cm said I cannot change my stay

[kaytieeldr]

It may be that those that can be rigid with their travel dates will get the discounts and those that need to be flexible will need to pay full price

Well, since you put it that way - it sound like Walt Disney World Resorts is adopting the airline model.

 

[SmallWorld71]

I don't know if this is the same or not, but something like this happened to me back in December. I had booked CSR with free dining from 12/23 - 1/1. We then added 2 nights at Universal afterwards. We toyed around with the idea of heading to Universal on 12/31 and shortening our WDW stay by 1 day. Multiple CM's told me that they only way that the computer would let them modify the reservation was by cancelling and then rebooking, that the way things were now set up they couldn't just cancel a day. I would then likely lose my free dining promo as things were pretty much booked solid everywhere so we kept things as they were. I assumed it was a tech issue and the way things were set up not with all the MyMagic+ stuff. I wonder if managers had to do so many overrides because of the lousy tech system that they are now making a blanket change policy?

 

[PrincessCooper's Mom]

***My results***
I called back this morning to try and change reservation again. The first person that I talked to was having problems until she realized it was booked under a bounceback offer. She transferred me to the bounce back department. The CM told me that she would have to complete a form and send to guest services and they would have to make the decision on whether the change could be made. She completed form and sent while we were on the phone and told me that I would get a response within 24 hours either way. She said that it would also update on My Disney Experience. I checked about 1:00pm and reservation has already been changed. Hope this helps someone!!!

 

[ErinsMommy]

My personal thought without reading through all 6 pages is this is free dining and the room/resort may not have the availability?

 

[Sandi]

I'm may have to change my dates for our August trip depending on flights. When I booked, the CM suggested that I do cushion days to work with my flights and I could always drop the days I didn't need. I wasn't planning to book air until June; if they give me the run around, we might choose to vacation elsewhere.

 

[ArwenMarie]

***My results***
I called back this morning to try and change reservation again. The first person that I talked to was having problems until she realized it was booked under a bounceback offer. She transferred me to the bounce back department. The CM told me that she would have to complete a form and send to guest services and they would have to make the decision on whether the change could be made. She completed form and sent while we were on the phone and told me that I would get a response within 24 hours either way. She said that it would also update on My Disney Experience. I checked about 1:00pm and reservation has already been changed. Hope this helps someone!!!

Oh that's good info to know about the bouncebacks, thanks!

 

[isabellea]

That makes me afraid. I want to change my reservation from a 7 nights at CSR (booked with summer discount) to 3 nights at YC followed by 4 nights at CSR. My room category at CSR is fully booked... I guess if they don't let me do it it's their loss because I will pay less by staying the full 7 nights at CSR then doing the split stay!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

If you are booked under a discount, you can still get the discount even after it expires if they have rooms available under that discount. In essence, you are grandfathered in. For example, in February, we had a room at GF booked under a discount. The only room we could get was TPV and I really wanted to save a little more money if possible. The day after the discount expired, I called on a whim and, lo and behold, they could put us in lagoon view with the discount.

These change restrictions are in the package and room-only terms and conditions. For room-only, Disney states your rate is guaranteed as long as you don't make changes. For packages, they state they reserve the right to restrict changes. They are just now enforcing these terms and conditions.

Think of it this way - take any random week in the year - Joe Schmo wants 2 nights, CBR standard for August 1 - 3, Jane Smith wants CBR standard for August 5 - 7, but Bill Williams wants CBR standard for August 1 - 7. Who do you think they want to book that room? They have now set up the system to get Bill Williams to book that room and they have other availability, possibly in higher category rooms for Joe and Jane. Other hotels have operated like this for years. We stayed at Universal Hard Rock and few years ago and the only way to get 7 nights in the same room category was to make two separate reservations. Disney is simply closing this loophole to try to up their profits and, that's what they are in business to do - make money!

 

[Sandi]

I just wanted to report back on my experience with changing the dates of our trip. I finally booked my air and so needed to drop a couple of days from our WDW RO resort reservation (I had extra days at the front and back to give me the flexibility for our air). I modified my reservation on-line and had absolutely no problem doing that. It kept my summer promotion room rate and there was no change fee charged. I was also able to add DME to the reservation, so I got that out of the way, too.

