Disney confirming to TAs: BRP now REPLACES AP codes

[Magicaltimes]

if you are looking for cancelations from Katrina...the victims do not have phones...My DH has tried to contact friends in New Orleans and Mississippi with no avail...they are probably not canceling because they cannot cancel. I have many friends who cannot go home my city is completely at capacity with disaster victims staying at churches, homes, and red cross units. I spent last night at a place delivering what I could for a home with 30 people in it. This was a private home. I just think there are no cancelations because there is simply no way to contact Disney and I believe Disney is the furthest thing from their Mind...When I went to Disney during the Ivan hurricane...I was the only one standing on Main street...We have pictures of empty streets...
Our city was still expecting buses to show from Louisiana superdome....If anyone would like to help go to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-help now...please...you would not believe the stories I have been told by survivors..If I could hold them all in my arms I would....

 

[sherry8253]

if you are looking for cancelations from Katrina...the victims do not have phones...My DH has tried to contact friends in New Orleans and Mississippi with no avail...they are probably not canceling because they cannot cancel. I have many friends who cannot go home my city is completely at capacity with disaster victims staying at churches, homes, and red cross units. I spent last night at a place delivering what I could for a home with 30 people in it. This was a private home. I just think there are no cancelations because there is simply no way to contact Disney and I believe Disney is the furthest thing from their Mind...When I went to Disney during the Ivan hurricane...I was the only one standing on Main street...We have pictures of empty streets...
Our city was still expecting buses to show from Louisiana superdome....If anyone would like to help go to www.redcross.org or call 1-800-help now...please...you would not believe the stories I have been told by survivors..If I could hold them all in my arms I would....

I don't think people are saying they expect the victims to be calling to cancel their vacations. With the things they have gone though (no homes, no jobs, loss of loved ones), I am sure thoughts of Disney never even crossed their minds even if they had access to a phone. I believe posters are talking about people throughout the US who will need to use the dollars they have (or are planning to) set aside for a vacation to pay the higher costs of daily basic needs such as heating oil, gas, food, etc. that we will all be seeing for months to come. I, like them, believe that alot of people who live no where close to the disaster zone will not be able to afford a Disney vacation because they won't have the money now. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. My prayers are with them. I have made a donation to the red cross and I hope that everyone who is financially able to will do so also.

 

[cujochurch]

I, like them, believe that alot of people who live no where close to the disaster zone will not be able to afford a Disney vacation because they won't have the money now. My heart goes out to the victims and their families. My prayers are with them. I have made a donation to the red cross and I hope that everyone who is financially able to will do so also.

My trip isn't until Oct. and I am seriously considering canceling. I personally feel guilty about planning a vacation. DH and I are most likely going to take our vacation budget and donate it to the victims. I don't think I would have any fun knowing that I can spend 5K on a trip when others have nothing.

I don't want to get too far off topic...but don't forget the animals as well. They get left out sometimes. You can donate to the Human Society by clicking HERE! In New Orleans and other Gulf Coast states, heart-wrenching stories have emerged about pet owners separated from their pets. Have you seen the report about Snowball? On CNN they showed a little boy carrying his dog Snowball and trying to get on one of the busses. The military guards would not let him. They showed him crying hysterically & screaming, "Snowball, Snowball!" until he vomited. Or the lady who was being rescued from her home and pleaded to bring her cat and when they told her no she offered them her wedding ring and her moms wedding ring. I know I would be devastated if I had to leave my dogs. I would be one of those people that they would have to drag me kicking and screaming to leave without taking them with me. There will be a great deal of companion animals starving to death, dying from diseased water and drowning in their homes. I donated to red cross and the Humane Society. I split what I could afford between them. Maybe some of you could do the same.

 

[HollyJoy]

I am trying to tentatively plan a trip for late January 2006, and was thinking about buying an AP for the resort discounts. So does this mean that now I shouldn't? I'm still not 100% clear on the whole AP thing. We will stay at a value w/out one. Was thinking we could go to a Moderate if there was an AP rate available.

 

[skiwee1]

My trip isn't until Oct. and I am seriously considering canceling. I personally feel guilty about planning a vacation. DH and I are most likely going to take our vacation budget and donate it to the victims. I don't think I would have any fun knowing that I can spend 5K on a trip when others have nothing.

