campground reservations modifications changes in the works starting Oct 2022 to ???

[wdw_dine_junkie]

I am unable to modify my September reservation online. I want to add a day on the end, but I'm not going to call every day to check.

And a few weeks ago, I wanted to change the site type on my June reservation but I couldn't do it online, I had to call. The CM I spoke with said something about the availability we see online as guests may not be correct and that's why they are not allowing us to make changes online.

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I don't know if that's true, but that's what I was told then.

But it's definitely something that goes back way before October 2022 timeframe.

The funny thing is, you can still book a new reservation online, you just can't modify.

Well that certainly sounds familiar "something about the availability we see online as guests may not be correct" ..

Treehouse 2022 anyone? lol

 

[tramps’lady]

I guess this explains why I lost the ability to change my Oct 23-27 reservation a month or so ago and I was only able to add a date to the front by making a new reservation. Still haven’t found anyone to combine the two, but they made a note to keep us in the same site and the second reservation number.

we will be there those dates also say hi to the Minnie Cart if you see her

 

[lpereira]

I guess this explains why I lost the ability to change my Oct 23-27 reservation a month or so ago and I was only able to add a date to the front by making a new reservation. Still haven’t found anyone to combine the two, but they made a note to keep us in the same site and the second reservation number.

I believe they are no longer saying they will try to keep people on the same site because of the difficulty of arranging this.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

we will be there those dates also say hi to the Minnie Cart if you see her

Awesome, will do!

 

[proudmomof4]

The link to make changes is now back in MDE.

 

[Sjm9911]

I tried to add my brother in 2019 for halloween and they wouldn't let me. They had no problem letting him in, but they would not let me over the phone add him to the reservation. And we only had 3 people staying on the campsite. We were able to add him to the ticket section of the ap, so we could get FPs at the same time. But they wouldnt put him on the campsite reservation.

 

[StormyCA]

So does this affect only changes to the number of people?

I'm planning to book a 'site only' in a few days for Oct 2023 to 'lock in' a site, then convert it to a package when packages are released. I assume I'll have to make the change by phone but does anyone know if I'll still be able to do this?

 

[tatkins]

If last years October fiasco is any indication of the number it is about about a third of the sites. I know a TA who books a bunch of sites year round and then sells them to people in a facebook group. She has a number of sites for Memorial Day weekend.
Honestly I dont know why Disney even pays commission on Ft Wilderness bookings. Though that wouldnt stop site selling.

Can you tell me who this TA is and how to find them? I’m wondering if they might have a campsite for when I’d like to go since I can’t get one through Disney. Thanks

 

[2goofycampers]

Can you tell me who this TA is and how to find them? I’m wondering if they might have a campsite for when I’d like to go since I can’t get one through Disney. Thanks

Here is a travel agency that is also owned by the person that owns this board.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/a-list-of-dreams-unlimited-travel-agents.3767874/

 

[ajjonesehc]

Just tried to make a change to our reservation for November. I've had a work trip pop up and needed to drop the first 10 days from our planned month-long stay. Have escalated it all the way up the chain that I can and there are no allowed changes to any reservations in November or December. Beware that if you need to make any change they are not allowing anything except a cancel and rebook. The executive correspondence person I spoke to last said they're relaying any displeasure to the Fort management, but that there's nothing that can be done at this point. Now faced with paying for 10 days I won't use or trying my luck at the cancel and rebook. Just so incredibly frustrating.

 

[proudmomof4]

Just tried to make a change to our reservation for November. I've had a work trip pop up and needed to drop the first 10 days from our planned month-long stay. Have escalated it all the way up the chain that I can and there are no allowed changes to any reservations in November or December. Beware that if you need to make any change they are not allowing anything except a cancel and rebook. The executive correspondence person I spoke to last said they're relaying any displeasure to the Fort management, but that there's nothing that can be done at this point. Now faced with paying for 10 days I won't use or trying my luck at the cancel and rebook. Just so incredibly frustrating.

