Hi, Donna!
Welcome back to planDisney! Thanks for asking me this question. As a Walt Disney World Resort Annual Passholder, too, I'm more than happy to be your trusty parking guide!
Walt Disney World Resort Annual Passholders get free standard parking, so zip in and out as you please. But whoa there, Lightning McQueen, there's no Piston Cup to win! A Cast Member will usually ask to see a government-issued ID in addition to scanning your MagicBand, MagicBand+,
MagicMobile on your device, Apple Watch, or Annual Pass card, so have that ready to go.
If you have a handicapped parking permit, once you've passed the parking attendants, follow the blue line on the ground to the front of the parking lot. If you'd like to pay for preferred parking, as an Annual Passholder, you'll just pay the difference of standard and preferred parking. Also, electric vehicles that need charging can park near the front of the parking lot as well at the theme parks' Level 2 chargers.
Use the
Car Locator tool in the My Disney Experience App to help locate your car when you're ready to park hop, explore the rest of the resort, or leave property. The last thing you'll want after a pixie-dusted day is to walk around in circles looking for your car. (I know this from experience. I was one circle away from yelling for Tow Mater to help a girl out.)
Parking trams are available at both Magic Kingdom Park and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. So, even if you happen to visit on a busier day and park far from the Ticket and Transportation Center (Magic Kingdom Park) or the park entrance (Disney's Animal Kingdom), you are minutes from the fun. At the moment, there are no parking trams at EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios. Hopefully they will return soon, as this is a fun "ride" before the rides for my kiddos--and for me!
AN EXTRA GEM: If you want a great parking spot, I recommend that you arrive closer to theme park opening ("rope drop"). And if your heart isn't set on watching Nighttime Spectaculars like
Enchantment at Magic Kingdom Park or
Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios, I highly recommend walking to your car (or catching the tram, if available) before those shows end to avoid any crowds. (As a fellow Disney-lover I'm sure you know how awesome these shows are, so making this choice is extremely difficult.)
My family also likes to park our vehicle at one theme park and use the Disney Skyliner or Monorail to park hop to another theme park. Check theme park hours, so you're not leaving your vehicle stranded like a car in the middle of Radiator Springs.
Parking at Disney Springs is absolutely free. I prefer the Lime Garage because it's closer to two of my favorite restaurants:
Frontera Cocina and
The Polite Pig. Parking at the Walt Disney World Resort Collection hotels is reserved for hotel Guests. But if you have a dining or activity reservation, you may park there for a limited time.
Ka-Chow! I could write a book about parking at Walt Disney World Resort, so I'll stop myself here. If you have any further questions about how to have a stress-free visit, Donna, please revisit us here at planDisney!
Magic always,
LeAndra