When Bob Iger reclaimed his position as CEO of The Walt Disney Company he rolled up his sleeves and got right to work. He said he was going to get to work fixing the issues with Disney Parks and it looks like he meant it. Today Walt Disney World has rolled back a change that, ironically, happened under Iger’s first tenure as CEO in an exciting announcement!
In March, 2018 Disney made a move that surprised and angered Guests (the first of many to come in the years that followed). Long touted as a perk of staying on site, no longer would parking at Walt Disney World resort hotels be complimentary. Instead, based on the level of hotel they were staying at (Value, Moderate or Deluxe) guests would incur a per-night fee to park their vehicles at their resort.
The parking fees this author’s first and only “strongly worded letter” to the Walt Disney Company, only to get a reply that essentially said “everyone else is doing it so we have decided to do it as well.” That seemed to be the direction Disney World took from that point forward. No longer would they be a leader in the industry but a follower of the crowd.
Today in an equally surprising move, Disney has announced an END to this policy! Beginning TONIGHT (January 10, 2023) Disney will no longer be charging parking fees for resort guests! Unlike other recent announcements that had an expiration date or a vague “for the next few months” free parking for resort hotels appears to be a permanent one. There was no end date listed or any indication that this change is temporary.
We are so excited about this change and hope it is the first of many. The news about Annual Passholders at Disney World and Magic Keyholders at Disneyland point to hopeful changes on the horizon! We hope to see Disney return to their rightful place as industry leader rather than industry follower!