2020 Parking Fee Increase at Disney World Hotels
With the release of 2020 vacation packages, Walt Disney World has rolled out several price increases today. In addition to the Annual Pass and Dining Plan Price Increases we reported earlier, now parking fees at resort hotels are going up. In this post, we’ll take a look at old versus new pricing, and offer some thoughts.
Standard overnight self-parking is available to registered Walt Disney World on-site resort guests for a fee that will be applied to their hotel folio upon check-out. All parking fees listed below include applicable tax.
Note that the Walt Disney World resort parking fee is different from the parking fee at the four theme parks. Additionally, this fee only applies to overnight guests. Those parking at a resort for Advance Dining Reservations will not be assessed a parking fee.
Here are the Standard Overnight Parking charges per Resort Category:
For reservations made before June 18, 2019 for arrivals in 2019 or 2020:
- Disney Value Resorts: $13 per night
- Disney Moderate Resorts: $19 per night
- Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $24 per night
For reservations made June 18, 2019 and thereafter for arrivals in 2020:
- Disney Value Resorts: $15 per night
- Disney Moderate Resorts: $20 per night
- Disney Deluxe and Deluxe Villa Resorts: $25 per night
Complimentary standard parking is available to Guests staying at the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort. Each campsite provides parking space for one (1) motorized vehicle.
First, a couple of things to note here. This does not apply to guests staying on Disney Vacation Club points (and that includes non-members renting DVC points). That’s not due to generosity on Walt Disney World’s part–your maintenance fees cover the cost of those parking lots, so you’ve been paying for parking since the beginning.
Second, if you are not parking a car at a Walt Disney World resort but are using a Lyft or Uber, we recommend not using your MagicBand to gain entry at your resort’s security gate. I’m not sure if this always triggers the parking fee, but in our (extensive) experience, it very often does.
We’ve had to go down to the front desk to have the parking fee removed more times than I can count. It’s always a painless process, but it’s a hassle. Calling the “front desk” from your room won’t resolve the problem, as you’ll be routed to a remote call center ill-equipped to handle issues like this.
In terms of commentary, I actually have to admit I’m surprised by this. The Annual Pass and Disney Dining Plan price increases could be seen coming a mile away. (Ditto the inevitable increases to parking fees at the theme parks, rack rates at hotels, and snack prices.)
However, resort parking is a different story. When this was first announced last year, it was met with an impassioned reaction. Just check out our New Overnight Parking Fees for Walt Disney World Hotel Guests post and its 300 comments. (Spoiler alert: they are 99%+ against the parking fees.)
We’ve documented a lot of price increases at Walt Disney World over the years. Unsurprisingly, there has never been an overall positive reaction to any of them, but that’s sort of the nature of the beast. Few people will happily pay more for the same product they previously purchased. Sure, there are the ardent Disney brand evangelists who perform mental gymnastics to justify the increases to themselves (and others). By and large, there’s always at least some degree of grumbling about price increases.
Usually, what happens is that once people get the complaining out of their systems, they go about their vacation habits as normal. Some people are unfortunately priced out, but in our (admittedly anecdotal) observations, they represent a minority of guests. And if attendance trends are any indication, those who are priced out are replaced by (more) new guests.
The reaction to the resort parking fee felt different. It was more emotional than normal. My overarching assessment (again, anecdotal) of the feedback is that Walt Disney World fans are generally comfortable paying more for a premium experience, but are fed up with being nickel and dimed.
It struck me as a tipping point for many long-time fans, and I think the grassroots ‘campaigns’ on social media and crowd-sourced review sites reflected this. Walt Disney World was inundated with a barrage of 1-star reviews on Facebook, TripAdvisor, and elsewhere, with many pointing to this fee. It seemed like a bridge too far for a lot of fans, and I wondered whether the revenue was truly worth all of the outrage and damage to the brand’s reputation.
Yet, here we are again, just over a year later…and for price increases of only $1-2. What’s the point? Why reignite a controversial issue that has finally (for the most part) been put to bed? Perhaps someone in Walt Disney World management didn’t consider the fallout from last year’s parking fee rollout. Perhaps they did, but view the added revenue as being worth the controversy. Perhaps my anecdotal observations are entirely off, and guests who swore they’d never stay on-site again booked hotel stays anyway. Whatever the case, I’m surprised to see Walt Disney World bring attention to its resort parking fees, and am myself curious as to what the reaction will be here.
