#842585 by ecnirp
02 Apr 2013, 23:42
Hi

Off to Orlando at the end of May for 2 weeks, staying in a villa, so have a car for 2 weeks, are there any recommendations for using theme park car parks?

I've heard parking is $14, got the combo Disney & Universal tickets for 14 days, I've seen a few annual parking permits on ebay for £20 per week, just wondering if anyone has used these before?

Thanks for any advice.
#842596 by Neil
03 Apr 2013, 01:33
You are correct with the amounts you have stated.

There is no such thing as a parking pass, so what they are selling on EBay are something that isn't meant to be sold. I imagine it is an annual pass which has free parking as a benefit, but you could be asked for id, causing an issue for not only you but the AP holder. I would avoid them like the plague.

I know $14 may sound a lot, but when you factor it in to the cost of your holiday, it really isn't that bad considering you are parking in a security controlled and maintained parking lot for 8/10 hours a day (what would you pay per hour in your local town?).

It is also worth remembering that the parking is valid all day at any same company park. So if you you to Magic Kingdom in the morning and then Epcot in the evening, you only pay once.

Neil
#842605 by David
03 Apr 2013, 07:08
Actually, there is such a thing as a parking pass. Its issued to Disney resort guests BUT is only valid for the duration of their stay.

If that's what is being sold on ebay, its possibly been altered in some way or another (allegedly !)

But yes, I'd agree with Neil, I would also avoid them.

David

(You also get free parking with an annual pass)
#842611 by bethanicus
03 Apr 2013, 09:07
When I've stayed in Orlando I've taken the bus to the parks, costs about $3.50 (I think) each for an all-day ticket. Depending where you're staying, a week bus pass works out really well, (much cheaper than the rip-off trolley bus!) buses run regularly and a lot of tickets are sold in Walgreen's and 7/11.

Bethan
#842613 by Kraken
03 Apr 2013, 09:20
As Neil has said, you only pay for parking once "per company", per day. Disney parking is valid at all Disney parks for the same day.

Similarly, if you have the 14 day Orlando Flextickets, you only pay for parking once each day at the parks covered by your ticket. We hammer this when in Orlando, as it's not uncommon for us to do Universal, Sea World & Wet n Wild or Aquatica all in a day.

I know the $14/day parking cost adds up a bit over a couple of weeks, but when you look at what you have spent on the holiday + theme park tickets in total, it's not really that much. There is no way I would want to do Orlando without a car, so the parking charges are pretty much unavoidable.

Roll on 4 and a bit weeks... Orlando beckons again! :D
#842619 by Ianf71
03 Apr 2013, 10:43
We're also going out at the end of May, but honestly, you don't really notice the cost of the parking. When at Universal we usually go premium parking which costs a bit more but park a bit nearer. I think it's part of the fun finding out where you are parked too ( I always want Jaws in Universal but usually end up in Jurassic park level )
#842625 by flabound
03 Apr 2013, 11:32
personally (although we dont use the parks) I think considering how much they charge to get in these days -sticking another $14 a day is taking the p1ss. but then Disney has always been fantastic at seperating people from their cash . i would love their parking income for just a day -they can take up to 75000 cars i believe
#842636 by Neil
03 Apr 2013, 13:09
bethanicus wrote:When I've stayed in Orlando I've taken the bus to the parks, costs about $3.50 (I think) each for an all-day ticket. Depending where you're staying, a week bus pass works out really well, (much cheaper than the rip-off trolley bus!) buses run regularly and a lot of tickets are sold in Walgreen's and 7/11.

Bethan


As the OP is still at a villa and hiring a car, the bus really wouldn't be a great option. I agree they are really good for people staying on iDrive or a 192 hotel though.
#842640 by gumshoe
03 Apr 2013, 13:51
David wrote:Actually, there is such a thing as a parking pass. Its issued to Disney resort guests BUT is only valid for the duration of their stay.

If that's what is being sold on ebay, its possibly been altered in some way or another (allegedly !)

But yes, I'd agree with Neil, I would also avoid them.

David

(You also get free parking with an annual pass)


Yes, what a few eBay sellers seem to be selling is the opportunity to rent - for £15-20 a week - the free parking entitlement they got with their annual passes. While the actual park passes require ID, these sellers say the parking permits don't.

It may be perfectly legit if the parking permits are transferable but equally, if they're not (which seems far more likely), it's decidedly dodgy and if Disney security wise up to it you'll have wasted your money.

Personally I'd agree with others on here - stay well clear. $14 a day does seem a lot but when you consider how much you've paid for the parks and how much you'll probably shell out for food and souvenirs once you're in, it's really not that much.
#842642 by Darren Wheeler
03 Apr 2013, 14:03
The other option, although not a convenient or even easy one it to park at Down Town Disney, catch a shuttle bus to say, the Contemporary and then monorail to Magic Kingdom.

