Can I Park At A Disney Resort Without Staying There?

Are you heading to Walt Disney World in the coming months? If so, and you’re either driving there or renting a car once you’re here, you likely have questions about parking on Disney property. If your Google searches are full of questions like, “Can I park at a Disney resort without staying there,” the answer is yes!

Continue reading to learn more about parking at a Disney World resort, including how much it costs, if you can reserve spots, whether or not your parking fee at your hotel includes parking at the resort, and so much more. 

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Complimentary Parking at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel 

When it comes to your Disney World resort stay, guests will receive complimentary overnight self-parking, including the Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness. This excludes valet parking at the Disney World deluxe resorts, which include: 

• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

All you need to do, upon entering the property is let the guard at the gate know you are checking in or are an existing guest at the resort. There will be no fee at this checkpoint. 

Read more: Disney World Deluxe Resorts Ranked

Where is the Valet Parking Service Available at Disney? 

As briefly mentioned above, valet parking is not complimentary, so you will have to pay for it. Valet services cost $33 per night. Furthermore, valet service is only available at the Deluxe resorts: 

• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa

This service is also available at the villas, including: 

• Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows
• The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Riveria Resort
• Copper Creek Villas & Cabins at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas (including Kidani Village and Jambo House)
• Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Boulder Ridge Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

Even though it’s considered a moderate resort, guests staying at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort will also have access to valet parking. This is because of the conventions they hold here. It’s a preferred option for professionals attending meetings and conferences here to have available. 

Read more: The Not So Known Disney Parking Secrets

Is Parking at a Disney World Hotel Free For Families With Disabilities? 

Yes, parking at Disney World hotels is free for those who have individuals with disabilities in their party. Keep in mind that you will need to have a valid disability parking permit to take advantage of this offer.

Since standard self-parking is complimentary at all Disney World resorts, this discounted rate only applies to guests interested in valet parking at one of the Deluxe resorts and/or villas. 

Read more: What is Disney’s DAS Pass: Who Qualifies, How to Apply, and How to Use It

Can I Reserve a Parking Spot at Disney?

No, you cannot. Parking is available on a first-come, first-served basis. But don't worry, there will be plenty of parking available!

Is Parking Free at Disney’s Swan and Dolphin Resorts? 

Unfortunately, no, parking is not free for guests visiting the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin hotels. 

Though these resorts are located on Disney property and do provide complimentary bus transportation throughout the resort, they are technically not owned by Disney. As such, they have their own booking process and parking fees. 

Guests visiting either of these two swanky resorts will need to pay the following fee structure: 

• Standard parking (cars and motorcycles): $34/day
• Oversized vehicles (limos, trailers, RVs, tractor-trailers, buses, and shuttles): $30/day
• Preferred parking (cars and motorcycles): $45-$50/day
• Valet Parking: $44/night

Preferred parking rates fluctuate throughout the year. Surge pricing is usually in effect during the summer, spring break, and holiday season when the parks are at their busiest. 

Typically, the parks see a minor dip in crowd levels in January February, and mid-September after kids return from school, but this has become less and less over the years. Check out these crowd calendars to plan your perfect Disney vacation travel dates! 

That being said, if you are a registered guest staying at the Swan and Dolphin, you will enjoy complimentary parking like every other resort on Disney property. 

Read more: Disney Resorts: Swan vs. Dolphin

Can I Park at a Disney Hotel if I Have a Dining Reservation? 

Guests who have a dining reservation at a Disney World resort will be able to park there, even if they’re not guests of the hotel itself. 

Best of all, this standard parking is completely complimentary! Though parking is not complimentary at the Swan and Dolphin resorts, parking is validated for guests with a dining reservation at: 

• Shula’s Steak House
• Il Mulino
• Rosa Mexicano
• Amare
• Kimonos
• Todd English’s bluezoo

It will also be validated if you have a reservation at the Mandara Spa.

Can I Self-Park at a Disney Resort Just to Look Around? 

Yes, you can! Disney guests can enjoy complimentary self-parking at all Disney World resort hotels. The fees only apply to cars that are parked overnight. 

