Disney Resorts to start charging parking fees....

[HopperFan]

Hop, I've been wondering how they would word this one myself. That was actually the first thing I thought.
"constantly adjusting to fit with the needs of our guests", "providing exciting new choices", . . . . . .

But I do think one of the consequences will be a closer policing of day guests' vehicles to prevent resort guests from simply choosing to "enjoy select experiences" all night long.

and lest we forget, $24 becomes $27 once the room tax is applied . . . . .

Surely someone can spin this to be in the guest's benefit ...................

Maybe offer regular guest parking at $,
preferred guest parking closer to buildings $$
and the ultimate guest experience, valet at $$$.
Disney is offering a parking option for everyone!


Yes, I said that on another thread I think. We either have to go back to passes on the dashboard so non-holders can be towed OR they buy more gates and allow only guests past some and day guests in a day lot like they do at CSR, that is a smaller lot that can be monitored OR day guests without MB to THAT resort get a ticket ... 3 hours free if stamped by ADR or Service (like spa or hotel event), 2 hours free with no stamp (QS, Shopping, Checking it out) and then after that a hefty per hour like $6 per hour so no one uses to park & bus ride, to avoid theme park parking fees.

The call center is getting lots of calls on this.

Send your comments to:

guest.services@disneyworld.com

I am!!!

Write. Calling is ABSOLUTELY pointless cause Aurora living in Boulder, CO "don't care".

They will pacify you, tell you they will share, check off a box on a piece of paper and go to the next call.

 

[kagmypts]

Disney wants to keep guests in the bubble. By charging guests for bring their owns car, they are incentivizing guests to leave their vehicles at home. This makes guests more beholden to Disney. However, I think that Disney has made a severe muscalculation. People do not want to be nickeled and dimed. They will decide to stay offsite.

 

[soccermom54]

Well, this is sad but not surprising with the direction Disney has been going recently. Disney can say "everyone else does it" but I see it as just another piece of the "Disney magic" evaporated into the air. Next they will be charging for parking at Disney Springs and for all fast passes. As Florida resident AP holders who live 50 miles from WDW, we drive to the parks and in the past we have stayed several nights on-site during Food and Wine and the holiday season. With this announcement, we will be day trip visitors only since parking is included with our AP (at least for now it is!). Yes, we could continue to stay on-site and pay the parking fee but when is enough, enough? As a WDW lover and visitor for over 25 years, this new parking fee just really bug me!

 

[DisneyArkie]

I think this is the second time in this one thread I have to remind someone that this latest development isn't some sort of aberration. People have had an issue with Disney's declining value for price and this latest nonsense is icing. A forum such as this one is the perfect place to share those opinions.

Icing? I thought the room checks were the icing? Lol

 

[DisBuckMan]

Except that park attendance isn’t rising. Disney has admitted that. Attendance is down. It’s their manipulation of wait times and active efforts to spread the crowds to all seasons that makes it seem that way. People are actually finding other vacation options. They are making more money because of all the upsells.

I believe the bolded part is pure board speculation. We were there in November and it was more crowded than I've ever seen it. Many folks who have been in January and February have reported back here that it was more crowded than they've ever seen it at that time. I've read several articles lately that attendance is big-time up, not down.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Disney wants to keep guests in the bubble. By charging guests for bring their owns car, they are incentivizing guests to their vehicles at home. This leaves guests more beholden to Disney. However, I think that Disney has made a severe muscalculation. People do not want to be nickeled and dimed.

It’s interesting that people keep bringing up how Disney wants to incentivize people not to bring cars. However, that’s how many (including me) get to Disney in the first place! If I didn’t drive there, I wouldn’t be going at all.

 

[cigar95]

poioer

Does anyone have the email to complain? Because I want to complain...

WDW.Guest.Communications@disneyworld.com

They're certainly interested in feedback, I would suggest wording it more like "disappointment" than "complaint".

 

[DisneyArkie]

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/trav...ney/os-bz-disney-earnings-20170508-story.html

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/tourism/os-disney-quarter-earnings-20180202-story.html

Don’t bring facts to the table.

 

[CaptHomer]

Please ignore my ignorance

So, you are able to book fp+ at 60 days and have emh perks?
Is this with all the disney springs linked good neighbor hotels?

We will definitely never stay onsite again if this is the case for such savings..

Good Neighbor hotels and the Four Seasons so far.

 

[Iya]

Good Neighbor hotels and the Four Seasons so far.

Four Seasons gets 30 day fastpass, not 60.

 

[DisneyArkie]

I think this is the second time in this one thread I have to remind someone that this latest development isn't some sort of aberration. People have had an issue with Disney's declining value for price and this latest nonsense is icing. A forum such as this one is the perfect place to share those opinions.

Icing? I thought the new room checks were the icing. Lol

 

[ShadeDK]

Random thoughts (without trying to repeat all the excellent points already made):

1) These price increases really start to stack up, don't they? Following the 2018 increase in ticket prices and the parking fees alone, for example - a family of four driving to WDW for a 7 night onsite stay with 5-day tickets will now get to pay these additional amounts that didn't exist in January: Value - $231, Moderate - $273, Deluxe - $308. Earthshattering numbers? No - but those amounts aren't for any additional actual services beyond what was already provided eight weeks ago for $0.

2) Quite a few comments on parking fees charged by hotels in urban or congested areas. All very true - and I'd add that many of those hotels cater not only to tourists but to high volumes of business travelers, who expense those fees to their companies or clients because those travelers have to be there. Although many leisure hotels and resorts also charge parking fees, it's riskier since you're charging those to people who you ideally want to incentivize to visit and would have to pay those fees directly (rather than reimbursed via expense report). If you're going to do it (and not that I'd advocate any parking fee), why not a trial run of parking fees at the six resorts that offer convention services (GF, CR, BW, CSR, BC, and YC)?