 

[danlkrim]

I just had an experience with this new change policy.
I booked a room only res for end of May going into June at CBR under a discount promotion on Dec 31. I booked Sat to Sunday since I wasn't sure of travel dates to to work/school/family issues knowing I could adjust closer to the check in dates as things were finalized. I modified my departure date on April 10th online without any trouble. Now an unforeseen family issue has come up and I need to modify the res again and check in 1 day later. I tried to do it online, but the results said my standard room was not available. I called. The CM looked into it and said she would need to look into it further and would call my back. While I waited for her call. I looked at my new res confirmation and it now states room rates are guaranteed as long as the res is not modified. Maybe you that has always been there, and they just didn't really enforce it.
The CM did call me back within a few minutes. I decided to also check out 1 day early and asked for that change as well so I wouldn't have trouble once I was there. the CM said my changes were granted. She made it sound like they were making an exception to a policy, but did not specify that.
I have BB booked for September and November. At the CM's urging I booked extra days so now I am concerned about adjusting those reservations.
I understand if they want to change the policy, but I feel it should apply to new reservations and not existing ones.

 

[Babsy]

I just had an experience with this new change policy.
I booked a room only res for end of May going into June at CBR under a discount promotion on Dec 31. I booked Sat to Sunday since I wasn't sure of travel dates to to work/school/family issues knowing I could adjust closer to the check in dates as things were finalized. I modified my departure date on April 10th online without any trouble. Now an unforeseen family issue has come up and I need to modify the res again and check in 1 day later. I tried to do it online, but the results said my standard room was not available. I called. The CM looked into it and said she would need to look into it further and would call my back. While I waited for her call. I looked at my new res confirmation and it now states room rates are guaranteed as long as the res is not modified. Maybe you that has always been there, and they just didn't really enforce it.
The CM did call me back within a few minutes. I decided to also check out 1 day early and asked for that change as well so I wouldn't have trouble once I was there. the CM said my changes were granted. She made it sound like they were making an exception to a policy, but did not specify that.
I have BB booked for September and November. At the CM's urging I booked extra days so now I am concerned about adjusting those reservations.
I understand if they want to change the policy, but I feel it should apply to new reservations and not existing ones.

I would change your reservation, if necessary, as soon as you can get your plans set. I had a BB booked last November for November 2015. I had a maximum # of days booked so that I would be sure to get my dates when work and air dates were finalized. The CM that I spoke with was not very sympathetic. He said that he had to send a form with my request and that I would hear within 48 hours if my request to have a shorter stay was granted. With non refundable flights booked and my dates off from work, it was pretty tense not knowing. I could still cancel and stay elsewhere or off site, but I was unhappy about losing the BB offer that I had booked in good faith under the old rules. At the time I wanted to change the reservation, it was almost 7 months before my reservation. Not what I would call a short notice change! they should have enough time to rent this room to someone else.

Anyway, it seems that BB offers will be pretty much useless to me from now on. I simply don't know future dates that I can travel while on an existing vacation. I can give a good guess, but it is rarely accurate to the day. I guess that I will be looking for last minute discounts again before booking. It's probably time for us to slow down how often we travel to WDW anyway. Right now we do about 3 trips to WDW to one trip to Europe. (BB offers have been too good to pass up!) Maybe it's time to do a Disney Cruise!

 

[Momtomouselover]

I just experienced the new unannounced policy as well. We booked a 7 night stay at the Poly. It was a room only AP discount room with a standard view. After waiting and watching the construction updates we decided to (1) only spend half our stay at the Poly and (2) expand the total stay to 8 nights with a 4/4 split with the BC. When I went online I noticed I could book the BC for the nights we wanted so I did that. I then went to modify the Poly stay and called Disney. I was shocked to hear I couldn't reduce my number of nights (we have had to do so in the past and it was never an issue) and keep anywhere near the same class or price. He even quoted me a new price with a suite at one point. I admittedly argued with the CM who was neither very nice nor helpful. Eventually I just said goodbye in frustration. I just kept my 7 night stay and the BC 4 night even though they overlapped until I figured out what I wanted to do. A day or so later I noticed you could make modifications online. I was able to change my 7 night stay to a 3 night and keep the same discount (class and price) and a BC 4 nights but had an open night in between. I booked the Pop to fill the gap. I then obsessively checked the website for days. Eventually I found I could change my Pop room to a Poly standard on the 4th night like I wanted so I did so but I still had 3 reservations. The crazy thing was I could not modify the 3 night stay to a 4 night stay. So I left it as three reservations for a while. I then later started checking again, and a couple days later I could modify the 3 night stay to a 4 night and so I did so then cancelled the 1 night. All this was crazy and stupid and nearly made me either cancel (I was mad enough to do so at first but luckily decided to wait it out), change the whole thing to something like the AKL or a moderate since I wasn't feeling particularly happy with spending lots at Disney, or stay offsite.

