Effective for reservations made starting March 21, 2018, registered guests at Disney World Resort hotels will be charged a nightly fee for self-parking.
Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
The parking fee will be added to the guest’s hotel folio upon checkout. Rates will vary based on Resort type, as follows:
Value Resorts: $13 per night
Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
Deluxe Resorts: $24 per night
Tax is included for all prices above.
Complimentary standard parking is included for guests staying at the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort, with space for one motorized vehicle.
Additionally, valet parking will increase to $33 per night at Deluxe Resorts and Villas.
Disney Vacation Club Members won’t be charged for overnight self-parking when staying at a DVC Deluxe Villa (regardless of whether or not they use vacation points to reserve their stay). Nor will members be charged when using vacation points to stay at a Disney Resort hotel.
Now, how will this change affect guests hoping to dine, shop, or enjoy entertainment or recreation at a Disney Resort? At this time, “Day Guests” (those not staying overnight at the Resort) will still be able to self-park without a fee (space permitting, presumably).
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What are your thoughts on these changes to Resort parking? Please let us know your thoughts with a comment!
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I agree with everybody that has put a comment on this website but if you really think about it it doesn’t matter to them anymore they’ve already made their billions of dollars even if the park was twofold they made their money they don’t need us anymore so they don’t care if we don’t come they don’t care how we feel they’ve made their money and they don’t care about the General Public
I have enjoyed coming to Disney and have been and am now currently a passholder. BUT I may not be in the future. Prices keep going up and up and to charge for parking after paying premium rates to stay at one of your resorts I think is AWFUL!! I know you don’t care about my income but maybe you should.
I was concerned that this would cause many lifetime fans of Disney to rethink their vacation plans. I wrote to Disney guest services to make sure this awful rumor is true. Hoping to get a response from them saying they have not imposed an additional fee on guests.
This change will make it harder for families to afford a stay at WDW resorts
This does make me feel like a guest
Paying for parking?? Outrageous. Certain incremental increases are expected over the years. However , there are too many and they are too expensive. Disney has been our go- to place since 1975- up to four times a year. However … enough is enough ! Plenty of other places to vacation that will appreciate our business.
I am so sad. Won’t be going to the Happiest Place on earth any more. Just can’t afford it. This parking fee is ridiculous. Disney? Do you really need the money that bad? The hotels keep going up, the passes keep going up, parking at the parks keeps going up….. This is the last straw. I’m done. You have priced me and my family out. Even my niece, with her DVC, is sick of it all. She is selling her time share. It’s too bad….
Flood them with reactions:
[email protected]
[email protected]
From All Ears. net:
Walt Disney World Guest Relations
P.O. Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
This is the universal address! For example, if you want to write to the General Manager of All Star Music, or any other resort, address the envelope to the person and use the P.O. Box 10000 address.
Walt Disney World Guest Communications
PO Box 10040
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-0040
[email protected]
Robert A. Iger
Chief Executive Officer
The Walt Disney Company
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Bob Chapek
Chairman
Walt Disney Parks & Resorts
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521-4873
Karl L. Holz
President New Vacation Operations and Disney Cruise Line
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
Mr. George Kalogridis
President, Walt Disney World Resort
PO Box 10000
Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000
Ever since Eisner started squeezing money from visitors, it has gotten worse! My husband predicted years ago that we would be on the outside of the razor wire, looking in!
These corporations were just given massive tax cuts. Adding the parking fee is the final straw. Between Trump and corporate greed average families won’t be able to go. Sad
We stay inside because they DON’T charge extra for extra room fees and parking as the non Disney hotels do in Lake BuenaVista Florida. Why should annual passholders have to pay for parking? This is a rotten idea and shows the excessive greed that Disney is going through.
I feel the same as everyone on this sight and it makes me SAD
I thiink This is awful. To charge Toto park when you are pay top dollar for the room already. May as wellstay off grounds at a cheaper hotel. Whats next paying for the transportation to the parks
I sent 2 emails and 3 letters using the above addresses. Disney execs need to hear from us!
I think it is terrible that you now have to pay to park when staying on property and paying to stay in your hotels.What is the purpose of this charge? Walt would not be happy at the prices that are being charged.He wanted this to be a place where the average family could come and enjoy.Not no more it is way out of reach.So sad.!Greed!
