Spin-off Parking fees... switching hotels

[Denise W]

Just keep in mind that if you booked your trip prior to the announcement of parking fees date (this past Wed), you will not be charged for parking. Only resort stays booked after the announcement.

Actually, the cut off date is reservations made after March 21.
Denise

 

[BeachPrincess]

I have a trip planned for next week, room only reservations, I just booked offsite hotel and saved $100 per night and that’s including all fees. Actual hotel is very similar to what I have book with Disney. Parking fee was the last straw even when It wouldn’t affect us on this trip, I put my foot down. Also canceled all resorts dining. With the money saved will be looking for restaurants options outside the bubble.
Who else have or is contemplating to do the same?

I agree, this was the last straw for us too. We live in NE Florida and have been AP holders for 12 years. We drive down 4-5 times a year. We are a moderate income family, just me and DH, so usually stay at value resorts and sometimes off site if we can't get a AP rate. Back in the good old days, we could get a AP rate of $65 a night at a value resort. Now, we are lucky to get a rate less than $175 AND you don't even get a coffee maker in the room! We found a gem of a hotel off site that is SO much cheaper, free parking, free wi-fi and free breakfast but whenever I can get a "decent" rate a value, I prefer to stay there because of the Disney atmosphere and ability to take Disney transportation. We will no longer do it. I could handle the parking fee if the resort rates weren't so ridiculously high. I know it's Disney, but $175 for the value resorts is outrageous and throw in the parking fee now we are looking at close to $200 a night. I can't do it.

 

[Haley R]

Often times, yes. I just checked and several are under $100/night for my dates. Values are much more than that for my dates. And in my case, I can't stay in a value anyway because we are a family of 5. (And I refuse to pay family suite prices. They are far from "value" priced IMO.) The Disney Springs hotels are not strict about room occupancy the way Disney is. I've stayed at the Doubletree in DS and it was very nice, all rooms are suites.

I’m looking at them for my dates and I’m not finding anything significantly cheaper than staying at an all star resort. We are planning on going 10/30-11/6.

 

[disneyvoice]

I'm just angry they dared to add more fees without even the pretense of added value.

My husband's response to the news about the parking fees was "Good. Maybe now it will be easier to find parking at the Deluxe Resorts." At least as far as the deluxe resorts go I think the fees might be beneficial for those who drive their car and are willing to pay for parking. Besides AKL, when we have stayed at a deluxe resort we have always struggled to find a parking space (speaking specifically about the Poly, BC, and CR). We also found parking to be much more crowded at ASMu during our January trip compared to times we have stayed there even right before Christmas. I'm hoping that between the people who say they will no longer stay on property and those who will decide not to rent a car that it will be easer to find a spot.

Some of this is also going to be dependent on what kind of parking situation you are used to. We live in a city where parking in general is a nightmare and where even parking for restaurants, shopping, etc. is often valet only. Even if it's free valet there is $ associated with tipping. So we don't find charging for overnight parking to be an unreasonable change - it's something we already deal with on a daily basis at home.