3) A few comments about why the fees are different at Values, Moderates and Deluxes, when a parking space is a parking space. I suppose it's a progressive approach - while the Values are paying less in actual dollars, they are paying a higher percentage of fees relative to their stay. Assuming an average nightly rate for each tier (Value - $125, Moderate - $250, Deluxe - $400), the parking fee at the Values adds about 10% per night to the cost, versus about a 6-7% increase for the Moderates and Deluxes. Even though the Values have a lower fee, you could argue they are impacted more.

 

[maltdizzy]

Typically, we stay for 5 nights, an additional $125 isn't going to break us financially, but considering I'm already paying $200-400 night for a Deluxe, "4 diamond" hotel room with a bathroom smaller than most Holiday Inns, it's pretty insulting. I never like having to pay to park at DL, but it was SoCal (I used to live in L.A., I expect to pay to park everywhere) and we usually were only there are 2 nights tops.

We always drive, not only are we within a one day drive of WDW, we also prefer to drive around property than deal with the buses. I'm sure this is beyond just nickle and diming us over parking, but some analysts somewhere figures it discourage our habit and steer us toward the buses, the Minnie vans, and not traveling to US and elsewhere. Instead, we'll go less often.

I can honestly say we were debating a "just for fun" trip this August just because we had time and budget to do so. Instead, we'll roll that budget into our already planned Summer vacation and skip Orlando this year. Will we go again? Sure. But they keep making it less tempting. Maybe we'll just start staying at the B, since I can pay less to park at the parks all day than park at the resorts at night.

 

[HopperFan]

Disney wants to keep guests in the bubble. By charging guests for bring their owns car, they are incentivizing guests to their vehicles at home. This leaves guests more beholden to Disney. However, I think that Disney has made a severe muscalculation. People do not want to be nickeled and dimed.

This is going to drive many who convince themselves that Disney hotels are worth the high cost, hang on by that magical thread, to indeed move offsite.

DS and I have been talking scenarios, this being one, but most who drive ... will not fly ... because it's economically not feasible, doesn't work with their plans (Universal or other offsite plans) and adding this fee won't change our travel plans. We are either 8 hours or 1.5 hours away. Even the 8 hour means more than that much time if we commit to fly, let alone the large increase in cost. But honestly, they are charging for something that costs them close to nothing, don't be surprised if ME becomes a shuttle fee each way to help recover those costs.

- Some will eat it and not care (small cash increase for Disney)
- Some will eat it and take it out of snacks or other budgets (no cash increase for Disney)
- Some (like me) will be fed up with being grossly overcharged for a product and stop booking onsite (large cash loss for Disney since this also will include dining, shopping, potentially the window to go to the darkside)


Do I think Disney cares? No.
They are in the DVC business now, I think the hotels are more a pain to them & the renovations, service and quality shows.

Icing? I thought the room checks were the icing? Lol

That was mine.

I think that way too much change to "merchandise" Disney resorts (since Chapek's experience is in merchandising not parks or resorts) over the last couple years has now come to blows since it involves cash money.

- Renovations at the hotels are turning the rooms into generic, could be anywhere styles.
- Small reductions in amenities like locking pools early in evening, less CMs working ... adds up
- Reduction in quality of housekeeping to the point they are paying you not to get it
- Allowing dogs to freely stay and roam hotels, food courts and walkways with no real rules
- "Security checks" that are invasive and inappropriate at times
- Now CASH right out of your pocket

It's one thing to put up with reduced service and protocols but now they are talking $$$.

 

[crazy4wdw]

So let's recap...

Dogs allowed at resorts now.

Daily Security checks.

Charging for parking.

Off-site hotels given the 60 day FP privilege.

Did I miss anything?

Value and Moderate Resorts are switching over to shampoo and body wash dispensers in the bathrooms instead of receiving bottles.

 

[DisBuckMan]

They are in the DVC business now, I think the hotels are more a pain to them & the renovations, service and quality shows.

I wouldn't be too sure about that. It's not like they're showering DVC members with benefits, either.

 

[Tksolomom]

Does anyone know if you get a discount or free parking for being an annual passholder? Since parking at the parks is free for that can I just leave my car there and bus to the hotel? I'm really annoyed by this change and have a trip this weekend so not much I can do about it now.

If your trip was booked before March 21, it isn’t an issue.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

I also sent an email to Disney.

I have no problem paying for overnight parking. But I don't like the fact that day guests can get free parking. Disney is penalizing customers who fork out thousands and thousands of dollar to stay there and rewarding those who go there to grab a meal or a cup of coffee, or even not spending a dime if they are just checking out resorts!



Or, in some cases, using the pools or meeting family/friends at the Disney hotel and parking there while using the busses to all go to the park together and avoid paying the park parking fee.
Also, I don't get the disability free parking. Is this required under the law in the USA? Why would they not have to pay if they choose to stay on site and take up a parking spot?



Edited: Sorry, don't know how to get my comment out of the quotes

 

[evilqueenmindy]

Value and Moderate Resorts are switching over to shampoo and body wash dispensers in the bathrooms instead of receiving bottles.

Ew, really? I hope they are also leaving the light on for us like Motel 6.

Instead they could charge $12/night shampoo VIP Bottle service.

 

[Praying Colonel]

Ew, really? I hope they are also leaving the light on for us like Motel 6.

Yes, the light will be left on but it will be a noisy fluorescent one that flickers a lot.