BRP really bumming my family out! EDITED

[3PRINCESSMOM]

Although we do plan our trips in advance, after years of monitoring airfares and AP discounts I usually got a sense when the time was right to "pounce." Sometimes it was within 60 days sometimes in advance of 60 days. However with the 60 day requirement of this program I can tell you that we will not be able to visit as often. For the past few years we've gotten two family trips in and one mommy trip in on one AP. I believe those will have to be a thing of the past.

How are other AP holders feeling about the BRP? Does it work for you?

NOT ANY MORE!
YIPPEE!!

 

[Matt]

It's working for me now but I'm sure I won't like it if I get the "itch" to drive down on short notice.

 

[Got Quattro?]

I agree...it takes away the..."hey, lets go to disney next month"

but I book 72 days out for this january, and BRP is giving me a rate just what I expected. $50 less than what I paid last year at same resort...although Jan is a non peak month or time.

 

[3PRINCESSMOM]

I guess BRP must work okay for most of you all. My travel habits and shot-term planning methods must be unique. Thanks to the 2 who replied.

 

[jjohnson]

I understand what you are saying. There is a great fare I can get on Jet Blue & I would've love to "popped" down for a long weekend to see the xmas decorations. I can't bring myself to pay rack rate.

 

[HugsForEeyore]

BRP completely does not work for me. At my job, I work in a section with five people, and I am the "low man on the totem pole" - so basically I have to find vacation dates that no one else wants. And worse, we have a member of our department who is absent frequently (basically absent about 8 days a month!), so I have to plan around her absenses so it's impossible to plan way ahead. I had to move the dates on my last trip four times! And I ended up paying rack rate and getting hit by Hurricane Wilma. POR was not worth $170 a night with tax, in my opinion, when there are plenty of off-site suites and nice hotels to chose from! When my AP comes up in January, I got to do some serious thinking!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Because of health issues I am not able to book far in advance.

No more days of calling, getting a good rate, driving down to Ocala to pick up our AP's and settling in for a long stay.

I am heartbroken and hoping that I can see it another way and return soon.


Slightly Goofy

 

[bicker]

I think we probably wouldn't have bought into DVC if BRP existed back then. We decided to go with DVC primarily because we could never manage to get the AP discount... folks with faster fingers always beat us out. With BRP, we would have gotten the discount each time it was offered.

 

[DisFlan]

I think we probably wouldn't have bought into DVC if BRP existed back then. We decided to go with DVC primarily because we could never manage to get the AP discount... folks with faster fingers always beat us out. With BRP, we would have gotten the discount each time it was offered.

The irritating Discount Dance was one of the reasons we joined DVC. Now with the absence of room only codes, hit and miss package discounts and the problematic BRP offers, all I can say is 'Thank You, DVC'! We have PRE-PAID stays through 2042 in a place we love. And NO charge for extra guests. Ya can't beat that with a stick.

DisFlan

 

[PavelB]

BRP has finished us! After all these years we are finally done with Disney. We cannot book that far in advance, I don't like booking online, and I am sick of the lack of service. We are taking our money elsewhere.

 

[TDC Nala]

It's not good for me, either. I cancelled my January DVC trip to use the points in December (I am booked on Independence Air which will probably be gone in January). I would like to go back in January but it is too late to get a Best Rate. If I go, it'll be rack at Pop or the Allstars. It's annoying that if I had made this decision a week earlier I would have been eligible to save about $20 per night or so.

 

[CarolA]

I guess BRP must work okay for most of you all. My travel habits and shot-term planning methods must be unique. Thanks to the 2 who replied.

It doesn't work for me...

And I have called to "attempt" to make reservations. When I can't get an AP rate I make a point of telling the CM that I am staying off site. I figure if they don't hear from us they won't know.

 

[seashoreCM]

Aren't there other discounts available, including for room-only reservations?

Can't you make "AP rate" reservations the old way, with as little as 5 days in advance?

My experience in the past was that much of the time other discounts such as AAA came within ten dollars of "the AP rate" for value resorts and within twentyh dollars for moderate resorts.

If you are visiting for 13 or more days in two or more sittings over the course of a year, and want to park hop, an AP still makes sense.

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[CarolA]

The last time I tried the late AP discount route I was told that you could no longer do that. The CM said all AP rooms now had to be booked 60 days out.

