Disney considers dropping parking fees?

[TimK]

I saw threads on this topic on WDWMagic and the DIS and was curious to hear what folks here thought.

The concept being suggested is that Disney would completely eliminate parking fees at theme parks while raising ticket prices a couple of dollars to compensate. This would allow them to lose the salaries tied to CMs working at the booths. They could also tout \"free parking\" in a similar fashion to the current \"free airport transportation\" via DME.

One aspect that intrigues me relates to the staffing issue. Already employing some 60,000 people, Disney always seems to be in a pinch when it comes to their workforce. Now you\'ve got talk of Night Kingdom, a fifth theme park, which would require even MORE Cast Members. Rather than lowering the bar further on Cast Member qualifications, it seems Disney could make up the difference with some clever moves to eliminate current positions.

The downside to this would be the ticket price increase. Instead of off-site guests paying $11 or 12 for their daily parking, a small increase would be passed along to all. Disney would also lose the ability to claim free parking as an incentive for staying on-site.

I\'ll say this much: SSR guests would certainly benefit assuming Disney resumes transportation from the theme parks to Downtown Disney. These days there are consistent reports of people crowding the SSR buses at night to reach DTD.

For those who aren\'t familiar with the history, Disney used to run buses from DTD to the parks but stopped a few years ago because many were using DTD as a free theme park parking lot. When SSR opened many resumed the practice by walking the 1/4 mile to from DTD to SSR and boarding its buses.

So whaddya think?

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

I would be curious to know the number of people that actually pay to park. The locals don\'t, they know to visit a resort or park at DTD. All resort guests get free parking. All AP holders get it. After certain hours DDE gets you parking. Off site resort shuttles don\'t pay. Basically, only the very uninformed visitor feels the need to pay for parking.

I can\'t recall the last time I went thru a WDW toll booth and saw someone pay.

The only advantage I see to the toll booth system is that it slows the traffic flow into the lots.

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

Kind of answering my own question, if parking fees represented a sizeable profit center, I doubt Disney would not even be considering shuttering the booths.

[PoohsPal]

As someone who always stays onsite and doesn\'t pay fr parking, this ticks me off. I don\'t want my tix to cover offsite tourists\' parking.

While informed travelers and frequent travelers don\'t pay, I bet there are still a good number of first-time off site peole who come for teh day that do pay. Why should my tic price increase so they can park for free???

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

Look at it this way Pooh, your ticket price already covers the cost of transportation so all along you have been paying for the freeloaders that park at DTD.

[TimK]

I don\'t think it\'s a perfect solution, but I do see some benefits. Like I said, I think SSR guests will undeniably reap a benefit via reduced transportation issues at park closing times. Posts I have read lead me to believe that there are times when it has become a real problem. Lines at the park bus stops are long and the buses virtually empty out at Congress Park with folks headed for the DTD walking path.

And then there are the staffing benefits. If there are 50 CMs who staff the parking booths, they can be shifted to other positions. That\'s 50 positions Disney won\'t have to otherwise lower its standards to fill.

Change does bring these sort of things under the microscope, but this sort of shifting of revenue isn\'t exactly new. I have never used DME myself but I\'m certain that I have paid for it in either my room rates or DVC dues. I don\'t drink the coffee in DVC rooms or use the BBQ pavilions or the Community Halls, but I\'m paying for that.

In the end, my think is that Disney is bound to raise prices regardless of the justification. Hopefully they\'ll get some more theme park business to help offset some of the parking revenue losses.

I think it\'s an intriguing way for Disney to attack the other Florida parks. US/IOA in particular has been running a lot of cut-rate ticket deals for years. Their philosophy appears to be to get people into the parks at any cost and then make up the benefit via dining revenue, souvenirs, parking fees, etc. And not having their own extensive resort/transportation networks probably means that parking revenue is even more substantial to US / IOA / Sea World, etc.

If Disney implements \"free parking\" the others will almost be compelled to follow suit. And I suspect it will hurt them a lot more than Disney.

[PoohsPal]

Do you really think there are people who don\'t go to WDW because they have to pay for parking? I just don\'t see it.

I\'ve never had terribly crowded buses at park close either. Then again, I go off season.

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

PoohsPal wrote:

Do you really think there are people who don\'t go to WDW because they have to pay for parking? I just don\'t see it.

Probably not MK, but if they don\'t have a hopper pass and are trying to decide between SW or AK/MGM on Tuesday, maybe free parking makes AK the winner.

The theme park business in Orlando is always a follow-the-leader game. When Disney raises it\'s park price, SW/US/IOA follow suite. CS meals are all in the same price range. Beverages are pretty close ( although right now, WDW is condsiderably cheaper than SW, but WDW doesn\'t have free beer ). If Disney goes to free parking, it\'s hard to imagine the others not following suit and as Tim pointed out, that revenue stream probably subsidizes discounted park passes.

As for not seeing bus loads of freeloaders on the SSR buses, just do an early morning drive-by of DTD and look how full the parking lot is around the bus stops. Then walk into Marketplace/PI/West Side and try to figure out where all the people are hiding.

[nono]

I always think \"What a rip off\" when a theme/amusement park, built near nothing, charges for parking! UM, you don\'t give people any other way to arrive \'cept by car, and then you have the well, let\'s say gall, to charge them to park said car??!!