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
What do you think about the overnight resort parking fees at Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments! Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
This IS a dealbreaker!! Doubt we’ll be back to Disney. Seriously?? If you are going for a dining reservation come on into the parking lot with ample spaces…but if you are paying $500+ a night to house your family sorry – we simply MUST charge you an extra $25 per night. RIDICULOUS!! We’re done.
Places where it’s ok to charge for parking – big cities where real estate is at an absolute premium. Places where it’s super lame- a theme park hotel in central Florida where you are already a captive audience and committing to spending more than an average guest. This is, and continues to be super lame.
It’s unclear why you’re posting the same thing verbatim into comments in multiple different threads/articles on this website. Many people would consider that spamming the comments section. And just in case you think only liberals would agree with your position, “James the Deplorable” agreed wholeheartedly with your comments in the other thread in which you posted this (AP price increase).
You of course have the right to post wherever you want (unless Tom or Sarah decide otherwise, in which case your comments can be deleted summarily), but I think what Andy is asking is: why are you purposely going onto blogs with which you disagree and posting long diatribes against the subject and author of the blog? It seems like you’re actively going out and seeking to be outraged. There’s enough to be outraged about in the world nowadays without having to go out seeking it.
Soon, WDW1974 will be unwelcome here. He is persona non grata at most other Disney message boards and fan sites due to his “spirited” observations. There’s a difference between calling balls and strikes (like most people here do) and constantly making yourself sound like you’re the enlightened one high above the unwashed masses.
He is clearly an attention seeker with nothing better to do. If we stop replying to his comments he will stop posting.
Jimbo, I posted the same thing twice because I mistakenly posted it and there is no way to delete or edit here. Simple as that. And excuse me, but I don’t think my post was a diatribe nor particularly long.
I just was expressing my viewpoints. And I wasn’t being anti-Tom, although sites like this have absolutely become part of the problem that is destroying WDW. And Tom doesn’t want to address that. I get it. He is a lawyer by training if not practice.
To Robert Alden, I am not ‘Persona Non Grata’ at ANY Disney site of note online. I am retired from the online world (with small exceptions like this) because I really can’t deal with ignorant people or people whose answer to any and every thing Disney does is “Disney is a business.” … Again, if the rules are you can’t speak an opinion and/or question and criticize Disney and/or Tom, then that should be stated. And I am an enlightened one, there sure aren’t many. There are many Brand Addicts and Brand Advocates (Tom arguably is both). Thanks for the comments.
if we drove ourselves, i would be just as upset about the parking fees as everyone else, as that used to really set disney apart and above the rest. this “getting in line with industry standard” is actually lowering the high bar disney used to set and everyone else followed.
but we will have a rental car for only 1 night on our upcoming trip that we will need to park at the resort one night only, dropping off at the dolphin the next morning. has anyone out there ever asked for the fee to be waived for just a single night of resort parking?
Thanks for all of your thoughtful posts. You enhanced my last family vacation so much and we are grateful for all of your posts.
I can handle the increase in parking BUT they need to keep people out of parking at a resort to avoid paying for parking at the parks. I personally know people who say they are eating at the Yacht Club and then go to Epcot to avoid paying to park at Epcot. If I have to pay at my resort to park there then keep cheaters out!
do the security stands not check dining reservations when people say that? i thought i read somewhere they check to make sure people are being truthful about that. if they don’t then they absolutely should, would nip that off real fast.
I of course am not a fan of nickel & diming, but I do think part (maybe significant) of the calculus on paid parking is to change behavior and encourage Magical Express usage rather than renting a car. It certainly impacted us in this way … our vacation cost decreased because we fly and are now not renting a car. I realize not everyone can/does fly and that this forces you to spend all of your vacation dollars in the “bubble”, spending more on food, etc…
I doubt if the parking fee increases will have any effect on visitation. For myself and my family, it is CHEAPER to visit WDW for a week, with Free Dining required, than to spend a week at a decent hotel in Wildwood Crest, NJ. Food and amusements are out of sight in the Crest area and the “experience” does not even come close to that in WDW. AND, this includes paying for gas, tolls and a 1 night stay over somewhere in South Carolina. Costs for flights are true pirates here and I’m glad to have the opportunity to visit WDW every 2 years.
Do I love these parking fees? No, but if any portion of these fees go towards better wages for the staff, WDW has my blessing. Different strokes for different folks, but I find DW vacations to be very much worth the money for what you get: Nice, clean hotels; great rides and attractions; extremely clean theme parks and great staff. Yep, I drank the Kool Aid, and I liked it!!! 2020 can’t come soon enough for our next visit. Our last trip, doing Disney Christmas, was fabulous.
