Disney Resort Parking Changes

[Jayco29D]

Effective for reservations made March 21, 2018 and thereafter, standard overnight self-parking is available to registered Guests for a fee that will be applied to their hotel folio upon check-out. All parking fees include applicable tax.

Standard Overnight Parking charges per Resort Category:

Disney Value Resorts: $13 per night
Disney Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $24 per night

Complimentary standard parking is available to Guests staying at Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Each campsite provides parking space for one (1) motorized vehicle.

Valet Parking:
Valet Parking is available at select Disney Deluxe Resorts and Disney Deluxe Villas for $33 per night (sales tax included).

Guests with Disabilities
Designated parking areas are available throughout Walt Disney World Resort for Guests with disabilities. A valid disability parking permit is required.

Disney Vacation Club:
Members will not be charged for standard overnight self-parking when staying at a DVC Deluxe Villa, regardless of whether they use vacation points or another form of payment. Members also will not be charged to park when using vacation points to stay at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel.

Day Guests:
Complimentary standard self-parking is available while enjoying select dining, shopping, entertainment, and recreation experiences at Disney Resort hotels.

 

[blondietink]

Pure greed. The only time we have had difficulty finding a place to park at a WDW hotel is the Polynesian when the dinner show is going on.

 

[Lisa P]

Any idea how RCI exchangers would be affected or not?

 

[paxsarah]

Any idea how RCI exchangers would be affected or not?

From the way it's described, I don't see how they wouldn't be subject to the fee.

 

[got4boys]

Disney is already charging $190 for the fee when you stay using an RCI exchange. I wonder if they are going to charge $24 per day if exchanging into a DVC resort - for example Saratoga Springs (the easier RCI trade). For any one who stays after March 21st using an RCI exchange, please let us know. If you are coming in on an RCI exchange and driving a car, does that mean you would need to pay $168 on top of the $190, or would the $190 fee cover the parking too?

 

[Jayco29D]

Disney is already charging $190 for the fee when you stay using an RCI exchange. I wonder if they are going to charge $24 per day if exchanging into a DVC resort - for example Saratoga Springs (the easier RCI trade). For any one who stays after March 21st using an RCI exchange, please let us know. If you are coming in on an RCI exchange and driving a car, does that mean you would need to pay $168 on top of the $190, or would the $190 fee cover the parking too?

The way it is written, it sounds like only DVC Members will not be charged. An RCI exchanger is not a DVC member. I will be interested to hear if RCI exchangers will be charged the parking fee.

 

[bendadin]

DVC owners are saying that MS is saying as long as the reservation was covered by points, and in essence MF, that there is no charge. And I think that it is anyone who books after March 21st. They can't charge on prior bookings.

SSR is a good candidate for using a rental car. Add $24/day to that and it isn't such a good idea. $24 per day is the price of a small rental car. It makes WBC look better and better.

 

[mdurette]

Just another way to get you there and make sure you don't leave. That mouse certainly knows how to make his cheese.

 

[jwalk03]

Just another way to get you there and make sure you don't leave. That mouse certainly knows how to make his cheese.

I think this may actually have the opposite effect. More people will stay off site and be outside of the Disney Bubble. Making it easier to eat at off site places and do other off site activities instead of being beholden to all things Disney on property for the week.

There are people on some of the Disney fan websites that defend EVERYTHING Disney does all the time, and even they don't see to be able to defend this decision!!

 

[bogey21]

My Son and his Wife buy Season Passes. I think (hope) they get parking for free.

George

 

[Lisa P]

The free parking for season passholders is at the theme parks. I don't think there's any association with parking at the resorts. This would be worth checking out, before they book a room at the resorts.

 

[littlestar]

I do not understand how they can charge for the parking lot when DVC owners pay maintenance fees for it. Where will the extra money go? Hopefully back to the owners for the parking lot upkeep to offset maintenance fees.

 

[jwalk03]

I do not understand how they can charge for the parking lot when DVC owners pay maintenance fees for it. Where will the extra money go? Hopefully back to the owners for the parking lot upkeep to offset maintenance fees.

No chance of that happening! Its going in the mouse's pocket! Does that $190 exchange fee go to reducing MFs? not so much.

 

[mj2vacation]

I think this may actually have the opposite effect. More people will stay off site and be outside of the Disney Bubble. Making it easier to eat at off site places and do other off site activities instead of being beholden to all things Disney on property for the week.

There are people on some of the Disney fan websites that defend EVERYTHING Disney does all the time, and even they don't see to be able to defend this decision!!

I won’t defend it, but at the end of the day, it’s not going to change most people’s choice to stay on property or not. In reality, they charge Manhattan prices in the middle of Florida and people trip over themselves to pay it. It’s a premium positioned product (we can debate separately about the execution of that), and a relatively small bump in price is not going to change that.

When you factor in that many get on the magical Express and don’t rent a car, they don’t have that issue.

I live 10 minutes away from WDW. There are no slow times anymore. January was nearly as busy as December. Right now it’s a madhouse.

Just wait until Star Wars.....

 

[kjsgrammy]

Just one more reason (besides the increase to tickets every year) that we'll be staying off property when going. We have FL resident annual passes that include free parking to parks (not renewing next year due to high prices), but no way am I going to pay for "self parking" while already having to pay outrageous prices for lodging at Disney. Last time we stayed on property (Saratoga Springs), it took us over an hour EVERY time to get to the various parks using Disney transportation. And now that RCI has increased TPU's required to get even a one bed unit at Disney (60 tpu's), PLUS the $190 additional Disney fee, not going to happen for us. I can use 60 TPU's for high-end off-site properties for 3 different stays! Ok, I've vented, enough said.

