Disney World Confirms Closing of Free Parking Loophole via New Bus & Boat Rules
Walt Disney World has confirmed permanent and expanded rules restricting the use of free transportation between Disney Springs and the resort hotels after a successful test earlier this spring. Here’s the start date for the new policy, full details, why this is happening, along with our potentially unpopular opinion that WDW should implement harsher rules of this nature.
As you might recall, Walt Disney World limited who could utilize the Disney Springs bus service bound for the resort hotels back during Spring Break and New Year’s. We visited Disney Springs on Easter and covered the then-temporary restriction at the time. It was lifted shortly after our reporting, exactly as expected.
Fast-forward a few months later, and Walt Disney World has confirmed with us that these rules are returning on a permanent basis and will soon be implemented. Not only that, but they’re going to be expanded beyond just the buses to also encompass the Sassagoula River Cruise.
There’s been a lot of pearl-clutching about this policy on social media, so we’d strongly encourage you to read the new rules before reacting. This includes who it impacts and doesn’t, why it exists in the first place, and what is not changing.
Again, our view of this restriction is positive. Perhaps you’ll disagree; that’s fine. But at least have an informed opinion as opposed to reflexively reacting to a headline. (Also, most questions you might have are answered below.)
Here’s what we know about the permanent Disney Springs transportation restrictions…
New WDW Transportation Rule Starts June 28th
Starting June 28, 2026, Walt Disney World will be restricting transportation from Disney Springs with an expanded guest ‘verification’ system.
With this new rule, Walt Disney World is limiting use of transportation from Disney Springs to the resort hotels to guests who have business to be there. Meaning they have an active reservation at a resort hotel of some sort–a hotel stay, Advance Dining Reservation, or some other booking.
The big difference now versus the previous test is that Walt Disney World has confirmed that it’s not just bus transportation that will have the restriction. Disney will also implement the same guest verification to board the Sassagoula River Cruise, which transport guests by boat to Old Key West, Saratoga Springs Resort, along with Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter.
During the previous test, Guest Relations Cast Members worked as gatekeepers to the bus loops, scanning MagicBands, Key to the World Cards, or reviewing My Disney Experience bookings to ensure eligibility. Guests who do not have a valid reason to use the transportation were politely informed that buses to resort hotels are currently only available for resort guests, and are turned away.
It’s worth noting that the reservation checkpoints are before the various sets of bus loops, and not at the specific stops. Once you’ve proven you’re an on-site guest or have an eligible reservation of some sort, you’re free to access whichever bus stop you’d like. In other words, any on-site Disney resort guest can go to any other on-site Disney resort.
That’s good news for impatient people like me, who would board the first bus bound for any Crescent Lake resort when staying at Yacht & Beach Club or BoardWalk, Art of Animation and Pop Century, etc. You’ll still be able to pick whichever bus you want.
Resort Hopping NOT Banned
Contrary to some click-baity headlines and social media claims, this rule does not end resort hopping for on-site Walt Disney World guests.
This means the restriction also does not prevent off-site Annual Passholders from resort hopping. We’ve heard from a lot of locals who are worried about this restriction, but you will still be able to park at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and take the Skyliner to Riviera Resort or walk to Crescent Lake, park at the TTC and take the monorail to Grand Floridian, etc.
The ban is aimed at those staying off-site who were attempting to exploit the free parking loophole. When it comes to visiting the resorts, Walt Disney World encourages off-site guests to park at the theme parks and then use the transportation network. Even off-site guests are still encouraged to resort hop–they just need to pay for parking first!
UPDATE: Additional Transportation Policies
Officially, Annual Passholders without the aforementioned reservations will not be eligible to board buses or boats at Disney Springs. Rather, they will be directed to park at one of the theme parks and resort hop from there.
As a reminder, all Walt Disney World APs (including the Pixie Dust, Pirate, Sorcerer, and Incredi-Pass tiers) include complimentary standard theme park parking. Annual Passholders are also eligible for free park to resort transportation.