I ran into this same thing, except mine was only 1 night I wanted to drop from a mid September reservation. They told me there are new policies in place to stop people from dropping days at the start of their reservation. I was lucky and was able to do a rebook and get the dates I wanted.

The person in guest relations that I spoke with said it was to stop the people who book 499 days out, for a month long stay, to get the really hard to get dates, like Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years, and then they later cancel the first 3 weeks or more of their reservation.

 

[StormyCA]

Just tried to make a change to our reservation for November. I've had a work trip pop up and needed to drop the first 10 days from our planned month-long stay. Have escalated it all the way up the chain that I can and there are no allowed changes to any reservations in November or December. Beware that if you need to make any change they are not allowing anything except a cancel and rebook. The executive correspondence person I spoke to last said they're relaying any displeasure to the Fort management, but that there's nothing that can be done at this point. Now faced with paying for 10 days I won't use or trying my luck at the cancel and rebook. Just so incredibly frustrating.

I assume it's because those are the 'holiday time' months? I wonder if WDW has had a past history of people 'over-booking' the length of their stay and then adjusting their reservation to the needed ones once they lock down their vacation dates at work. Or could it be because you were trying to shorten a 'longer than usual' stay?

A lot of the Natl Parks had that problem when they went to reservations 'windows'. Campsites went so fast that people would book 3 weeks when the window opened knowing they only wanted the 3rd week, then they'd cancel the first one or two weeks after their actual dates' window opened. They've now instituted adjust/cancel policies to help circumvent that.

Edit: I see that @proudmomof4 has pretty much confirmed my suspicions. I'm not surprised at Disney putting in this policy. It's just unfortunate that it disadvantages those who actually DO want to stay for long periods and then encounter a problem necessitating shortening their stay.

 

[serenitygr]

Just tried to make a change to our reservation for November. I've had a work trip pop up and needed to drop the first 10 days from our planned month-long stay. Have escalated it all the way up the chain that I can and there are no allowed changes to any reservations in November or December. Beware that if you need to make any change they are not allowing anything except a cancel and rebook. The executive correspondence person I spoke to last said they're relaying any displeasure to the Fort management, but that there's nothing that can be done at this point. Now faced with paying for 10 days I won't use or trying my luck at the cancel and rebook. Just so incredibly frustrating.

Just out of curiosity- can you “rebook and THEN cancel” ( assuming you are successful in eventually getting the dates you want) rather than “ cancel THEN rebook”? I hope that makes sense

 

[Marionnette]

I guess that this new rule means that you can't combine reservations either? I was able to piece together a stay but it ended up being 7 nights + 2 nights in the same type of site. It's for my sister and her husband and I know he's not going to be happy if he has to move the camper for a 2-night stay.

 

[StormyCA]

I guess that this new rule means that you can't combine reservations either? I was able to piece together a stay but it ended up being 7 nights + 2 nights in the same type of site. It's for my sister and her husband and I know he's not going to be happy if he has to move the camper for a 2-night stay.

I have no specific knowledge, but I kinda think not. The purpose of the new rule is to stop people from snatching up inventory, knowing they aren't going to stay all those dates, only to cancel part of it later. 'Date snatching' stops others from booking campsites, at least until the 'un-needed' dates are released by the reservation holder. Combining reservations isn't really affecting 'inventory' in that way, it's still the same number of nights whether it's one ressie or two.

I think combining reservations would have more to do with the dates 'aligning' to allow 9 nights in one spot.

I'd call Disney and ask what the policy is now on combining ressies.

 

[bama_ed]

Just out of curiosity- can you “rebook and THEN cancel” ( assuming you are successful in eventually getting the dates you want) rather than “ cancel THEN rebook”? I hope that makes sense

I don't see how you could rebook and THEN cancel, @serenitygr, because then there would be a temporary overlap of people across two reservations at the same time in similar time frames (depends on if names are changing or dates are changing). That might cause reservation system problems.