It won't deter us from staying on property but we tend to be pretty easy going about things. I often read a lot of complaints about things on the boards about things that are not really WDW's "fault". We have found parking to be an issue at WDW resorts lately so I don't necessarily see the parking fees as greedy but as an attempt to improve the problem. Just like I have seen people complaining about dirty bathrooms lately. Yes, I have also noticed that the bathrooms have not been as clean as they have been in the past. But I have also ALWAYS encountered a CM actively cleaning the bathroom. The difference I have noticed has been that guests are much more rude and inconsiderate. I can't tell you the number of times I have heard a mom in a stall frantically yell at her young child NOT to flush the toilet because of germs. It seems like no one flushes the toilets anymore. If the auto toilet doesn't flush, then push the little button and flush the darn thing yourself! And I can't be the only one who has been frustrated when you enter a stall only to find that almost an entire roll of toilet paper has been literally stuffed into the toilet which has clogged it. Mounds of toilet paper are also strewn all over the floors in MANY stalls. I have also encountered people allowing the faucet water to run when it doesn't shut off automatically which sprays additional water all over the counter. And I have seen people just toss paper towels onto the floor - not even trying to get it to go into the garbage bin. Even if you had more than one CM stationed in a bathroom for their entire shifts it would be STILL be impossible for them to completely rid the bathrooms of these guest created issues. Dirty tables at QS? It used to be that people would do at least a quick clean up after themselves at a QS restaurant and quickly wipe a table of crumbs, spills etc, throw away their trash. Now I see tables littered with trash, spilled drinks, and dribbled condiments. It used to be that a CM walked around with a rage and simply did a quick wipe of the table top to get the table ready for the next party. Now they are doing a full on cleaning and clearing of multiple tables. If people would show some common courtesy and respect both to other guests as well as cast members I think there would be a lot less complaints. We have also encountered a LOT of people who purposely park their car ACROSS several parking spaces in the the resort parking lot or purposely park in the middle of two spaces. I understand that some people with special needs sometimes require extra space to get into and out of their vehicle but I am talking about people who are taking up additional spaces because they don't want their car to get dinged. I have not encountered that anywhere as often as I have at a WDW resort. That only contributes to the parking problems at the resorts.

As far as prices go, as my husband told me that "Disney is a business not a national endowment or national park". I think because WDW has always been such a great, family friendly vacation destination some people have unknowingly interpreted that to mean that it should also be affordable for most families. It costs money to keep WDW a family friendly destination. Think of what the atmosphere is like at other theme parks that are not family friendly. I would rather pay more money for the family friendly environment at WDW than pay less and deal with some of the things that happen at other theme parks. There are MANY vacation destinations that I would LOVE to visit. Unfortunately many of them are simply beyond what we consider to be an affordable range for our family. I don't complain about the resort or destination because it is not affordable and assume they have greedy business practices, I simply accept that WE cannot afford it.

I find it contradictory that so many people have been complaining about the increase in crowds lately but then also complain that WDW is getting too expensive. From a financial perspective the best way for Disney as a business to take care of the crowds is to "get rid" of the people who spend less money at WDW and "replace" them with people who will give WDW the most money. Then they will have less people spending the same (or much more!) amount of money. Every time I read that someone has decided they will no longer visit WDW, I just think "Perfect. I'm sure the people who are complaining about the crowds will appreciate one less body."

Does it suck to be out-priced from a WDW vacation? Absolutely. Is it any different from not being able to vacation somewhere else because you can't afford it? Nope.

 

[fractalpotato]

My husband's response to the news about the parking fees was "Good. Maybe now it will be easier to find parking at the Deluxe Resorts." At least as far as the deluxe resorts go I think the fees might be beneficial for those who drive their car and are willing to pay for parking. Besides AKL, when we have stayed at a deluxe resort we have always struggled to find a parking space (speaking specifically about the Poly, BC, and CR). We also found parking to be much more crowded at ASMu during our January trip compared to times we have stayed there even right before Christmas. I'm hoping that between the people who say they will no longer stay on property and those who will decide not to rent a car that it will be easer to find a spot.

In my experience, a lot of that is super hot air, people complain about prices and say this time they've gone too far. Some people follow through, many don't, most I suspect don't even think about it. Unless you're the super planner type you're not even likely to realize most of the fees they tack on, so I don't think this is going to have much impact at all. The whole resort is seeing record numbers of visitors and rising, parking fees aren't even going to put a dent in that.

Some of this is also going to be dependent on what kind of parking situation you are used to. We live in a city where parking in general is a nightmare and where even parking for restaurants, shopping, etc. is often valet only. Even if it's free valet there is $ associated with tipping. So we don't find charging for overnight parking to be an unreasonable change - it's something we already deal with on a daily basis at home.

I live and work in NYC, I completely understand tight parking and expensive parking, I have chosen to eschew a car because of the hassle (not the cost) and use mass transit all the time, and believe me, our transit is not as nice as Disney's. I only use a car at Disney for time/comfort purposes, and my tolerance for driving and dealing with driving related things is pretty low. If there was a major parking problem at the resorts or parks I went to, I wouldn't do it. I deal with transit problems here on a daily basis, so I do understand how frustrating it can be.