Guests who are accessing resort transportation via an Advance Dining Reservation or other reservation (that’s not a hotel stay) will be able to access the buses and boats up to 2 hours in advance of their eligible reservation.
We are still waiting for official confirmation about any policy quirks as they relate to the Swan & Dolphin, Shades of Green, or the Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels. In light of the AP answer provided by WDW, our assumption is that there are no exceptions for any of these guests, either.
Aimed at Preserving Capacity for Paying Guests
Although not stated officially, Walt Disney World is implementing this crackdown to ensure that there’s ample transportation capacity available to guests who are staying at the resort hotels or guests who have a legitimate purpose for being there. The idea is reducing lines and wait times for the buses.
Awareness of this rule also helps increase parking availability at Disney Springs, which is actually the scarcer resource right now, although that’s part of the longer game. Even with multiple massive parking structures, Disney Springs can have limited spaces during peak periods.
The more immediate impact is shorter lines for the buses. During our visit on Easter, Disney Springs was an absolute madhouse, including the roads to get in and the parking structures. Meanwhile, the lines for the buses were virtually nonexistent. While I was waiting for my Pop Century-bound bus to arrive, I saw several parties turned away.
Closes Free Parking Hack
The reason this rule is being made permanent is to close a loophole. It’s another one of many restrictions aimed at preventing guests from taking advantage of free parking and free resort transportation.
Similarly, you can’t simply drive up to the Contemporary and park without any business for being there. Or, more recently, why even Caribbean Beach has become a “locked down” resort, when it was never that way pre-Skyliner.
There’s also the fact that bus service doesn’t go from Disney Springs to the theme parks. This is nothing new, and has the exact same underlying motivations. That reason, of course, is because parking is free at Disney Springs but costs $35 at the theme parks.
For the two decades that I’ve been active in the Walt Disney World fan community, it’s been a controversial hack to park at Downtown/Disney Springs in order to circumvent parking fees. I vividly recall the flame wars on the frontlines of the forums as people debated the ethics of this–it was right up there with reusing reusable mugs! (IYKYK.)
Prior to this crackdown, you could save money by parking your car at Disney Springs and taking a bus or boat to a resort that is close to the park you’re intending to visit, and then walking or taking another bus from there.
This was a well-known exploit ages ago, and I can only imagine how much worse it’s gotten in the social media era where every little guest courtesy is exploited and abused to the point that it becomes a problem for Disney.
Our Commentary
Our reaction to Walt Disney World making this a permanent restriction and verification system is largely the same as it was back when this was a test. The one thing we’d note is that, since this is a labor-intensive process (and thus costly for the company), that test clearly yielded positive results. If it didn’t, they wouldn’t be implementing it year-round.
While some fans have long considered this parking hack morally reprehensible, and others have recoiled at “defending” the multi-billion corporation for charging for parking in the first place or closing loopholes. I honestly couldn’t care less about the ethics of this. We’ve never recommended this not because it’s morally good or bad, but because it’s a colossal waste of time.
If you have the financial resources to visit Walt Disney World in the first place, your limited vacation time has enough value not to jump through pointless, time-consuming parking hoops. Just pay the $35 and be done with it. Alternatively, stay on-site at a Value Resort; the perks alone are worth it.
Nevertheless, when I’ve seen the social backlash to this rule, this tidbit about the free parking hack is omitted. Which is odd, because it’s entirely the point of banning off-site guests from Disney Springs transportation. That’s who is most impacted by this crackdown. Not on-site guests, not Annual Passholders, and not those with a legitimate purpose for being at one of the resort hotels.
There’s a lot of bluster about Walt Disney World being “cheap” by doing this, but that’s not my perspective. That sounds like people telling on themselves; why else would someone have a strong opinion on this unless they are trying to circumvent parking fees?
