Many times, Disney has made some decisions that people are less than thrilled with.
Changing its “skip the line” service from the the free FastPass to the paid Genie+ was not a popular choice (and still isn’t), and some people aren’t happy about the closure of Splash Mountain or the changes being made to Country Bear Jamboree. However, this is one travel trend Disney is moving the OPPOSITE way from, and we’re loving it!
In 2018, Disney World started charging its hotel guests for parking, after it had been free for more than 40 years. BUT back in January 2023, Disney World changed their parking policy for hotel guests. Since then, all Disney hotel guests receive complimentary overnight parking, which was a VERY popular change!
But did you know that this is actually the complete opposite of what many hotels are doing? Thanks to reporting by Elliott Confidential and research by ResortFeeChecker.com, we know that the average parking fee for hotels is $44 a night, but popular cities like New York, San Francisco, and Chicago can be as high as $60 a night. Some New York hotels in Times Square charge $105 a night!
Not only is this a massive difference from Disney’s $0 fee, but anecdotal data does show that hotel parking fees have been on the rise over the past few years. So, for Disney to make the opposite choice, and go from charging a moderate fee per night to nothing is impressive.
Our AllEars readers tell us frequently that some of Disney’s price increases and fees can feel like a money grab. So, it’s no wonder that the hotel parking fee reversal was so well received.
We’re often looking for signs that Disney is changing and adapting as travel trends change — so we were surprised to see them going “against the grain” here. We’re always keeping an eye on the latest Disney news, so be sure to stay tuned to AllEars!
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What’s your favorite Disney World hotel to stay at? Tell us in the comments!
I’m happy about parking being FREE
They just increased the price of the hotel…. u still pay for parking overnight, just in a different way…don’t be fooled by Disney..it’s all about the money!
Let’s not forget WDW is a FAMILY destination, as compared to big city hotels. I couldn’t believe they took away the free shuttle from the airport, and then put fees on families who rented a car to get to WDW!
To be fair, the cost of creating and maintaining parking in the middle of nowhere Florida is much cheaper than in the middle of a major metro area.