In the meantime I have now received 3 sets of MBs, 4 booklets with one in a fancy box and numerous emails. It is weird that you can book a 3 and 1 or a 2,1,1 but not a 4 night stay. It is also wrong to randomly implement a new policy. I sure hope we have a great trip because Disney didn't start this one off on the right foot IMO.

 

[lockedoutlogic]

I just wanted to report back on my experience with changing the dates of our trip. I finally booked my air and so needed to drop a couple of days from our WDW RO resort reservation (I had extra days at the front and back to give me the flexibility for our air). I modified my reservation on-line and had absolutely no problem doing that. It kept my summer promotion room rate and there was no change fee charged. I was also able to add DME to the reservation, so I got that out of the way, too.

After looking though this and similar discussions... The scenario you're describing is exactly what wdw is moving to change their policies to crack down on...

I guess I'm wondering (out loud) if this is a normal thing now?

Overbooking hotel and then adjusting later?
It does remind me of the "double booking" dining reservation period that they have basically eliminated through a couple of measures...

I think they'll do that with hotels as well... Any modifications will have to be a cancel/ rebook.
Those "ghost days" in the system mess with what they're trying to do with the operation down there...

 

[GeraldineW]

I also had booked a BB and wanted to check in a day later and leave a day earlier. I had called several months ago and changed my check in date, no problem. I called to add a guest to the reservation, no problem. I mentioned I probably wanted to change my departure and was told to do so soon because there was a new policy but if I did it soon i could probably get a supervisor to make the change. About a week later I called to change my departure to a day earlier and was told that guest relations would have to approve and I would get a call back within 24 hours. I never received the call from guest relations. My reservation was not modified. I called again. During this last call the CM changed my reservation with no problem, no discussion of a new policy, no having to check with a higher up, nothing, just changed the BB offer to leave a day earlier.

 

[Babsy]

I also had booked a BB and wanted to check in a day later and leave a day earlier. I had called several months ago and changed my check in date, no problem. I called to add a guest to the reservation, no problem. I mentioned I probably wanted to change my departure and was told to do so soon because there was a new policy but if I did it soon i could probably get a supervisor to make the change. About a week later I called to change my departure to a day earlier and was told that guest relations would have to approve and I would get a call back within 24 hours. I never received the call from guest relations. My reservation was not modified. I called again. During this last call the CM changed my reservation with no problem, no discussion of a new policy, no having to check with a higher up, nothing, just changed the BB offer to leave a day earlier.

OK, that is strange! Perhaps the change was supposed to have been made the first time but wasn't showing up in the system? OR....maybe Disney realized how unfair it is to change a policy on reservations that are already booked under different rules?

 

[dansdad]

Well at least they are being consistent.

 

[Babsy]

Well at least they are being consistent.

LOL!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Anyway, it seems that BB offers will be pretty much useless to me from now on. I simply don't know future dates that I can travel while on an existing vacation. I can give a good guess, but it is rarely accurate to the day. I guess that I will be looking for last minute discounts again before booking.

Same here. Bouncebacks will be useless now. I may still try to grab the right dates, but the chance of it working out is slim.

After looking though this and similar discussions... The scenario you're describing is exactly what wdw is moving to change their policies to crack down on...

I guess I'm wondering (out loud) if this is a normal thing now?

Overbooking hotel and then adjusting later?
It does remind me of the "double booking" dining reservation period that they have basically eliminated through a couple of measures...

I think they'll do that with hotels as well... Any modifications will have to be a cancel/ rebook.
Those "ghost days" in the system mess with what they're trying to do with the operation down there...

Exactly. This is what they are already doing. All modifications are technically a rebooking. Even when you use the modify button on MDE. The only reason it works for some people is because the room/rate is available for their new dates.

 

[danlkrim]

So disappointing. One of the reasons I have continued to stay onsite was the flexibility Disney showed with reservation changes. Guess I will have to really be sure of dates. Many hotels still have flexible policies allowing cancellations/changes up to 24 hours before check-in. Unfortunately real life situations with work and family do happen.

 

[GeraldineW]

OK, that is strange! Perhaps the change was supposed to have been made the first time but wasn't showing up in the system? OR....maybe Disney realized how unfair it is to change a policy on reservations that are already booked under different rules?

I called on Mother’s Day. I really don’t know what I wasn’t given any difficulty but at the time I took it as a nice Mother’s Day present. I think I’m going to make all my difficult phone calls on Mother’s Day next year!