I get the AP for park visits so I continue to get it. Most of my stays are DVC, but if I get a "late" visit I am now staying at DTD, Swan/Dolphin or offsite. I am not paying rack rate.

I was polite to CM, but refused her "deal" of rack rate at the mods.

 

[TDC Nala]

Can't you make "AP rate" reservations the old way, with as little as 5 days in advance?

Apparently not. The only way to make an AP discount reservation now is online through Best Rate and that may only be done up to 60 days in advance.

I understand every other aspect of the best rate plan except for the 60 day booking deadline. I don't get why they consider that necessary at all. What's wrong with AP holders getting discounts for last minute trips?

Joining AAA is an option for the last minute trip people. Rack rate at the values (and it'd have to be the values; I think the rack rate for mods is outrageous and forget the deluxes) is still less than the Swolphin or DTD (and you have to arrange for transportation, no free bus from the airport) but it still bothers me that I'd have to pay it because I missed the 60 day deadline by a few days. I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it to even go back in January. I have a 4 day weekend and flight credits, so the room issue is the only thing keeping me back.

The AP is still worth it because I'm in the parks often. I just probably won't be there AS often. I have a lot of opportunity for last minute trips but I can't always use my DVC points, and will have to decide if I want to pay rack rate.

 

[Disney Spaz]

My family and are are very disappointed with BRP and have subsequently decided not to renew our AP's. We too were last minute visitors and now with this program we can no longer use the AP's as much as before therefore making them no longer a deal. We will def. miss visiting WDW as often and I am sure WDW will miss our money but it is just not worth it anymore for my family.

 

[bicker]

The AP is still worth it because I'm in the parks often.

And let's not lose sight of the fact that that is what the AP is for.

 

[TDC Nala]

And let's not lose sight of the fact that that is what the AP is for.

I am sure we all KNOW that. The point is, last year with a regular AP rate I would have already made a booking for that weekend in January and I'd be in the parks then, too. Now, because I can't get the discount, I have to think about it. It's likely I'll decide against it, because I add up that rack rate room and it's just a little bit too high for me to part with just to run down for the weekend. Disney wouldn't have me paying for the room or buying crap in the parks that weekend... and if the old system was still in place, they would.

 

[Sammie]

Apparently not. The only way to make an AP discount reservation now is online through Best Rate and that may only be done up to 60 days in advance.

I understand every other aspect of the best rate plan except for the 60 day booking deadline. I don't get why they consider that necessary at all. What's wrong with AP holders getting discounts for last minute trips?

Joining AAA is an option for the last minute trip people. Rack rate at the values (and it'd have to be the values; I think the rack rate for mods is outrageous and forget the deluxes) is still less than the Swolphin or DTD (and you have to arrange for transportation, no free bus from the airport) but it still bothers me that I'd have to pay it because I missed the 60 day deadline by a few days. I'm still trying to decide if it's worth it to even go back in January. I have a 4 day weekend and flight credits, so the room issue is the only thing keeping me back.

The AP is still worth it because I'm in the parks often. I just probably won't be there AS often. I have a lot of opportunity for last minute trips but I can't always use my DVC points, and will have to decide if I want to pay rack rate.

The sad thing is people like you and many others have been punished for the abuses of others. There was nothing wrong with APers getting discounts for last minute trips. What was wrong was people booking multiple rooms, hoping for a discount, then cancelling out these unwanted rooms at the last moment some as late as the 5 day cancellation then Disney was stuck with them.

Those people who did this posted many times on these forums where they had multiple rooms booked waiting to decide what was the best bargain.

As with many things sometimes the cure is worse than the illness. Abuse of the system results in the changes that affect everyone even those like me and you that never abused it. The same thing happend with CRT and now you have to pay in advance to dine there. For someone on a strict budget this could prevent them for even booking the restuarant, but when you had a large group of people calling to book CRT with no intention of even using the reservation but planning to give it away, then changes have to be made.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

I had not thought of that being a reason why Disney would change things. I do wonder how many people did that though. We get some awfully dedicated Disney Lovers here who might take things a bit too far from time to time but not too many of them and would there be a whole lot of others who would make multiple reservations? Would travel agents do that?

I have only had to cancel one time and that was for health reasons. I have never had more than one reservation for a room or a meal. Life is too complicated already and I like to keep things simple. LOL

Slightly Goofy