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!
Not that we stay onsite very often, but this was indeed my tipping point and I let Disney know when they originally added the resort fee. We will be visiting Disney and Universal for 2 weeks later this year and our family is staying off-campus. My hotel is booked and paid for. The on-campus Disney experience definitely has a value. This daily resort fee, as a matter of principle, went too far.
Just to be clear, there is no resort fee, it’s an overnight parking fee. While many resorts do charge a resort fee, Disney does not.
I think they implemented parking charges because they don’t want people having access to a car. Guests will then eat all their meals at Disney and might even plan on more days at Disney instead of visiting other Orlando destinations. Especially when they price up Mears or contemplate crossing and changing on lynx and itrolley.
Maybe people didn’t leave their cars behind so they upped the charge again! Next will be putting limits on Uber and forcing people to use the Minnie Vans.
Just charge more for the danged room! People don’t like being nickeled and dimed. It’s just like the airlines and their fees for everything. Ok, it’s expensive, but tell me how much it’s going to cost upfront. No one likes being hit with extra fees when they’ve budgeted a certain amount for a vacation.
Disney is now raping their loyal family fan base with the unreasonable price hikes on everything. Guess I will stay at my DVC home and park for free and then just drive to Universal for the theme park portion. The annual passes at Universal are a way better value. My kids have also wanted to go to Lego Land and Bush Gardens in Tampa, but my loyalty has always been to Disney … until now. Thanks Disney for helping me decide to spend my hard earned money elsewhere!!!!!
I’m taking my kids and grandkids this year but with all the price increases here and there I am sad to say this will be our last visit.
I agree. I literally was just talking to my husband about it. Thinking that this year is our last Disney trip. We’ve been looking at Universal Studios pricing and packages. They seem to be a much better deal now. I’m so sad about it, because I’ve always been a huge Disney die hard, but I’ve started telling people who ask me that it’s probably not worth going to Disney anymore.
Kathy
I love Disney, but stopped going until a lot of the construction is done. They should have gone up more on the hotels and not charge for parking. Universal charges for parking at the hotels. We have a yearly pass for Universal and Universal has a lot to learn from Disney, especially over the holidays. Their fast pass fees are too high. and meal deals does not include all places to eat. Always will go back to Disney. Universal is good for a change , but does not compare to Disney.
It’s true I feel like you guys are raining on my parade! I wonder who can tell me what In your lives has gone down ? Do you pay less for rent/mortgage, heat, electric have car prices just recently dropped? Are phone services less, how about food are you paying less? And good grief the price of having kids my daughter could send a family of four to Disney for what summer camp cost. I would love if prices of things in general stayed the same. I am on a fixed income and I can’t believe I finally saved enough to go to my favorite place, it might be my last time…. I hope not.
I don’t normally comment….on ANYTHING ANYWHERE. This thread makes me shake my head, though. To each his own. I must be in the minority…..the “either pay it or don’t go, why complain and then go anyway” camp. Going anyway gives a hollow ring to the complaint. Everybody has their personal tipping point…..I don’t know what mine will be, but certainly not +$1/day…..probably not even +$10/day. Until I reach whatever point it turns out to be, I’ll willingly pay whatever they charge, with a positive attitude for the joyful memories that I know the trip will bring, until *I* can no longer afford it…..and then someone who CAN still afford it will take my place, with no hard feelings from me, for them OR for the company. Simple. When too many can’t afford it and the demand is no longer conducive to raising prices, then so be it. It’s THEIR business….why we feel entitled to dictate the terms is beyond me…. they are offered for us to either accept or reject. I don’t see the logic in accepting them AND expending energy to bitch about it at the same time. As a guest, I couldn’t care less about executive compensation or anything else. I am perfectly content to quietly (silently) “vote” with my wallet without being vocally negative…..about this or the actions of any other corporation. We could all lighten up about a lot of stuff. Just saying. I keep hearing Mr. Miyagi in my head: “Do (Disney) yes, or do (Disney) no.” [Whew! For someone who never comments, I sure got long winded there. LOL]
Well I am in the camp of I have stopped going but still keep up with what’s going on as I have been a huge Disney fan all my life’s and have 70+ trips under my belt. But I am voting with my wallet. I wish more would and these price increases will stop on a dime.
