It’s because this video is a year old. Back in the days of limited capacity and COVID protocols. Idk why there’s an article about it now…this isn’t new news.
From what I’ve heard, they won’t let you in to the hotel parking lots with park access just to pick up a mobile order. And even if they did, you are only allotted a certain amount of time. For Table Service they only allow you 3 hours. You are not allowed to park there all day. Besides, how would you feel if you drove back to your hotel, that you paid for, and didn’t have a parking spot because someone ordered chocolate milk?
Thank you for saying this. For YEARS everyone has been claiming this three hour rule yet it’s written nowhere and I’ve never once encountered it myself or heard of anyone encountering it. I don’t understand where it comes from.
Um, check the Disney website! THat’s where the policy is written. The thing is you can’t mobile order from a hotel you are not at!! This is bunk! You have to have DINING RESERVATIONS at a hotel, not mobile order
They actually used to (not sure if they do anymore) give you a piece of paper / printout that had your reservation time and told you to put it in your car window. It showed your reservation time and the time you were projected to leave. But I agree that I don’t think anyone actually went around the parking lot and checked all the cars.
Actually, there is a security guard on top of the Contemporary who keeps an eye on the parking. He will literally put a boot on your car. I used to work there, and he booted cast member cars that parked outside of assigned parking. Don’t believe me? PLEASE go try it! 😂
Omg someone with a idea on how to rip off disney instead of the other way around I love it. Let’s not try to do this bc we dont want to hurt Disney when it comes to making money off of visitors
Maybe if Disney didn’t keep going up on their parking fees (and everything else), people wouldn’t resort to trying to cheat the system. Remember the days when parking was free? Now they even charge you to park when staying at their hotels.
Totally agree. It’s $30 at Disneyland, $45 if u want to park closer to the elevators…which is a rip off. At $30 I found my fav place to park but I’m not telling. It’s still $30 but comes w/perks and less ppl.
Could the same be done for people staying on property with their own vehicle? You are free to visit other resorts with free parking since you already paid at your own resort.
Last time I was at Disney, we stayed at the Yacht Club and drove to the All-Stars for dinner to save a few bucks. We explained to the guard at the gate, and he said, “That’s totally a-okay here – we’re not like some of these other resorts”, and he let us on through. I imagine nobody would have an issue parking there and taking the bus to the parks for free given how lax they were with the parking situation
I stayed at the original Disney resort and you pay for parking that gets added in you hotel bill. You walk to the parks steps away, ditto if you are headed to the other 2 resorts. You need never see your car again unless you go to the beach, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, San Diego or any of the millions of places to go in CA.
Sadly they already crack down on this. And even if you have a mobile order, they can still turn you away at the gate and have you cancel your order. We’ve run into that before.
There used to be a “secret entrance” next to the Fort Wilderness entrance where they had an abandoned booth and if you followed that road you could get to the entrance to the Contemporary and to the Lost and Found next to the Transportation Center. From there you could drive out to the gas station at the parking lot entrance and there was a u-turn lane that let you bypass the parking payment booths, but all of that has been closed or rerouted now. I used that for YEARS!
Don’t want to pay for parking? Park at Disney springs and use buses. It takes forever but it saves money and is not against the rules. Cast members are the ones who suggested it to me.
I used to do that all the time between 2011-2013. I’d park at the theater and walk all the way to the buses to pick up my stamina. At the end of the day I’d take the boat to the theater, maybe watch a movie, and leave because I could always park near the front of the theater.
Now later I found out hotels had free parking at that time. So I would drive into the Contemporary, park as close to the monorail I could because no one parked that far away from the hotel lol, and go straight from the monorail and down to my car. I had a hour long drive home through 528 and into the wildlife refuge area so I had to keep my stamina and stay awake but not get too tired that I’d crash in the wildlife area driving so late at night.
In 1990 we stayed at Disney’s Caribbean beach resort so I got familiar with how the bus is worked there and how they picked up at multiple locations around the property. So after that whenever we would stay at the cheap hotels on 192, I would park at Caribbean beach before they had gates and guards send guards in park right next to the bus stop, and take the free bus ride in the magic kingdom or epcot
At 25 bucks ita a cash grab. You don’t get much for the return of investment. I still have parking passes as souvenirs that show 1.50. The security and minimum wage hasn’t gone up that much to warrant such extraordinary costs to parking a car in their lot on property. If there’s a hack I say go for it as a dvc I don’t have a car or I don’t have to pay if I do, but I congratulate others who are creative.
