Cancelling plans due to delay on APs

[jenniferhouston1]

We have been waiting for weeks to decide between Disney and a cruise (non-Disney). The rest of the travel industry is handing out large discounts for late spring and summer, realizing the obvious: less people are traveling this year.

Today, after giving up hope on the APs, we just booked a great cruise for 70% off of the brochure rates, and approximately 1/2 of what we paid for the same cruise one year ago. The ship was beginning to fill up at these prices, and we did not want to miss out on the cabin we wanted.

We love Disney, and we will be back. However, I am hoping that Disney will change their practices of forcing one to wait until the last minute to make travel plans, due to discount availability.

This is not a rant, by any means Just hoping Disney will change its discount practices in the future. Best wishes to all who are going this year! Jennifer

 

[followme2disney]

I am not really sure that Disney has a specific practice for discounts. I am just hoping that they don't change their policy to eliminate discounts all together. I am very pleased with the great code rate I just got for WL in May. I am soooo excited...........

 

[BrianD]

Originally posted by jenniferhouston1
... I am hoping that Disney will change their practices of forcing one to wait until the last minute to make travel plans, due to discount availability....

I think that the reason Disney is doing it this way is because, in general, people are waiting more until the last minute to make plans. Where as last year Disney was just throwing the discounts at us, this year they are just releasing them in bits and pieces. The discounts will come, because traveling is down, but we may have to wait on pins and needles for them.

 

[Pig Pen]

Sometimes we gotta do what we gotta do!

I am waiting for May AP rates too, but I went ahead and booked with another code in the meantime. I will go either way because I can live with the non-AP rate.

Hey, FollowmetoDisney, we are checking out the day you check in!

Have a great time!

 

[sm4987]

I know the feeling. We already have our AP's from last year and are going one last time on them this summer. I just booked the Swan on the Teacher Rate (thanks to my DH). I didn't want to wait on the discounts rates for the room. Besides I really wanted to try the Swan and now I'll have a chance in one of those beautiful rooms.

 

[the Legend]

Although Im a DC member and a PAP holder ... We dont have the luxury of visiting DisneyWorld without Discounts.

And I usually succeed with Flights, Rental Car, Accomodation and Tickets giving us more money to stay and play longer, which when you are coming from New Zealand. makes all the difference in the World.

We've been blessed with a good run over the 4 years of travelling to WDW so I feel your anguish waiting for those pesky rates to publish (Rang yesterday for WL ... still no AP rates, was told they should be here by Month end). But you did the right thing.

Better luck in the future.

 

[jenniferhouston1]

<<<I think that the reason Disney is doing it this way is because, in general, people are waiting more until the last minute to make plans.>>>>

Brian,

You may be correct. However, Disney's logic is like the old chicken and the egg riddle. Which came first?

People are waiting until the last minute on their expectation of discounts. And Disney is waiting until the last minute to release discounts because people are waiting until the last minute.


So it is really a game of chicken (sorry for using two chicken puns in the same post) hehe

Jennifer

 

[CarolA]

Well, the problem is that people are waiting until the last minute on ALL travel, not just travel to Disney. Keep in mind that the cruise you booked sounds like it was booked pretty late by standards of a few years ago. I am planning a trip to DC for late March and my hotel rates have fallen dramatically in the last few weeks so I think what Disney is doing is generally what the travel industry is doing.

I would think Disney is probably considering the options of closing part of the resorts so they can charge more for the existing rooms. There is an analysis that they have to do to decide if the "cost" of running the hotel is greater than the discounted revenue they might get.

Plus I have a friend who until I stopped her today was booking 7 nights in June at WL at Rack Rates! I got her the AXA discount and she saved $80 a night!

 

[dg39]

Unfortunately we may be doing the same thing. If disney doesn't release any mid summer codes, we won't be able to swing a disney vacation this year. I guess I'm kind of spoiled by the great discounts I got last year. We stayed at the CR tower club and payed 225.00 plus tax. We do have ressies for mid july, but we can only go if they give us a discount. We do have AAA, but its not enough for us to go. I love disney just as much as all of you, but my husband doesn't. He feels we can go to an island for less then half the price of disney. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for ALL of us waiting for any type of discount codes. Maybe some pixie dust will fall on all of us and we'll all be able to go to disney and have the best vacation ever.

 

[Sammie]

For people who have traveled to Disney prior to the hard economic times, discounts at Disney were few and far between and mainly were targeted to Florida residents and mailed postcards to geographical areas. Discounts to the general public were unheard of.

