What is the difference between preferred parking and standard parking at Disney World?

Our special preferred parking lots are located conveniently close to the theme park entrances. All parking fees include applicable sales tax. Standard theme park parking is included for registered Guests of Disney Resort hotels and select Annual Passholders.



At Walt Disney World in 2026, the primary difference between parking tiers is proximity and cost. Standard Parking currently costs $35 per day for cars and motorcycles (though it is complimentary for Disney Resort hotel guests and certain Annual Passholders). Standard lots are further from the park entrances, often requiring a ride on the parking lot tram. Preferred Parking costs between $50 and $60 per day, depending on the season and crowd levels. These spots are located significantly closer to the main entrance, allowing guests to walk to the gates in a few minutes without needing a tram. In 2026, resort guests who receive free standard parking can choose to "upgrade" to preferred parking by paying the difference (roughly $15–$25). While preferred parking saves time at the end of a long day, many 2026 visitors find it unnecessary at parks like the Magic Kingdom, where all guests must still take the monorail or ferry from the Transportation and Ticket Center to reach the actual park gates.

People Also Ask

Our special preferred parking lots are located conveniently close to the theme park entrances. All parking fees include applicable sales tax. Standard theme park parking is included for registered Guests of Disney Resort hotels and select Annual Passholders.

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If you are a Guest staying at a Disney Resort hotel, you receive complimentary standard parking at Disney theme parks for the length of your Resort stay. You must present valid Disney Resort hotel identification to enter the parking lots.

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A; As a general rule of thumb we find EPCOT to be the best park for adults visiting Disney World and Animal Kingdom to be the better park for guests who enjoy animals and live stage shows. We do find that EPCOT and Animal Kingdom are great parks to consider combining when you plan to park hop at Walt Disney World.

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Many guides suggest that you start with Magic Kingdom first, followed by Epcot and then Hollywood Studios. This leaves Animal Kingdom as the last Disney theme park to visit on your trip.

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Non-alcoholic drinks and waters are totally something you can bring into Disney, it's even encouraged! It is so nice to have a drink on hand whenever you need to quench your thirst. You can bring refillable water bottles and refill them at water stations throughout the parks.

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Parking at Walt Disney World Resort Theme Parks and Disney Resort hotels can not be prepaid. You can however use a Disney Gift Card to pay for the parking. You could purchase a Disney Gift Card at home and use those each time you park to pay. Parking at Disney Springs is complimentary.

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Wednesdays are good days to go to the Magic Kingdom. Without extra crowds there to make a long weekend trip – extended with a Monday or Thursday – Wednesdays have lighter crowds.

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A: Guests are allowed to bring outside food and nonalcoholic beverage items into the park for self-consumption, provided they are not in glass containers and do not require heating, reheating, processing, refrigeration or temperature control and do not have pungent odors.

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So yes, it's entirely possible to visit four Disney parks in one day, even with kids in tow. All you need is a hopper ticket and a lot of enthusiasm. My boys have the latter in spades. This was honestly one of the best days of our whole 9 months of non-stop travelling to date and certainly of our USA road trip.

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I would say Hollywood studios and animal kingdom, but as others have said doing Epcot and Hollywood studios on the same day make sense because they are so close together. The only problem with starting at Hollywood and ending at Epcot is it would preclude you from attempting to ride Guardians of the Galaxy.

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As a general rule of thumb, EPCOT is the best Disney park for adults as it has some of the most thrilling rides in Walt Disney World including Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, Test Track and Soarin. EPCOT is also known to have some of the best restaurants on Disney property.

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As a general matter, Animal Kingdom is the park that requires the least strategy and is the easiest place to beat the crowds in all of Walt Disney World. It doesn't require Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lanes, and is pretty easy to knock out everything–and then some–if you stay for a full day.

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One big perk of driving to Walt Disney World is that you can drive to and from the parks. Parking at Disney World parks costs $30 for standard parking and $45 to $55 for preferred parking. Guests of Disney hotels enjoy free theme park parking as a perk of their stay.

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So if you'll be leaving a theme park and returning later in the day to the same theme park, you don't need to pay any additional fees. Simply show your parking receipt when you return to the lot and you'll be granted access to enjoy more Disney magic!

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