That’s a snobbish remark. Oh…that’s right….Disney is trying to turn DW into an exclusive spot.
Been going to Disney since I was little. I was there when it opened. Walt is probably spinning in his grave….. Glad he isn’t here to see what’s become of his dream park.
Lil and Marie I totally agree with you- nickel and dime and squeeze every dime out of us! So sad what has become of Disney. Walt must be spinning in his grave😕
Here’s what I learned in 2019: if you are entitled to a handicap parking placard or license plate from your state, you can park at your hotel for free! (We drove down from NH snd stayed at FW). And if you are staying on property and require handicap parking at the Parks, again, it’s free! We saved over two hundred dollars on our 7 night stay!
Such a “magical” place. Where people need to generate manipulative ideas to try to make a plastic castle less miserable. A place that used to be for kids is now for 30 somethings with no actual hobby
I don’t know what’s creepy about enjoying Disney at any age. Aside from the problem of having to live in Florida, I’d gladly retire to Orlando and while away my days at the parks.
The fact they charge $25 to park while charging almost $200 to get in,is pretty forked up. I don’t feel bad for trying to find ways around the parking fee.
You can easily park free if you know where and how. Known and done it for time immemorial, no I’m not telling either! Ask another local, they might tell you!
The Contemporary is notoriously difficult to park at, they really watch who is parking there. The Grand Floridian is straight out, guest self parking is inconvenient, inpreference for valet. Years ago, I would park at the Polynesian, by telling them I wanted to shop and eat at the Kona Cafe (I picked the restaurant that didn’t require reservations like O’hana). Sometimes they would give me a paper for my car that said I was limited to 4 hours, but it wasn’t time stamped. Ultimately, though I was hopping on the Monorail to go to the Magic Kingdom, I always ended up shopping in the resort anyway!
If you can’t figure out free parking you’re not a true Disney Fan.
I have foolproof ways of parking at every park and every resort depending on what I plan for the day.
Of course the parks are super easy because I have AP but prior I could always get in. The resorts are a different story. I have about 6 different stories and strategies I use to get into the resorts and they change from time to time.
My favorite parking for MK is the Contemporary and I park as close to the walkway as I can. Saves so much time at the end of the night.
Epcot and HS? Definitely the Boardwalk. Only because you can’t trust the skyliner to work all the time.
As for AK? You only get one choice.
Am I going to share my tricks. Not in this lifetime.
I used to park free all the time. Went out there to take pictures and hang with friends. Also, I worked with Kodak years ago at the Poly, so yes things change, but there’s always a way.
After paying over $500 a night for a room, why should you have to pay to park too? Do you buy a hamburger and then pay extra for a bun? Parking should be included at a hotel and even at the parks. Funny how they don’t charge to park at Disney Springs.
Inside the made up is behind the 8 ball as usual. But this time by over a year. This used to be a useful trick. But all good things must come to an end
If you can afford to pay $500+ a night, you shouldn’t be concerned about paying to park. Every upscale hotel in every major city charges for parking.
If you are really worried about saving money, you can stay at a Hyatt Place or Residence Inn where parking and breakfast are free.
Paying to park at the Disney hotels is a fairly new thing. Not Bob Chapek-new, but within the last 15-ish years new. It’s totally a cash grab – they have the massive parking lots already built and they own the land.
In a big city, there’s limited land, significant cost to build a parking garage, and paying for parking makes sense. At WDW? Not as much. They just decided, “screw it, what are they going to do” and added on a parking fee.
The $25 a day parking is for the parking lots at Disney resorts for those people who have reservations at said hotel. Parking at the parks is quite a bit more expensive.
Only problem with this person’s logic is there’s a 50/50 chance they will be towed. When you go to eat the parking patrol chalks your tire. 2 hour parking. I’ve seen them towing people.
Last time we were there, we did this but the right way. Breakfast reservation, valet park at the hotel (currently $33 plus tips) take the monorail to the resort.
Disney made plenty of money off us, and it saved us both a walk and from trying to get a massive stroller on/off a tram.
I think it funny that people think Disney reads social media posts to check on guests satisfaction. If they did, there wouldn’t be genie + nor park reservations. Magical express would be back, as well as the dining plan. So don’t worry, Disney will never make changes that they learned about here. 😉
Parking used to be free at the resorts. Recently, they started charging for parking at resorts, and in reviewing all of the comments here, the probable reason was that people were parking for free at the resorts and then taking the free transportation over to the parks. So it makes total sense that they should charge for parking at resorts except for if you are staying at the resort. It’s to prevent people from not paying the $25 that it cost to park at the theme park, and filling up all the spots at the hotels with guests just going to the parks.