It won't deter us from staying on property but we tend to be pretty easy going about things. I often read a lot of complaints about things on the boards about things that are not really WDW's "fault". We have found parking to be an issue at WDW resorts lately so I don't necessarily see the parking fees as greedy but as an attempt to improve the problem. Just like I have seen people complaining about dirty bathrooms lately. Yes, I have also noticed that the bathrooms have not been as clean as they have been in the past. But I have also ALWAYS encountered a CM actively cleaning the bathroom. The difference I have noticed has been that guests are much more rude and inconsiderate. I can't tell you the number of times I have heard a mom in a stall frantically yell at her young child NOT to flush the toilet because of germs. It seems like no one flushes the toilets anymore. If the auto toilet doesn't flush, then push the little button and flush the darn thing yourself! And I can't be the only one who has been frustrated when you enter a stall only to find that almost an entire roll of toilet paper has been literally stuffed into the toilet which has clogged it. Mounds of toilet paper are also strewn all over the floors in MANY stalls. I have also encountered people allowing the faucet water to run when it doesn't shut off automatically which sprays additional water all over the counter. And I have seen people just toss paper towels onto the floor - not even trying to get it to go into the garbage bin. Even if you had more than one CM stationed in a bathroom for their entire shifts it would be STILL be impossible for them to completely rid the bathrooms of these guest created issues. Dirty tables at QS? It used to be that people would do at least a quick clean up after themselves at a QS restaurant and quickly wipe a table of crumbs, spills etc, throw away their trash. Now I see tables littered with trash, spilled drinks, and dribbled condiments. It used to be that a CM walked around with a rage and simply did a quick wipe of the table top to get the table ready for the next party. Now they are doing a full on cleaning and clearing of multiple tables. If people would show some common courtesy and respect both to other guests as well as cast members I think there would be a lot less complaints. We have also encountered a LOT of people who purposely park their car ACROSS several parking spaces in the the resort parking lot or purposely park in the middle of two spaces. I understand that some people with special needs sometimes require extra space to get into and out of their vehicle but I am talking about people who are taking up additional spaces because they don't want their car to get dinged. I have not encountered that anywhere as often as I have at a WDW resort. That only contributes to the parking problems at the resorts.

As far as prices go, as my husband told me that "Disney is a business not a national endowment or national park". I think because WDW has always been such a great, family friendly vacation destination some people have unknowingly interpreted that to mean that it should also be affordable for most families. It costs money to keep WDW a family friendly destination. Think of what the atmosphere is like at other theme parks that are not family friendly. I would rather pay more money for the family friendly environment at WDW than pay less and deal with some of the things that happen at other theme parks. There are MANY vacation destinations that I would LOVE to visit. Unfortunately many of them are simply beyond what we consider to be an affordable range for our family. I don't complain about the resort or destination because it is not affordable and assume they have greedy business practices, I simply accept that WE cannot afford it.

I find it contradictory that so many people have been complaining about the increase in crowds lately but then also complain that WDW is getting too expensive. From a financial perspective the best way for Disney as a business to take care of the crowds is to "get rid" of the people who spend less money at WDW and "replace" them with people who will give WDW the most money. Then they will have less people spending the same (or much more!) amount of money. Every time I read that someone has decided they will no longer visit WDW, I just think "Perfect. I'm sure the people who are complaining about the crowds will appreciate one less body."

Does it suck to be out-priced from a WDW vacation? Absolutely. Is it any different from not being able to vacation somewhere else because you can't afford it? Nope.

I completely agree with you on all of these points. I frequently get in to debates about the economics here and elsewhere, and point out that as a business Disney is doing what they absolutely are supposed to do. I've been to a lot of other theme parks and will pay the premium for the Disney experience every time. I'm well-paid and I don't believe that Disney owes anyone, myself included, a discount or a free pass. Nobody is entitled to a Disney World vacation, a lot of people don't accept that, but that's the truth. That's all fine. They can have my money.

