Be Very, Very Careful...

[goNsoon2WDW]

I know that there have been a number of people indicating on various threads that they are arriving a few days before taking advantage of the free dining offer so in essence having a room-only reservation and a package reservation with free dining. Here comes my warning...

Be sure that the room-only reservation is really set-up as a room-only reservation!!!

We had our October 20-30 trip planned and were so excited to see the free dining offer come out. We knew we would need to do a room-only reservation for a couple of days before free dining would kick in on the 23rd. No problem. We just thought we would keep our fingers crossed for a room only discount sometime before we arrive. We adjusted to have a "room-only" reservation for October 20-23 and a free dining package reservation for October 23-30. Or so I thought!

I called in today on a completely different item and as the CM was recapping the reservations she referred to it as a package. Then she told me that my final payment and any changes or cancellations would need to be completed 45-days prior to arrival.

This is where I said, "hold the bus"!!! I thought for the room-only reservation my balance was not due until a week before my arrival and that I could make changes or cancel without a problem until the week before we arrived. She said that was a true statement, but that we did not have a room-only reservation. We had a package reservation.

This prompted me to ask what was specifically on that reservation that made it a package. She said that it had some discounts and coupons for water sports, spa treatments, and an arcade card. She reassured me that these were included in my "package" at no additional cost.

What this means to me is that if there is a room-only discount that is offered after Labor Day (my 45-day point) that I would not be able to take advantage of it without paying a fee. In addition, if the whole can't-pick-up-my-park-tickets-before-the-23rd issue isn't taken care of, we may be going to visit Harry Potter and his friends and I would need to cancel this October 20-23 reservation all together.

So, in a nut shell --- be sure to clarify that your room-only reservation is truly a room-only reservation in the system and not a package reservation with just your room. I had no idea that ours was set-up as a package reservation with only a room.

 

[wish*i*was*in*the*vi]

And for room only reservations, the balance due isn't due until check in, not 1 week prior to arrival.

 

[tinka-belle]

You can also tell, if you booked with Disney directly, by the confirmation number. Packages are #(2 letters)#####, room only reservations are a series of 12 numbers similar to the ADR confirmations.

 

[Missytara]

In a room only reservation, the first night is due at the time of confirmation.

If you only booked one night, then the entire one night is due at the time of booking.

I have had to do that the last three years, since I always arrive the Saturday after Thanksgiving and that day has always been blocked.

So I have to pay the one night room only up front and then the package deposit.

 

[Moomduck1]

Thanks for posting this. This is really good advice!