No One Talks About This Frustrating Hotel Problem in Disney World

There’s a hotel problem we KEEP having in Disney World, and we need to talk about it more!

No, we’re not talking about the struggles of choosing a hotel, packing your suitcase perfectly, or deciding where to eat at your accommodations. Today, we’re here to discuss the parking struggle at Disney Resorts!

How Parking Works for Hotel Guests

If you’re driving to a Disney World hotel, parking has been a struggle in recent years. More and more guests are visiting and staying on property each year, and we haven’t had an entirely new hotel since the Riviera Resort opened in 2019 (Island Tower was an expansion to the Polynesian Village Resort in 2024).

If you’re a guest of a hotel, you can park there for free, but most hotels don’t have enough parking spots to accommodate every single guest. They estimate that not everyone who’s staying there is going to be parking in the lot, so on days of the year when more people are driving, things can get challenging.

This problem has become particularly evident with the Deluxe Resorts, as they tend to have smaller parking lots. Snagging a parking spot at the Contemporary Resort, the Grand Floridian, or the Polynesian sometimes involves several laps around the lot.

How Restaurant Parking Affects Hotel Guests

However, it’s not just the hotel guests who contribute to the lack of parking. People are also allowed to park at a hotel if they have a confirmed dining reservation for one of the resort’s restaurants. During peak meal times, the parking lots can hit capacity for some of the hotels.

Unfortunately, it’s once again the Deluxe Resorts that most often deal with this issue. Some of the most popular restaurants in Disney World are at those hotels, like ‘Ohana at the Polynesian or Chef Mickey’s at the Contemporary. If the lunch rush is particularly packed one day, hotel guests checking in midday can have a hard time getting settled.

How Disney Is Helping the Problem

But don’t worry — Disney is aware of this problem, and they’ve put some safeguards in place to help. Restricting parking during busy times of the year is one way they keep the lots more accessible. Around the holiday season or other popular travel times, you’ll often find that you won’t be allowed to park in the hotel lots for things like lounge visits, shopping trips, or quick service restaurants. Those are occasional reasons why you can get access to the parking lot if it’s not too busy.

Also, we’ve recently noticed that Disney’s imposing more time limits for dining reservation parking. We’ve been at hotels in the past and received parking passes with 2 or 3-hour parking limits. If you don’t stick to the limit, they can give you a ticket!

There’s extra research to be done before driving a car to Disney World, and knowing about the parking pitfalls can be incredibly helpful. Just make sure to plan your transportation wisely and think about the parking situation before you choose your hotel!