New Overnight Parking Fees for Disney World Hotels
Walt Disney World has announced that it will charge hotel guests for overnight parking. Rates will vary by resort tier, with Vale Resorts charging $13/night, Moderate Resorts will be $19/night, and Deluxe Resorts $24/night. Valet parking at Deluxe/Villa resorts will increase to $33/night. Disney Vacation Club guests staying on points or paying cash at Deluxe Villas will not pay for overnight self-parking.
Note that this does not impact free parking for Annual Passholders at the theme parks, nor does it impact those visiting a resort hotel for dinner or shopping. (Although we wouldn’t be surprised to see purchase validation soon required for resort visitors.) Guests staying at campsites in Fort Wilderness will not pay for overnight parking. It’s presently unclear whether drivers with valid disability parking permits will be charged (we’ll update the post later about this once we receive clarification).
The new Walt Disney World parking charge applies to guests who book reservations on or after March 21, 2018. The one positive in this news is that if you book a reservation today or in the next week–even for a trip in December–you won’t be subject to the new parking cost. So that’s at least one way to postpone the sting of this new fee for a little while longer.
Walt Disney World has indicated that this change is to bring their Florida hotels more in line with industry standards. Disney Springs Resort Area Hotels, the Swan & Dolphin, Universal Orlando on-property hotels, and most Orange County Convention Center area-hotels charge for overnight parking.
During our recent stays at the Disney Springs hotels, we noticed pricing around $20/night (+/- $5), which was fairly surprising given the surplus of space. The swamps of Florida are not exactly San Francisco or New York City, where the space is limited and has a high per square foot real estate value.
Known for its “blessing of size,” Walt Disney World fans have long thought that there are certain lines Disney wouldn’t cross, with parking and resort fees being one. We can empathize with the many fans who are frustrated by this, but to them we’d also say that it’s going to get worse before it gets better.
Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge is basically a license for Walt Disney World to print money. We’ve said that before, but perhaps it needs to be reiterated. It will draw historic crowds to Florida, many of whom will be first-time visitors or lifelong Star Wars fans willing to pay just about any price to live out childhood dreams. As demand is about to soar, you can expect prices for just about anything at Walt Disney World to increase.
This is particularly true with supply-limited items, such as hotel rooms, parking, and theme park capacity (tickets). Obviously, we’re not fans of paying more to visit Walt Disney World, either, but it’s a reality we all must face.
While we’ve historically been quite averse to Walt Disney World’s various cash-grab up-charge offerings, we’re actually becoming a bit amenable to them, as they represent optional ways to pay more, rather than necessary ones that impact all guests equally.
If Disney management has certain revenue projections that they are attempting to hit (and they certainly do) through a mix of optional and mandatory price increases and upcharges, we prefer the ones we can avoid. This is sort of where we’re at with the parking fee: it makes us cringe, but at the same time, if it’s in lieu of an across the board hotel rate increase of, for example, $10/night, we’ll take it.
Since Walt Disney World operates by the same laws of supply and demand and consumer price sensitivity as every other business, it stands to reason that this fee will impact both future rate increases (slowing them slightly) and guest behavior (pushing more people off-site or causing them to skip rental cars). The latter means a decline in hotel demand–but that will be more than offset by the coming increase in demand once Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opens.
As such, we’re sure there are still significant hotel price increases coming between now and 2020, but minimizing those to the greatest degree possible via optional fees (in other words, not resort fees, which are anti-consumer and really should draw more scrutiny from the FTC) would be our preference.
We’ve written articles (here on page 2 and here) that delve into the current hot economy and its impact on Walt Disney World, so we won’t rehash those here. Suffice to say, record-high consumer confidence and new projects that will be huge guest draws is a perfect storm for higher prices at Walt Disney World.
Interest in those additions is unlikely to subside until well after Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary in 2021, but the same cannot be said for the economy. That cooling off has its own set of negative ramifications for guests, but one silver lining is that it will also cool off Disney’s pricing trends.