Disney started discounting rooms due to falling occupancy levels. Disney will not discount rooms if there is the slightest chance of booking them at regular rack rate.

Disney will hold out until the last minute hoping for full rate bookings. Due to the large number of people who go ahead and book in advance and hope for a discount, Disney may very well be holding the discount this very same guest is hoping for.

It is a Catch 22 situation.

 

[delswife]

We are in the same boat, really hoping for the discounts!
What do you normally book first? Transportation or rooms?

 

[Buckalew]

My problem is that I book myself appointments (for my work) 1-3 months ahead of time. So, by the time Disney is posting a code, my schedule is already booked and it is so hard for me to get off from work. It is just so frustrating...

 

[Colexi's Mom]

I think we have all been spoiled by discounts at Disney. There was a time that the only discount available was Disney Club (not sure if there were AP rates back then). We are going in May for 10 days, staying at WL and BC. DH is most likely about to lose his job. We will still be going to Disney because I have already booked the airfare, but we will have to move to AS instead of BC/WL. I'll still be in Disney and that will be what matters most. Not which hotel I am staying at.

 

[zulaya]

I have said this many many times, never book what you can't afford, counting on a code or an AP rate. Really, just because the last 2 years we have seen major discounts shouldn't mean you should expect them. Sure the travel industry sucks right now, but even they are trying to make money and stay afloat.

My question is, why haven't you gone after those code rates? I know there are no true public ones out yet, but those of you with the Disney Club, there are codes out for the room-only plan from 4/27 - (I think) 7/9. And from what I have seen over the past year, the AP rates haven't been any better than the codes, at least not enough to wait for.

Disney is probably asessing room occupancy levels right now. If they don't have to offer a discount to fill the rooms to what they consider an acceptable level, then they won't offer discounts.

Those of you with DC probably saw that anytime in March, you were going to get more Disney Dollars or more money off - and this just started in mid Feb!

Patience unfortunately is not a virtue of myself or anyone else waiting for a vacation!

This waiting game is one of the reasons I decided to join DVC. No waiting for a discount - you already know you are getting a good deal when you join.

 

[disneyfanforever]

Jennifer

Sorry about the bad luck with Disney. It sounds like you got a great deal with the cruise. Do you mind sharing what cruise line you are going to be using? My DH and I would love to go on a cruise sometime, and if the price was right, we may be able to actually do it.

 

[CarolA]

I'm with Zulaya. You should book the hotel you can afford and them IF a discount comes and you could upgrage enjoy it. Otherwise you are setting yourself up for disappointment if the discounts don't come out. In looking at the public codes I can't imagine that AP rates are going to be a LOT below them. I looked at the last AP rates and compared them to the codes on Mary's site and there is not a huge difference. I mean the codes have the Courtyard view around $90 off the regular rate right now.

I will say that since CR is the overflow for Shades of Green I am surprised there are any discounts available there while Shades is closed. They are filling up a LOT of those rooms at pretty cheap rates already.

 

[jenniferhouston1]

We chose to do Royal Carribbean out of Galveston for seven nights that cruises the Western Caribbean, mostly because Galveston is close by, and no airplane tickets are needed.

However, all of the cruise market is in a slump right now, and many many discounts are available. You can see the deals at any major travel website.

As far as not counting on discounts with Disney, I agree that you should only reserve what you can afford. However, when all of the other vacation travel is discounted, is it not reasonable to expect Disney to do the same to remain competitive?

For example, we budgeted enough to go to Disney at the rack rates. But when other travel is discounted at 30 and 40, even 50% elsewhere, our family made the personal choice to consider other alternatives, and put the savings in our rainy day fund. That was our decision, which may not be right for others.

Again, we will be back many time to Disney. The discount "window" just was not open at the right time for us this year. I am crossing my fingers for the rest of you who are waiting on the AP rates. (I have to live vicariously through your trip reports)

 

[mrsltg]

Jennifer-

Sounds like a great cruise. Have a wonderful trip! My Dh, Dd, and I went on a last minute 3-day on Norweigian last month and it cost a little under $600 total! With these kinds of discounts available, you can't go wrong!

Erin

 

[NotUrsula]

... Cruises in a big way. Several sailings for late Spring/early summer are being offered at about 50% off. iCruise just got a really good review from Frommer's Budget Travel; they are cruise consolidators whose business it is to fill up ships.