Can someone pls help me with room only vs. pkg decision?

[mermaidwannabe]

I currently have a room-only ressie for POR (since we are family of 5) for June 10-14th under the Spring special. I now know in order to take advantage of the free QSDP that is going to come out (ha ha I'm just trying to be positive) I will need to change that room-only into a pkg by adding tickets to it, and the person I just spoke with on the phone said I will have to do that by 2/28, when the SPring offer ends. She also said I have to do it now because there are no more rooms at POR that would be part of a new offer, but if I switch it to a new pkg now then it would be easy to modify instead of cancelling my room-only just to have no availability for a pkg once an offer comes out. Whew, that was a long sentence. Here is my dilemma:

I'm going to try to get YES tickets, but can't get them yet because I don't have airfare yet since it's $520 for my tickets right now. By the time I can book the YES tickets for those June dates, will the classes all be full most likely? (Prob won't buy airfare until next month) If I'm not going to get free dining then I'd just rather keep a room-only since it's easier to change plus if the YES classes fill up, I could still get my tickets from Undercover Tourist. Plus the whole cancellation policy on the packages are just stricter than the room only.

My DH's eyes gloss over when I try to go through my scenarios with him so thought I'd see what you all thought since I have to decide by the end of the week.

Thank you so much just for reading through all that!!!

 

[TDC Nala]

1) You won't be changing the room-only to a package by adding tickets. You will actually be cancelling the room-only reservation and rebooking as a package.

2) You can't get a package with YES tickets. If you want free dining, you will have to get the YES tickets AND ALSO purchase at least 2 day tickets as part of your package. If you want to save money with the YES tickets, you will also need to decide if you also want to buy MORE tickets in order to get your free QS dining.

Unless you buy a package you can't get the dining plan at all (DVC excepted). So if you get the YES tickets and you want a dining plan you will still have to buy tickets with the package, but it's only 1 night tickets if you're paying for the dining plan. Also, you are correct about cancellation policies being stricter for packages.

If you're sold on the YES program you should do some math to see how much you will be spending on extra tickets if you really want a dining plan.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thank you for the info! Okay, so the person I spoke with on the phone was telling me I could just add tickets to my room-only to make a package now but that I couldn't once a deal came out. There is only one YES class left that's open for my dates, so I bet by the time I buy airfare, it will be full. I guess I should just change my ressie to a package and pray for FD. If I leave the room only and FD comes out, I think I'll be out of luck. At least that's what the person pretty much said today.

 

[TDC Nala]

You're only out of luck because no matter what they told you, in order to change a room only to a package they have to cancel and rebook it. Then it would depend on if there is availability with free dining at the resort you want on the dates you want.

Even if you book a package now, you still have to add the free dining while it is still available for your resort on your dates. If the promotion comes out they do NOT automatically add it to your reservation, you have to call and ask for it.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

Thank you so much for telling me this because I obviously got incomplete info especially because she told me if FD is offered it would be for all the resorts not just certain ones. Thanks!!

 

[TDC Nala]

she told me if FD is offered it would be for all the resorts not just certain ones.

First of all, that is not necessarily true, although it might be. It will depend on which resorts they feel like they need to fill rooms in. If they need help to fill all of them, then it will be all of them.

Second, the free dining doesn't apply to ALL rooms in the resorts. They have a certain number of rooms per resort to offer in the promotion. If the promotion rooms in that resort are sold out for your dates when you call to get it, to get the promotion, you have to change dates or change resorts.

 

[mermaidwannabe]

First of all, that is not necessarily true, although it might be. It will depend on which resorts they feel like they need to fill rooms in. If they need help to fill all of them, then it will be all of them.

Second, the free dining doesn't apply to ALL rooms in the resorts. They have a certain number of rooms per resort to offer in the promotion. If the promotion rooms in that resort are sold out for your dates when you call to get it, to get the promotion, you have to change dates or change resorts.

Thank you! I wish people working at WDTC were as knowledgable as you!