Other than that, we don’t really know what else to say about this news of overnight parking fees for Walt Disney World guests. It’s understandably frustrating, especially for long-time fans who have experienced a noticeable shift in policies and practices. While Disney has always been a business, there’s was a time when it felt like a responsible one that tried to balance shareholder interests with guests ones, adding value that was commensurate with added costs. Maybe that was never the case, and maybe it still is.
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 new overnight 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!
It’s been apparent Disney has been catering to the Overseas clientele over the last several years. Better group rates in tickets , lodging ect. Now this new parking fee mostly affecting those of that are us that are US residence is ridiculous. Disney is over priced as is, the staff is no longer friendly or helpful as in past years. Cleanliness and landscaping not nearly what it was in the past. We are paying more and getting less. Disney is becoming just another run of the mill corporation as opposed to an industry leader…very disappointing and sad.
Hate Disney for this, it already cost so much now they are going to nickel and dime us to death with its parking fees to stay at their resorts. Who ever at Disney came up with this should be fired.
Just because something is an industry standard doesn’t make it the right thing to do. I go back to what my mom used to say, if everyone is jumping off a bridge, are you going to do it to? Maybe Disney should set a new standard – think about the consumer. I understand it’s a business, however if you are already paying to stay in the resort then parking should be included. If you are coming to have dinner or park there to hop on Disney transportation then there should be a parking fee.
All of the other fees have gone up, why not just leave this one alone?
“Walt Disney World has indicated that this change is to bring their Florida hotels more in line with industry standards.” Well if they really want to bring themselves in line with industry standards, they would charge less for their resort rooms. Paying between $150-$200 a night at Pop Century (or is it a Motel 6), is robbery. For that price, I can get a suite with a full kitchen which I will be doing. Disney may still fill their rooms and fill their parks, but one thing you cannot buy is respect. And that, my friend, they are losing.
Disney is a corporation…driven by profit and greed,…What they offer tugs on the heartstrings of the young and old with dreams of attending this illusionary destination. The day will come when their never ending price increases/fees practice will eventually implode and Disney corporate will be left with fast fading memories of those magical money good old days …They truly are the evil empire…
I’ve been going to Disney parks since 1960. They say they are doing this To be more in line with the industry standard. I read this as another way to gouge for more money. There is no Other reason for you to be doing this. Every year Disney charges and more and more at their parks well beyond the cost of doing Business. And we lose more and more perks Every year. Even their cruise ship prices have gotten stupid expensive. Enough is enough we are done with you.
This is so upsetting. I agree with the general consensus of “they’re getting enough money with price rises in tickets, rooms, and special experiences”. One of our constant bonus points for staying on property was no parking fees, no resort fees, and staying in the Disney bubble. I don’t really have a reason to recommend to anyone staying on property now to pay $100 more a night at a value resort and still pay parking fees vs any of the good neighbor hotels. It just feels like a money grab. And Disney knows they can.
For this long time Disney-ite family, we and some of friends have skipped our 2-3 annual trips starting last year. We expected price increases, especially for park tickets, just as we expected excellent magic bubble service and quality. The constant depreciation of the latter made us want to spend less time and money there. It just doesn’t match “you get what you pay for” any more. So our future plans are the occasional Disney trip to experience adventures with the new/updates additions. We are avid Star Wars fans but even that attraction isn’t enough to make us want to stay and play there unless we see a return to the magic dome quality.
Thanks Disney…Happy to accommodate your wishes with the thinning out of the paying public …Annual passholder who has driven the I-95 route 37 times to visit the Mouse House can finally close the book with this destination.
I like many others are not part of the privileged crowd like the DVC members..more like a moderate resort type of family whose only yearly vacation was a 2 week journey to Florida.
I think I’ll be spending more time at the local golf courses and enjoy the summer sun on the beautiful beaches of Long Island… I will not miss the long..hot ..humid..sweaty lines of Disney any more.
There are so many thoughts that have gone through my head since this announcement.
First, you wonder if the person or persons who make and institute a decision like this give one fig what the (literally millions) of “guests” opinions are on these changes? Disney has a ton of surveys they send out after trips, phone calls etc. and do they for one minute pay attention to the results?
