Yesterday morning at Disneyland, something unusual happened in one of the busiest corners of the resort: the parking toll booths. Guests arriving at the Mickey & Friends parking structure on Saturday, August 17, were greeted with an unexpected announcement from cast members—parking was “cash only.”Credit: DisneyFor drivers without bills in their wallets, the policy quickly transformed into something even more surprising: free parking.The oddity was first shared on Reddit in a post titled “PSA about parking in Mickey & Friends lot TODAY (8/17).” The poster explained what they had been told directly at the toll window: “Was told at the window that they are cash only today and if you don’t carry cash with you, they said they are making exceptions.”Almost immediately, the thread filled with comments from others experiencing the same glitch or speculating about the cause. One user summed it up bluntly: “Making exceptions = free parking.”A Costly IT Glitch?Credit: Inside the MagicWhile free parking might sound like a nice perk for visitors—normally $35 per car, $40 for oversized vehicles, and up to $55 for preferred spots—many fans speculated that it was an expensive technical failure on Disney’s part.“That sounds like an expensive IT glitch,” one Redditor wrote, suggesting that Disney’s card readers or payment systems may have gone down. Another chimed in: “Sounds like an IT issue crash. Disney will have to eat the cost on that to not piss everyone off and let people in who don’t have cash. It will be fixed within an hour or two. It honestly doesn’t mean much to Disney since it cost so little to operate the parking structure.”That “little” cost, however, is relative. With Disneyland parking garages capable of handling tens of thousands of vehicles a day, even a short outage could represent tens of thousands of dollars in uncollected fees.One guest recalled a similar situation in late 2023: “This happened before. I think it was in November but it affected most of the park as well. I don’t carry cash, so they just let us in. Thankfully, the park was back to taking cards by the time we got in.”Not Everyone’s Day Was EasyBut while some drivers celebrated an unexpected freebie, others weren’t so lucky. At the Toy Story lot—the resort’s massive surface parking area on Harbor Boulevard—the scene was described as chaotic.“Toy Story lot is insanely backed up also. Took 20 minutes to make the turn onto Harbor. Will report more once we actually get to the gate,” one person noted. Another added: “I’ve been waiting to get to the front for 40 mins.”Crowds were likely compounded by another major event happening just down the street: the Pokémon World Championships at the Anaheim Convention Center. That event draws thousands of fans and competitors from around the globe. One Redditor pointed out: “Probably because it’s the Pokémon World Champions at Anaheim Convention Center and people usually park there. All the Pokémon card scalpers probably out at full force there to get the merch.”Another user confirmed that connection, saying: “This might be it. We went in with our Magic Key no problem. If you’re using Toy Story though pack your patience. Took 40 minutes from 5 freeway to get into the lot.”Disneyland Parking: Normally High-Tech, Not Cash-OnlyCredit: Jess Colopy, Inside the MagicOrdinarily, Disneyland’s parking operations are anything but “cash only.” The resort prominently advertises its use of automatic license plate recognition technology, which allows the system to scan and verify pre-paid parking or Magic Keyholder privileges seamlessly. Accepted payment methods at the toll booths include all major credit cards, Disney Gift Cards, Disney Dollars, and even pre-paid parking vouchers.Cash, while still taken, has become the less common choice in an era of touchless and digital payments. That’s what made Saturday’s policy so surprising.One guest recalled another hiccup from a past visit, saying: “I know the last time I went the parking attendant just let me go without scanning my pass. Idk if that’s a common occurrence but I’m not complaining.”A Small Loss, Big CuriosityThe incident has left many wondering just how much Disney lost in revenue during the glitch, and how often smaller “let it slide” moments happen behind the scenes. With parking set at $35 per car, even a thousand vehicles slipping in without paying represents $35,000 in lost revenue in a single morning.Still, others saw the bright side. For guests who don’t carry cash—and who are used to tapping a credit card, smartphone, or MagicBand—it was a rare chance to save a bit on a trip that typically adds up quickly.One commenter joked about Disney’s decision-making in the moment: “Making exceptions = free parking.” Another shrugged, saying the savings were welcome: “Idk if that’s a common occurrence but I’m not complaining.”A Blip, Not a TrendBy most accounts, the issue was resolved later in the day, with card payments returning as usual. Disneyland’s operations are massive, spanning multiple garages, lots, and a steady flow of cars that can exceed 30,000 in a single day. Technical hiccups, though rare, do happen.Still, the story of free parking spread quickly online, with many guests curious about whether they might stumble into a similar stroke of luck in the future.For now, though, yesterday’s glitch will go down as one of those rare Disneyland oddities—an IT hiccup that gave some guests a little unexpected Disney magic, and left others stewing in long Toy Story lot lines, trading updates from their phones as they inched toward the front.The post Disneyland Goes Cash Only Without Notice to Guests appeared first on Inside the Magic.