I will return when the discounted hotels and tickets return and the parking is waved when the next recession hits.. Most Americans are racking up the credit card debt and not saving like they should. one hiccup and Disney will be 1/2 of current occupancy with these rates.
Exactly! I can appreciate your attitude and your solution for what works for you. And I can totally see that day coming. We live from one bubble to another, and everything is indeed cyclical. It’s true, everybody has their own priorities….including whether or not to save for the future. I know a lot of folks that choose to spend a lot more on other luxuries….expensive new vehicles, huge houses, etc…..that don’t particularly rock my world like Disney does. Next year may be our last hurrah…..only because we’re approaching “teenager” territory with the kiddos. In anticipation of that possibly being the case, we’re planning to go out with a bang….without a gripe!
Count me among the many who have been angry at the price increases with regards to parking and essentially everything else. However, my one major huge biggest gripe ever is the 100% price increase that occurred yesterday on the reusable bags. The small bag used to cost $1 now costs $2, medium $2.50 cents and large $3. Previously they cost $1, $1.50 cents and $2 respectively. For me, that small reusable bag had me almost screaming in Pandora when I realized they had charged double for the same bag in the space of an hour the prices changed. This golden Disney cash cow mama, with the top tier wdw premier AP, DVC Polynesian, 5 times+ vacationer is taking my money to Universal where I also have a premier pass. I will be staying on Universal property and enjoying my “real” magic wand with my older kids who couldn’t give one RIP over Disney and prefer Universal anyway. I also have a Diamond pass at Six Flags. They’ll be getting all my money for the rest of this summer, at the very least. This response is written to you from my Giraffe Trail balcony overlooking the pool at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge DVC Studio villa, during yet another thunderstorm rainout of all the stuff I would have done this afternoon. I’m guessing Test Track is shut down… as always.
I loved your response so much I was here cheering from my porch in Virginia.
This is turning into the norm to charge for hotel parking. We paid $10 to leave our car at the airport to fly to Hawaii. Where we had to pay $14 per night to park at hotel. SO we ended up paying $240 for parking on a 10 night vacation
I really just wish the hotels would add the parking to the room rate.
My family and I use to only be able to afford a Disney trip once every 5-7 years. Then the kids grew up and we stopped paying for daycare combined with steady jobs making a decent salary. It afforded us the ability to buy into DVC. Since our purchase in 2011 we have seen our dues go up by $500 a year, the dining plan go from $52 to the new $76 or $78 an adult per night. For my family that is a $125 a night increase, times our length of stay which is usually 6-7 nights, so about $800 extra. We have lost the no expiration option on the tickets and the ability to spread the days we visit out over the whole week. The ticket prices have gone sky high, annual passes have just had a major increase, and don’t even get me started on the price of food ala carte. I just don’t know how they can continue to justify these increases as necessary for the fiscal health of the company and at the same time pay their CEO $70+ million a year. I know we keep saying it and it hasn’t come to fruition, but at some point the economy is going to turn again and Disney will regret alienated it’s base which would still come in down times.
I agree completely Chris. But until Disney sees fee people in the park and fewer rooms being booked they will come continue to inch prices up. When they see attendance slower they will back off for a bit. The parking fee doesn’t effect us but everything else does. We love Disney and plan to return but one day I’m sure we will say ENOUGH
I think your take on this is spot-on. The reaction to parking fees DID feel different, and for us it felt like a final straw of sorts. We shifted from an “only stay on-site” family, to a family slowly opening up to the idea of staying elsewhere. Parking fees feel so greedy when they already charge for just about everything. All told, WDW’s insistence on raising prices over and over again is making it virtually impossible for conscientious people to go on ignoring the low wages they pay their exceptionally loyal staff members. The whole thing is both infuriating and kind of sad. I’m not going to lie, I hope that backlash against Disney’s prices continues to grow. Its well-earned!