Do that once and suddenly $14 seems a bargain.
#842643 by Treelo
03 Apr 2013, 14:40
Darren Wheeler wrote:The other option, although not a convenient or even easy one it to park at Down Town Disney, catch a shuttle bus to say, the Contemporary and then monorail to Magic Kingdom.

Do that once and suddenly $14 seems a bargain.


I agree this is an option Darren, but I would suggest that if you do it once then $14 will seem a very good offer. Forget the 'deal' with the (alleged)annual passes, ecnirp, just bite the bullet and shell out for parking. You know it makes sense :)

Roll on 3 weeks on Monday and VS 075!! y)
#842666 by Needsomesun
03 Apr 2013, 18:36
You can also park at the Disney Water Parks and use the free bus transportation. We have tried this in the past and its ok but $14 a day is not much vs the cost of the holiday.
#842732 by ecnirp
03 Apr 2013, 22:56
Thanks for all the replys, I was just interested to see if anyone had bought(rented) one of these passes or had any good tips for parking, I think I will just pay the parking on the day we attend the parks.

Last time I went to the Disney Parks was in 1998 and I'm sure parking was included then, so I was surprised to see it mentioned you had to pay now, its crazy how much you pay for tickets then have to pay for parking on top !!!
#844675 by Fuzzy14
26 Apr 2013, 13:07
Everybody seems to be against these passes but nobody seems to have used one... I would argue that $14 per day = £140 onto your holiday so it does add up.

I "hired" one of these passes last year from eBay. They are annual season tickets bought by UK villa owners. The season tickets come with free parking included. This is not a separate ticket, you get the actual annual season ticket (worth £600?) As explained to me by one of the villa owners, they hire out their tickets a couple of times a year and it helps pay for their annual visit.

All you do is show the ticket at the car park toll plaza and you get waived through, in some cases my wheels didn't even stop turning. You don't get asked for ID and there are hundreds if not thousands of annual passes being used every day at Disney so the ticket inspectors don't give them a second glance.

However you cannot use the annual ticket to get access to the theme park as the fingerprint is registered to the owner. In theory these passes also give 10% off at Disney stores but I haven't tried it (and might be a bit dodgy as the name on my credit card would be different to that printed on the pass. So cash only?)

I'm going back to Disney this summer and I've already hired my parking pass and it's something I'd recommend to others.
#844677 by Neil
26 Apr 2013, 13:46
Fuzzy14 wrote:Everybody seems to be against these passes but nobody seems to have used one... I would argue that $14 per day = £140 onto your holiday so it does add up.

I "hired" one of these passes last year from eBay. They are annual season tickets bought by UK villa owners. The season tickets come with free parking included. This is not a separate ticket, you get the actual annual season ticket (worth £600?) As explained to me by one of the villa owners, they hire out their tickets a couple of times a year and it helps pay for their annual visit.

All you do is show the ticket at the car park toll plaza and you get waived through, in some cases my wheels didn't even stop turning. You don't get asked for ID and there are hundreds if not thousands of annual passes being used every day at Disney so the ticket inspectors don't give them a second glance.

However you cannot use the annual ticket to get access to the theme park as the fingerprint is registered to the owner. In theory these passes also give 10% off at Disney stores but I haven't tried it (and might be a bit dodgy as the name on my credit card would be different to that printed on the pass. So cash only?)

I'm going back to Disney this summer and I've already hired my parking pass and it's something I'd recommend to others.


You couldn't use it for the discount in the stores, as you have to show ID with your annual pass when making a purchase.

Regardless of the fact that you can get away with it, it doesn't make it right, and as AP's and their benefits are not transferable it is against Disney policy. There are many things in life, that are 'cheating the system' as such, and some people are okay with it, others aren't.

Right now, the checks, or lack of checks, when showing the AP when parking are so lax that you are unlikely to get caught, however with the move to the RFID passes and RFID wristbands for AP holders, it is likely to become less easy.
#844678 by Darren Wheeler
26 Apr 2013, 13:53
Getting caught risks getting a "lifetime ban from all Disney porperties". Apparently they are ruthless about enforcement. Get caught flouting the ban and they treat it as criminal trespass and hand you over to the local sheriff.
#844679 by tontybear
26 Apr 2013, 14:17
Fuzzy14 wrote:Everybody seems to be against these passes but nobody seems to have used one... I would argue that $14 per day = £140 onto your holiday so it does add up.


I don't think anyone has said they are against these passes.

Improper usage of them however is a different matter.
#844683 by benchsmith
26 Apr 2013, 14:32
Hiya,

I wasn't aware of these passes but will look into them on my next trip, I am currently in Orlando (luckily) your coming out to some above average and fabulous temperatures currently it's 9am and 78*F and yesterday it reached 92*F during the day.

The theme park parking for Universal is $15 per day but allows multiple admission on the same day.

Disney we have not done this year but last year it was $14 for the day and once you had parked at one of the disney car parks as long as you kept your receipt and wanted to go to a different park and drive there within disney, which with the disney transportation isn't really needed but it's personal choice, you don't have to pay that $14 again just show your receipt and they will allow you through.

