You know the drill. You pull in behind the other cars at the entrance gate to any one of the four Disney World parks and you pass over your credit card to pay those atrocious parking fees. $25 to park your car in addition to the nearly $125 fee to get into the park itself can be miserable but if you are being fair to yourself, you should pay more and not complain about it.
Yes, on most days of the year, standard parking is going to run you $25. If you are an annual passholder, it will cost you nothing. But there is an upgrade you seriously should consider whether you are a pass holder or not.
Why you should seriously consider buying the preferred parking option at the Disney parking gates and what park you should skip.
Adding another $20 to your parking bill may seem like a lot but trust me when I say, you won't regret it later in the day.
Preferred parking will run $45 to $50 a day but there are benefits. For one, if you are park hopping, the upgraded parking is good at all 4 of the Disney parks on that day so if you opt to jump to Magic Kingdom after spending part of your day at Animal Kingdom, you won't have to buy another preferred pass or a standard one.
For AP holders, the deal is better. It is a simple $20 parking fee that gets you preferred slots.
What is preferred parking? Well for starters you will be much closer to the parks entrance than you would be otherwise. This is important if your day is not starting at rope drop...or when the park opens.
You have seen these lots and they can fill really quickly so getting a spot closer to the parks is nearly a lottery-winning feel when it does happen. With the preferred parking option you can pretty much guarantee a front lot parking spot and that makes the end of your day so much better.