I’d read the rumours that Disney hotels were going to start charging for overnight parking, but couldn’t believe they’d actually go through with it. We’re from the UK so typically stay for 14 nights, this extra cost is just a step too far. With poor exchange rates and escalating costs this could put off British tourists staying in Disney hotels.
Do the parking fees apply to guests using handicap parking?
No parking fee is you have a valid handicapped permit.
I love Disney but I was nicked and dimed out a while back before the overnight parking. There’s so many good things and great places to go. It’s a shame that Disney feels that way
I think they are pricing themselves out of a fun vacation and was not Walt’s intention. He wanted a place that was family oriented and so all could come to the happiest place on earth. Now if your not rich don’t bother to come. We will find another fun place to go,
Finally decided no more Disney. Took the kids there many times and my wife and I continued going after they left home. We usually fly and use the Magic Bus and do not have a vehicle to worry about. Disney is getting as bad as the airlines at ripping the customer off. Too many other nice places to spend my money at.
For me, its increasingly felt like Disney is stretching it’s credit with it’s most dedicated customers. As a brand that relies heavily on emotional connections, the company needs to nurture the feelings of their core customer base. There is very little we won’t forgive, (translate: pay for), when we are in that warm, fuzzy pocket of nostalgia plus magic plus unique experiences. I’m a huge fan of Flight of Passage, and am beyond excited to experience Galaxy’s Edge, but the combination of ALL these price increases and additional fees, hastily constructed IP replacements of classic attractions, plus the sense that richer people are getting SUCH a better experience through the $100 a pop add-on events, leave me questioning whether my recent Disney parks vacations feel as worthwhile as the trips I saved up every spare penny for in my teen years. The reality is that my family’s most recent WDW trips cost us significantly more than our trips to London and Italy, where my kids got to experience the REAL version of Epcot. We’ve dropped from visiting WDW once a year, to every 2-years and now every 3-years. While I still fantasize about staying at the Wilderness Lodge with my kids, I can’t justify the expense. (I should note that, technically, my family CAN afford it. The prices have just gotten to the point that I can’t defend the position that we SHOULD afford it). Our 3-BR Windsor Hill townhome was better themed than most Disney rooms, cost $119 per night and felt so much less stressful than our prior 4-5 on property stays. That slight removal from the bubble triggered other thoughts, very disturbing to this 42-year old who has taken 40 trips to Disney parks. I find myself wondering whether a trip to the Eco-Parks in Mexico, which would cost less money, despite the deluxe accommodations in an all-inclusive resort, might not be as fun for my kids. We just decided to push off our next WDW trip by a year in order to visit Japan in 2020. In the past, my very deep emotional connection always pushed me towards another WDW trip, but it hasn’t felt like Disney wants to be connected lately. #SavetheBears
Universal also charges for parking at their hotels. This is a blip from their Cabana Bay hotel:
Overnight Guest Parking
Self parking, $17 plus tax per night, per vehicle.
Rates are subject to change without notice.
Day Guest Parking
Self Parking:
0-5 minutes: Complimentary
5 minutes — 30 minutes: $8 plus tax, per vehicle
30 minutes or more: $45 plus tax per day, per vehicle
Rates are subject to change without notice.
yeah I just stayed at legoland california and they get you for $22 a night for regular parking and $28 for valet! Add in a $30 a night “resort fee” for good measure.
these places keep charging because we keep paying.
OMG. This type of fee was charged at hotels around the US and the world years before WDW implemented their fee. Or other hotels for years buried it into and admin fee. So WDW is just catching up to the rest of the hotel world.
This hits FL residents the hardest – any time we pay for a hotel room, we’re subsidizing the Magical Express cost AND paying for our own parking on top of that. The vast majority of people either use Magical Express or drive their own cars to get there. No one does both, yet we pay as if we were.
I guess this settles it – since annual passes come with free parking at the parks, we’ll leave our car there overnight and lug our bags back and forth on the Disney bus system.
