Downtown Disney Still Charges for Parking, Though Only Shopping Is Open

Recently, the Southern California region — including the Orange County area where Disneyland is located — was put under a temporary stay-at-home order. The new state and county regulations have affected the phased reopening of Downtown Disney, specifically when it comes to dining at the  Disneyland Resort.

With Downtown Disney expanding to include Buena Vista Street for the time being, it seemed as if the resort was moving just in the right direction to allow for more expansions of dining and retail. The reopening of Buena Vista Street has been the first time that Guests have been able to step inside a Disneyland Resort theme park since they closed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic — and that is a big deal!

During its initial reopening phase, Downtown Disney parking was free. But once Buena Vista Street reopened on November 19, Downtown Disney began charging a $10 parking fee per car, per day. Since the resort had seemingly more to offer with more outdoor dining options and more retail shops reopening, more and more crowds have been visiting to experience that holiday Disney magic that we have been missing this year.

Related: With New Extended Hours, Should DCA Offer More?

Now, that the stay-at-home order has been put into effect, this has changed a lot of things for the Disneyland Resort. We have already reported on how outdoor dining has been effected and how food and beverage consumption is not allowed on property. And we also shared that DVC members will have to wait a little bit longer for the Grand Californian Villas to be available. However, though many Guests wish it weren’t so, the $10 parking fee is still in place for Downtown Disney.

Related: Disneyland Resort Must Decrease Operations Amid State Order

There has been no official announcement of complimentary parking coming back to the Downtown Disney District, and it doesn’t seem like we’ll be getting that announcement anytime soon. Judging from recently reported low crowds, it seems as if less and less Guests are making the trip to the area. Also, the resort is encouraging Guests to come back even during this time for holiday shopping and taking meals to-go.

Still, it leaves many Guests and Disneyland Resort Annual Passholders questioning, if the resort is now offering less than ever before, shouldn’t parking be less as well — or even free? Though there is a high demand for magic in Southern California right now, it may be unlikely for many Guests to continue to flock to the resort with no onsite dining or special offerings and a $10 fee for parking.

This also begs the question, when outdoor dining and more retail become available again, will Disneyland Resort increase the price of parking, or will it stay $10 until the theme parks reopen? We will report back if anything changes. But for now, you can still expect to pay $10 to park your car at Downtown Disney.

Do you think that less offerings should equal a decrease in parking prices for Disneyland? Or do you think parking should stay as is during the new state order? Let us know in the comments!