I have personally for the last two visits paid for parking and actually the value that it adds rather than using a bus is amazing, on our previous visits used the bus as I didn't realy want to drive. But with the bus you are restricted to times that you go to the parks and return, but the prices for the Lynx bus and the I-Ride (which does not go to Universal) but you can use transfer stop 7 north and walk down to Universal which is about 5-10 minute walk (quite a nice walk).

Hope you have a fab time whilst here in Orlando.
#844685 by David
26 Apr 2013, 14:38
Neil wrote:
Right now, the checks, or lack of checks, when showing the AP when parking are so lax that you are unlikely to get caught, however with the move to the RFID passes and RFID wristbands for AP holders, it is likely to become less easy.



That's a very good point. I believe you can now get your annual pass changed to include the RFID chip, (seem to think it might be at Epcot ?| ) which is a great idea because I never understood why an annual pass was on thin cardboard and a 7/14 day etc is a credit type plastic pass.

You can be almost certain that these "new" type passes will be used for many more things which I would expect to include parking.

I will check in 5 weeks when across and update.

David
#844694 by Neil
26 Apr 2013, 15:16
David wrote:
Neil wrote:
Right now, the checks, or lack of checks, when showing the AP when parking are so lax that you are unlikely to get caught, however with the move to the RFID passes and RFID wristbands for AP holders, it is likely to become less easy.



That's a very good point. I believe you can now get your annual pass changed to include the RFID chip, (seem to think it might be at Epcot ?| ) which is a great idea because I never understood why an annual pass was on thin cardboard and a 7/14 day etc is a credit type plastic pass.

You can be almost certain that these "new" type passes will be used for many more things which I would expect to include parking.

I will check in 5 weeks when across and update.

David


You can indeed, we changed our AP's when we were there at Easter, they new passes are much better and the new RFID entry is very quick.

I'm looking forward to the AP wrist bands, hopefully they will be available by the time we go just after Xmas.
#844698 by Fuzzy14
26 Apr 2013, 15:35
The OP requested advice from people who have actually used the pass, everybody chipped in with their opinions of whether it’s right or not I was merely the only one to answer the OP’s original question by stating my experience of actually using somebody else’s annual pass.

As I don’t actually own an annual pass so I haven’t seen the terms and conditions but I could well imagine Disney would have a non-transferability clause in them. Whether it is right to do this is a matter for the OP’s own conscience. It is, however, up to Neil as moderator whether you wish to have a discussion on your forums about people circumnavigating Disney’s terms or leave that to theDIBB.

With the roll-out of RFID I suspect this will be the last year of being able to do this.
#844789 by spiceke
27 Apr 2013, 23:57
Had 10 years of AP's and only gave the mouse a miss in the last couple of years. In all those years it had never occurred to me to 'hire it out for parking'

Going back in July with the thought that:-

1) I can book another trip for summer 2014 as my daughter finishes her A levels so we can use the same AP's for 2 trips

2) This could be relevant to the OP - even if we were not planning on doing that it may be worth one of the party buying an AP to get the free parking / shopping & dinning discounts etc.

ok - what is RFID? As I said, I have been off the WDW circuit for a couple of years !
#844790 by tontybear
28 Apr 2013, 00:09
spiceke wrote:
ok - what is RFID? As I said, I have been off the WDW circuit for a couple of years !


RFID is not the latest cute Disney character (but if they can make money from them then it could be!)

It's a (small) radio device thingy used in all sorts of things like store anti-shop lifting devices, stock control tags and Oyster Cards.

My local library has rfids in all the books and you put them on a scanner and it identifies the book from the data in the rfid tag.
#844796 by CHill710
28 Apr 2013, 08:10
spiceke wrote:ok - what is RFID? As I said, I have been off the WDW circuit for a couple of years !


As the previous post says it is a radio frequency device like in contactless credit/debit cards and Oyster cards.

Disney are using them in the form of a card (plastic ticket) and in the future a wristband which becomes your park ticket, room key (also contactless) and fast pass for some attractions.
#844807 by ecnirp
28 Apr 2013, 11:02
Fuzzy14 wrote:The OP requested advice from people who have actually used the pass, everybody chipped in with their opinions of whether it’s right or not I was merely the only one to answer the OP’s original question by stating my experience of actually using somebody else’s annual pass.

As I don’t actually own an annual pass so I haven’t seen the terms and conditions but I could well imagine Disney would have a non-transferability clause in them. Whether it is right to do this is a matter for the OP’s own conscience. It is, however, up to Neil as moderator whether you wish to have a discussion on your forums about people circumnavigating Disney’s terms or leave that to theDIBB.

With the roll-out of RFID I suspect this will be the last year of being able to do this.



Thanks for the reply, good to hear from someone who has 'rented' one of these passes and used it.

Having read some of the comments and not being sure how many times per week I will visit disney, i'm not going to rent the pass and will pay as I attend.

I'm surprised Disney do not sell a weekly pass with abit of a discount when you buy the disney week theme park passes.
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