PLEASE SHARE -What is it like to resort park now?

[PrincessV]

Yes, as a semi-local, I'm well-versed in how it's always been - but based on what people have been told in phone calls, WDW has made it sound as if new systems/methods are to be implemented. I'm just waiting to hear if that actually comes to pass. I'll go back to silent lurking now....

 

[AngiTN]

There's the problem right there.... calling and asking anyone working in the call center how they'll be implementing parking. They won't know. Sad as that is, it's the truth.

 

[KrazeeK120]

I am also waiting not-so-patiently to hear how the new system is being implemented! I'll be over at WDW as a non-resort guest next month, but not sure I'll be needing to visit any resorts while I'm there. If I do, I'll definitely report in, but surely someone will do so before then...

I’m curious about this as well. I assume my MB will be scanned when I arrive at the resort. I HOPE there is some sort of override programmed into the system to not charge the parking fee for those of us who booked prior to March 21. I’m hoping people will be reporting back soon and saying they had no issues...

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Hmmm... seems really clear to me. If you are an onsite guest you will have a room at a resort. If you aren't, you won't. The guard asks for ID when you enter and if you are a guest, a MB is scanned.
They've never checked for day guests who overstay their welcome and probably never will
If you are there as an overnight guest, when you check out, if you have had a car at the resort, parking will be added to your bill. If you haven't had a car at the resort, you won't have parking added to your bill
If you are a day guest, you won't have a bill to have parking added to. So nothing to pay.

I'm curious as to how this will work in my situation on an upcoming trip. We are flying into Clearwater, renting a car, and staying there for a few nights. Then we'll drive the rental car do WDW, drop off our luggage at the hotel (I presume scanning our MB at the guard gate to prove we have a resort reservation). Then, DH will drive the rental to the rental car site to drop it off. We won't be parking overnight at all. Curious as to how they will know not to charge us.

 

[AngiTN]

I'm curious as to how this will work in my situation on an upcoming trip. We are flying into Clearwater, renting a car, and staying there for a few nights. Then we'll drive the rental car do WDW, drop off our luggage at the hotel (I presume scanning our MB at the guard gate to prove we have a resort reservation). Then, DH will drive the rental to the rental car site to drop it off. We won't be parking overnight at all. Curious as to how they will know not to charge us.

Yours is a unique situation and I would verbally inform them at the resort that you are not leaving your car there overnight. I would not expect that they will figure it out on their own

ETA - The other option would be to have your DH "pretend" to be Uber and just doing a drop off when he takes you and the kids to the resort. If the driver is only doing a drop off, then the guest band isn't scanned

 

[KrazeeK120]

I'm curious as to how this will work in my situation on an upcoming trip. We are flying into Clearwater, renting a car, and staying there for a few nights. Then we'll drive the rental car do WDW, drop off our luggage at the hotel (I presume scanning our MB at the guard gate to prove we have a resort reservation). Then, DH will drive the rental to the rental car site to drop it off. We won't be parking overnight at all. Curious as to how they will know not to charge us.

Did you book prior to March 21? If so, you shouldn’t need to worry about it as you would be exempt from parking fees even if you did park overnight.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Yours is a unique situation and I would verbally inform them at the resort that you are not leaving your car there overnight. I would not expect that they will figure it out on their own

We will do that for sure. But I hope they have a better process in place than just taking people at their word.

 

[Bowen Family]

I agree it's unclear how the old enforcement system will work with the new rules. There's simply too many ways for resort guests to avoid paying for parking.

Just think of all the perfectly legitimate ways daytime visitors can gain access to a resort parking lot without scanning a MB. Overnight guests will quickly figure out that if you identify yourself as a daytime visitor, and conveniently 'forget' to inform front desk staff of their parked car at check-out/in, they'll get away with parking for free.

Not encouraging this behaviour, but it definitely will happen. Disney will eventually need to be able to monitor the purpose and duration for each of the cars parked on resort property.

 

[AngiTN]

We will do that for sure. But I hope they have a better process in place than just taking people at their word.

Unless they return to using paper parking passes at all resorts, I can't imagine what it would be. Can you? I mean, going back to paper parking passes makes the most sense to me. Never understood why they got away from them other than that makes you go to the front desk and they try to encourage/push the whole, skip the front desk option.
Scanning of MB as it enters the gate is about the only other way
All of it goes back to if they'd just gone with charging day guests vs. overnight guests it would have been easier all the way around (other than for day guests of course)

How does Universal do it? Charging guests to park is not new in the Hotel industry.

 

[piccolopat]

For day guests, they should charge for parking just like they do at some malls, airports or other venues. You get a time stamped ticket and pay when you leave based on how long you are there. You can get it validated at certain venues for free parking as long as you are not parked longer than 3 hours. After three hours, the cost to park should be a bit more than what you would pay to park at the parks themselves. Set aside a section of the parking lot for day guests so overnight guests always have easy access to parking.