There’s no doubt other niche valid use cases, but they’re going to be rare and pretty much any valid purpose involves a reservation. Other than that, it seems like a large amount of the backlash is being driven by confusion, with Annual Passholders and other on-site guests erroneously assuming this ends resort hopping.
I’m very much a “don’t hate the player, hate the game” kind of person. As much as I dislike eBay pirates, my perspective has consistently been that Disney could shut that down in an instant if they so desired. Or that people could just stop buying overpriced junk at a colossal markup. The pirates are certainly bad, but they’re going to prosper until Disney acts or the market speaks.
It’s a similar story with circumventing parking fees. It’s stupid and a waste of time, but to each their own on that. At the same time, that “don’t hate the player, hate the game” mantra works in reverse. The player cannot hate the game when the game gets them, and closes a loophole that they’d exploited. And that’s what this is.
If you think $35 is an unreasonable price for parking and Disney is greedy or whatever, again, you have the option to stay on-site and get free parking. Or you can vote with your wallet and visit a different theme park. Universal charges $35 at the gate (or $32 in advance) for parking. SeaWorld charges $37.
I will present the flipside to this frustrating rule restricting access to buses and the Sassagoula River Cruise, which is that I’ve been in a long line for buses at Disney Springs. I’ve “missed” a bus to my resort because the line got cut in front of me. That happened while attempting to get back to the Contemporary at a time when most other bus stops had minimal lines.
As someone whose DVC dues were quite literally paying for that transportation, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little perturbed by the situation. Although it’s not as direct for other on-site guests, the same principle applies with parking and transportation being baked into room rates.
Based on reader comments to our post about Walt Disney World testing transportation restrictions earlier in 2026, I’m far from the only person who has had this frustrating experience. This happens at peak travel times, and disproportionately with resorts in close proximity to the parks. Guests staying at All Star Sports or Coronado Springs are largely not encountering this issue. It’s monorail loop, Crescent Lake, and Skyliner resorts.
In addition to transportation woes, we also had frustrating experiences with a lack of parking at Disney Springs when we were locals. This has only gotten worse, so I can’t fault Walt Disney World for wanting to limit parking to guests who actually plan on patronizing Disney Springs. I’d hazard a guess that the third party tenants are not upset about this rule.
The response from some fans is that Disney Springs should charge for parking like CityWalk at Universal Orlando or Downtown Disney at Disneyland. The distinction here is that Disney Springs is not within walking distance of parks (like CityWalk or DtD), and implementing parking fees (even with validation) would introduce needless friction that would discourage many locals from visiting Disney Springs. I’d hazard a guess that the third party tenants would not like that.
My potentially unpopular opinion is that Walt Disney World restricting access is a good thing that should happen more often.
Honestly, I don’t really think this is even a particularly unpopular opinion. It’s not well-received among a vocal minority of guests, but it’s probably not really on the radar of most tourists except to the extent that they encounter crowds and other friction.
The problem is that capacity is finite. This is pretty well understood when it comes to Walt Disney World as a whole, as opening the floodgates means higher attendance, and in turn, higher crowd levels. Nobody likes heavy crowds and long wait times, even if they may not appreciate the means to accomplishing lighter attendance.
An illustrative example of this is with the Island Tower at the Polynesian, which is home to terrace gardens with fantastic fireworks views. Because of these, elevator access requires a room key.
Those terrace gardens are incredibly low capacity, and if they were open to the public, people would loiter around in them, and paying guests with limited/valuable vacation time wouldn’t have a chance at using them.
Even though our stays at the Island Tower will be few and far between, I can recognize that as a practical reality, prime fireworks viewing in these spaces is a scarce resource that should be treated like it is–as an amenity for registered guests who are staying in the Island Tower. This is a recurrent problem not just in those terraces, but also at the beach of the Polynesian, and one that badly needs addressing.
