Never understood the appeal of an up charge to park closer to the front gate. At the end of the day, my spot in the back of the lot is much closer to the exit, so I'll be getting out SOONER than those parking up front!

We always valet at the contemporary and walk to MK. $25, but well worth it.

Yes, I would definitely pay the extra $15 or what ever the cost turns out to be. My family and I pay for preferred parking to any theme park we go to if it is available. It is very much worth it. We get out a whole lot quicker then the families that park in general parking do! We were just there this past Christmas/New Years I wish they were testing this then. We also paid for the preferred parking at Universal while we were there very much worth it there as well. If you have never paid for preferred parking YOU SHOULD!! A lot will not because in the end they think it will be the same as parking in the general parking area IT IS NOT!!! My family and I were able to use AAA parking lot at Disney when they were allowing that was so worth it. Some will look at this as a bad thing, not us!! I hope they have this fully implemented when we go back.

IF they are going to offer preferred parking it should go to Veterans, military and copys at no charge!

Disney has out-priced itself out of the budgets for most of America. I am so disappointed. Our family is done with Disney Parks due to its money gouging. In the past, our family vacations were Disney vacations (sometimes as many as 25-30 people) but no longer. Our vacations dollars will be spent at other areas. Universal, Sea World, Six Flags and more are all to happy to have us. We're done with Disney.

How would this affect handicapped parking?

Disney is getting out of reach for many people. I could not pay $165 for a daily pass and $200 if it was with the dining pass. I am a Fla resident and went to Disney in the 1st month it was opened but I think my disney days are pretty much over because of the price.

We've been wondering how long before Disney tried this. We think that, at the Magic Kingdom, prefered parking would only work if the lot is Parkside and not out near the Transportation center. In our experience it's always amusing when some premium parkers at Universal find themselves just one row closer than regular. It's the thin edge of the wedge, someone will always be able to outpay you so eventually preferred morphs into preferred plus then deluxe, then ultimate. Last year we skipped the trams and walked from wherever we got parked and, allowing for loading and unloading, often beat the team to the front gate - the time taken walking to the car, and any time saved, was certainly not worth any upcharge and most people don't realise just how close everything really is [young children and toddlers excepted] . Increasingly however the full Disney experience is being eroded by these extra charges. Identifying premium views for fireworks and such and then roping them off so a premium charge can be applied. We don't mind premium experiences, but lately it seems that the additions are at the expense of those who can't afford every add on and are just mean spirited. See the fireworks with a great view if you pay, but if you don't, you may find the view is not just more distant, but obscured or otherwise compromised. Disney sometimes falls just short of erecting deliberate obstructions to place greater value on their add ons.
Parking's the same, you used to be rewarded for getting to the parks early now it's just the size of your wallet that will count. What concerns me more is the potential to slow down entry at the parking booth. At the other parks guests juggling with decisions about upgrading slow things down and staff are encouraged with bonuses to sell them. Disney need to think about the details, at DHS there's only two lanes at the entry point. We've said for a long time that resort guests need a better tech solution for parking rather than a scrap of paper on the dash and now it looks like we're going to need dedicated lanes if we're to be spared excessive waiting. Without automatic licence plate recognition, NFC window stickers or Pre-pay apps for parking, any time saved opting for preferred parking will be lost while the guy in front weighs up the value of upgrading and discusses it with his party. Anyone for a "Parking Fastpass"?

They have to make up for being 1.5 billion dollars over budget in Shanghai somehow.