I had an annual pass in 2019, I live out of state, and I went to the parks on 60 different days that year, and saved $1500 in parking alone.
I stayed at the original Disney resort and you pay for parking that gets added in you hotel bill. You walk to the parks steps away so you need never see your car again unless you go to the beach, Hollywood, San Diego or any of the millions of places to go in CA.
You can’t mobile order if you are not already at the hotel!! it doesn’t work that way. You must physically be in the hotel to mobile order or staying at the hotel because they will check your band to see if you have a reservation. If you are not at the hotel, mobile order does not count as a reservation and they won’t let you in because they will scan your ticket or magic band to verify. Mobile Orders don’t show up as a reservation. This guy is makig things up.
Comments for Guest Angers Fans With Disney World Parking “Hack” That “Feels Illegal”
Picture if you will
The real hack I want to know is how he got a picture with almost every ride at 5 or 10 minute waits. That’s some Twilight Zone imagery there.
CM
It’s because this video is a year old. Back in the days of limited capacity and COVID protocols. Idk why there’s an article about it now…this isn’t new news.
K
Seems like this guy really knows his hacks, snacks, and fun facts!
Sunni9998
From what I’ve heard, they won’t let you in to the hotel parking lots with park access just to pick up a mobile order. And even if they did, you are only allotted a certain amount of time. For Table Service they only allow you 3 hours. You are not allowed to park there all day. Besides, how would you feel if you drove back to your hotel, that you paid for, and didn’t have a parking spot because someone ordered chocolate milk?
Chrissy
There’s no way they police “time limits”. They don’t give you tags, they don’t have separate lots. It’s a fallacy created by Disney Stans.
JK
Thank you for saying this. For YEARS everyone has been claiming this three hour rule yet it’s written nowhere and I’ve never once encountered it myself or heard of anyone encountering it. I don’t understand where it comes from.
Ang
When did they start charging to park? I haven’t been in about 4 years.
Steven
They’ve been charging since I first went in 1997.
Ryan
Um, check the Disney website! THat’s where the policy is written. The thing is you can’t mobile order from a hotel you are not at!! This is bunk! You have to have DINING RESERVATIONS at a hotel, not mobile order
Judy
They actually used to (not sure if they do anymore) give you a piece of paper / printout that had your reservation time and told you to put it in your car window. It showed your reservation time and the time you were projected to leave. But I agree that I don’t think anyone actually went around the parking lot and checked all the cars.
ADINA
I happen to have witnessed this a few times. Yes, if in patrols they notice you’ve been in visiting parking over the 3 hours, they tow.
Lynn Walker
Actually, there is a security guard on top of the Contemporary who keeps an eye on the parking. He will literally put a boot on your car. I used to work there, and he booted cast member cars that parked outside of assigned parking. Don’t believe me? PLEASE go try it! 😂
Sue
Omg someone with a idea on how to rip off disney instead of the other way around I love it. Let’s not try to do this bc we dont want to hurt Disney when it comes to making money off of visitors
stephanie
Maybe if Disney didn’t keep going up on their parking fees (and everything else), people wouldn’t resort to trying to cheat the system. Remember the days when parking was free? Now they even charge you to park when staying at their hotels.
EarAche
Totally agree. It’s $30 at Disneyland, $45 if u want to park closer to the elevators…which is a rip off. At $30 I found my fav place to park but I’m not telling. It’s still $30 but comes w/perks and less ppl.
Justin Time
Yep…
But so many don’t care…
It’s a
ME, ME, ME WORLD!!!
And it’s disgusting!!!
Matthew Moore
Not Disney, but at Universal Studios Hollywood you can park at the Red Line station and take a tram up the hill. No charge!
Sean
Could the same be done for people staying on property with their own vehicle? You are free to visit other resorts with free parking since you already paid at your own resort.
Melissa
Last time I was at Disney, we stayed at the Yacht Club and drove to the All-Stars for dinner to save a few bucks. We explained to the guard at the gate, and he said, “That’s totally a-okay here – we’re not like some of these other resorts”, and he let us on through. I imagine nobody would have an issue parking there and taking the bus to the parks for free given how lax they were with the parking situation
Lil
If you are staying on property parking is free at the theme parks.
Roadie
Why would you do that when resort guests already get complimentary theme oak parking anyway? I’m calling BS.