I don't want to get too far off topic...but don't forget the animals as well. They get left out sometimes.]

I gave half of my donation to the Red Cross and the other half to the Humane Society. I will still be going on vacation though and won't feel guilty. I know if I were in their shoes I certainly wouldn't want others lives to stop or feel guilty about enjoying their own lives.

 

[WillCAD]

I am trying to tentatively plan a trip for late January 2006, and was thinking about buying an AP for the resort discounts. So does this mean that now I shouldn't? I'm still not 100% clear on the whole AP thing. We will stay at a value w/out one. Was thinking we could go to a Moderate if there was an AP rate available.

Resort discounts have never been guaranteed, as many people will point out to you ad nauseum, so I have always recommended to people that they not by an AP strictly for the room discounts.

Instead, figure up the number of days you will be going into the WDW parks in a one-year period. Do you go every year? If so, you can simply plan next year's trip a week or two earlier than this year's trip so that park admission for both trips is covered by one AP. Discounts and perks are simply icing on the cake after that.

The new Best Rate Program, however, is a form of room discount, and many people have used it to successfully get good room discounts. But the BRP is controversial mainly because of it's booking terms: 60-day advance booking, one-night non-refundable deposit, $50 fee to change your ressie (i.e. add a day, subtract a day, move up the whole thing a day, change resort or room category), you can only book the BRP on-line (using a very twitchy booking engine that's about as stable as a Central American Dictatorship) or through a travel agent, and you cannot make additional payments to your ressie after you make it - you must simply pay the entire balance due at time of check-in.

I don't like the BRP and I won't use it, because of the terms I listed above. But many people do use it and have gotten reasonably good discounts. I recommend that if you do choose to buy an AP and use the BRP to get a good room rate that you make the ressie through a travel agent rather than with the aforementioned unstable web booking engine. Magical Journeys is my agency of choice, although there are several other good ones mentioned on these boards all the time.

 

[Magicaltimes]

I know my Uncle in Utah just canceled their trip for October due to gas and the lack of AP discounts...He just could not figure out how to swing it.

 

[MinnieSummer]

We just got back from an unplanned trip to WDW this weekend. Considerring it was a holiday weekend I was shocked that a, we got a discount rate at POP and b, there were no long lines. We walked on everything we wanted to ride -- Kali River Rapids, Dinasaur, Safari, Star Tours, Rockin Roller Coaster, and on Monday we went to MK and in an hour rode TMR, SM, SM, Stitch, and Peter pan (with a fast pass). It was unbelievable. I have to think that a lot of people cancelled due to the gas crunch/rumors. I know we filled up right when we got off the Osceola so we wouldn't have to worry about it when we were ready to leave.

What surprised me even more was that the weather was great -- not overly hot, a great breeze, and no rain -- and the locals didn't seem to be out. Oh well, it worked for me.

 

[WillCAD]

We just got back from an unplanned trip to WDW this weekend. Considerring it was a holiday weekend I was shocked that a, we got a discount rate at POP and b, there were no long lines. We walked on everything we wanted to ride -- Kali River Rapids, Dinasaur, Safari, Star Tours, Rockin Roller Coaster, and on Monday we went to MK and in an hour rode TMR, SM, SM, Stitch, and Peter pan (with a fast pass). It was unbelievable. I have to think that a lot of people cancelled due to the gas crunch/rumors. I know we filled up right when we got off the Osceola so we wouldn't have to worry about it when we were ready to leave.

What surprised me even more was that the weather was great -- not overly hot, a great breeze, and no rain -- and the locals didn't seem to be out. Oh well, it worked for me.

Holiday or not, this was the first weekend of September, and September is when most kids go back to school, meaning that almost nobody plans vacations for the whole month.

WDW is always deserted in September, and I think that after the Hurricane Conga Line that came through Florida last September, it will be even more deserted than usual this year, despite the free Dining Plan offer they had running over the summer.

 

[MinnieSummer]

But I was there for Labor day two years ago and the place was packed -- mostly with Floridians but packed none the less. I really think rumors of gas shortages stopped a lot of people like me, who do the weekend drive trip, from going to the world.