Dislike having to pay for parking at the hotels. Very wrong just greedy on their part and all the other hotels that do the same thing
I may be on board with this charge if each resort had a parking garage and parking was limited, but there is plenty of parking available. I would justify all the increases over the years because I love WDW but this makes no sense to me.
I had written a complaint letter, detailing several concerns that I’ve had about eroding values in Disney World. After several days I’ve just received a clearly stock answer that skipped over most of my comments and defended the parking charge as bringing Disney World in line with their other resorts, which have already charged for parking. This was not a satisfying response, given the specificity of my complaints. Sadly, I’ve had much better customer service from other retailers and travel companies in recent years. Disney is no longer my gold standard.
Charging for resort parking is OUTRAGEOUS. Many Long time Disney fans will revisit their loyalty to Disney. I know I will. Big mistake. Disney is forgetting the middle class. I know Walt is turning over in his grave.
I am shocked. I shouldn’t be, but I am. This, far more than the annual ticket price increase, truly discourages me because it simply is not necessary. I have to fight to get my husband to take these trips as it is, not because he doesn’t enjoy them, but because of the absurdity of cost. Our next one will probably be our last one for a long while. Do you happen to know how this will affect people who booked their resort stay before this change of policy but have modified it after the change?
I want to join all the other comments – utterly disappointed and a ridiculous move by Disney however they spin it. Been coming to WDW since 1990 and have enjoyed every minute. Always defended their pricing as they provided a good value, and as a previous small business owner I admired their business model. I also believe a business has the right to charge whatever they choose for their product or service. However, my right is to accept or reject their decisions and after all these years I’m choosing to say ‘goodbye.’ It isn’t about money as much as the principle – businesses shouldn’t be rewarded for dumb decisions. This one ranks right up there as one of the worse ever! Hope they find better customer – I haven’t even begun to estimate my ‘contribution’ over the years with more than 100 trips, 200+ nights at Disney resorts, not to mention annual passes, dining and gift purchases! I’m sure there are many others that found WDW a special experience. But, I can’t continue with a business that disrespects it’s customers with dumb business decisions!
This new parking fee just confirms the fact that Disney is not about families anymore, it is all about the MONEY! The only way that Disney will reverse this policy is if people start canceling their vacations and Disney starts losing money! As long as they are making money and people continue to book their vacations with them and pay these out rages fees they will continue to increase prices . Obviously, they really don’t care about their guest complaining. But when you start hitting their pockets then there will be change! Other than that I only see Disney getting more and more and more expensive in the future. I agree with other comments but it’s time to put our money where our mouth is and stop at booking Disney vacations and look to other vacation spots!
Does this mean that guests who made reservations BEFORE March 21 will NOT be charged for parking?
Richard, that appears to be the case.
Reading these posts inspired me to put a new twist on an old fable….
Disney Kills the Goose that laid the Golden Eggs
“Once upon a time there was a magical place. In that magical place there lived a hen that laid a golden egg each and every day.
People came from all over to marvel at the miracle.
They brought their families, generation after generation.
There were other places they could go to see, but they were loyal to the owner of the hen.
Over the years the man became quite rich from the golden eggs, but alas as time went on the man became more and more greedy.
He started to charge people to see the hen, first a little, then a lot.
Then he charged people for the food to feed the hen; then to take pictures with the hen.
Soon only the richest of visitors were allowed inside to see the hen.
Everything the visitors touched or did became a way for the man to make more money but it still wasn’t enough to satisfy his greed.
Foolishly he grasped for more and expecting to find a treasure inside, the man slaughtered the hen. When he found that the hen did not have a treasure inside her after all, he tried to make up the lost money by charging his loyal visitors to park at his magical place.
First the middle class families stopped coming not just because of the cost, but because much of what was once magical died with the hen.
The rich also stopped coming for with the magic lost, and greed to replace it, even the rich stayed away.
Soon after the man realized the folly of his ways, but it was too late as the loyal visitors he once had no longer came and the man was left with the place, but no magic.
