with that, not just two. I can't imagine they'd eat the cost of parking.

ETA: I work for a non profit theatre. During our Gala used to raise a large portion of our budget each year, we cover parking for every guest. Our Galas are often in SF and we cover whether someone donated or not. Trust me when I say I'm well aware of how much validation can add up.

 

[twodogs]

I wondered if the business had to pay Disney for any validations they give out (maybe not the full price that your parking would have cost but some smaller amount) since it specified that the $20 all had to be spent at one shop. If Disney just wants you to spend a total of $20 anywhere to get free parking, why specify it has to be spent all at one store?

 

[ashley0139]

I wondered if the business had to pay Disney for any validations they give out (maybe not the full price that your parking would have cost but some smaller amount) since it specified that the $20 all had to be spent at one shop. If Disney just wants you to spend a total of $20 anywhere to get free parking, why specify it has to be spent all at one store?

To avoid people handing over 5 receipts and the parking attendants having to add everything up while you sit in your car?

 

[SteveMP]

I wondered if the business had to pay Disney for any validations they give out (maybe not the full price that your parking would have cost but some smaller amount) since it specified that the $20 all had to be spent at one shop. If Disney just wants you to spend a total of $20 anywhere to get free parking, why specify it has to be spent all at one store?

Could be various reasons. Ashley mentions one valid reason, but the reasons we don't know yet are the various metrics. If the tenants pay gross rent it could increase revenue twofold. If they provide investors with other metrics such as "average dollar spent per customer", etc. Could be a few metrics that they think this will "improve" on paper.

 

[tarheelalum]

They are trying to up the ticket average for the parkers. Standard operating procedure nowadays at Disneyland. Its all about the money money money and ringing out every dollar possible.

 

[twodogs]

Agree with the posters above. But, as another poster said, the market will decide if Disney can get away with this fee. If people stop coming in droves and the garage is not full and the DTD shops are losing substantial sales numbers, they will take the fee away. But most likely, people will still come or new people will come and it will stay full. Sigh. It is a business and I try to forget that a lot but... then I remember that fact, And it explains what they are doing. I don't love it, but it's a business at the end of the day...

 

[SMD]

To avoid people handing over 5 receipts and the parking attendants having to add everything up while you sit in your car?

They could set up an information booth and validate there if you have total receipts over X amount. Westfield Century City used to do that at their concierge booth, they may still. Part of the problem is that the retail situation has gotten so bad there, that there isn't anything a local or commuter needs to make a special trip for. I can get Lego, Sephora, Fossil or Sanuk online or at the local mall. I don't know what they could put in there that I'd consider popping in to pick something up same day if I knew the story had it in stock. With the bowling alley, if they add another entertainment venue, then some of these changes make more sense, because they're trying to capture more income buy getting the people to stay longer with the 4 hour time limit.

 

[Kender]

Agree with the posters above. But, as another poster said, the market will decide if Disney can get away with this fee. If people stop coming in droves and the garage is not full and the DTD shops are losing substantial sales numbers, they will take the fee away. But most likely, people will still come or new people will come and it will stay full. Sigh. It is a business and I try to forget that a lot but... then I remember that fact, And it explains what they are doing. I don't love it, but it's a business at the end of the day...

For sure. And it does seem like as has been observed numerous times that these little extras are a way to raise ticket prices without actually raising ticket prices. The fact Sig, Sig+, and Premier haven't had increases in almost two years is very fascinating.

But we all know that even businesses can make poor decisions that work against them. Still remains to be seen how this one will play out (the opinion of myself and others not really relevant in terms of if this still remains a good business decision for DTD, but rather how it actually does on paper). Although it will change my personal shopping behavior, I'll still be interested in following the impact this has. Positive, negative, or neutral.

 

[MillauFr]

They are trying to up the ticket average for the parkers. Standard operating procedure nowadays at Disneyland. Its all about the money money money and ringing out every dollar possible.

Wasn't it always about ringing every possible dollar out of their customers?

 

[MillauFr]

No, the guests should NOT have to pay for parking at a retail/dining complex. That is asinine. Disney Springs has two (soon to be three) parking garages and parking there is still free. I live close to the Irvine Spectrum (retail/dining/entertainment complex) and they have several garages and parking there is free. The tenants pay for the structure as part of their lease fee.

You are paying for the parking one way or another. At least by charging for parking the people that are using the service are the ones paying for it. Why should someone who is not using the service pay for it? I stopped renting a car when in Southern California. It is cheaper to use Lyft.

Amazon is decimating American malls because its cost structure is far lower than a brick and mortar stores at malls. People refuse to pay the high prices that mall stores charge.