My problem isn't with the price of things. It's that in the past it was always a stream of "we've introduced this new cost as part of a new offering" or "we're raising ticket prices and opening Toy Story Land/Star Wars Land/Pandora" or "The dining plan went up but here's new restaurants". It was definitely a premium experience catered for people willing to spend the money. The problem here is that "this is a new fee because we can get away with it". There is no pretense, there is no attempt to hide that it's just profit. Fine, it's a parking fee, it's a reasonable (compared to NYC tourist areas) fee, it's not unexpected. However, it indicates more of this shift in thinking that the customer is merely a mechanism to convey money from one bank account to another. Disney magic was/is a real thing, and their success is founded on people loving that feeling and that treatment to the point that handing over their money was a distant concern. More and more, we're being treated as drainable money taps and not people on vacation. The problem isn't the price increase, there will always be price increases and Disney will always be expensive, but when they start taking more money just because they can, and making it clear it's because they know we will pay it somewhat blindly, that's just starting to get insulting.

Matt

 

[grannyminnie]

I’m assuming you mean getting to and from the parks? I don’t really want to rent a car because I don’t think we would use it so that’s one reason we haven’t switched yet.

Yes, that's what I meant. There are buses which come regularly, but it seems to take forever to get to the parks (when you're so excited to be there already!).

 

[Haley R]

Yes, that's what I meant. There are buses which come regularly, but it seems to take forever to get to the parks (when you're so excited to be there already!).

Are the buses any worse than at a Disney resort? We always take buses and never have any problems with them. Never stayed at Disney springs though.

 

[KenHutch]

Well we are going in June and staying at AKL and I am not changing that. But that is only because I promised the girls AKL. And I will still go to Disney but if they charge Parking Fees I will not be staying with them. Some very nice people on this board pointed out the Swan/Dolphins to me and the difference in prices is a lot. I have been in the hotels to eat so I know they are nice. Will I miss the 180 day ADR yes I will but you know what if Disney makes it hard for me to get ADR's I will eat at the hotel. On our last 3 vacations I spent close to $20k on each one counting rooms, food, loot for the girls. If I am forced by their greed to do this I will spend no where close to that amount and I will take 3-4 days of our normal 2 weeks and spend it in town making sure Disney gets even less of my money. And it is the principal of the thing thanks to the Marines I have one of those little license plates that says I am slightly broken. We would normally be going back in 2021 but I am thinking of a small test run next year for a week to test out the off site option.

 

[dansdad]

Well we are going in June and staying at AKL and I am not changing that. But that is only because I promised the girls AKL. And I will still go to Disney but if they charge Parking Fees I will not be staying with them. Some very nice people on this board pointed out the Swan/Dolphins to me and the difference in prices is a lot. I have been in the hotels to eat so I know they are nice. Will I miss the 180 day ADR yes I will but you know what if Disney makes it hard for me to get ADR's I will eat at the hotel.

You don't have to be staying at a WDW resort to make ADRs at 180 days out. Anybody can.

 

[KenHutch]

You don't have to be staying at a WDW resort to make ADRs at 180 days out. Anybody can.

Thanks I had forgotten than and I could get up every day to make ADR's. To much Marine still in me I get up at 04:30 every day and go to work early to get some walking in.

 

[DisneyDude71]

So you are assuming it is just to line their pockets. Could it be it is also in part to discourage people from parking at resorts for theme park access?

How would this be discouraged when day guests STILL don't pay?

 

[gratefulfred]

I’m looking at them for my dates and I’m not finding anything significantly cheaper than staying at an all star resort. We are planning on going 10/30-11/6.

I always thought the values and even the moderates were really just overdecorated motels

 

[Haley R]

I always thought the values and even the moderates were really just overdecorated motels

I like the moderates. We actually prefer the motel style because we like walking around at night and in the morning. I’d be willing to try the Disney springs hotels but I’m not seeing much of a huge discount there.

 

[sbd78]

I’m looking at them for my dates and I’m not finding anything significantly cheaper than staying at an all star resort. We are planning on going 10/30-11/6.