So, if you want to check out those creepy nanny chairs at Disney’s BoardWalk Inn or grab some of those fluffy beignets at Scat’s Cat’s Club at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort - French Quarter, you can all free of charge. 

What if I’m a Member of Disney Vacation Club? 

Like regular guests, Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members are also able to enjoy complimentary self-parking at the Disney World resorts. 

If you prefer to upgrade your parking, such as from standard to preferred, all you need to do is pay the difference in cost between the two. 

In 2021, standard parking fees at Disney Deluxe Resorts were $25/night, whereas preferred is between $45-50, so you would be paying between $20-$25 for preferred rates since standard parking is now free across the resorts. 

Outside of this, there aren’t too many advantages of being a DVC member when it comes to parking. Saving on resort costs and souvenirs? Now THAT’s a different story! 

Electric Vehicle Parking at Disney

If you’re driving an electric vehicle, you’ll want to consider where you stay, as certain hotels have electric vehicle charging stations. These resorts include: 

• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort
• Disney’s Riveria Resort

Both Wilderness Lodge and Riveria Resort have 2 charging stations, whereas Coronado Springs has six spaces. 

In addition to these, you’ll find 13 charging stations in the parking garage in Disney Springs, 9 in Magic Kingdom, and 4 at Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. At Disney Springs, these charging stations can be found in the Orange Garage, Grapefruit Garage, Lime Garage, and Watermelon Lot. There will be signs in the parking spaces, so keep an eye out. 

In Magic Kingdom, 5 stations will be near the Medical Parking Lot and 4 will be in front of the Zurg parking lot. At Hollywood Studios, these stations are located in the Mickey Parking Lot. At Epcot, they can be found in front of the Journey Parking Lot. And, at Animal Kingdom, they can be found in the Medical Parking Lot. 

If you need help finding them, you can always ask the Cast Member in the lot, as they’ll be more than happy to help you locate an electric vehicle charging station!

To utilize these charging stations, you’ll need to download the ChargePoint app or card. It costs .35 per kW hour. Once your vehicle has been fully charged, the app will alert you. 

Can I Avoid Paying for Parking at Disney?

There aren’t too many ways to avoid paying for parking at Disney World, especially now that self-parking is free for registered resort guests. That being said, you do still have a few options to reduce your costs. 

The first option is to park at Disney Springs and hop on a bus to your chosen Disney resort. Parking is free at Disney Springs, and it’s easy to hop on a bus once you enter the shopping and dining area. 

Keep in mind, this should only really be done if you want to make a quick stop at a resort, as Disney Springs does close their parking garage at 2:00 a.m. If you attempt to park overnight at Disney Springs, your car will be towed. 

Your second option, if you’re staying off-property, is to utilize shuttle transportation to get to the parks and then take a bus over to a resort. The downside to this is that these shuttle transportation times do not include Disney resorts and they operate on a completely different schedule based on the hotel you’re staying at, so it's a lot harder to plan your day.  

The bottom line is that there aren’t a ton of ways you can avoid parking at Disney. Mickey’s got a hold on those parking fees, but check out this helpful guide on all the ways you can save money at Disney - because there are so many! 

How Much Does it Cost to Park at a Disney Theme Park?

Guests staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, except Swan and Dolphin hotels, will receive complimentary standard day parking at any of the four theme parks on property - Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. 

If you are not a registered resort guest, you will need to obtain a parking pass, which costs $25 for standard cars and motorcycles and $45-$50/per day for preferred parking. This amount can quickly add up, so be sure to consider it when creating your Disney vacation budget. 

Read more: Best Ways Keep Your Disney Vacation Under Budget

As with hotel parking, surge pricing also exists at the theme parks. Keep this in mind if you’re visiting during the summer break or holiday season. 

How to Drive to Disney World

If you’re renting a car from the Orlando International Airport (hey, MCO, miss you), here’s the easiest way to drive to Disney World: 

• From the airport, turn left onto Jeff Fuqua Blvd and merge onto FL-528 W/FL-528 Toll W
• Continue driving on FL-528 W/FL-528 Toll W to FL-535N
• Take Exit 68 from I-4 W
• Continue driving on FL-535 N.
• Turn onto Hotel Plaza Blvd in Lake Buena Vista

If you’re driving yourself, it’ll only take about a half hour to get from the airport to Walt Disney World. However, if you’re driving from out of state, like New Orleans, Dallas, New York, or Atlanta, Disney World offers some helpful directions right on their website. Click here to access them! 

