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View Full Version : No more parking passes for AP holders? I'm (almost) priced out!



River Belle
10-06-2015, 06:28 PM
Misery loves company, so I'm wondering if anyone else is being impacted by the recent changes to parking prices (and the elimination of a parking pass for AP holders).

Full disclosure: I'm an APer who frequently misused the Downtown Disney lot, mainly to avoid the madness that is the parking structure. Disney got wise, and since I was breaking the rules anyway, I'm not going to boo-hoo. However, when I tried to add parking to my AP, I found that it's no longer an option, and that really gets me.

The funny thing is, the increase in ticket prices hasn't priced me out, but the change in parking really might. I just can't justify $72 a month for parking alone and think it's really a shame that they no longer offer a parking pass for AP holders. I can say for certain that I will not be going as frequently -- anyone else in the same boat?

currence
10-06-2015, 06:37 PM
I don't know what level of pass you have now, but they do offer parking on the signature pass. So there is basically no price difference between buying a Deluxe and adding parking (if eligible) and a Signature renewal. If you are eligible for renewal, the signature pass should only be $67 per month, so less than your quoted price on parking alone.

I guess the lesson is that if you are planning on having to pay for parking 4 or more visits per month, you are better off with the Signature pass. Of course, if you are in the middle of your current pass you would have to run your own numbers to see if a mid-year upgrade to Signature makes sense.

cstephens
10-06-2015, 07:00 PM
I'm an APer who frequently misused the Downtown Disney lot ... since I was breaking the rules anyway, I'm not going to boo-hoo. However, when I tried to add parking to my AP, I found that it's no longer an option, and that really gets me. ... think it's really a shame that they no longer offer a parking pass for AP holders.

Think this pretty much speaks for itself.

Malcon10t
10-06-2015, 07:17 PM
Misery loves company, so I'm wondering if anyone else is being impacted by the recent changes to parking prices (and the elimination of a parking pass for AP holders).The elimination actually took place last February. You can always upgrade to the Signature pass which comes with parking.

River Belle
10-06-2015, 07:31 PM
Think this pretty much speaks for itself.

Meaning that because I paid for parking in the Downtown Disney lot instead of the parking structure I should no longer be able to add parking to my pass?

River Belle
10-06-2015, 07:34 PM
I have the So Cal Select pass, so upgrading would be another $500, which simply isn't in the budget. I was mainly just curious to see if this would affect how many other APers will frequent the park less since many will now have to pay $18 each trip. And I still don't understand why they would take away the option to add parking. Those who renew (and had it originally) can still tack on $199 for year-long parking. Seems to me that this should be offered across the board. Is this really to cut down on AP attendance? If so, it will work on me! I won't be going as frequently now...

currence
10-06-2015, 07:43 PM
This doesn't currently affect me, but I will say that in the 90's I briefly considered getting at Magic Mountain annual pass and decided against largely because they did not have the option of adding parking to the pass. Depending on how often we went, the parking would have cost more than the pass and I couldn't wrap my head around that so we simply didn't get the pass.

The parking structure is just as crowded (if not more so) than the park itself. Eliminating parking for many annual passes helps alleviate that problem.

Perhaps you can find a friend who has parking on their pass and carpool. Or depending on how close you live use public transportation or Uber? There are probably ways to get to Disneyland for less than $18 a trip.

AVP
10-06-2015, 07:57 PM
Is this really to cut down on AP attendance? If so, it will work on me! I won't be going as frequently now...No, it's honestly to cut down on AP usage of the parking facilities and encourage carpooling or public transportation.

Passholders don't carpool, especially when they have the parking benefit on their AP. Passholders have something like half as many people in each car as do day guests. Disney tried a few things to encourage carpooling among passholders, and it just didn't work.

I can tell you from personal experience that if my usual group of friends did not all have parking on our passes, we would meet somewhere and carpool. We all do, and so instead we drive our own cars, and thus take up more spaces.

THAT is the behavior this policy is trying to address.

