Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE staying onsite at Walt Disney World! It’s my number one suggestion when friends ask me about planning a vacation at the Most Magical Place on Earth. In the last 15 years, I have NEVER stayed offsite. But when planning our upcoming WDW trip, we decided to break this trend – we are staying at an Orlando area hotel for one night, due to coming in so late in the day.

Walt Disney World Resort Entrance Sign-Photo by Lisa McBride

We plan on waking up EARLY on our first park day and want to go straight to the Magic Kingdom, then we are staying at Disney’s Pop Century the rest of the weekend. I know that I can do online check-in, but what about parking? I know that Resort Guests get complimentary parking at the Theme Parks, so would I need to go to my Resort first?

I did some research, but I still wasn’t sure! So, I took a clue from our own Kelly M. and sent a Tweet to @WDWToday! (Check out her article about this awesome Twitter account here!)

@WDWToday If I go to a park before I check in at my hotel, will I have to pay to park? THANK YOU!

— Christen (@Christen0581) February 17, 2016

I quickly received a tweet and this direct message from @WDWToday:

“If you elect to do online check-in and have your MagicBands linked to your reservation and Theme Park admission, you should be able to simply touch your MagicBand at the Auto Plaza and proceed without paying. However, we always highly recommend that you swing by your resort prior to entering the Theme Parks – just to make sure everything is correct and all of your ticket media has been loaded and linked properly. If your MagicBand doesn’t work at the Auto Plaza and you are required to pay for parking, we suggest visiting Guest Relations as soon as you enter the Theme Park – they should be able to look up your resort reservation and refund any parking payments as necessary. Thanks!”

I’m now prepared for my early arrival at the Magic Kingdom. I think I’m going to take the risk and skip my resort, since I will have my MagicBand and I can always pull up my information on the My Disney Experience App on my phone! Hopefully it will go smoothly, and I will check back in with you to let you know how it works!

Boarding area for Magic Kingdom parking lot tram

Have you ever skipped the hotel and gone STRAIGHT to the parks? Please share your stories with me! You can comment on Facebook, send me a Tweet or we can chat in the Facebook Magical DIStractions Group! Don’t forget to check out our YouTube or Instagram page as well!

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