Hi Mary!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! This is a great question and I'm happy to report with first-hand experience, that no, neither the guest nor the driver will have to pay a fee at the parking lot entrance of any
Disney Theme Park to drop off or pick up a friend.
There are actual drop-off zones, usually not too far from the entrance of each park, meant specifically for loading and unloading. This is also where app-based ride-share drivers and riders will find each other. But what's really neat is what Disney has done to help the driver: most of Disney's parks and hotels have painted a few different color solid lines in the driving lanes of these lots. So once you approach the parking lot booth and say "Hi there! I'm dropping off my best friend's neighbors' sister for her day of Disney fun!", the helpful parking booth Cast Member will say something like 'Oh great, I hope she has an awesome day! Follow the white solid line.' And guess what, all you have to do is follow the white solid line until it ends, directly in the Drop Off/Pick Up area. Leave it to Disney to think of everything!
Guests who are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort Hotel do receive
complimentary parking at Disney's Theme Parks should they choose to drive their personal vehicle to a park. Up until a few months ago they needed to have a special registration paper visible in their windshield area. Now those drivers simply need to scan their
MagicBand to verify their
Disney Resort Hotel reservation.
I hope this helped, Mary, and We'll see You Real Soon!
~Kristen