And, in a social media heavy world, you would think they would understand that many many people rely on these blogs and experienced travelers opinions in these matters.
A friend of mine was planning a first time trip this year and her family has been so turned off by all of these articles they have cancelled their plans. And they are the kind of family that can afford the (unwarranted) parking fees, but told me they feel it is cheap and combined with other blog articles regarding decreases in cleanliness, decrease in value and service, that it is not worth the time or money.
My view of any company, regarding what a company offers in value and service, is that they are structured like a pyramid. If you saw off the bottom of the pyramid, ie. your lowest paid, highest volume staff (housekeepers, transcriptionists, secretaries, maintenance, servers) etc., then your pyramid becomes unstable and unsupported.
I am a doctor with no skills in business whatsoever, but I constantly see this in the hospital where I work, they decrease all of the above type staff and you end up with unhappy patients, perhaps even harmed patients because those of us at “the top of the pyramid” can not begin to provide good safe service to our patients without critical support services. And, tied back in to my question above, does anyone listen-where I work the administrators are highly compensated and do not in anyway seem to care (or accept feedback) that the hard working people in our hospital are over worked and definitely underpaid for our industry.
I apologize for deviating from the topic of the added cost of parking to the decline in services I have experienced while visiting Disney, but feel they are tied together in Disney’s recent “charging more” and giving less -business model.
They may continue to fill those beds (rooms), but their brand is sadly starting to be tarnished, and you can continue on this path (probably) for many years, but it definitely will catch up to Disney at some point. As they say, “people vote with their feet”!
Amen! even in the dental industry,, its getting to be the same in the private sector.. people want service,, they want perks,, they don’t want to feel robbed…this Octobers trip was booked last year,,, ive already called Royal Caribbean for next years adventure!!
Well said! Agree 100 percent!!! And not only Disney but your assessment of your hospital!
To many companies are out for the dollar while not taking care of the end user. I am voting with my wallet and have not been back for 2 years. And with over 70 visits under my belt. I used to be Diehard Disney fan 2-3 times a year min. I Hate the road we are going down.
Well said. I am in the Education sector and it is no different. Many surveys are sent out to all levels of staff and parents. The “supposed” data collected does not gel with the practice. The folks in the golden tower who command $167,000 per year and who have not put a foot a classroom in years, dictate practice that they really have no lcue about.
On a recent trip to Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, it ended up costing us (family of 4) with meal plans, paw passes and a couple of drinks, about $2,000 for 3 nights. When I make a comparison to Disneyworld (and we are DVC members), I still think the value holds. However, the pace of the constant price gouging may diminish this very quickly. Our kids are 4 and 7 and I think a few more vacations to DW and we might sell the DVC and move on.
This doesn’t affect us as we always fly in and use ME and the Disney transportation.
That being said, it irks me that they are doing this, for all the reasons above.
I think a lot of people are getting “Disney conditioned” to just accept these upcharges/fees all the time. That’s just said that our expectations have to be lowered for Disney.
We have always loved the bubble, but are considering staying offsite or not at all. These seemingly weekly upcharges are getting old. I do think it is an attempt to “condition” people into just accepting. Maybe this time, they won’t. Just remember what happened to Sears and Polaroid….
I agree with you completely. We fly in also and usually stay on the grounds using their transportation. It won’t be long before they are charging you to use the busses, the ferry and the monorail!
C. Scully
As an accountant, I’m pretty sure that Disney’s only calculation is whether the new charges increase their total revenue or if enough people stop staying at their hotels to more than offset the money they get from parking and other fees.
So far it appears that no matter how much Disney steadily raises their prices (insert boiled frog analogy) their parks and hotels remain crowded. Disney cares mostly about our behavior. They care about our emotions only to the extent that they impact our future behavior. So long as there are enough customers, even ones who are grumbling, to fill the parks, hotels and restaurants Disney will continue to simultaneously cut back on staffing, ride capacity, and “magic” while increasing prices and adding new charges and “special events” which penalize the average park goer.