Roadie
Why would you do that when resort guests already get complimentary theme oak parking anyway?
EarAche
I stayed at the original Disney resort and you pay for parking that gets added in you hotel bill. You walk to the parks steps away, ditto if you are headed to the other 2 resorts. You need never see your car again unless you go to the beach, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, San Diego or any of the millions of places to go in CA.
Kelly
They are always watching and will tow your car
Mc
Sadly they already crack down on this. And even if you have a mobile order, they can still turn you away at the gate and have you cancel your order. We’ve run into that before.
JSP
There used to be a “secret entrance” next to the Fort Wilderness entrance where they had an abandoned booth and if you followed that road you could get to the entrance to the Contemporary and to the Lost and Found next to the Transportation Center. From there you could drive out to the gas station at the parking lot entrance and there was a u-turn lane that let you bypass the parking payment booths, but all of that has been closed or rerouted now. I used that for YEARS!
Thomas Mscichowski i
Now that you confessed, Disney is going to punish the rest of us. The pay toilets programs are getting ready to start.
Donna
Don’t want to pay for parking? Park at Disney springs and use buses. It takes forever but it saves money and is not against the rules. Cast members are the ones who suggested it to me.
HalloweenGuy
I used to do that all the time between 2011-2013. I’d park at the theater and walk all the way to the buses to pick up my stamina. At the end of the day I’d take the boat to the theater, maybe watch a movie, and leave because I could always park near the front of the theater.
Now later I found out hotels had free parking at that time. So I would drive into the Contemporary, park as close to the monorail I could because no one parked that far away from the hotel lol, and go straight from the monorail and down to my car. I had a hour long drive home through 528 and into the wildlife refuge area so I had to keep my stamina and stay awake but not get too tired that I’d crash in the wildlife area driving so late at night.
Jeff
In 1990 we stayed at Disney’s Caribbean beach resort so I got familiar with how the bus is worked there and how they picked up at multiple locations around the property. So after that whenever we would stay at the cheap hotels on 192, I would park at Caribbean beach before they had gates and guards send guards in park right next to the bus stop, and take the free bus ride in the magic kingdom or epcot
Leslie Brown
If you can’t afford parking don’t go to WDW.
Lil
At 25 bucks ita a cash grab. You don’t get much for the return of investment. I still have parking passes as souvenirs that show 1.50. The security and minimum wage hasn’t gone up that much to warrant such extraordinary costs to parking a car in their lot on property. If there’s a hack I say go for it as a dvc I don’t have a car or I don’t have to pay if I do, but I congratulate others who are creative.
Marie
That’s a snobbish remark. Oh…that’s right….Disney is trying to turn DW into an exclusive spot.
Been going to Disney since I was little. I was there when it opened. Walt is probably spinning in his grave….. Glad he isn’t here to see what’s become of his dream park.
Lovetoshell
Lil and Marie I totally agree with you- nickel and dime and squeeze every dime out of us! So sad what has become of Disney. Walt must be spinning in his grave😕
Vicki
Here’s what I learned in 2019: if you are entitled to a handicap parking placard or license plate from your state, you can park at your hotel for free! (We drove down from NH snd stayed at FW). And if you are staying on property and require handicap parking at the Parks, again, it’s free! We saved over two hundred dollars on our 7 night stay!
Christian
Such a “magical” place. Where people need to generate manipulative ideas to try to make a plastic castle less miserable. A place that used to be for kids is now for 30 somethings with no actual hobby
Victoria
I have seen many 60 somethings with no hobbies being creepy eating by themselves with Disney Princesses.
WD
I don’t know what’s creepy about enjoying Disney at any age. Aside from the problem of having to live in Florida, I’d gladly retire to Orlando and while away my days at the parks.
EarAche
Okay Victoria…that is creepy!! Maybe the creepiest thing I ever heard of.
I’m
Mary
The fact they charge $25 to park while charging almost $200 to get in,is pretty forked up. I don’t feel bad for trying to find ways around the parking fee.
Carrie
You can easily park free if you know where and how. Known and done it for time immemorial, no I’m not telling either! Ask another local, they might tell you!
Avalon
Nice attempt at a humble brag. 🤣
You and your post are useless, so nobody really cares WHAT you have to say.