 

[ENJDisneyFan]

Unless they return to using paper parking passes at all resorts, I can't imagine what it would be. Can you? I mean, going back to paper parking passes makes the most sense to me. Never understood why they got away from them other than that makes you go to the front desk and they try to encourage/push the whole, skip the front desk option.
Scanning of MB as it enters the gate is about the only other way
All of it goes back to if they'd just gone with charging day guests vs. overnight guests it would have been easier all the way around (other than for day guests of course)

How does Universal do it? Charging guests to park is not new in the Hotel industry.

I agree with paper parking passes. I think most hotels give out some kind of overnight pass to hang from the rear view mirror.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Unless they return to using paper parking passes at all resorts, I can't imagine what it would be. Can you? I mean, going back to paper parking passes makes the most sense to me. Never understood why they got away from them other than that makes you go to the front desk and they try to encourage/push the whole, skip the front desk option.
Scanning of MB as it enters the gate is about the only other way
All of it goes back to if they'd just gone with charging day guests vs. overnight guests it would have been easier all the way around (other than for day guests of course)

How does Universal do it? Charging guests to park is not new in the Hotel industry.

I’ve driven to Disney property for an on-site stay 5 times. Three times, I got the parking pass at the guard shack (YC, BWI, WL). Once, I got it at check-in (Pop). Once, I didn’t get a pass at all (CBR). I can’t figure out when the give passes and when they don’t...my CBR stay was before my WL stay. But it is possible to skip the front desk and still get a pass by having the guards hand them out.

My guess as to why they got away from them is just to save money.

 

[gracielou]

For day guests, they should charge for parking just like they do at some malls, airports or other venues. You get a time stamped ticket and pay when you leave based on how long you are there. You can get it validated at certain venues for free parking as long as you are not parked longer than 3 hours. After three hours, the cost to park should be a bit more than what you would pay to park at the parks themselves. Set aside a section of the parking lot for day guests so overnight guests always have easy access to parking.

Problem with this aproach is how do they determine an "appropriate or standard length of time without pushing people away who are there to spend money? DH and I stay at OKW on rented points for our anniversary trip, so no resort parking fees for us. However, our anniversary gifts to each other are spa packages at the GF Senses that last around 3 hours and average about $350.00 each. Add in the spa's expectation that you arrive 30 minutes early and time to shower and dress after the packages. We typically then head to Mizner's for a drink before going to Citricos reservations. All in all, we're there for 7-8 hours hours and spend close to $1000.00. Or in other words, we're there using the parking lot for less time than an overnight guest and spending more than many of the rooms cost for a night. Should we have to pay to park?

Even without overnight parking fees due to the points reservations, this may end up being the straw that breaks the camel's back for us. The increased fees and pricing don't balance out with the decrease in onsite perks and customer service any more. If we didn't already have this non-refundable trip booked and paid for, I would be voting with my money and canceling. We've had APs for close to 10 years and for the past 19 years take annual onsite trips that range from 14 to 20 nights with the occasional 5 to 7 day trip on the side. Unless things start to turn around, this will be the last year we renew our APs and the last year we stay onsite. And if we have to pay to park at the GF? They will be out the $1000 we would have spent there and we will be spending half that amount offsite for our anniversary. At some point the principle outweighs the magic of the Disney bubble.

We usually book a lot of resort dining to escape the madness of the parks and my tentative plans include Citricos, Artist Point, Jiko's, Beaches and Cream, and the California Grill brunch as well as visiting several of the lounges. My ADR window opens up in a few weeks so how this plays out will have a large impact on how much money Disney gets versus how much we spend outside the World. We drive because it's easier from our location than flying - not to go offsite. It's been several years since we left Disney property for anything more than an urgent care or cough syrup run. This year may be a drastically different experience.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Disney got this parking thing all wrong---- overnight guests should NOT have to pay!! Also, if you have any ADR (spa/food/special event) at a resort that you aren't staying at, you should also get to park for free. If you are parking to do some shopping/just checking out the resort, you should pay hourly as PP poster mentioned, get a ticket and pay a fee upon leaving the resort parking area. Why penalize those who are spending most of their money at the resort??? So silly!! But it is what it is and the fee stinks. I'm sure some cheaters will learn to work the system to avoid the fee and in turn just make Disney figure out another way to ensure that they stick the parking fee to guests. Just a matter of time.

 

[piccolopat]

Problem with this aproach is how do they determine an "appropriate or standard length of time without pushing people away who are there to spend money? DH and I stay at OKW on rented points for our anniversary trip, so no resort parking fees for us. However, our anniversary gifts to each other are spa packages at the GF Senses that last around 3 hours and average about $350.00 each. Add in the spa's expectation that you arrive 30 minutes early and time to shower and dress after the packages. We typically then head to Mizner's for a drink before going to Citricos reservations. All in all, we're there for 7-8 hours hours and spend close to $1000.00. Or in other words, we're there using the parking lot for less time than an overnight guest and spending more than many of the rooms cost for a night. Should we have to pay to park?