Also I doubt cancel/rebook is instantaneous enough for someone to get the same time slot on a new reservation that they just dropped. I'd have to see/hear it happen a couple times before I believe it.

That 4th quarter time frame of October 1 through New Years is chock full at the Fort. I think the mish mash of groups/blocks, travel agent bookings, and individual reservations (like booking a month and later dropping the 1st three weeks at the last minute) was making it difficult to actually keep the Fort full (and generating maximum revenue).

There have been LOTS of times over the years when people were at the Fort and either A) wanted to extend their stay or B) have a friend join them while there. But the system showed no campsites available and yet there were sites around the current guest that would sit empty FOR DAYS.

There was also language implemented a year or so ago that prevented back-to-back reservations that exceeded 30 days consecutively (or words to that effect).

Bama Ed

 

[serenitygr]

I don't see how you could rebook and THEN cancel, @serenitygr, because then there would be a temporary overlap of people across two reservations at the same time in similar time frames (depends on if names are changing or dates are changing). That might cause reservation system problems.

Also I doubt cancel/rebook is instantaneous enough for someone to get the same time slot on a new reservation that they just dropped. I'd have to see/hear it happen a couple times before I believe it.

That 4th quarter time frame of October 1 through New Years is chock full at the Fort. I think the mish mash of groups/blocks, travel agent bookings, and individual reservations (like booking a month and later dropping the 1st three weeks at the last minute) was making it difficult to actually keep the Fort full (and generating maximum revenue).

There have been LOTS of times over the years when people were at the Fort and either A) wanted to extend their stay or B) have a friend join them while there. But the system showed no campsites available and yet there were sites around the current guest that would sit empty FOR DAYS.

There was also language implemented a year or so ago that prevented back-to-back reservations that exceeded 30 days consecutively (or words to that effect).

Bama Ed

You’re much more knowledgeable than I am, Bama Ed (still a life goal to meet you )

I do know that I actually did have overlapping reservations under my name this October. We had already booked two weeks in a premium meadow site. Then we decided to come one week earlier ( so three weeks total)
I was able to piece together sites as they came open , even though they were different types of sites. Then a couple weeks ago I looked and was lucky enough to see a premium meadow open for six of the nights we needed! I booked that without issues, and then canceled all the one and two night reservations that I had pieced together.

 

[bama_ed]

I guess that this new rule means that you can't combine reservations either? I was able to piece together a stay but it ended up being 7 nights + 2 nights in the same type of site. It's for my sister and her husband and I know he's not going to be happy if he has to move the camper for a 2-night stay.

I've done that, @Marionnette, and what I've done is when I check in for the first stay, I mention to the CM that I have a 2nd consecutive stay (same level) and they type in some magic in their computer and tell me it's set. And I've also walked up to the lobby on the last night of the first stay and done the same (this was before on-line checkin). Never had a problem. And I like dealing with it in person face-to-face.

I've also been the guy arriving and after being assigned a site, drove down to back into it and found it occupied. Called the lobby and they gave me a new site to use. So your BIL will be okay either way but better he let the Fort CM know during his first stay about his second stay. The only time I've heard people possibly having to move is when the second stay was not the same level (Premium ----> Premium for example). If the 2nd stay is something other than Premium, he may have to. But Disney tries to work it out best they can so even those examples are few in reality.

Bama Ed

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

I have had a 4 night stay Oct 23-27 for a while, been trying to add the 22nd to it. I never was able to, but got a one night on the 22nd on it's own reservation. I called, they couldn't combine them, but added notes indicating consecutive stay, etc. Told me the October reservations around Halloween were locked, they couldn't touch them. I've been trying to add the one night online with no success.

Well just this week, I was able to add 4 nights to the 1 night reservation. Grabbed that, cancelled the 4 night. But even on that day I couldn't add one to the four. Go Figure.

 

[ScarletFire]

Just yesterday, I added 10/22 and 10/23 to a reservation that begins 10/16. I've been working on this reservation every day for almost 2 months. It's taken awhile to build it for 8 nights. DONE and HAPPY!