The moral of the story is don’t forget the people who helped build the magical place, and don’t let greed for profits kill the magic.”
Glen C. – What a brilliant analogy. You should definitely send it to Disney.
Love it 🙂
I have read a lot of comments about how stupid Disney was to charge people to park and to go up on the tickets and I agree with everybody but Disney is so stupid if they had just tucked that price into the room charge the little more for the room nobody would be upset but they’re not the smartest people in the world andnow they pissed everybody off and if they lose money it’s on them they make enough stop milking the people
Glen C., you win. I’m sad that your parable is so apt, but it is what it is.
I think you should not have to pay for parking if you cannot afford air fare and need to drive to the most magical place on earth, you should not be penalized to pay parking.
Just because some Florida resorts charge is no excuse. Taking away no expire option on tickets and now the parking fees. Agree with emailing and writing. There should be floods of it. Let’s do this for Walt. This was not his dream.
I think this is terrible. I am Definitely going to looking into Airbnb and a ride share app. But then again I might just st be over Disney’s price gouging for good now. I am an avid Disney fan and this may have been the final line.
Whats next? Credit card charges for the bathroom facilities?
I have been coming to Disney since it opened in 1971. Over the years my eldest daughter and I became Annual Passholders and would go twice a year for the Flower and Garden Show and the Wine and Food Festival. It was more cost effective as we would be there for 10 days. We always rent a car as we like the freedom to come and go. We liked being able to go to the Disney outlet stores in the shopping malls and pick up water and items at we forgot at the local Wal-Mart or Target stores. The cost of the rooms has cut us down to staying only 6-7 days. We have stayed in almost every resort even some of the DVC’s. We will be making a trip soon and will be our last with our Passholders. They have gone up over $200 for the year since our first purchase. With the parking fee it put the cherry on the top (as the saying goes)on our decision nit to renew. Also as a stock holder of one share that will be sold. My earning last time was .87. What a joke. We had come to love our bi-annual visit but is no longer affordable for us. Yes people. The only way Disney will get the message is by flooding them with letters and messages.
UK visitors will be exempt from the charges as long as they have either booked direct with Disney UK or a package through a UK tour company such as Virgin Holidays, British Air or Thompson. This is in effect until the end of 2019.
I’m a native Floridian and have been going to Disney since it first opened. My husband and I used to stay in Disney properties years ago when the average human could afford it. We are annual pass holders and come 3-4 times a year (including the Food & Wine and Flower & Garden Festivals). We always stay in either Hilton properties or timeshare resorts now because we can get a week for what it costs to stay 2 nights in most comparable Disney properties.
We’ve been to Disney 6-7 times over the years while kids were growing up and were huge fans. My wife and I are retired now and were thinking of going back for a visit to Epcot to reminisce old times. We’re really saddened by this new parking policy which seems over the top and nickel diming, just another way to stick it to loyal customers. We don’t like it and have decided we can find other ways to spend our money. I wonder if Walt would have thought this to be a good idea. In any event, Disney has squandered a lot of good will in my opinion.
I heard this was coming. We stay at the cabins in Fort Wilderness Camp Grounds. Each cabin has it’s own spot that will only be used if the guest drives in… and if they don’t it’s unoccupied. Now we are being penalized for being semi – local, and there is no consideration even though we are annual pass holders. My opinion is the space is part of the cabin we are paying for. This is ludicrous. We were told by the the guest relations on the phone that there is a huge uproar over this. They are logging people’s complaints… so don’t hesitate to pitch a fit… Apparently across the board anyone who drives and stays on property are angry…. pass it on
Disney does not care one iota what we think. People ontinue to pack the parks. Locals sneak into the pools and the band scanners that were placed at Deluxe Resorts were a joke. Intermidate scanning of bands? Never happens. The cheap local passes which are a big reason for the huge crowds , the pool trespassing…it has ruined the experience. We would stay at least 3-4x a year. Taking our grandaughter and her mom in October. We booked off site with free parking, nicer rooms, and cleaner overall.
I understand that “everyone else” does this and that’s why Disney thinks they can. But just because you can do something, doesn’t mean you should. They had an opportunity to be different and they made a different choice. I always felt like we were getting more “value” when we drove and didn’t have to pay extra to park.