Seashellmama
10-06-2015, 08:16 PM
Looks like one could park at the Fullerton Park & Ride, about 5 miles away, for free and take the bus (metro #460) which seems to run twice an hour... $1.75/person each way, though, so if you've got five people you might as well pay the $18 for Mickey & Friends.

AnotherJenny
10-06-2015, 09:22 PM
No, it's honestly to cut down on AP usage of the parking facilities and encourage carpooling or public transportation.

Passholders don't carpool, especially when they have the parking benefit on their AP. Passholders have something like half as many people in each car as do day guests. Disney tried a few things to encourage carpooling among passholders, and it just didn't work.
I personally liked a single button if you have four or more people in your car. And a single popcorn for four or more. We carpooled with three people twice when they offered promotions, but my guess is most people wouldn't bother if they're one person under the freebie threshold.


I can tell you from personal experience that if my usual group of friends did not all have parking on our passes, we would meet somewhere and carpool. We all do, and so instead we drive our own cars, and thus take up more spaces.

THAT is the behavior this policy is trying to address.

I'm guilty here. $169 (now $199) for the freedom of coming and going when I want to. I've also arranged to meet up with friends and one is late. Not carpooling means I'm waiting in the park, and not somewhere else for them to arrive and meet up. The funny thing is, when the parking add on was $49 or $59 I remember one year not waiting to pay that much up front, so my sister and I took turns which year we'd each have it on our pass, and the few times we went alone we'd just pay to park.

olegc
10-07-2015, 07:52 AM
i have used the DTD lot many times over the course of my pass usage because many times my visits fit within the 3 hour window. Usually for a special event, a shopping opportunity, or a lunch to get a specialty food item. So in the spirit of the model yes, I was guilty but I never parked longer nor broke any other posted rules. I am the sole passholder in my house and don't have a gaggle of friends to rely on to carpool and meet up at the park. I am a lone visitor about 95% of the time - so I will forever be the guy that Disney is trying to remove as a parking problem. However, there's nothing I can do so I just deal with it. I probably can't fit a simple visit in the 2 hour window - but the time you park, walk, eat, shop, and walk back you're past 2 hours (especially if you try to take in 1 attraction). I will adjust and find a better option. Its all you can do.

I do wonder though - some in the other threads talked about parking in nearby neighborhoods and walking. I wonder if that will grow as a practice - and what the neighbors (and the city) will do in the medium-run.

currence
10-07-2015, 07:57 AM
Aren't some of the close surrounding areas already permit only parking? I recall 5+ years ago when I worked nearby but my husband didn't, we wound up leaving one car in a residential area and carpooling in and I thought that we had to go a distance before we could find a residential area that allowed non-permitted parking. If I'm just imagining that, then I expect the first step will be to add permitted parking. And if they do have it now, they may need to expand the zone. There is also a business corridor along Harbor that may choose to increase enforcement of their parking restrictions. I know that we considered parking at Target but was concerned that the car may be towed.

olegc
10-07-2015, 08:00 AM
Interesting....
I also think a couple of hotels offer parking for a slightly smaller rate than Disneyland, though it's based on availability. Fairfield inn.

anniedg
10-07-2015, 09:30 AM
Full disclosure: I'm an APer who frequently misused the Downtown Disney lot, mainly to avoid the madness that is the parking structure.

I'm an out-of-stater, non-APer, who makes it to LA 2 or so times a year to visit my son, and each visit I try to at least get a dose of Disney by eating in DTD and shopping at WoD if we're not actually going to the parks. I'm sympathetic to the pain of the increased AP cost, but I'm bummed that all the misuse of the DTD lot has impacted all of us who used it correctly. It's not a huge deal, will just cost a tad more, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I know they're pricey and we'd really have to budget to afford them every year if we lived there, but being someone who generally pays full price when we're at Disney, I can't even believe what a deal the APs are!!

