Changing dates versus cancelling (inside 45 days)

[TheRatPack]

Okay....I know it's be discussed before but I find myself in the position where I think we're going to cancel our December vacation. It's been a fight from the beginning to make it work, with the loss of hours at my husbands job to the loss of money through our second IVF, unexpected MRI...etc.

So, while we do have the money to go and the trip is paid in full, it kind of makes no sense to be dropping after all the other money that's left our hands in the last few months. Plus we're not really even that excited about the December trip. Sad, but true.....we're just more MNSSHP people and the food and wine festival...etc. This year it just seems blah to be planning a trip the week before Christmas, even though we did say we'd see the Christmas lights LOL, we've seen them before and aren't really looking forward to the cold...etc.

So now about my question in the title. When we first booked this trip, we had it as 1 reservation, 2 rooms. When I added my MIL it went from 1 reservation to 2 because it was now 8 people. Now we're looking at losing 200.00 since we're inside that 45 day window....not really something I want to do. We hope and pray we'll be able to go back next year at our regular time (September/October) so I thought maybe I could just move the dates of the trip without penalties?

Does anyone have any idea on how to do this so I don't lose out on money, or if I do lose some....maybe it won't be as much as 200.00?

Thanks!!!

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

It's a shame that you will have to cancel but totally understandable. You should be able to do it with no penalty if you reschedule your trip at the time that you cancel. When you do that, you do not get a refund of the money already paid. That money will be applied as a credit toward the new trip. If you do not re-book your trip at the time you cancel this one, you will pay a cancellation fee of $100 per reservation but you will get the rest of your money back.

 

[TheRatPack]

Thanks.....so there isn't a 50.00 penalty for changing the dates? Oh and another question....if they come out with a public code for free dining next year (we're crossing our fingers LOL) will we be able to apply that code to our rescheduled reservations? This year we used the Chase free QS dining for December, so I'm assuming that code will disappear when we reschedule for 2010 dates....and that'll let us use another one if one comes out?

Oh and just to clarify...it's not the trip money we're really worried about, that's money already spent. We're just trying to save the money that we'd spend on all those other things (gas and food for the trip down and back, souvenirs, sit down meals since we're on the QS plan and of course the kennel cost for the dogs while we're away) Plus if we have to, we can use my husbands vacation pay to fill in where his hours have been cut....which will help with everyday expenses...etc.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

Thanks.....so there isn't a 50.00 penalty for changing the dates? Oh and another question....if they come out with a public code for free dining next year (we're crossing our fingers LOL) will we be able to apply that code to our rescheduled reservations? This year we used the Chase free QS dining for December, so I'm assuming that code will disappear when we reschedule for 2010 dates....and that'll let us use another one if one comes out?

The change fee generally applies to changes that result in a lower price for Disney. IOW, if you were to make a change that costs you more money (like adding hopping to your base passes or upgrading your resort), then Disney would waive the change fee. But if the change results in a lower package price (like dropping a guest from the reservation or shortening your stay), then Disney will take their fee.

Your free dining for the December reservation cannot be applied to a reservation for next fall. When you re-book, you will be given the rack rate for your stay since there are no discounts for next fall except AAA rates. When (if) a discount for your dates comes out, you can call to have the new code applied to your reservation.

 

[TheRatPack]

Thanks...that's great news Our package will be more of course, since we'll add on the dining.....but if a public package comes out with free dining next fall we wanted to be able to apply that. Not sure yet if we're going to add or drop the MIL for next year though, I'd kind of like to have this all on one reservation again, instead of keeping up with 2....not sure if they can do that but I might ask. She won't be able to go for 9 days due to her job....so she may just book a room only for the days she can go.