I’m losing my feeling of “grace” that I use to give Disney. Because I felt like the company in general loved their customers and worked it out along with loving on their shareholders. I’m both, but I’m started to feel unloved as a customer. And it makes me sour as a shareholder.
And I feel really sad for people that are effectively getting priced out of vacations at Disney.
I agree… Actually made a direct comment to WDW and got a corporate type reply, non-answer. I’ve only stayed at the Swan and Dolphin one time, and vowed to not return because of their pay to park policy for drive in guests. Now, WDW see another revenue stream… well the reality most people have X amount to spend on their vacations… so now instead of bringing home a keepsake or splurging on a nicer meal… that budget amount goes to parking…. short cited, the revenue is more shifted than increase, with the huge side effect of souring the experience of their guests… short sighted.
Below is their actual response
Chris Drake (Disney)
Aug 26, 9:19 AM EDT
Dear Greg,
Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding our policy for overnight Resort parking.
We appreciate you as a member of our Passholder family. Please know that decisions to adjust our policies are based on a variety of factors, including alignment with our resorts in California and Hawaii. Be assured that we are committed to providing high-quality, unique experiences and special moments in our Theme Parks and Resorts that our Guests enjoy.
Information about parking for Resort Guests may be found on our website. Theme Park parking will remain complimentary for Resort Guests.
If you choose to visit a resort for a day to dine, shop or enjoy resort activities, parking will be complimentary.
Greg, we appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts with us and look forward to you and your family’s next stay with us.
Warmest regards,
Christopher
Guest Experience Services
Walt Disney World Resort
That’s very gracious of them…Theme Park parking will remain complimentary for Resort guest…nice to know they won’t charge you twice per day for parking. My family and I spent an additional $72 at WDW on our trip in August…the cost of parking at a “value” resort…not much of a value anymore.
I have to say the wdw phone staff let it slip that the uproar over this is loud and long…. We’ve repeatedly made it clear of our displeasure. Also, for most of us, we budget money for our vacations…. the money gets spent and that’s it. So instead of bring home souvenirs, or photos or having an extra meal or paying for one of their countless other add ons, we have to SHIFT the costs they are implementing from our spending budget… so Disney in their eminent business savvy is not really creating a new revenue stream, they are redirecting it… SHORT SIGHTED… THE One thing they have succeeded in creating is bad feelings and sour opinions
It has never ceased to amaze me (in a bad way!) the tiered approach to pricing that Disney applies to its resorts–“Let’s charge ‘deluxe’ people more for their hamburgers!”. But a tiered pricing structure for parking, too? Ridiculous. Like the asphalt is more expensive at deluxe resorts than moderates, etc.? This is just a bald-faced money grab, and to charge varying prices for the same service just because a resort is “deluxe” is reprehensible. And their “excuse” that charging for parking brings them “in line with other resorts” is a completely baseless justification for a new way to rake in the dollars.
I pay to park because I drive in, but fly ins get free transportation round trip to airport.
Also…We usually bookend Disney resort stays with a cruise in the middle. We like to take the Disney bus round trip to Port Canaveral. Our concern is that we will not be able to use the resort parking lot while we’re on the cruise. We called guest service and the resort front desk and received two different answers. We don’t know what to think or do! We’re considering cancelling our resort and dining reservations before the cruise and just stay non Disney at the Port.
Abby, that’s a tough call! It’s disappointing (but not all that surprising…) that you got two different answers. If we hear anything about this, I’ll share that info here with you. You might consider looking at reviews or forums to see if anyone has first-hand experience of this!
The cost of a Disney vacation compared to 10-20 years ago is disappointing. The trip we took almost four years ago was disappointing, too, though. So crowded you couldn’t enjoy the experience. Price is a crowd control. Disney at least has improved and added rides.
We chose to travel to “must see” locations domestic and international. Those trips were incredibly expensive (especially with visas.) Mickey Mouse is recognizing world wide. People travel to Florida just to visit the best amusement complex in the world. Don’t see prices returning low anytime soon. Hollywood Studios Star Wars will only add pressure.
Staying off site is a lovely alternative, if you still chose to reward Disney with your business.