Janis and Aaron
10-07-2015, 09:41 PM
I'm an out-of-stater, non-APer, who makes it to LA 2 or so times a year to visit my son, and each visit I try to at least get a dose of Disney by eating in DTD and shopping at WoD if we're not actually going to the parks. I'm sympathetic to the pain of the increased AP cost, but I'm bummed that all the misuse of the DTD lot has impacted all of us who used it correctly. It's not a huge deal, will just cost a tad more, but thought I'd throw my 2 cents in. I know they're pricey and we'd really have to budget to afford them every year if we lived there, but being someone who generally pays full price when we're at Disney, I can't even believe what a deal the APs are!!

Don't they give you another 2 hours free (total of 4 hrs) if you eat in DTD?

tea4two
10-07-2015, 09:47 PM
You can get a validation for the extra 2 hours from the TS/Sit Down restaurants in DtD and the on site hotel restaurants (e.g. NR, S55, Storyteller's Cafe, etc.). The CS DtD restaurants don't validate, so the free parking limit would still be 2 hours.

candles71
10-07-2015, 10:06 PM
Don't they give you another 2 hours free (total of 4 hrs) if you eat in DTD? The total is 5 hours with validation. You get 3 hours free, plus 2 with validation. We were a little early for a movie, shopped a bit, watched the movie (validated at theater), shopped some more including WOD, picked up Earl of Sandwich to take back to the room for dinner and were right at our validated limit. I actually think we were just a bit over, but they didn't charge us.

Seashellmama
10-07-2015, 10:14 PM
The total is 5 hours with validation. You get 3 hours free, plus 2 with validation. We were a little early for a movie, shopped a bit, watched the movie (validated at theater), shopped some more including WOD, picked up Earl of Sandwich to take back to the room for dinner and were right at our validated limit. I actually think we were just a bit over, but they didn't charge us.

Not any more. It's now 2 + 2w/validation.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/downtown-disney-district/parking-cost/

olegc
10-07-2015, 10:16 PM
And $12 per hour if you go over, instead if $6.

candles71
10-07-2015, 10:17 PM
Not any more. It's now 2 + 2w/validation.
https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/downtown-disney-district/parking-cost/
Ah, missed that in the update and raising of prices. Just did it in August at the 5 hour limit.

currence
10-07-2015, 10:30 PM
And $12 per hour if you go over, instead if $6.

Plus they changed the minimum increment to 30 minutes versus 20, so if you are just barely over it's $6 instead of $2.

In the past, I've usually only parked in DTD if I get there first thing in the morning (i.e. Lego Club Meeting at 9am) and have left within 3 hours of the parks opening. Most of the time, they don't even have a parking attendant at that hour. I wonder how much that will change with the reduced free period.

anniedg
10-08-2015, 12:30 PM
This will make it tight if we don't do a sit down - sometimes we just do the Taqueria or grab beignets. We'll survive! :p

Mermaid
10-08-2015, 01:04 PM
Do they validate at the sops or just TS dining?

candles71
10-08-2015, 01:15 PM
Do they validate at the sops or just TS dining?

I don't think any of the shops validate. The movie theater does in addition to the sit down restaurants.

Malcon10t
10-08-2015, 02:08 PM
Do they validate at the sops or just TS dining?
The DTD Parking link now has a link to restaurants involved in validation. They are all table service. From the website (https://disneyland.disney.go.com/faq/downtown-disney-district/parking-cost/) -

Downtown Disney District parking is located on Disneyland Drive, between the Mickey & Friends Parking Structure and the Disneyland Hotel.

Your first 2 hours of parking are free. An additional 2 hours can be validated at AMC Theatres and table-service dining restaurants. After that, the cost is $6 for each additional 30-minute increment.

Valet parking is available from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM for $12. The valet price is additional to any parking fee, bringing the maximum charge with valet service up to $48.

Parking is subject to capacity.

-Clarification-
When you click on the link for "Table Service Restaurants" it takes you to this link (https://disneyland.disney.go.com/dining/#/reservations-accepted/).