I suspect I’m pretty typical of a casual visitor (this year will be my third WDW visit in the 15+ years I’ve been going there)- Universal opening their second Potter area is enough to get me to finally visit them, despite my disinterest in their thrill rides, but just for a couple of days. While I expect Toy Story Land will boost attendance at DHS, I don’t expect it to have a major impact, unlike Star Wars land. As Tom suggests, the real impact will be when that opens.
Disney prices will eventually lose me as a customer, but so long as there’s someone to take my place and pay even more, Disney will be happy to see go.
I’ve always said I’d never stay off property but this has changed my mind. It isn’t about the money. I’d pay $24 more a night for a 2br villa (5kids = party of 7). It’s about the way this feels – like a cash grab. I like Disney because they aren’t like others in the industry. They are taking away the things that make them stand out. If I already have to pay to park at the hotel then paying to park at the parks isn’t a downside of staying off site. We aren’t DVC so that 2br at OKW cost us $550ish a night last summer. It’s only worth it when Disney is different. Otherwise there are a lot of awesome VRBO rentals under $200 a night that are much larger. We usually just do Disney on vacation. I haven’t done anything else in central Florida since I’ve been a kid because once I’m on Disney property I want to stay. If we’re already staying somewhere else and having to drive then Disney parks aren’t going to be the only place we go. While I’m not on Disney property I’m also not spending as much money on food and shopping on Disney property. Instead of getting an extra $24 a night from me I’ll spend several thousand elsewhere. I alone am not going to make a break Disney parks. Then again my Disney brand loyalty is extremely strong and if I feel this way I can’t be the only one.
Everything you said is spot on. And I’d hazard a guess that you are not the only one who feels that way. I believe (and have read here) that this may well be the last straw. It’s also a big slap in the face to many WDW vacationers. Some scrimp and save for years to give their children a Disney vacation, Others can just shrug at the latest price increase because it doesn’t mean the end of a dream for them. Doesn’t seem right.
I’ve heard people say a Disney vacation is not a vacation at all. You have to know where you’re eating six months out and what rides you’re going on sixty days before you get there. Parks are overcrowded and wait times unbelievable. A low quality Disney sweatshirt can cost $75. Heaven forbid the temperature drops and you need to outfit your family. Transportation is frustrating and time consuming, and definitely not as good as it used to be. Try getting from hotel to hotel without a car. It could take an hour and a half or more. In my most recent trips, I have never seen a full hotel parking lot. And I’ve stayed at every hotel. Always plenty of spaces.
Disney hasn’t even given a solid reason for the increase. They made the announcement in the same way they made their pet announcement, with little warning. If Disney continues to nickel and dime the average family until they can no longer afford to book vacations, they will only have themselves to blame. Or could that be their intent.
As Disney fans (we have annual passes) for more than six decades this news is beyond disgusting. We live two hours south of Disney World and usually stay at Bonnet Creek when we go up there. So the parking fees won’t affect us. But I really feel for families who spend a lot of money to stay on Disney property and a lot of money for the park tickets. The ‘optics’ are horrible. They would do better to set prices for the rooms to include parking than to do it as separate charges for room and parking. I can only say it’s pure greed.
Yep! I completely agree — we’ve super loyal… never been off property on any of our trips… never had any desire to!
We know three other families that also make very regular trips to Disney in our circle of friends and it just dawned on us this march break that none of us have planned a Disney trip for 2018 or 2019.
It’s not just you.
We’ve never rented a car while at WDW and yet this STILL irks me.
2012 was our first trip… we became addicted to the magic and made 9 trips since… I don’t think it’s the increases that really bother me as much as the reduction of value and small touches of magic.
This is the first year since 2012 we don’t have a future trip booked and I don’t see one within the next several years.
No more towel animals.
No more humorous bus drivers.
No more custodians performing “mop art” on the pavement.
Surly cast members (we NEVER experienced THAT on our earlier trips)
Watered down dining plan (it was phenomenal the first two trips).