Have you checked Mousesavers? She has some good deals for the Disney Springs hotels if you book through her link:
https://www.mousesavers.com/walt-di.../disney-world-area-preferred-hotel-discounts/

There is also a page of special offers on the Disney Springs hotel website:
http://disneyspringshotels.com/special-offers/

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

This is key, I know it wasn't directed at me but I think it's an interesting point for a conversation if I may. I don't inherently dislike price increases (I mean, I don't like them, who does?) when they're associated gains. Value doesn't mean low price, value means I'm getting something that feels worth the cost, however high it may be. Higher ticket prices? New lands in DHS and promised Epcot work. Cool. Paid add-ons like DAH? Club level FP? Nifty. I pay more, I get more. All fine in theory.

Then this. This is nothing more than "our math says we can charge your more, solve no parking problems, and you'll probably just suck it up and pay, we don't care if you whine, as long as most of you pay." This mentality annoys me, it's just blatant, and it bothers me. I tend to be slightly critical of all the people making empty threats to stop coming, because mostly they don't. I try to avoid responding to things with "well, then I'm not paying anymore" because, well, I love WDW and will keep coming. This is the first new charge that has felt so inflammatory for me, it makes me think I might change plans. This year is done, so I'll wait and see and maybe they'll be a good reason to overlook this next year. I'm just angry they dared to add more fees without even the pretense of added value. It's just outright money grabbing.

Matt

Very well said. I feel the exact same way, I don't love price increases but I realize as other costs go up, so must some of our vacay costs-but like you said, there's an inherent or perceived value. There is no added value in parking fees. I think what irks me the most about them is that it's not a major metro where parking is scarce and you would pay to park and it's expected. Disney has nothing but empty land around them for parking that doesn't cost them a dime.

However with all that said, I will find it in the trip budget to pay the parking as we like to stay onsite and likely won't want to leave the bubble, so they still have my money.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Not me. I have stayed off site before, and to me it still doesn't hold a candle to being on site. I like being in the Disney bubble, not having to see the real world for the duration of my vacation. I've only rented a car once in 10 years, so the fee, while I think it is pretty darned awful, won't affect me.

Agree, and we've stayed at nice off site properties and us fun as they are, it's not in the bubble and a drawback for us to.

 

[grannyminnie]

Are the buses any worse than at a Disney resort? We always take buses and never have any problems with them. Never stayed at Disney springs though.

No, to be honest, they are as good as, but we are so spoiled to being on the monorail line, that ANY bus route is LONG! lol

 

[Haley R]

No, to be honest, they are as good as, but we are so spoiled to being on the monorail line, that ANY bus route is LONG! lol

We can’t afford deluxe so lots of bus transportation for us lol. We are looking into renting points next trip so we can try a deluxe. We did akl but didn’t really like it.

 

[piccolopat]

I'm curious what you & others are finding to enjoy for vacation. There is such excitement involved in a Disney vacation & sooooooo many things to see & do & eat, etc. that it's hard for us to find anything that matches that excitement. I'd really love to be able to considering all that's going on with Disney now....

We spent less per day on average going to London last year than our last Disney trip staying at the YC. That included bus tours out of the city to the Harry Potter Experience with Oxford, Stonehenge sunset with Bath, and Windsor Castle /Hampton Court Palace. A lot of the savings was in not spending for length of stay passes (there's a lot to do for free or relatively low cost in London) and enjoying the very reasonably priced pubs rather than Disney's overpriced restaurants. We found the same when we went to Paris a few years ago. We travel independently instead of using a package tour. Of course we love museums, parks and history so this kind of travel fits our interests.

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

We can’t afford deluxe so lots of bus transportation for us lol. We are looking into renting points next trip so we can try a deluxe. We did akl but didn’t really like it.

We did AKL lodge as well and it was our first Deluxe and didn't love it either. We didn't necessarily dislike it, it just didn't feel deluxe to us. I have commented on that previously and I have quickly learned that I'm in the minority with that opinion of AKL. We're usually POR and we actually liked that over AKL. We want to try another deluxe too and may give it a whirl if/when free dining comes out since we know we're going back anyway.