Missy
The Contemporary is notoriously difficult to park at, they really watch who is parking there. The Grand Floridian is straight out, guest self parking is inconvenient, inpreference for valet. Years ago, I would park at the Polynesian, by telling them I wanted to shop and eat at the Kona Cafe (I picked the restaurant that didn’t require reservations like O’hana). Sometimes they would give me a paper for my car that said I was limited to 4 hours, but it wasn’t time stamped. Ultimately, though I was hopping on the Monorail to go to the Magic Kingdom, I always ended up shopping in the resort anyway!
Johnny
If you can’t figure out free parking you’re not a true Disney Fan.
I have foolproof ways of parking at every park and every resort depending on what I plan for the day.
Of course the parks are super easy because I have AP but prior I could always get in. The resorts are a different story. I have about 6 different stories and strategies I use to get into the resorts and they change from time to time.
My favorite parking for MK is the Contemporary and I park as close to the walkway as I can. Saves so much time at the end of the night.
Epcot and HS? Definitely the Boardwalk. Only because you can’t trust the skyliner to work all the time.
As for AK? You only get one choice.
Am I going to share my tricks. Not in this lifetime.
Shannon
I used to park free all the time. Went out there to take pictures and hang with friends. Also, I worked with Kodak years ago at the Poly, so yes things change, but there’s always a way.
Peter
After paying over $500 a night for a room, why should you have to pay to park too? Do you buy a hamburger and then pay extra for a bun? Parking should be included at a hotel and even at the parks. Funny how they don’t charge to park at Disney Springs.
Roadie
Theme park parking is and always has been complimentary for resort guests.
Shar
If you are staying at a Disney resort just take the free transportation.
Scott
Inside the made up is behind the 8 ball as usual. But this time by over a year. This used to be a useful trick. But all good things must come to an end
Donna
If you can afford to pay $500+ a night, you shouldn’t be concerned about paying to park. Every upscale hotel in every major city charges for parking.
If you are really worried about saving money, you can stay at a Hyatt Place or Residence Inn where parking and breakfast are free.
Lil
Theybalso have incredible taxes to pay to the city. What’s Disney’s excuse? Cash grab.
WD
Paying to park at the Disney hotels is a fairly new thing. Not Bob Chapek-new, but within the last 15-ish years new. It’s totally a cash grab – they have the massive parking lots already built and they own the land.
In a big city, there’s limited land, significant cost to build a parking garage, and paying for parking makes sense. At WDW? Not as much. They just decided, “screw it, what are they going to do” and added on a parking fee.
Matt
The $25 a day parking is for the parking lots at Disney resorts for those people who have reservations at said hotel. Parking at the parks is quite a bit more expensive.
drew
Parking at MK, HS, etc is also $25/day. It only gets more expensive if you choose one of the premium spots which are $45 instead.
Brandon
Only problem with this person’s logic is there’s a 50/50 chance they will be towed. When you go to eat the parking patrol chalks your tire. 2 hour parking. I’ve seen them towing people.
WD
Last time we were there, we did this but the right way. Breakfast reservation, valet park at the hotel (currently $33 plus tips) take the monorail to the resort.
Disney made plenty of money off us, and it saved us both a walk and from trying to get a massive stroller on/off a tram.
Ann
I think it funny that people think Disney reads social media posts to check on guests satisfaction. If they did, there wouldn’t be genie + nor park reservations. Magical express would be back, as well as the dining plan. So don’t worry, Disney will never make changes that they learned about here. 😉
Steven
Thanks,
I’ve been parking at the Polynesian for 30 years. Although I do have breakfast before heading into the parks.
Rick
Parking used to be free at the resorts. Recently, they started charging for parking at resorts, and in reviewing all of the comments here, the probable reason was that people were parking for free at the resorts and then taking the free transportation over to the parks. So it makes total sense that they should charge for parking at resorts except for if you are staying at the resort. It’s to prevent people from not paying the $25 that it cost to park at the theme park, and filling up all the spots at the hotels with guests just going to the parks.
I had an annual pass in 2019, I live out of state, and I went to the parks on 60 different days that year, and saved $1500 in parking alone.
EarAche
I stayed at the original Disney resort and you pay for parking that gets added in you hotel bill. You walk to the parks steps away so you need never see your car again unless you go to the beach, Hollywood, San Diego or any of the millions of places to go in CA.
Ryan
You can’t mobile order if you are not already at the hotel!! it doesn’t work that way. You must physically be in the hotel to mobile order or staying at the hotel because they will check your band to see if you have a reservation. If you are not at the hotel, mobile order does not count as a reservation and they won’t let you in because they will scan your ticket or magic band to verify. Mobile Orders don’t show up as a reservation. This guy is makig things up.
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