Expensive hotels ration and reserve amenities for registered guests pretty much everywhere. I’m not sure why this concept is controversial among Walt Disney World fans. People paying Poly prices/points should have priority over visitors.
It’s a similar story with security being stringent and not allowing guests without stays or dining reservations to park at certain hotels. While there needs to be a better solution to this for locals wanting to spend money at the resorts (parking validation with minimum purchase), my general belief is that common areas of several Walt Disney World resorts are already overcrowded and those hotels need to be more restrictive, not less.
I’m not exactly sure how Walt Disney World resorts accomplish that from a practical perspective given how porous arrival points are, but it’s not unprecedented. Tokyo Disney Resort does exactly this with Toy Story Hotel and Fantasy Springs Hotel. Disneyland Paris does the same with Disneyland Hotel. It sort of happens at the Grand Californian, but only via the curb front walkway.
Locals and off-site guests have expressed annoyance at all of this, asserting that they do spend money at hotels, buying drinks at the bars, etc. I can appreciate this to an extent, and understand the frustration.
It’s an outgrowth of the infamous ‘unfavorable attendance mix’ comments the former CFO once made on an earnings call. No one who is already spending a lot of money wants to be told by Disney that, actually, they aren’t spending enough money to justify their presence in these pricey spaces.
At the same time, I’ve been around the block and have a lot of experience with Disney hotels; there’s a small minority of people who monopolize these spaces to the detriment of paying guests. The locals stopping in on occasion for a drink and to wander the grounds aren’t the issue. It’s a small handful of power users.
I’m not sure what the answer is to all of this, but space is scarce at some resort amenities and the paying guests should be prioritized and the atmosphere of those spaces preserved. I also know this is a distinctly Disney problem; it’s not something I’ve encountered at other high-end hotels in the real world.
I can understand why this is more controversial, and I’m certainly not suggesting that every Walt Disney World hotel should be on total lock-down to the point that you can’t set foot in the lobby without spending thousands per night. That’s too extreme.
At the other end of the spectrum, there are certain lobbies and lounges that are teetering on having a Starbucks vibe. As someone who has been a local on both coasts, my hope is that Disney finds a way to thread the needle and balance access.
The ‘vacation bubble’ of Walt Disney World is something special, and as Central Florida’s population continues to grow, this could turn into a bigger problem over time. That’s separate from the permanent rules on resort bound transportation from Disney Springs, though.
As for Walt Disney World restricting bus and boat access to guests with reservations at a resort, that is a net positive from my perspective. It’s good for on-site guests. It has minimal impact on Annual Passholders or even off-site guests with a valid purpose at a resort.
The majority of people it’s adversely impacting are those trying to exploit a free parking loophole. If you’ve read to this point in the post, hopefully the ‘why’ of this controversial change makes sense, or at least understand why this crackdown is happening.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Thoughts on this Disney Springs boat and bus rule? What are your deep thoughts on Walt Disney World restricting access to the resorts, or otherwise allocating amenities to paying guests? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions? Hearing your feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts or questions below in the comments!
Not many share my view that this is overly restrictive. Maybe my viewpoint is skewed. I travel during slow seasons and when I have used Disney Springs as a hub to shop and resort hop it wasn’t crowded. I am most often on a bus with maybe three to four other people. I can use my pass to park at TTC and I can move my car from point A to B. I would rather not have to if I am spending a significant amount of money at both locations. I think this is segmenting or breaking up the resort and fragmenting the experience. Disney serves many different types of guests. This just creates more friction. I do think that some people will still try to game the system with reservations. Not because it’s smart, but because they consider it a challenge.
But why would you need to move you car? Just park at TTC then use Disney transportation.
Just a note that I’ve added a section (“UPDATE: Additional Transportation Policies”) about the actual, non-speculative AP policies.
Disappointing and needless IMO, and hopefully something that’ll evolve over time.
