Can I make a cash reservation through MS?

[WolfpackFan]

I was going to try to get a room in November at HHI using my Disney Rewards Visa. I called the reservation number and it was so frustrating listening to the idiot recording and having to answer all the questions and then told no one was available to talk, I just gave up and hung up. I am so used to just calling MS and it being much faster. Maybe I'm just getting old and don't have any patience.

PS - Then I try to get on here and the DISBoards are slow as Christmas.

PPS - Another update, finally got someone on the phone and then the battery on my phone died. I think someone is trying to tell me we don't need to go to HHI in November.

 

[Debs Hill]

Yes you can.....I did it last week!!! Just call the usual member services number and tell them that you want to make a cash reservation.

I booked 10 nights at HH for Apri 2011 and was told that as a DVC member you don't need to pay a deposit, you just pay the full amount when you arrive. She took room requests just as though it was a points reservation. My only worry is that I haven't had an e-mail confirmation (like with a points booking) or a reservation number, so hoping it will arrive in the post soon! Does anyone else have experience about what I should expect to receive?

Debsx

 

[WolfpackFan]

Well I just called MS and got the runaround. They said they couldn't make cash reservations using codes or anything like that. I'm about ready to give up. The regular reservation phone system is atrocious. They ask you a hundred different questions that you have to "say" the answer to. Well we have Vonage and our phones don't work well half the time, so typically they get the wrong answer. Oh well, we didn't need to go to HHI in November anyway .

Well, final update to this sad story. I tried our other phone with the reservation number again. Went through all the questions and finally got the music playing. Waited and waited and then wouldn't you know it the battery on that phone died. I told DW, that's it. Someone is definitely trying to tell us we have no business going to HHI in November. To heck with it. I'm going to get on with my day.

 

[staceymay00]

I am pretty sure you can only book rack rate, or the 25% off DVC rate if available, through MS. You have to continue trying CRO for any other discount codes. Try CRO later in the day. The waits are usually not as long as in the morning.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Well I kept trying and finally got through to talk to someone in reservations. After spending another 10 minutes or so giving her all the information on our DD before she would even check availability (why she had to know DD's address and all beats the heck out of me) and expecting my phone to drop the call at anytime; I was told there was no availability for the HHI Disney Visa promotion for Nov. 1-4. The only thing she had was a 3BR for over a $1000.

Well we've decided to go to Williamsburg for a couple of days instead. We were looking for a short get away with DD. She is a school teacher and that is when she will be tracked out and we wanted to do something special for her.

I do have to say trying to make a ressie via Disney's reservation service really makes you appreciate MS. I couldn't believe the hoops I had to jump through before I could even be put in the queue to speak to a reservation person. I mean when I had to spell out my email address over the phone, I thought that was just taking automation a little too far.

Overall it has not been a good WDW day for WolfpackFan.

 

[dgaston]

At least planning something nice for your DD may make the day better.

 

[Sammie]

The only cash bookings MS can make are the member discount of 25% if you want to book Annual Pass or any other discount code you will have to call the DRC.

Once you use the DRC, you don't have to repeat your info and it goes quicker and you know which buttons to push to get through quickly.

One reason the process is so detailed was people constantly calling to just check for rooms, over and over.

If people abuse MS, then it will happen there to. That is Disney's way of dealing with problems, make it hard for everyone.

 

[PKWallaby]

Well I just called MS and got the runaround. They said they couldn't make cash reservations using codes or anything like that. I'm about ready to give up. The regular reservation phone system is atrocious. They ask you a hundred different questions that you have to "say" the answer to. Well we have Vonage and our phones don't work well half the time, so typically they get the wrong answer. Oh well, we didn't need to go to HHI in November anyway .

Well, final update to this sad story. I tried our other phone with the reservation number again. Went through all the questions and finally got the music playing. Waited and waited and then wouldn't you know it the battery on that phone died. I told DW, that's it. Someone is definitely trying to tell us we have no business going to HHI in November. To heck with it. I'm going to get on with my day.

Totally agree with you on this. I had not called CRO until recently when I needed to add a couple cash nights to the beginning of our Oct stay: the voice system is sooo frustrating. I have a last name with an odd spelling and the system will not recognize the correct spelling and I end up repeating in over and over until one of us finally gives up and I get passed on to a CM. I finally said something about it today and the gal mentioned they get a lot of complaints about the voice activated system.

Sure makes me appreciate how quickly I speak with a human when using MS. Yeah for DVC!!