Bonus with hotel reservation - does everyone get this?

[kilarney]

I made a room only reservation using my Disney Club number. (just the standard discount)
I noticed that our reservation has free entry to Wide World of Sports or miniature golf.
Is this standard? Or did I get some kind of promotion.
Thanks for helping a newbie!

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

Hello

I think everyone who books through the Disney Club gets this freebie, which is nice.

I didn't book through the Disney Club, though.

Like you I have access to those great AP rates, and I didn't want to be locked in with a Disney Club reservation.

They treat any Disney Club reservation like a package, and cancellation restrictions are much tighter. You will lose money if you have to cancel within a month or so before your trip.

However, if you book through CRO and tell them you don't want to use your Disney Club for the room, then you can cancel up to 5 days before the trip with no penalty.

I like that security, just in case something comes up (like an illness or situation at work) and I have to change the dates.

However, the freebie would be nice. If you use it, write back and let me know all the neat things about those areas of the park. I've never visited either, and I'm curious!

Thanks a bunch!

 

[kilarney]

Uh oh!
I didn't realize there was a problem using codes with the DC reservation. I know that I can cancel my reservation up to 46 days ahead of time with no penalty. The codes (if any) should be out by then, so I guess I can cancel and rebook a non-Disney Club ressie if good codes come out - can't I?

 

[feenie]

That happened to us when we booked last time. We had already bought our park hoppers and the way they "have " to book the rooms with the Disney club discount is by making it a package....
So they throw in those tickets to make it one!
(at least that's what they told me when I called and asked.)

 

[TraceyL]

To qualify for the Disney Club discount you have to book a package - not room only so the a 'basic package' consists of room only plus an 'extra' - we're getting a free round of mini-golf and some luggage tags. I believe admission to WWoS is a common extra too.

The deposit/cancellation policy is as follows

With the Disney Club package it works like this--the deposit is only $100.00 and the balance is due 45 days prior to travel HOWEVER the cancellation policy is the same as a room only reservation--outside of 5 days before you travel you get the FULL AMOUNT PAID back. 5 days or less and you lose the $100.00 deposit

(thanks to Sue-Ellen my Dreams Rep who I'm quoting)

Still hoping for more of a discount with my AP though

 

[OllieDannyandMe]

Thank you, Tracey L

I always avoided booking with my DC, because I thought I'd lose all my money if I had to cancel.

Now that I know that's not true, I just may do it to get the freebie. That is if I can find enough money to send in the full amount a little early

Thanks for the explanation!

 

[kilarney]

$100 is due within 14 days. The remainder is due 45 days prior to check-in.

But can somebody put my mind at ease about being able to cancel (prior to 45 days) and then re-book using a code?

 

[TraceyL]

..that's what I'm planning to do if/when AP rates for November come out

If AP rates don't appear or aren't comparable then I'm quite happy to stick with my DC rates

 

[kilarney]

Thanks!

 

[GoldenOldie]

When the codes do come out, make sure you do it in the correct order:

Book the new code reservation FIRST, then cancel the DC reservation. You will avoid some potentially aggravating problems doing it this way.

 

[SueEllen]

Tracey,

The only difference in what is in your quote (sorry if I put in the wrong number the first time) is that Disney Club package FINAL PAYMENTS have to be made 21 days prior to arrival and not 45. The cancellation policy is definitely a FULL refund prior to 5 days. You only lose money if you cancel 5 days or less before arrival.

Sue Ellen

 

[married2grumpy]

I thought the difference was whether or not you booked through CRO or WDTC. I had a reservation booked with a DC discount that came with the mini golf freebie. I thought that was cool until I found out that was considered a package and booked through WDTC. It was my understanding that all packages were booked through WDTC with stringent deposit/cancel policies and room only reservations were booked through CRO with better policies. Can someone confirm this or was I given bad info from CRO?

 

[TraceyL]

21 days before - that's only a week before we leave

Thanks SueEllen - I had noticed the discrepancy in the balance due date online at DU but assumed the 45 day date was the correct one. No complaints though

 

[DebbieB]

Disney Club is booked through WDTC but has special cancellation rules.

http://wdwig.com/resort.htm

If you are staying at a resort higher than $100 per night, your deposit is actually less with Disney Club (flat $100 as opposed to one night's rate).

I changed a DC reservation to a code rate last year. They cancelled the DC reservation, issued a credit, and then started over with a CRO reservation with the code rate and charged the new deposit. The credit and new deposit were on my charge within 2 days.

 

[sherry8253]

Last year I cancelled a December DC reservation and used a public code instead because I saved. They cannot transfer your deposit because they are different systems. They had to refund my DC deposit and it took about 14 days for the credit to show up in my bank account (I had used a debit visa). I had to pay another deposit for them to hold my new reservation (the debit showed up in about 2 days). So, other than having to cancel, wait for the refund to show up, and paying a new deposit there is no problem in cancelling your DC reservation and going with a code. Have fun on your vacation.

 

[SueEllen]

You are welcome Tracey. I had a temporary brain freeze when I wrote that 45 day thing---

Sue Ellen

 

[kilarney]

Well... I switched the reservation from a Disney Club discount to a AAA discount. The discount is the same, but with one major difference. The AAA discount was booked using the CRO. Therefore, I now enjoy the much better cancellation policies, and I can use a public code if one comes out. It was a little bit of a pain to cancel one and re-book another, but it was worth the effort. The only problem is that we had a King bed, and those are no longer available. I'll call again and see if something opens up.
Thanks for the help everyone!

(oh.... and no more fee mini golf! that was the whole reason this thread started!)