Still waiting on official word about the Swolphin, Shades of Green, and DS hotels. I assume the official answer will likewise be that they’re not eligible, but who knows. Will update accordingly.
I can see this in a way, because I’m guessing (uneducated guess at that) that local AP holders make up a large part of the groups that descend on resorts and make it so crowded that the actual guests at those resorts are crowded out of the spaces they’re paying for.
As AP can still park at TTC and hop, it might not make any difference, but at the very least it will likely help the long lines for the boat to French Quarter.
The thing that’s confusing there is if those hotels are eligible for early entry and “free” Disney World transportation to and from the theme parks, why would they block traveling elsewhere on the buses? They already have “business” there as they are staying there. Besides, the location of Swan and Dolphin seems like it’s a target of day trippers since you can walk to two parks from there. Maybe I’m just reading this wrong tho.
Thank you.
More guest data collection too! Disney not to miss that upside.
We stayed at the French quarter and took the boat to Disney Springs. It’s a long walk from the boat dock to Enzos. for folks in their 80s.Why doesn’t the boat make more stops? for this reason , we just drove and parked in the parking garage. It presented a closer walk. The boat transportation is not perfect.
Before there was a formal security perimeter around Disney Springs, the boats would make three different stops, and you could exit wherever made sense for you (the old docks are still there, next to House of Blues and Jock Lindsey’s). But those closed once they established the security perimeter.
@Andy: which is a mock anyway since you don’t go through security getting off the busses
Dix, Disney does now make you go through security when you get off the buses at Disney Springs. This was the case the last time I was there in February 2026 and I’m sure that has not changed.
I think it’s past due to put these rules back in place and agree completely. Maybe next we can get rid of the local birthday parties that crash the resort pools without paying to stay.
I agree with you. Staying offsite is often cheaper than staying on Disney property, so it’s not fair that the people who aren’t paying the higher price benefit from the amenities designed for those who are paying it.
One thing I like about staying at a Disney resort is that I feel safer there. Obviously, no place is 100% safe, but the restricted access to the resorts makes them a little bit safer than the offsite resorts where anyone can enter whenever they please for whatever reason.
My only gripe about this change is it now stops one of my long standing traditions of leaving from Disney Springs and catching the boat to POFQ to enjoy some beignets. As a passholder parking fees are a non issue but the boat ride for beignets as a simple pleasure I enjoyed very much.
That’s the first thing I thought of too. I’m an AP and as you stated, parking fees are a non issue but loved hoping on the boat for after dinner beignets.
Tom
Best thing you’ve written in a long time! Concise, tight, factual and extremely useful with very little opinion inserted.
The Bricker is back! Keep it up!
Kudos!
Jack
Will this apply to the boat from Hollywood studios to EPCOT? if you want to park hop it seems like such a hassle to have to go back to your car, drive to the other parking lot, park and walk to that park when the boat goes right from one to the other!
No. It ONLY applies to buses and boats leaving Disney Springs.
totally agree with restrictions. we have been coming to disney world for over 35 years and stay at disney resorts to get the benefits of “stay on property” . Crowded Buses most frustrating part of vacations …especially for guests who have handicap issues but not in motor devises. If you are staying at an “outside” hotel to save money…parking fees shouldn’t t be a problem. And for the life of me I can t believe anyone would go through the hassle of parking at disney springs…going to a disney resort and then taking a bus to a park. way too much time and hassle.
Often stay off-site and kind of annoyed people often skirt the rules to save $35. My wife and I often resort hop as part of our vacation, but I can see the logic behind this rule. If I’m paying close to a $1000 a night (insane amount for a room), I should have ease of use for those services and not be inconvenienced by those who are not resort guests. I would go one step further and limit the use of the skyliner or monorail access to resort and park guests only, otherwise charge a fee for use.
Can’t really (nor should they, IMO) limit the Skyliner, as it travels between two parks.
