I’m getting into full on planning mode for our February trip and I’m trying to figure out some of the parking logistics since we’ve stayed onsite for our other trips and only used Disney transportation. So my question is whether you can you valet park at the Contemporary if you’re staying offsite? We have EMM booked one morning and a PPO BOG reservation for another morning, so if this is an option I’m thinking it may make getting to MK a bit easier?
Probably not.
Day guest parking is allowed, but usually only for a few hours, max. Valet parking is listed as “overnight” on Disney’s website.
Since parking in the standard lot for MK is $25, I don’t see that they would allow guests to pay just $33 to use the Contemporary Lot, especially considering parking is limited there.
But, I’ll add the caveat that I have no first hand experience on this.
Actually I’m not sure why you couldn’t. You can valet everywhere else regardless of your hotel accommodations (on or offsite). I’ve been in a vehicle that has done it (not at contemporary but elsewhere).
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My concern in this case is that, since the Contemporary is within walking distance of MK, they will have different rules…particularly since they charge $50 for preferred parking at MK, which STILL requires that you take the monorail or ferry. If people could just stay at the Contemporary lot and pay $33, it would cause parking issues.
I’m not saying I know for sure. Just that I have my doubts they would allow it. And when I did some searching on the subject, people were reporting that they could only do 2-3 hours max. Perhaps that is enough time, though?
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I thought I read it on a thread here or on chat at one point, but I didn’t pay a lot of attention at the time and can’t find it now. Maybe I’ll call and ask.
I valet at the Contemporary and walk over to MK all the time.
Just tell the guard at the gate you want to pay to valet. Provided they aren’t bursting, they are happy to take your money.
Be advised…it’s $33 PER TIME YOU PARK. Not “pay $33 and come and go all day”. So if you valet twice in one day? $66 (plus tip. I always tip the valet staff, we valet at Contemporary and Boardwalk so much they know me at this point), and that’s PER resort. So if you’re like me? And Valet at 2-3 resorts a day sometimes?
Yeah, it adds up. I have a serious parking addiction. But my DH justifies it by “what is your time worth” (and my health)
Also, a little known fact. If you have a handicap plaquard? Valet is complimentary at any resort. This could change, and it’s WDW only.
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This is good to know. Thank you! I think we may try it for our EMM morning at least.
Interesting, whenever we have done it, it was good for all day, at all places that take valet. I wonder if this changed recently?
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I honestly don’t know? I just know when we were there last month the valet CMs said “no in and out privileges”. IIRC, that was on a Saturday. Maybe it is dependent on capacity? They were turning away sooooo many cars at the gate of the Contemporary too. They weren’t even letting Lyft or Uber drop off without a hotel or dining reservation that morning.
I suspect, as with all things Disney, it’s a “your experience may vary”. Because one resort tried to tell us we couldn’t valet at all without a room reservation (which is incorrect).
As always, a smile and kind words tend to make magical things happen! So you really never know.
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The thing is valet parking is subject to availability.
If the parking lots are pretty full, they are within their rights to tell you could not valet park there at that time without a resort reservation.
I have been at Bay Lake over Christmas two years ago. They turned away anyone then without an ADR or resort room at Contemp / Bay Lake. And that was the one time I have seen cars being towed - 3 of them who had outstayed their ADR time (it was about 4pm and the security people said they had parked there for a breakfast ADR and left them there).
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Isn’t that the truth!!
This kind of reminds me of a bad experience I had…but in hindsight, I could see Disney’s wisdom, otherwise EVERYONE would do it.
Anyhow, were were at Disney Springs and planned to go to one of the parks (forget which, so I’ll just say MK). We wanted our kids to “experience” the Disney bus transportation once, so we thought why not take the bus? But Disney doesn’t provide bus service directly from Disney Springs to MK (because, well, they don’t charge for parking at DS). So, no problem. We’d just take a bus to a resort, get off, and then hop on another bus to MK. Trouble was, this entire one-way trip took well over an hour. Which meant we’d add another hour at the tail end of the day. I suppose it saved us the $20 parking fee, and the kids DID get to experience the Disney Magic of buses! 
But in the end, it just was a bad idea.
Yep that’s exactly why they don’t have buses from DS to parks - they’d lose all those parking fees!