Fast pass+ that really takes out the spontaneity of any trip… and we LOVE to plan–just not every single minute!
More and more dessert parties and ticketed events that cut down on space and hours for the evening shows.
What I loved most about WDW was that although there may have been tiers (someone renting the Grand One with a butler to watch Wishes)… you never felt second class before… that doesn’t seem the case anymore… you are no longer made to feel like a VIP–maybe the people paying for the upgrades still do.
It’s just become “another” vacation destination for us now.
Makes you realize, it was never the attractions as much as it was the way they made you feel: valued & appreciated!
Makes me sad.
Very well said. Spent 6 nights at AKL in November 2017. Paid for Savannah view, left housekeeping a very nice tip each morning and still no towel monkey hanging from the curtains. No Mickey heads on the bed. Nothing. Nada. It was a completely different experience from when we stayed at AKL in 2005. I spent so much time telling my youngest how great it was at AKL as she was an infant the last time we stayed. Every evening, she asked, “do you think there will be a monkey today?” She was definitely disappointed. You are right though, it’s sad.
That’s awful.
Well, let’s hope someone wakes up and brings back the ideals of Walt & Roy Disney.
Anyone out there have ANY idea, except the almighty dollar, what is happening at Disney World ? I agree with the lack of making guest feel special. It was the thing that made guest shell out hard earned dollars to be pampered for a few days. If this trend continues, I’m afraid the WDW we did know may cease to exist. Board of Trustees, PAY ATTENTION.
Rumor is Bob Iger is going to retire in 2019, one can only hope. Maybe they are still trying to pay for the 7.4 billion purchase of Pixar. Can someone PLEASE hire a CEO just for the parks??? Our family also just loved the magic…”hello princess” wherever my girls were, friendly & kind people manning the boats and the food, Mickey towels. Disney is not suppose to be like any other destination in the world and never was. He is so focused on media acquisitions and bottom lines that the soul of the parks are slowly being business planned away. I hope someone, ANYONE, at disney that cares about the family experience and Walt Disney’s legacy intervenes and gets back in touch with the magical experience that is supposed to be disney. It’s like cutting down a 100 year old tree, if they ruin the experience and cut out the magic will they be able to recreate it after someone in power realizes what they’ve done?
Well it will all depend on the 21 century fox deal.
If it goes threw and Disney purchases them then Iger is here to stay till 2021!!
If the deal falls threw then should expect him to exit in 2019.
To much money on the table. HE will walk away with hundreds of millions from closing the deal.
He will not walk away from the money!
I like the 100 year old tree analogy, great question!
“Whatever you do, do it well. Do it so well that when people see you do it, they will want to come back and see you do it again, and they will want to bring others and show them how well you do what you do.” Walt Disney
Well said. I totally agree. Hope springs eternal on the replacement of CEO.
It’s shameful. Just gouge people for every last $. Nickel and diming (and I wish it was just nickels and dimes). We’re already paying more to stay at deluxe. Why are we paying more for parking? Does that spot “cost” Disney more than at a Value resort? NO. Next: fees for housekeeping, Disney Springs parking, using monorails, buses and boats. Everyone I’ve spoken to who was considering a trip this year or next said “no way.” It’s the principal. As someone else said, this is not LA or NYC where real estate is high. Longtime and repeat customers will be turning away in droves. Once the economy tanks, they’ll be offering all kinds of deals to come back. We’re already paying for overpriced rooms that are not “the best rooms anywhere” as so many people who have obviously not been anywhere else often say. It was for convenience, location and immersion in Disney. It will be cheaper to go to Hawaii (even with their high parking fees) or London. BIG MISTAKE.
They actually do offer to give you back 10 bucks a night on a gift card if you forgo all housekeeping services.
