Costs vary for parking at Disney World in the resorts, parks and Disney Springs, and there are exceptions to the rules for most of the fees. Here’s all you need to know.
Disney World Resort Parking Fees
The cost per night is:
- Value Resorts: $15 per night
- Moderate Resorts: $20 per night
- Deluxe Resorts: $25 per night
Resort Valet Parking: Only available at the Deluxe resorts and villas, valet parking is $33 per night. It’s free to guests with valid disability placards.
You can visit Disney’s website page on parking here.
Free resort parking – There are guests who are exempt and don’t pay resort parking fees:
- If you booked your resort reservations prior to March 21st, 2018 (even if your travel dates are after that date).
- Disney Vacation Club members won’t pay if they’re staying in a DVC Deluxe Villa, and if they’re using DVC points to stay in other Disney resorts (check out this article for DVC details and rules).
- Guests visiting as a part of a group or convention (according to wdwinfo.com)
- Guests with disabilities (show your handicapped parking placard at check-in). (I confirmed this with two different Disney resort Cast Members.)
- Guests who come for the day to visit the resort to enjoy things like the restaurants, shops, recreational activities, etc. They’re limited to 3 hours of parking.
- Guests staying at the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort will still get free parking. Each campsite has space for one car.
In the past, when trying to decide whether or not to stay on property, free parking has been an deciding factor for many people. This is going to be disappointing to many guests who will see their trip costs go up. Regardless, with the increases in attendance and the new attractions opening this year, it’s unlikely to slow attendance at Disney. Also consider that many other non-Disney resorts have been charging these fees all along.
Parking at the Disney World Parks
Free Parking: Some guests qualify for Free Standard Parking at the four main Disney World parks. They are:
- Guests who are staying at a Disney resort
- Annual Passholders
- Premium Passholders
- Disney Premier Passport holders
- DVC members
If the above guests want to purchase Preferred Parking, they pay the difference between the value of the standard parking and the preferred parking. So currently standard parking is $25 and Preferred is $50, so they’d pay $25 to park in the Preferred Parking area.
Guests with disabilities: Guests with disability placards can park in the handicapped lot areas, however they still must pay standard parking fees. These lots are closest to the theme park entrances and do not have tram service. Sometimes they fill up and Disney will open an overflow area for handicapped guests, and these are usually quite a bit further away from the Park entrances.
Guests who have mobility problems and do not have a valid state issued handicapped placard can request to park at the end of a row so they can be closer to the trams, to minimize walking. Trams are not scooter/wheelchair accessible.
There are some spots in the handicapped overflow area that don’t require a handicapped placard. Those spots are painted with white lines. If you don’t have a valid handicapped placard, be careful not to park in the spots painted blue or those with a handicapped symbol painted on the ground or on a sign. Those require a valid placard and you could be ticketed for parking there.
Disney does leave courtesy wheelchairs in the handicapped lots that you can use to get to the park entrance, but these do run out at times.
Cost of Paid Parking:
- Preferred Parking: car or motorcycle – $45-$50 per day
- Standard Parking: car or motorcycle – $25 per day
- Oversized Vehicle Parking: Shuttle, Limo, Camper Trailer, RV, Bus or Tractor Trailer – $30 per day
Parking at the Water Parks, Disney Springs & ESPN
This all currently remains free. Valet parking is available at Disney Springs for $20 a day (tip not included).
Additional Resource for this article: wdwinfo.com
More about valet parking
Certain resorts offer valet parking:
- Grand Floridian
- Polynesian Resort
- Yacht Club
- Beach Club
- Contemporary
- Boardwalk Inn
- Wilderness Lodge
- Animal Kingdom Lodge
- Swan (free if you’re dining at a signature restaurant there – get your parking ticket validated)
- Dolphin (free if you’re dining at a signature restaurant there – get your parking ticket validated)
Pricing is mentioned above. If you park valet, you can use the valet parking all day. You can even park and take Disney transportation to the parks. However it’s less expensive to park inside the parks.
Can I avoid parking fees at the parks by parking at a nearby resort and taking Disney transportation?
No. Many people ask if they can park at a resort and take Disney transportation to the main parks to avoid paying for parking. Disney has gotten wise to this strategy and has made rules to keep this from happening. First, guests who are visiting those resorts to look around or to dine, only get three hours of parking time. Also some resorts will not let guests in to park during very busy times.
To learn more about the different types of transportation at Disney World, read the following articles:
Using the Walt Disney World Monorail
Disney World Boat Transportation
Walt Disney World’s Bus System – All you need to know
Do you have more tips or thoughts on this topic?
Please feel free to post them in a comment below. We’d love your input.
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