As a fellow NJ resident and vacation home owner in the Wildwoods, I understand the costs can be high. Try AC airport (spirit airlines) for incredible prices everyday to Orlando. Even if it’s a drive for you to the airport, it’s very affordable to fly and likely much cheaper than the gas and time lost for driving.
Comments are welcomed…perhaps Tom gets a payment for every comment, similar to YouTube. Good or bad, load up the comments. However, if you aren’t a fan of Tom’s commentary then why are you reading? That’s like saying you don’t like Country music but yet it’s programmed on every one of your radio presets…LOL.
Tom is making money off of Disney. Let’s put that to rest right here. Beyond the actual photo work he does for the DBP (and while I don’t know exactly what they pay per photo, I have a very good idea), he, obviously, is making money by clicks and people reading his content.
I also agree with far more of what Tom writes than what he doesn’t. But what’s the point of telling him “Great job. Totally agree.” on most things? His ego isn’t that fragile that it needs to be built. And, to be fair, I am not criticizing Tom here. I am going after Disney. …
But, understand, Bloggers and Podcasters and Lifestylers who literally spend every day of their life thinking about Disney or writing about it or spending money on it ARE part of the problem. Tom is selling WDW by the simple existence of his Blog. He is further selling it with his photography that my good friend, Dr. Blondie, places on the Blog. He is selling it more by largely being very positive about WDW (again, you can’t blame him … because if he went negative on most things, he would lose most of his audience and therefore his business. That’s not in his personal best interests).
A Celebrity Imagineer, who has been written about on these pages before, told me a decade plus ago that “Fans are WDW’s biggest problem.” I do not disagree.
These posts are depressing and frustrating. We took my 5 year old son to WDW for his first time two months ago. I went several times growing up, and I couldn’t wait for him to experience the magic. All these years I considered myself a Disney nut. Well, I don’t feel that way anymore. My husband and I looked around at all the adults without children, and thought why in the world would they pay THIS MUCH MONEY to come HERE? Extremely overpriced, average food sucks (we paid near $100 at Whispering Canyon to eat one good meal on the trip), and the prices continue to climb. Did my son like it? Of course. But we won’t be back to the parks. It was definitely a one and done trip. As someone mentioned above, there are real and beautiful places to see in this country and I will not become a repeat WDW guest. I’m also a huge blog reader, and I can say now say that photos of Disney food and reviews are one big lie. I had several items on my list that I was excited to try, and was very disappointed by the appearance and taste. I’m not a food snob, but when McDonalds tastes better than a standard burger at Disney, there’s a problem.
The part I dislike the most is that SO many kids will never get to experience the parks because more and more families are being pushed out financially.
We stay on property and use Magical express to and from the airport. On a recent trip we were charged a parking fee…what? We take Uber’s as needed so perhaps this is why the charge. I had just gotten on the Magical Express to head home when I opened my emailed invoice. I jumped up and ran off the bus to the front desk…I told the driver to wait of course and that it would only be a few minutes. I went straight to a worker behind a computer and questioned why the daily charge and with no explanation he removed the fee. I wonder how many people get charged and don’t realize it or do and don’t say anything since they’ve already checked out, paid, and left.
Dude, why do you post so avidly and angrily here? And why do you always weave unrelated needling criticisms of Tom into your comments? What’s the point? It seems like you would be a happier person if you stopped reading this website entirely, and perhaps talked to a therapist about why you feel the need to type out your anger for strangers to gawk at…
WDW1974,
We get it. You don’t like Disney anymore. You were a loyal customer for 30+ years and you feel unappreciated. Such is life. Disney does not care about loyalty or making customers like you happy. Disney is printing $ and their only focus is the shareholders. You know that to be true and it makes you so angry that you will criticize Disney and anyone who praises them whenever you get the opportunity. Yes, you are obv entitled to your opinion, but this is not the place for it. Most people come here for help with planning their dream vacation to WDW or DL. They don’t someone like you to rain on their parade. Good luck to you.
Totally agree. Just like TS’s new song….you need to calm down WDW1974
You can add me to your anecdotal collection of data. I’ve been visiting annually pretty regularly. I have a trip planned for January 2020, and frankly I’m not looking forward to it like I normally do. Between the price increases, the increased crowds/crowded feel, the required planning (it used to be fun…now it’s anxiety-inducing, worrying about whether I’ll get sufficient value for my dollar). I’m looking forward to taking a break from Disney and spending my vacation dollars elsewhere – perhaps focusing on visiting the National Parks.