I think it is a lousy way to get customers in the right frame of mind. So, I think it is a great idea to drop parking fees.

[mwehttam]

As a SSR owner, if this helps the bus situation even a fraction, I am all for it. We are not concerned about the increase in tix prices. Disney will raise it anyway plus we usually get the AP\'s with the DVC discount.

-Matt

[bwv dreamin]

This really is an innovative way to increase the park tickets but giving the perception that they are SAVING us money by not charging for parking. We all know it is about the dollar, and as KING said, just how much revenue were they generating from parking anyway. Now it will be mandatorily assessed thru each park ticket purchased. When it came to parking, you had alternatives. Very slick marketing tool by Disney.

[Rozzie]

As someone who has witnessed first hand the mass exodus to Congress Park at night, I am all for it. I hope it comes to pass, if anything, a quicker journey into the theme park gates without being behind people paying. :thumbsup:

[Colorado Belle]

I am philosophically opposed to paying for parking.

So I\'m all for Disney getting rid of the toll booths. That said, I think that instead of raising ALL ticket prices to help compensate for any revenue losses, that the ticket prices should be ONLY raised for those buying tickets who are staying offsite. That way, they can tell people who stay onsite, instead of getting free parking that they get cheaper park entry ticket. Pass it on.

[mickeysimzac]

Colorado Belle wrote:

I am philosophically opposed to paying for parking.

So I\'m all for Disney getting rid of the toll booths. That said, I think that instead of raising ALL ticket prices to help compensate for any revenue losses, that the ticket prices should be ONLY raised for those buying tickets who are staying offsite. That way, they can tell people who stay onsite, instead of getting free parking that they get cheaper park entry ticket. Pass it on.
When a person can buy Disney passes at many outlets beyond WDW, how do you supose Disney could control sales to an individual who tells AAA for example; \"yes, we are staying on site, so give us the cheaper tickets\"?

[mwehttam]

mickeysimzac wrote:

Colorado Belle wrote:

I am philosophically opposed to paying for parking.

So I\'m all for Disney getting rid of the toll booths. That said, I think that instead of raising ALL ticket prices to help compensate for any revenue losses, that the ticket prices should be ONLY raised for those buying tickets who are staying offsite. That way, they can tell people who stay onsite, instead of getting free parking that they get cheaper park entry ticket. Pass it on.
When a person can buy Disney passes at many outlets beyond WDW, how do you supose Disney could control sales to an individual who tells AAA for example; \"yes, we are staying on site, so give us the cheaper tickets\"?

Agree. There is no way for Disney to segregate it based on on/off site. For Disney to recoup the money lost form people paying for parking they would only need to raise tix prices an amount that can be counted with cents not dollars. Before getting AP\'s with the DVC discount I always used a 3rd party. Always less then Disney. For this upcoming trip I bought my parents their tix from Undercover with the Mousesavers discount. Saved over $30 from buying direct from Disney.

Out of all the people that drive and park there are a large number that are staying on property or have a form of AP. So they are not paying. Wonder if anyone knows the % of those that actually park that pay. I know Disney has this, wondering if it is public.

-Matt

[Colorado Belle]

RE: lowered park ticket prices if you stay on-site:
Disney wouldn\'t have to segregate the people who bought tickets...if you were staying onsite, these discounted tickets would be available in your Disney \'package\'. Or, if DVC, to purchase with your Disney reservation upon check-in. If you already HAD tickets, or an AP like many people do, you wouldn\'t GET the perk...but the marketing tool would be that on-site guests paid less for tickets, thus replacing the perk that on-site guests don\'t pay for parking.

In truth, Disney almost always had these \'discount\' tickets, tho they weren\'t really discounted OVER the brokers tickets and only about $2.00 off a 3 day pass from those available at park entry.Back in the day, that small discount was offered as a \'perk\' to on-site guests, again, a smoke and mirrors marketing tool. In fact, a savvy shopper could of course get better discounts off a broker, but before the internet, people mostly bought tickets AT Disney or had them included in packages from travel agents. Of course, back then, Disney didn\'t offer TAs commissions on Disney hotels/tickets, didn\'t even offer TAs discounted park tickets for themselves. I think TA commissions only started with Eisner.

It all comes down to taking away perks: when a DVC perk is removed, we moan. When a guest staying at the resort or AP holders have a perk removed, they moan. We\'ve long considered parking an onsite or AP perk, so Disney \'loses\' that as a marketing tool if ticket prices are increased across the board while dropping all parking charges. And even tho it might only be pennies in lost revenue, I doubt DISNEY will increase tickets only pennies.

[ghost1000]

In light of the rumor that Disney is now thinking about charging for parking at DTD, I guess this no parking fee rumor is now in the potty.

And since Disney doesn't charge for parking if you're staying on site, I didn't see it happening anyway.

[KNWVIKING 2.0]

In light of the rumor that Disney is now thinking about charging for parking at DTD.....


Guess Disney couldn't figure out a better way to have Market Place & West Side join PI.

[simbasmom]

Colorado Belle wrote:

When a person can buy Disney passes at many outlets beyond WDW, how do you supose Disney could control sales to an individual who tells AAA for example; \"yes, we are staying on site, so give us the cheaper tickets\"?
How about if resorts sold tickets for much less, but you had to show your room key to purchase there? Would this solve the problem by giving people who planned to stay on property incentive to wait until they got there to buy tickets?