 

[Jayco29D]

I do not understand how they can charge for the parking lot when DVC owners pay maintenance fees for it. Where will the extra money go? Hopefully back to the owners for the parking lot upkeep to offset maintenance fees.

It sounds like DVC owners/members are not paying the parking fee, regardless of whether they pay with points or cash. Only non-owners who stay at the DVC resorts. I think this is fine because (maybe) it will help keep owner MFs down. I would certainly hope so. All resorts these days charge hotel guests for parking so it should not be a big deal for guests who do not own since most of them would not know the difference.

 

[silentg]

My Son and his Wife buy Season Passes. I think (hope) they get parking for free.

George

Yes they do, Disney just started including parking with our Florida Resident weekday pass. It makes getting a season pass worthwhile.
Silentg

 

[rickandcindy23]

If Disney is going to charge RCI exchange guests that fee, it will be disclosed in the RCI confirmation. I would print out your confirmations now, so that RCI doesn't go back and add it later on. Your confirmation will have the $190 fee listed ONLY, if you print it out now. I have a feeling exchange guests will be paying this, even if we are DVC owners who use RCI to exchange into DVC.

This is devastating to those who thought exchanging into DVC is the ideal way to save money. $24 X 7 + $190 = $358 on top of the $239 RCI exchange fee + whatever trading power you use to get that exchange in the first place. Most of the recent Disney exchanges have been at the top level of trading power: 58-60. Ouch.

 

[chalee94]

Yes they do, Disney just started including parking with our Florida Resident weekday pass. It makes getting a season pass worthwhile.
Silentg

The parking covered with season passes is day parking at the theme parks.

The parking charges that will begin to take effect soon are for overnight guests at the Disney resorts. Having an Annual Pass or whatever will not help for these overnight guests.

 

[silentg]

You are right. Best thing to do is don’t rent a car. Stay on Disney Property and use their transportation.
If you drive there. Stay at an off property resort like Orange Lake or Bonnett Creek. Check with them to see what transportation they offer to the parks.
We live in Central Florida so we never stay overnight at Disney.
Silentg

 

[bnoble]

I think this may actually have the opposite effect. More people will stay off site and be outside of the Disney Bubble.

No chance. The resorts are completely packed, and Disney is already extending some "on site" perks to those who book packages staying at offsite neighbor hotels but booked through WDTC. There is only one reason to do that: people are calling to book an onsite stay, and the Resort is full when they call.

Disney is fanatical about measuring things. They have a very good idea of how many people this will turn away, and are comfortable with that number.

 

[Jayco29D]

If Disney is going to charge RCI exchange guests that fee, it will be disclosed in the RCI confirmation. I would print out your confirmations now, so that RCI doesn't go back and add it later on. Your confirmation will have the $190 fee listed ONLY, if you print it out now. I have a feeling exchange guests will be paying this, even if we are DVC owners who use RCI to exchange into DVC.

This is devastating to those who thought exchanging into DVC is the ideal way to save money. $24 X 7 + $190 = $358 on top of the $239 RCI exchange fee + whatever trading power you use to get that exchange in the first place. Most of the recent Disney exchanges have been at the top level of trading power: 58-60. Ouch.

This is why the TUG philosophy is "Buy where you want to stay." I am relatively new to timeshares but I have heard this again and again so I decided to only buy places I will be happy staying. I have been reading about how unpredictable exchanging is and how expensive exchanging is becoming. RCI properties are low quality (in general) so I can't see most DVC owners making a deposit to trade for an RCI property. So I doubt this will affect many people who bought traders with RCI since I have read it is very hard to trade into DVC these days except for perhaps Saratoga Springs.

 

[Jayco29D]

I do not think we should criticize the Mouse for his business practices. It is supply and demand. If you think the Mouse is greedy, then don't visit him.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I believe in buying where you want to stay, except exchanging works quite well, and I am a big fan of exchanging for that reason.

We own DVC Points and use them for our DVC stays, but usually in smaller rooms to save points. It's just the two of us. I am saving up for a nice week at Aulani, maybe with the kids and grandkids.

We bought our Maui resort strictly to use. It's an ordinary place, but it's an extraordinary view, and we love it and the people onsite who manage and maintain the resort are very kind and take good care of our little home away from home. It is a lot of MF's, taxes and the land lease fees, now around $1700 per week, but where can you get oceanfront, two bed, two bath with full kitchen washer/dryer and a huge lanai for that price per night? The thing is, you can never exchange into that view, even if you can exchange into the resort, which is relatively easy, 99% of the time, you will get a lesser view than owners.

Places like Wyndham Shearwater we bought to use, but it's been cheaper to exchange into the resort through RCI, and most every unit has incredible ocean views. Some have ocean view over the pool, but the rest are terrific ocean views.

But unless you want to go to the same ol' places all of the time, you have to either exchange or buy into a point system.

We are going to Orlando, most of us, this May, and we exchanged into SeaWorld. I see no reason to own Hilton points to get anything Hilton, at least so far. Rick and I are going to Maine and Cape Cod, Mass, and we exchanged in. I don't know how you get to those places cheaply without exchanging. They were very inexpensive through RCI; low number RCI points and a reasonable exchange fee. We are staying at Samoset and Brewster Green.

You cannot buy everywhere you want to be. I would never buy Orlando, except DVC.

 

[Panina]

Think many will still trade in even with the parking fee. As I look at it to buy dvc is expensive. If I use my hgvc points to trade in, even with all the fees, still over the years much less then me buying dvc.