Jen,
Many years ago, when our children were young, we would go to Disney 2 times a year. One year we decided there were many other things in this great country to see and decided to start taking our vacations to National Parks. We never regretted it and our kids got to see things that were beyond an ‘E’ ticket.
Yes I agree with your feelings… we don’t have a trip planned right now as we simply can’t afford it (coming from the uk) but I wanted to come before my youngest got too old; so it will still be magical! However… the more I read, the more I dread the thought, rather than feeling excited at the prospect! If I am going to spend sooo much next time I had best get the reservations and fastpasses I want otherwise ‘what’s the point’?!
We visited WDW from the UK for the first time in a number of years last September. We used to visit every year, but got discouraged by the continual price increases for less value. The level of nickel and diming we experienced last year has put us off returning at all. We’ll viist Disneyland for a few days as part of a trip to California, but I can’t see us returning to Florida in the foreseeable future.
Hi Jen,
We are from the UK and have visited WDW and Universal at least 18 times in the past 20 years and I have to agree with you. Disney is a money making machine and is only interested in how much it can squeeze out of every customer. There used to be a quiet time to visit with less crowds, now it is packed all year round. I don’t fancy queuing for hours on end to go on a ride that is over in 5 minutes.
I priced it up the other day to stop at a moderate resort (Port Orleans Riverside), theme park tickets for 2 weeks, flights etc for 4 of us without food was around £16,000 + parking £300. This is ridiculous and I just cannot justify paying this kind of expensive and I think Disney should wake up and smell the coffee and stop being so bloody greedy. They have lost sight of the customer and only interested in their shareholders, but there will be a time when people will stop going and I will be one of them.
Do you think that lowering process is going to help with crowds? Really?
I’m ashamed to say how much my family spent on 6 years in a row, staying at mostly Deluxes for 8 days. While I’m thankful for the memories, I could have invested that money, and set myself up a lot better.
We are headed to Yellowstone next year, will cost way less than Disney, and I expect it to be an adventure of a lifetime, and then probably Paris the year after, should cost around the same as Disney. So, I’m with you, time to start enjoying some real places.
With the price of everything at Disney being inflated the parking fees were salt in the wound!
I used to stay in a WDW hotel when driving threw Orlando on a vacation layover day coming from a cruise or when I was flying out of Orlando. We would stay onsite for a night before we flew out and enjoy the hotel and non park areas before we left town.
We paid more for the room but with no parking fee or resort fee it was more justified.
Now I have not stayed onsite since they added parking fees and don’t plan on it till the next recession when I am guessing they will be offering free parking and a lot of other discounts!
They don’t care about the guest its about the $$$$$$$and they are testing the limits!
They will need me when the economy tanks!! The question is will I return to Disney after I have changed my vacationing habits???
But the 2-3x per year went out the window 3 years ago.
Here is the Huge Question Tom!!!!
Whats your opinion of Disney starting Resort Fees next??
Hope its not so but this seems like a rabbit hole to me!
What a sad day. Increase after increase, pricing some out of Disney vacations. As long as Disney stays in the black, they should focus more on customer satisfaction and brand loyalty. The Disney “experience” is what people love and I hate that the current management does not care about the people that keep them in business and fund their massive salaries and bonuses.
I wonder if the increased fees increased the use of Magical Express. I know for our trip no one rented a car, and everyone took the bus.
“I wonder if the increased fees increased the use of Magical Express. I know for our trip no one rented a car, and everyone took the bus.”
I’d assume so, which is probably one motivation on Disney’s part to charge the fee.
The higher the height the bigger the fall! This economy will not last forever as nothing does. Maybe they are striking while the iron is hot!
I came in January of 2009 it cost $600 for 6 nights and seven days at pop century , it came with length of stay tickets that I upgraded and it also included a $200 gift card that I used for food. It was like a ghost town no crowds to be found. So keep looking forward.
I like the new fees better because they’re in $5 increments and not odd numbers. It also helps that I’m DVC and don’t pay for parking
With the increase is wait time on most rides, increase in pricing for everything, this will probably be our last trip. We would usually go everyother year because it was an inexpensive trip not anymore.
Really fed up with the price increases. This is why we didn’t renew our annual passes.