Regarding the Swolphin hotels:
I was a guest of the Dolphin during Spring Break when the restrictions were first applied and I had no trouble scanning my MagicBand to take a bus from Disney Springs to the Yacht & Beach Club (the Swolphin hotels have their own bus that picks up at the Westside bus loop at Disney Springs but I was hot & tired and didn’t feel like fighting the crowds to get to the other far end). So hopefully that will still be the case.
Nah Tom I’m with you 100% on this, and I wish they’d frankly go harder and do the resort monorail next. Few things at WDW irritate me worse as a regular Poly guest than being forced to stand on it at the end of the night when I’m dog tired and then watching the car empty out at the TTC as locals and offsite people go back to their vehicles, all because influencers holler “the resort monorail line is shorter at the end of the night!” nonstop and we can’t enjoy the amenity we pay big $$$ for. Years ago I vaguely remember people needed to show KTTW or transportation passes to use it, they need to go back to that. Put tapstiles on that ramp and make someone in the group scan MBs or whatever to get in like at EE, idc. No ADR in the next 90 minutes or resort reservation, you get sent back to the Express monorail line or the ferry. More often than not we take the resort launch home because it’s of no use to anyone parked at the TTC so you only have people with genuine business at GF and Poly on line.
Social media and the ~influencer~ set are definitely to blame for “why we can’t have nice things” though imo, and I’m specifically glad you mentioned the Poly. I know I commented previously about how awful it was on July 4th last year everywhere outside the main beach. But I stay there 1-2 times a year and even on random weekday evenings the resort as a whole has gotten steadily worse with non-guest crowds to the point even I’m irritated at times, and I’m a native NYer who’s used to hustle and bustle. Socials have turned that resort from a popular fan favorite into a 5th gate that’s “free” and the situation is growing untenable. Can’t get an ‘Ohana ADR or just don’t want to pay the high price? Just camp out at Tambu Lounge all night long and have the apps (which ofc have skyrocketed in price since this “hack” went viral). Who cares about the actual Poly guests who just want to relax with a nightcap. I could go on. Something has to give, and people who pay to stay there whether with cash or DVC need to be the priority over the “why can’t I just look around and shop” crowd. Heck we’ve talked about buying into DVC there but I can’t imagine being an owner and putting up with that crap. I hate it even as a regular cash guest!
I get fought a lot for this online because people seem to think everyone who stays at monorail resorts is rolling in $$$ but we’re just middle class DINKs (I’m a unionized municipal IT worker and my partner does art restoration, we are hardly the 1%), and none of these people ever consider the people who scrimp and save to give their family a once in a lifetime trip that maybe they didn’t have growing up. Those guests deserve to be able to fully enjoy the resort they worked so hard to stay at. We all do, tbh. I don’t know why so many Disney Adults and especially locals seem to think it’s their god-given right to loiter in hotel lobbies and lounges and pool decks but I’m over it. We were not an annual Disney trip family when I was growing up and the closest we ever got to staying on property was the Dolphin, but it would never have occurred to my mom to do this kind of thing. I get Disney is expensive but this grossly entitled lot seems to think they’re sticking it to the corporation when all they’re doing is sticking it to fellow guests.
“regular poly guest”. Friend, ya rich. Congrats LOL
My husband sold some investments so we could try staying there once for a special occation. We’re going in November and I am guarentee you on my once in a lifetime special occation trip I’m going to be chiller about fellow middle class people coming to use the amenties than you are.
Completely agree Aurora! You said it perfectly.
All great points, and I agree 100%!!