(Please read that with your sarcasm goggles on – I’m only kidding.)
(Mostly)
And you car would be towed by the parks.
Yes, but if the tow fee ends up being less than the parking fee over the length of the vacation, I win. Fool-proof, really.
Now excuse me while I go wait for a tram from Mulan to TTC, then wait for Monorail Teal to MK, then wait for a resort bus … with all of my luggage … in a FL afternoon thundershower … and 2 kids who would TOTALLY be ok with this.
I do not agree with the price increases at all.
It’s irritating having to pay more for something when the quality is the same or even worse. Kind of like cable.
Just purchased DVC to save on future vacations and even got the family the annual passes. Now it’s going to cost us $500 more for a family of five.
What it boils down to is this – PEOPLE ARE STILL PAYING! I’m one of those fools. Until crowd attendance dies down, Disney will only continue to raise prices.
When I was growing up, I remember being the only kid in class that went to Disney World. Now it truly feels like everyone goes to Disney World.
There needs to be a point when Iger stops caring about his paycheck and shareholders and instead thinks of the customer. Disney is slowly but surely outpricing the majority of its customers. What will tickets cost in five or ten years? That is scary to think about.
Worried about what they will cost next year!!
I usually agree with WDW1974 criticisms of Disney but once he turned it political, it made me mad. Please keep politics off this blog since this blog is a nice escape from the constant political bickering everywhere else. Plus no matter what side of the aisle you are, you will make the other half angry.
For me, this is an absolute deal-breaker, with respect to staying on Disney property. I won’t stay at one again. What possible reason is there to do so when I can stay at a hotel by near Disney Springs that is just as nice (sometimes nicer) for half the rate and still get extra magic and 60 day FP. Yes, other hotels charge resort fees greater than what Disney charges now…the obvious difference is that Disney’s rates are at least double the rate for comparable rooms at nearby hotels.
Right on the button I found a nice condo 3 bedroom 2 bath close to animal kingdom and for 5 night I saving over Disney world 2 rooms at all star plus I saying good by Disney hello SeaWorld Busch gardens and universal studios I am Florida resident when I stay at all star they stick is FL people in back away from the food courts and buses done with Disney
I get that too about room location. I’m a Passholder and they always give me the room/building farthest away from the main building. Even when I request a certain bold. closer.
Part of me wonders whether WDW hotels will institute a resort fee for 2021. (Since 2020 packages came out today and resort fees are not mentioned, it’s unlikely to happen next year.)
I think it’d be a terrible idea, but it wouldn’t surprise me at this point.
According to Travel-Hawaii.com the $40 resort fee at the Hilton Hawaiian Village brought in approximately $34,413,376 in 2018. The resort fee has since been increased to $45 per night so the numbers for 2019 will be even higher. The Hilton has 2860 rooms so that works out to about $12,032 per room. If you multiply the $12,000 by the number of rooms at WDW you know they are just itching to implement something similar in Florida.
Todd B.
Well I can say the massive amount of extra income a resort fee is why they do it and can still show cheap rates
. I have had to stop going to certain hotels due to the massive back end charges! And they are not at Disney!!!
They are now starting to make a new type of charge that’s scarier than before.
The Ritz Carlton Grand Cayman I no longer stay at as they now are charging 85 dollar per day resort charge! BUT WAIT THERE IS MORE! They have instituted a 10 percent of your hotel room rate as a service fee!! I hope this does not come to the US as I only find this happening in Grand Cayman at the moment!
This doesn’t affect my decision to visit WDW, but it does affect whether or not I’ll stay at a WDW hotel. I plan to get annual passes for our next trip(s), and I plan to have at least one that covers parking costs. So I see no benefit at this point to staying on site. We’ve been Universal passholders for this years trips, and the hotels in the area are just fine for my purposes. While I’d love to stay in a WDW resort maybe once, I’m now far less likely that we’d stay for longer than a night or two– something I was considering a mere couple of years ago, despite the prices. It’s just not worth it, imo, and I see fewer and fewer perks to staying on site.