We go to Walt Disney World once every two years with trips to Disneyland, Tokyo and Hong Kong in between so this won’t affect us in the least. We usually stay for 10 days each trip and spend about $5K – $6K a trip…what’s another $150-$200 to park? I make just over $100K a year so we are not loaded by any stretch and saving for a WDW vacation isn’t an easy task. I love all the “this is the straw that breaks the camel’s back” comments…fine!! Don’t go! Some people who go to the parks multiple times a year are hypersensitive to all the price increases, but to us, the once every two year traveler they are just part of doing business. People who whine are so hypocritical…they gripe and moan over the lack of quality entertainment, aging attractions, outdated lands, etc…and they rejoice when Disney announces refurbishments and new attractions. Then they go bonkers when Disney increases prices or starts charging for things that were complimentary. Where do you think the money needs to come from to build these incredible experiences the people are clamoring for? I certainly hope people decide to not go because of this latest price increase…get that negativity and complaining out of the parks. Sheesh.
Irony: Complaining out people for complaining too much.
Um “about” or, you know, some reply that actually makes sense!
Very insensitive Brian. You didn’t say if you have any kids. How about families making 1/2 to 3/4 what you are making and they have 2-4 kids? Maybe the extra $100-$200 for parking makes it more of a stretch. Or maybe they have to give up eating out as they would like or buying gifts or snacks. Not everyone who goes to Disney World is making just over $100K.
Rich, thank you for responding to this asshat. His comments really irked me as I’m sure many families don’t make over $100K. Such rude and braggadocious comments to make but I couldn’t figure out a response that didn’t make me sound like an utter witch (-w+b).
Brian, most of us do not make over 100K a year. The increase in prices apparently hit us a bit harder than it does you. Maybe they will raise prices over your limits sometime and we will see who’s crying the blues. Don’t criticize people for expressing their opinions until you know their circumstances. It appears you will be happy when the parks are full of the pompous people like yourself.
” I make just over $100K a year so we are not loaded by any stretch” and “We go to Walt Disney World once every two years with trips to Disneyland, Tokyo and Hong Kong in between” are not compatible statements. Many people (who make a combined 50k a year) save up to go to the park, so every little bit matters.
A Disney vacation is what every kid dreams of and is magical place even for adults because it brings that child back out. Disney has always been a money hungry machine, a drug for the masses. Who DOESNT LOVE Disney right? But over the years it’s become apparent that monster has totally gotten away from the Disney “ideal”. We fans/customers kinda expect to get fleeced by the machine going to the parks just for the experience, but at some point there has to be a line that can’t be crossed or shouldn’t be. I personally feel with this last “fee” they show there is no line as they are concerned. Which is sad, at some point EVEN beloved Disney i fear will face a fatality. For our family, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back, our week long vacation at Animal Kingdom Lodge, my husband cancelled this morning. Just makes me think they have hired a marketing strategist to maximize any possible place of revenue. Some companies have to learn the hard way and the tides may be changing against these kinds of tactics, Disney of all companies to possibly go down by greed, that could be the future.
Good for you guys cancelling your trip! I posted back on this article in the first 50 comments, and I’m completely against this new charge. I will never return to WDW unless they change their ways. There is a whole world out there I want to explore.
Put your hard earned money on a trip that values your family as customers! (Like WDW used ).
This October trip will be my last trip to Disney and the new parking fees will not affect me for this trip but if I do come back I will stay off property or go on a cruise. Disney is getting ridiculous with their fees and they’re up charges .
I would stay in Disney hotels to save the cost of parking at the parks. Now I will stay off site to save even more
For us….. We love Disney and have been several times… I don’t really want to stay off sight, however it gets to a point where its about principle and a line has to be drawn.. I feel like Disney milks all they can .. and they have that right… but my line has been drawn.. . this increase is really sad for us and a petty thing for Disney to do… The price of the rooms alone is high, so why add parking costs.. and why is parking higher at the more expensive hotels?? parking is parking….. Disney plays on our heart strings with our children.. and they know it… We can take 2-3 vacations for what one Disney trip costs at a Value or Moderate. We will be taking more cruises or staying in Orlando and going to Universal.
I am a DVC member and I never rent a car anyway so this doesn’t affect me, but it still pisses me off. Disney is expensive enough as it is. What will they find to charge for next….