Dix, please look up the median salary for NYC non-uniformed workers, then look at the HCOL and then come back to me with that “you’re rich” clownery. Sex & the City was fictional and so are the Insta girlies bankrolled by their parents but all things are possible when you hustle. Like I know that was a long comment but I’mma need for you to run it back real quick and look specifically at the part where I said we’re DINKs. The rest of it is just being frugal and financially savvy, taking advantage of living in a world-class walkable city that while crazy expensive has lots of free and cheap things to do, and knowing how to play the credit card and miles/points game. I could give you a detailed break down of how I do it as an elder millennial with champagne taste on a beer budget but it’s frankly none of your business and irrelevant to the topic at hand. I promise you 95% of it is just not having kids though. That alone frees up money for other things, and I prioritize travel & experiences over stuff. If we had even 1 kid our Disney trips would look a lot different and not be nearly as frequent.
Aurora,
I am a Poly DVC owner (as well as GF) and also firmly in the camp of “why can’t I look around and shop.” My money is no greener that the other persons!
I’ve been going to Disney since 1976, and consistently since my honeymoon in 1994. The world population has increased greatly over the years. So has credit card debt. More and more people are going to Disney. One week in a suite at Poly in 1994 cost $2500. It’s probably 5x’s that now. I LOVE POLY! But there are times we are in Florida and can’t have a Disney trip. So we make a day out of Disney Springs and sometimes take a bus to a monorail resort and visit them, shop and eat. Walking though Poly’s lobby smelling that unique smell is so cathartic. Maybe I find something to buy maybe I don’t. Are you saying I have no right to be there? Cuz it sounds like you are saying that if you happen to have a reserved room there while I am in that lobby that your money is more important than mine and I should leave in case I am taking up the 1’x1′ square of space that you may want to be in.
You think you know why another person is there, but you don’t. You don’t know their story. You think it’s all overrun because of influencers. Maybe it is. But maybe it isn’t. Maybe it is because the population has grown so large and debt has grown astronomically. Maybe it’s because people are just going to WDW in droves anymore. Maybe the food has gotten better. Maybe it’s more expensive because food costs have gone through the roof. Disney food has always been super expensive.
Maybe you can leave your entitlement at the door and quit saying “Disney Adults and especially locals seem to think it’s their god-given right to loiter in hotel lobbies and lounges and pool decks but I’m over it.”
I doubt it because “I stay there 1-2 times a year” which I guess means you are better than me, a Poly DVC owner who might just be dropping by for some food, shopping, or that fantastic lobby smell.
Aurora… for some reason you sound mad you have money but maybe I’m misinterpreting.
The per night prices at the poly, even renting dvc, are outrageously expensive whether you’ve got kids or not and whether you churn cards or not. Congrats again.
I realized the line for the resort monorail was a lot shorter back in the dark ages before the internet existed. I figured it out all be myself when I was 12, I didn’t influencers to tell me.
Agree…. The resort monorail and boats from the MK need to be restricted to resort guest only and at high demand times like the 4th of July and Christmas/New Year’s monorail resort guest only. Or those with a reservation within 90 minutes. The resorts are so porous so complete restriction is near impossible, but the beach and pool areas should be “resort guest only “ beyond this point type of thing on weekends and holidays. People without reservations are not entitled to be in the resorts regardless of their desires or sense of entitlement.
Amber,
As Daffy Duck would say: “Even more obviouser!”
I have absolutely no problem with this update!!
This is how it used to be 33 years ago. You needed to show you resort ID to use Disney transportation…and it worked just fine!
A park hopper ticket also was valid for riding Disney Transport back at that time.
I love this change. Last time I stayed at the Polynesian. The line was so long to get back to the resort from Disney Springs it was ridiculous.
Well said Tom! I find it to be very frustrating when I get on a bus and have to stand because they need to pack everyone into the space like a can of sardines. I’m not trying to be an elitist, but if I pay for Disney resort privileges, why should people not staying in the bubble get those privileges for free?
I am not a fan of the change. I am an annual passholder so paying for parking isn’t an issue, but if I park at the TTC then end up at Disney Springs, how do I get back to my car? When I am visiting for the day, I typically start out at Disney Springs before heading over to a resort or two, then I return to the Springs for dinner or drinks. If someone is really set on saving money for parking, they will find a way. I can see people booking up tables in restaurants and paying a cancellation fee to save some money. Tables will go unfilled, guests will lose out on reservations and servers will lose out on their tips. With every new rule comes new unintended consequences. We will have to wait to see how this plays out.
