Hi Soraya! Welcome to planDisney!
Part of the magic of Walt Disney World is not only found at the theme parks but also at the resort hotels as well. With each one being themed differently, you can get a truly unique experience with each hotel you stay at. If you haven’t done so yet, I highly recommend a resort-only stay on a future visit. My family took one last year and we stayed at
Disney’s Beach Club Resort. We took advantage of
Stormalong Bay by relaxing at the pool and enjoying many of the restaurants at the resort. We even hopped on the
Disney Skyliner and took an evening trip over to Disney’s Riviera Resort for a quick tour. With you living fairly close by, I would plan a staycation sometime soon!
Parking at the resorts can be tricky without a room or dining reservation. Since the phased reopening, Disney has been firmer on parking policies. To be guaranteed a parking spot, you will need to show proof of a dining reservation. There are times when the guard will let you park if you inform them of your intentions (walk-up list at Chef Mickey's), but I would not count on this. Disney’s Contemporary Resort is known to be strict because of its proximity to the
Magic Kingdom Park. Some Guests will state they are planning on dining at the resort, and then walk over to the Magic Kingdom for the day to not have to pay for parking at the Ticket and Transportation Center.
One thing that worked for me in the past was to place a mobile order at one of the onsite dining locations. For this resort, try placing an order at
Contempo Café for a dessert to enjoy later. Then, when you pull up to the guard, show them the order on your
My Disney Experience App and they may let you park to retrieve your order. This worked for me when I was picking up food from Kona Café at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, but I have heard that this method does not always guarantee a parking spot either.
One guaranteed option to get over to Chef Mickey's is to pay for parking at the Ticket and Transportation Center and hop on the resort monorail to
Disney’s Contemporary Resort. I have done this before when we wanted to do a monorail resort crawl and did not have an active dining reservation. It was fun to use the monorail to get from place to place and can feel like an attraction by itself.
Soraya, I hope this information helps you on your upcoming visit! Keep checking the My Disney Experience App for a dining reservation to pop up for Chef Mickey's. You never know when some pixie dust will come your way!
See ya real soon!
Greg