Read more: How to Get From MCO to Disney World

Available Transportation Options at Walt Disney World

Disney World offers 5 types of transportation you can use, all free of charge, to get around the parks: bus, boat ride, monorail, the Disney Skyliner, and Minnie Van services. 

Here’s an overview of each transportation method, including the benefits and drawbacks of each one: 

Bus Service

Whenever I think of Disney World transportation, the buses are the first to pop into my head. They likely are for most people because they’re the most accessible across all the resorts on Disney property. 

In fact, Disney World has more than 400 buses in its fleet at any point in time! So if it seems like there is always a Disney bus everywhere you turn, it’s because there actually is.

Read more: Everything you Need to Know About the Disney World Bus System

The Disney buses are available at every Disney resort and theme park, including the water parks and Disney Springs. They run about every 20 - 25 minutes, though this can vary depending on the time of year and even the time of day. Buses tend to run more frequently at the close of the park, so people aren’t waiting around in long lines. Though, at the end of the night, keep in mind that you may be dealing with standing room only. 

Water Taxi Service

Depending on which resort you’re staying at, you may be able to utilize boat transportation. Guests staying at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, and Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows can enjoy water service to and from Magic Kingdom. 

Guests can get to Disney Springs via water taxi if staying at Disney’s Old Key West Resort, Disney’s Port Orleans (both Riverside and French Quarter), and Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa. 

Water transportation is also accessible to Hollywood Studios for guests staying at either the Walt Disney World Swan or Dolphin hotels, Disney’s BoardWalk Villas, and Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club Resort. 

Read more: All About Disney Friendship Boats

Monorail Service

The monorail at Disney World is an icon in its own right! Guests staying on the Monorail Loop (the Contemporary, Polynesian Village Resort, and Grand Floridian Resort & Spa) can access it right from their resorts for quick access to Magic Kingdom and Epcot via the Transportation and Ticket Center. 

If you’re looking for a fun and unique way to enjoy the monorail, check out the monorail crawl that makes it easy to grab a drink at every resort on the loop. 

Disney Skyliner

The Skyliner is one of the newest forms of transportation at Disney World and, depending on where you stay, can connect you to Epcot and Hollywood Studios in a matter of minutes. In fact, it’ll only take 6 minutes to get from Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios and/or Art of Animation and Pop Century, 5 minutes to get from Caribbean Beach to the Riveria Resort, 9 minutes to get from there to Epcot, and 11 minutes to get to Hollywood Studios. 

The Skyliner is a gondola system that connects to the Riveria Resort, Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach Resort, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. Depending on where you’re headed, will have to transfer at the Caribbean Beach hub, but those lines go by pretty fast. 

Read more: Soar Above Disney World at these Disney Skyliner Hotels

Minnie Vans

The Minnie Vans are Disney World’s version of a Lyft and Uber. Well, technically, it is a Lyft, and you can order one through the Lyft app on your smartphone. 

These vans are hard to miss - bright red with white polka dots - and can comfortably seat up to seven guests. The vans are more expensive than what you’d normally pay for a rideshare service around Orlando - at around $30 bucks at minimum. That being said, not everyone is comfortable riding with a stranger through traditional rideshare services, so it may be worth paying for it for peace of mind. 

I’ve taken Minnie Vans to get to and from dining reservations, as well as at the end of the night when the bus line to my resort is too long or I simply don’t feel like waiting around. I’ve never had a bad experience using Minnie Vans, as the Cast Members driving them are pros at making pleasant conversation. 

I Have Young Kids, Do the Minnie Vans Have Rear-Facing Car Seats?

Yes, they do. Each Minnie Van comes with a complimentary car seat, so you can travel a bit lighter if you’re using one to get somewhere else on Disney World property. 

Final Thoughts

Parking at a Disney World resort is now easier than ever! For more tips to make your Disney World vacation as enjoyable as possible, be sure to follow WDW Vacation Tips on Instagram. Our content is always magical.