Annual Passholder Discounts not available Fort Wilderness?

[wdwexpert]

I have booked a preferred site in Fort Wilderness for January and for March. The annual passholder discount for this time period was released only a couple of days ago, so I called to obtain the rate on my reservations and was told (by an unusually un-helpful reservations agent) that there were no discounted sites available.

Can someone help me to understand this? She said that the discount ( as promised when I bought the annual pass) is at the discretion of the front desk manager at each resort.

I had a site booked last August and when the passholder discounts were announced I called and had my rate adjusted, no problem.

It's bad enough that Fort Wilderness guests do not "qualify" for the free dining promotion, even though a preferred site cost more than a value room, (don't get me started...) but this has just infuriated me.

Any ideas? Experience? Suggestions?

 

[Disney John]

Many times you have to book for longer periods of time (like 14 nights) to get the AP rate. Then call back after reservation is made to change to the correct dates.You will keep the AP rates for the shorter period. I have done this many times.

 

[Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo]

I also called to get my rates updated and was told that AP rates in January are available only for tent sites with the exception of the MLK weekend when no AP rates are available. The reservation agent also said there are no AAA rates or any other rate codes available that are applicable in January for the Campground. I do have a reservation for a Preferred site at the end of January that I made last October and got a "Fall/Winter" special rate. The agent said that rate is also no longer available.

Go figure...sometimes I get tired of being treated like a second class citizen for staying at the Campground instead of the Cabins or a "Disney Resort". For the last three years I have filled out all the surveys and have written to Disney about my dissatisfaction - including missing out on the free dining plan - and have yet to get a response but I still keep coming back!

 

[ftwildernessrick]

It was definately better back when you always got your AP rate - period, not subject to some availablity crock. Then, the only times the rates would change was when they would send special offers in the mail, like "stay for 3 weeks or more from January 5th to March 1st for $37.00 a night" or something similar.

On my last trip in October, my AAA rate was cheaper than my AP rate - go figure.

 

[Lyndria]

How frustrating! Maybe, if you keep calling, they'll change their mind? You know, how sometimes, it depends on who you talk to.

 

[Rhonda]

I've been trying to get AP discounts for 2011, and have only been able to get it on partial hookup (tent) sites. It seems Disney is being very stingy with their discounts at the Fort in 2011. Even AAA is hard to come by.

 

[wdwexpert]

Thanks for your replies and empathy...

Tried changing dates to make them shorter, nothing available...

I feel the exact same way about Fort Wilderness guests being treated as second class guests at Disney and I don't understand it. It was one of the original resorts, people, like me, have been coming to Disney and staying at the Fort for over 30 years because we like it there. Seems odd to me that people can stay at the Value resorts for less money and get all the perks of first class Disney guests. I don't get it at all and I have made my concerns known as well, to no avail.

One thing that softened the blow, a bit, was that I tried to book an annual passholder rate at the value resort for one night only in January and couldn't even get that. The annual pass discounts seem to be a thing of the past...I feel mislead into buying the pass. I live in Canada, so it was only worth buying the pass if it gave me the AP discount. Apparently that was false advertising.

Very very frustrated camper.