Anyone else hearing/reading the rumor that if you park at the resorts you will be charged a fee? This is even if you are staying at the resort…it is supposedly starting the week of Easter and will be on the expensive side. I always figured they would do that to us, but imagined they would tell us and not just drop it on us without a warning.
I posted a link I saw from Twitter in the open thread. A couple of liners stated that the website hasn’t been feliable. Though it is food for thought. Nothing has been announced and probably won’t be announced in near future.
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I been researching some of my other sources, and although it’s been published on click-bait sites like Viral Disney, it is not being completely dismissed. But there are NO leaked details on what the cost might be, if APs will be exempted, how it will play with DVC, etc.
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Wdwmagic had a well-informed insider confirm it is happening.
DVC pays for upkeep of parking lots in their fees, so could not be charged for parking.
And my guess is they couldn’t introduce it for existing AP holders, but could for renewals.
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I read about this yesterday on Screamscape. I hope there is more to this rumor than actually charging hotel guests more. Instead, I wonder if they will be charging people for parking on resort properties that don’t actually have reservations. But that might be tricky to pull off.
Personally, I think it is ridiculous with a capital R. It seems to me like something people should really protest. Disney is a business, but they are pushing further and further for profits and everyone just goes along with it and so Disney comes up with yet another way to charge more and more and people just keep paying it.
But, aside from in cities with limited parking, where have you EVER stayed in any hotel establishment where they charge you to park?
We will see what happens. I’m hoping the rumor is false.
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The Twitter links I was reading this morning made it sound like a definite. The claim was DVC booked with points would not face a fee. Tiered pricing based on resort level as well which seems interesting. They also said the valet price was going up.
I will say in pretty much any major city hotel I expect a parking fee and my impression is most of the DIS area hotels do charge a parking or resort fee so this seems more a move to parity than anything, although given FP perks going to DS hotels, it seems an odd time to remove a benefit of staying at a DIS hotel…
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The Universal resorts used to charge for parking ($10 + tax per night) - not sure if they still do.
Virtually all of the Good Neighbor hotels at Disneyland charge for parking - even to hotel guests.
This surprises me. I’ve paid for parking for any hotel in my entire life exactly once, and it was in downtown Toronto where parking is at a premium.
Yes it was about $22 or $24 per night at Universal.
Eek!! 
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If one of Disney’s goals is to discourage people from having their own vehicles (especially car rentals) in order to keep people on property, it totally makes sense.
A parking fee isn’t going to stop me from driving from Atlanta, as a $140 - $200/week for parking is still cheaper for me than airline tickets, but it may stop some people from renting cars in Orlando and leaving the property for meals etc.
I mean, Minnie Vans are available… and they are ONLY $25 . . . . 
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I’d be willing to wager that a majority of people who come to Disney resorts drive. Sure, a lot fly…but I doubt it is the majority.
I for one am not getting my panties in a twist until it comes from Walt Disney World itself. While I’m not saying it’s out of the realm of possibilities, I do think they would be shooting themselves in the foot if they did this. I haven’t seen it from one reputable site yet, only from garbage third-party rumormongers
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Ok , so this really interests me…
I would bet that more people who stay in WDW resorts fly to WDW than drive - excluding, of course, people who rent cars at the airport - for the following reasons:
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This policy only affects overnight guests staying at a WDW resort.
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I would guess that international guests (about 20% of WDW visitors) all fly. Although I don’t know how many stay at WDW resorts.
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800 miles is a very long drive… over 13 hours of actual driving time IF you can average 60 miles/hour while moving. Throw 2 kids in the car, add in bathroom breaks, pit stops, gasoline fill ups, meals, occasional bad traffic, road construction or weather etc. and a full one day drive (12-13 hours of travel time) is probably closer to 500 - 600 miles.
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An 800 mile radius from WDW barely gets out of the southeastern US (basically, all of FL, GA and SC, most of Alabama and small parts of MS, LA, TN, and NC).
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Given the price-point at most WDW resorts, especially the deluxe resorts, I would imagine many people who visit WDW from further away than 500 to 600 miles consider flying first - and may only consider flying. I am sure this slides with the cost of the resort room (i.e. I would GUESS that people paying $850/night for a castle view room at the CR are more financially flexible and able to consider flying than are folks who book in a standard view ASMusic room - with no disrespect intended to either group)
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ALso, Disney’s Magical Express. If WDW thinks it is worth it to provide free bus transportation to and from MCO for its hotel guests, they must assume that at least a significant portion of resort guests are arriving via air…
So questions that I have…
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What percentage of WDW resort guests come from FL, GA, SC and AL (the states most likely to have guests drive from)
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What percentage of WDW resort guests are willing to incur greater than 20 hours of travel time in a car each way (the likely amount of time necessary to drive from 800-900 miles away.
At any rate, sorry for geeking out about this…
I suppose one could try and figure out how many parking spaces are allocated at each hotel per guest room. That would probably inform my guesses too. Given that some hotel parking lot capacity is designed for restaurant guests etc., generally speaking, the fewer parking spaces/room might indicate fewer drivers, and the more parking spaces/room might indicated more drivers.
We live in Michigan and always drive. I spend $250 in gas, typically, and another $200 in hotels. That barely pays for a single ticket flying these days.
It is 1100 miles, one way.
And also, keep in mind that the parking lots at the resorts are generally quite full. Since Disney provides free transportation from the airport, I doubt most of those are rentals.
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Fair enough… my family who live in MI always drive to Atlanta too when they come to visit. Maybe its a MI thing…
I know there are road warriors out there, who will tackle an 1100 mile drive… but the vast majority of my friends from Chicago and New England (with the exception of previously mentioned MI family) would never consider driving to FL… they fly. Every time. For them, its not worth the extra days of vacation off from work or lost vacation time…
Finally, full parking lots don’t mean much unless we know how many spaces per room are available. If there are 800 rooms and only 400 parking places… well, you get the point.
Wonder if that data is available?
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This is true. I also imagine that the ratio of flyers to drivers would differ based on the price of the hotel. Value-priced hotels would, to my thinking, be more likely to have more drivers because people are already value-minded. But people paying the big bucks at a deluxe hotel probably have more money to begin with, and so the price of flying is probably not an issue.
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We are in southeastern PA and fly sometimes but also take the AutoTrain. Our trip in July has 2 people going down and 3 people returning…and the AT is only $750 (that includes the vehicle as well as dinner and breakfast each way) in total.
When we do have the car at WDW, it generally sits in the parking lot for our entire stay.
I’m not thrilled w/ this new charge. I get why DL has a fee since they are landlocked. WDW has gobs of space. They should not be charging at all.
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I wonder how that will affect Ft Wilderness? Will they charge guests to have a car at the cabin or campsites?
That’s probably the only place I would stay with my kids, it’s great for the sensory issues we deal with, location is so peaceful. But I would actually consider renting a car next trip…but a parking fee may kill that. Are they going to charge for the parking of golf carts?
Sigh. It will be interesting if people will stay onsite if a parking charge comes into play. Especially with the perks of “onsite” being extended to cheaper hotels!