Even without overnight parking fees due to the points reservations, this may end up being the straw that breaks the camel's back for us. The increased fees and pricing don't balance out with the decrease in onsite perks and customer service any more. If we didn't already have this non-refundable trip booked and paid for, I would be voting with my money and canceling. We've had APs for close to 10 years and for the past 19 years take annual onsite trips that range from 14 to 20 nights with the occasional 5 to 7 day trip on the side. Unless things start to turn around, this will be the last year we renew our APs and the last year we stay onsite. And if we have to pay to park at the GF? They will be out the $1000 we would have spent there and we will be spending half that amount offsite for our anniversary. At some point the principle outweighs the magic of the Disney bubble.

We usually book a lot of resort dining to escape the madness of the parks and my tentative plans include Citricos, Artist Point, Jiko's, Beaches and Cream, and the California Grill brunch as well as visiting several of the lounges. My ADR window opens up in a few weeks so how this plays out will have a large impact on how much money Disney gets versus how much we spend outside the World. We drive because it's easier from our location than flying - not to go offsite. It's been several years since we left Disney property for anything more than an urgent care or cough syrup run. This year may be a drastically different experience.

I see your point. Perhaps each "voucher" from a venue could be worth 3 hours. I added the time limitation because free parking shouldn't be for someone who parks for the day but only buys a coke in the gift shop. It's the same reason people are annoyed by people who make BOG reservations for their party of 10 and then split one cupcake.

 

[AngiTN]

Problem with this aproach is how do they determine an "appropriate or standard length of time without pushing people away who are there to spend money? DH and I stay at OKW on rented points for our anniversary trip, so no resort parking fees for us. However, our anniversary gifts to each other are spa packages at the GF Senses that last around 3 hours and average about $350.00 each. Add in the spa's expectation that you arrive 30 minutes early and time to shower and dress after the packages. We typically then head to Mizner's for a drink before going to Citricos reservations. All in all, we're there for 7-8 hours hours and spend close to $1000.00. Or in other words, we're there using the parking lot for less time than an overnight guest and spending more than many of the rooms cost for a night. Should we have to pay to park?

Even without overnight parking fees due to the points reservations, this may end up being the straw that breaks the camel's back for us. The increased fees and pricing don't balance out with the decrease in onsite perks and customer service any more. If we didn't already have this non-refundable trip booked and paid for, I would be voting with my money and canceling. We've had APs for close to 10 years and for the past 19 years take annual onsite trips that range from 14 to 20 nights with the occasional 5 to 7 day trip on the side. Unless things start to turn around, this will be the last year we renew our APs and the last year we stay onsite. And if we have to pay to park at the GF? They will be out the $1000 we would have spent there and we will be spending half that amount offsite for our anniversary. At some point the principle outweighs the magic of the Disney bubble.

We usually book a lot of resort dining to escape the madness of the parks and my tentative plans include Citricos, Artist Point, Jiko's, Beaches and Cream, and the California Grill brunch as well as visiting several of the lounges. My ADR window opens up in a few weeks so how this plays out will have a large impact on how much money Disney gets versus how much we spend outside the World. We drive because it's easier from our location than flying - not to go offsite. It's been several years since we left Disney property for anything more than an urgent care or cough syrup run. This year may be a drastically different experience.

There is a way to make it so that someone who makes a purchase at that specific location can get free parking. Validate their ticket, etc. Thousands of venues nation (if not world) wide make it work. Disney could too.

 

[ElenaJane]

Yes, as a semi-local, I'm well-versed in how it's always been - but based on what people have been told in phone calls, WDW has made it sound as if new systems/methods are to be implemented. I'm just waiting to hear if that actually comes to pass. I'll go back to silent lurking now....

I'm right here with you, waiting to see if there are any changes. Especially what the new "special welcome" is supposed to be. Yes, there may not be anything noticeably different, but I can still be hopeful that they start enforcing time limits on day parkers.
"They can't stop me from dreaming" - Cinderella

 

[Lorelai]

They actually spell it out on the website. First bullet point on the link below
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/parking/
Resort parking is added to the resort guests bill at check out
As a non-resort guest nothing will change for you, see the entry at the link under Day Guest

I just looked at the website and I am wondering what the difference is between preferred and standard parking at the 4 parks? Preferred is quite expensive. There must be one heck of a perk to it. I'm hoping standard still allows self parkers to ride the parking lot transit from far away lots to park entrance. Fingers crossed!!

 

[Lorelai]

They actually spell it out on the website. First bullet point on the link below
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/parking/
Resort parking is added to the resort guests bill at check out
As a non-resort guest nothing will change for you, see the entry at the link under Day Guest

I just looked at the website and I am wondering what the difference is between preferred and standard parking at the 4 parks? Preferred is quite expensive. There must be one heck of a perk to it. I'm hoping standard still allows self parkers to ride the parking lot transit from far away lots to park entrance. Fingers crossed!!

 

[AngiTN]

I just looked at the website and I am wondering what the difference is between preferred and standard parking at the 4 parks? Preferred is quite expensive. There must be one heck of a perk to it. I'm hoping standard still allows self parkers to ride the parking lot transit from far away lots to park entrance. Fingers crossed!!

Distance. Preferred is closer. That's it