Yep! Don’t underestimate the ability of human beings to find a way around any system! You know there is someone out there right now concocting a method! People. You gotta love us!
I agree. We are a family of annual passholders and stay at an adjacent resort hotel, not a Disney property, but one with some resort benefits. We use the buses in the evenings, so we are able to enjoy drinks at various parks & resorts. Will Disney enact an option for passholders to be able to get to the parks from Disney Springs?
Please use your car to go from point to point!
No resort restaurant is going to lose out on a single cent just because a subset of APs are too lazy to drive their vehicles from Point A to B and nobody cheap enough to go to these lengths in the first place is going to eat a no show fee, please be serious lmao.
In July We will be staying at the Disney Swan which I believe has bus service of some type to Disney Springs and the theme parks. Being right next door to the Disney Yacht, Disney Beach Club, and Disney Boardwalk I hope Disney does not exclude Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve from enjoying the on site privileges if we want to take a Yacht Club, or Boardwalk bus back to the Epcot resort area or from the Swan if we miss a Swan bus? From an environmental standpoint, unless most visitors have electric cars, Disney is promoting more vehicles driving around to various locations (if they have a theme park, dining or event reservation) rather than using Disney Springs as a parking/transportation hub. It’s a convenience to be able to park at Disney Springs and then Disney bus/boat your way around the Disney resort areas. It’s almost like a free attraction itself! We in some 35 years of visiting DW have stayed on site 98% of the time. But, if the past system was causing paid on site guests a loss of privileges or inconvenienced them, I can understand the move to a more restrictive policy.
Swolphin used to use Disney buses but that went away with Covid. I don’t think we ever got an official reason for it but I assume Marriott didn’t want to pay for the privilege anymore, and iirc there was a severe bus driver shortage when the resorts first re-opened. But now they have their own shuttle bus to MK, AK, and DS. The AK bus isn’t bad because it drops off closer to the gate, but MK goes to the TTC like the regular offsite shuttles. It sucks but it is what it is. Take that money you saved by staying there instead of the Disney Crescent Lake resorts and just rideshare, it’s like $10-12 bucks to get anywhere. Or use a Minnie Van if you need the car seats, they pick up and drop off at all three properties. I stay at Swan or Dolphin at least once a year over Labor Day weekend and it’s what I do now. But tbh even when I stay at Disney resorts 9 times out of 10 I use rideshare to DS anyway unless I get lucky and a bus is pulling right up, because it seems like the DS buses always take forever to come vs. the park buses.
That “it’s almost a free attraction!” mentality though is why transportation and these resorts are so taxed and why Disney has to crack down. In the past it really wasn’t an issue, but nowadays way too many social media influencers are touting Disney resorts esp. the deluxes as “free” playgrounds for offsite guests and locals (especially blacked out local APs) are treating them like their local Starbucks or bar/club. And yes it’s very much to the detriment of paying guests, go check out some of the videos and photos posted from July 4th at the Poly last year, I stayed in the tower and it was an absolute nightmare anywhere outside the blocked off main beach. That’s the most extreme example, but there are a lot more everyday ones too. Disney does not close these loopholes out of nowhere, they’re an extremely data-driven org. I don’t think this is only about lost parking revenue, I think they’re also genuinely trying to improve guest satisfaction with the buses. On busy days/evenings the bus lines at DS can get very long and a lot of the people in them are not staying at those resorts. That convenience you cite should be prioritized for people paying the $$$ to stay at them, period. Swolphin guests should be the last complaining about it tbh considering we always got special treatment vs. other offsite and still have boat transportation and walking access to Epcot and HS, all the other big perks that make them very much worth staying at for the price.