Disney to cancel FPs if room is cancelled

[guerns17]

I will keep the split stays reservations until late Sunday or Monday and see what happens to the ADRs. I’ll post the results of our “experiment”

 

[gillep]

They said if you change resorts for the entire stay is how you can keep your Fastpasses. It has to be the entire stay And no setting up split stays. Split stays will cancel the second reservation made Fastpasses and will be assigned it’s own booking window.

Every time I called or chatted they all have said without a doubt each reservation has its own fastpass booking window so no continuous stay for that. And if you cancel your reservation used to book Fastpasses (partially or fully) you lose Fastpasses for the days cancelled. The one caveat is if you move your resort for the entire stay of the original reservation you get to keep your Fastpasses. It’s pretty easy for the CM to just say fastpass windows are per reservation.

I believe you, but man, I am having a hard time grasping the logic here. I just had to chat with DVC about some other nonsense yesterday after sending a complaint letter, and now I feel the need to draft another email about this, they are going to be flagging my file any day now. I went so many years with hardly any complaints but these last two years Disney has really come up with some award winning ideas.

 

[anomamatt]

I am having a hard time grasping the logic here.

Indeed. And unfortunately, it's very much par for the course with Disney these days.

 

[ParkHoppers]

So if I have a split stay set up before the 60 day FP window I will have to set up my FPs twice. Once at the 60 day window and one a few days later when the second half of my split stay starts? This right?

 

[Iowamomof4]

So if I have a split stay set up before the 60 day FP window I will have to set up my FPs twice. Once at the 60 day window and one a few days later when the second half of my split stay starts? This right?

Yes, this is our current understanding and what Disney is telling people.

 

[ParkHoppers]

Yes, this is our current understanding and what Disney is telling people.

Thanks. So this will really hurt people deciding to change to split stay or modify within the 60 day window.

 

[cm8]

You can thank all those people who thought using loopholes and abusing the system was a great idea. I’ve railed about this for years. Eventually Disney was going to put a stop to it and a lot of people who are legitimate onsite guests would pay the price. Just like when they stopped the DS to park busses, one of many conveniences on site guests have lost due to off site guest abuse.

Next up: Guest who “share” Deluxe Dining Plan Credits but only pay for 1 adult to utilize it...

 

[DavidNYC]

So I just tested it out. I have an AP so I made 3 separate room only reservations.
One split stay scenario
Allstar movies April 23-April 28
Pop April 28 - May 3

One regular reservation
Port Orleans April 23 - May 3

I then went and made a fastpass every day of the reservations.

Next, I cancelled the port Orleans reservation. I was given a warning that my fastpasses would be cancelled.

I checked and none of the fastpasses were cancelled. I signed in and out to be sure. In addition I could modify/add any fastpass for the entire split stay.

Just wanted to try it out. I suppose it may be a loop hole they will change eventually? Or perhaps the system isn’t fully operational yet?

Deleted. I realized after I asked a question what you’re testing. If some FP stick, would like to see what happens if you modify one of the split reservations.

 

[guerns17]

But isn’t this the wrong scenario to test? This sounds like it was always like this. The test would be what would have happened if you either cancelled within 30 days or next week go ahead and modify the reservation to different dates.

My last trip I was able to book all of our fastpasses with a split stay. This was last May.

 

[DavidNYC]

My last trip I was able to book all of our fastpasses with a split stay. This was last May.

What I meant wasn't whether you were able to book FP with a split stay - the question was if you cancel that reservation before the 30 day window opens you FP would be cancelled as you shouldn't have and FP outside of 30 days without a reservation. The issue was cancelling within 30 days when your normal window is now open. It's the cancelling I'm more curious about - not the making them now.

 

[OSUZorba]

A quick internal thread poll:

The split stay problem with FP's is due to ;
A. IT mistakes
B. No one thought of this problem/outcome
C. Somehow saves or makes them more money
D. All of the above

E. Management makes poor decisions without actually thinking through the ramifications of those decisions and refuse to change course on overwhelming evidence they messed up.

Evidence this is an issue at Disney: Certain parts of the new RS policy and Camera Boxes.

 

[DavidNYC]

What I don't get is how they actually put such a major change into effect without any sort of official announcement of exactly what gets cancelled and any options you have. Think about a situation (that arises often) where someone books a vacation and then has to shift the dates by a couple days due to unforeseen circumstances. Shorten a vacation by a day and have the real possibility of losing all your fastpasses even for the days you're there. They really need to clarify what sort of reservation modifications will result in cancelled FP. Do whatever you want with FP booked for days where there is NO onsite reservation - but to cancel FP on days where a visitor has an onsite reservation - just not the one they started with - really demands a very clear explanation and warning.

 

[Runnsally]

Getting back into this thread. Is this a correct summary?...we now think that FPs made through a booking window opened by a particular duration onsite stay must always be linked to an onsite stay of exactly the same duration or else the FPs are cancelled after 48 hours.

 

[Tbella]

This is very upsetting. I booked an 8 day on site split stay, 4 days BWV and 4 days BLT, with rented DVC points. I would've stuck to BLT for the full reservation if I new then what I know now. Shouldn't I be grandfathered in as were the people who were booked for onsite stays before the parking fees came into effect?

 

[Gentry2004]

Getting back into this thread. Is this a correct summary?...we now think that FPs made through a booking window opened by a particular duration onsite stay must always be linked to an onsite stay of exactly the same duration or else the FPs are cancelled after 48 hours.

This has not happened to anyone yet that I’ve read. I haven’t even read of people losing FP’s yet. The only think confirmed is split stays now have two booking windows, one for each stay.

 

[OSUZorba]

I think mostly due to a limitation on the backend of differentiating on a consistent basis loopholes that someone could invent. With this policy it will be hard for loopholes to be created now.

Though I’d have to think about it but I’m sure a logical way to test could have been created but then might have been too difficult to explain to a majority of their customers so this is easier.

This new process already has easy loopholes if you are willing to spend a little money. Hosing people with split stays isn't required to close the main loopholes, though, they already had the software in place to link them into a continuous stay, they had to activity change that coding to break it.

 

[Gentry2004]

This is very upsetting. I booked an 8 day on site split stay, 4 days BWV and 4 days BLT, with rented DVC points. I would've stuck to BLT for the full reservation if I new then what I know now. Shouldn't I be grandfathered in as were the people who were booked for onsite stays before the parking fees came into effect?

I agree you should, but according to other posters it seems the Disney line is that “it was never meant to work that way re: split stays” to which I say bologna.

 

[Runnsally]

This has not happened to anyone yet that I’ve read. I haven’t even read of people losing FP’s yet. The only think confirmed is split stays now have two booking windows, one for each stay.

If my summary is incorrect then you can just book an additional reservation that spans both split stays, make FPs when the window opens, and then cancel the additional reservation.

 

[JeninTexas]

I wish the same thing @Tbella. I have a split stay coming up, and when I booked it back in January, I specifically asked the CM if my FP window would open for both reservations at the same time. He told me unequivocally that yes, they would both be linked and I could book FPs for the length of my stay 60 days from check in of my 1st stay. Had I known of this new development with FPs and split stays, I would have just booked one resort. But now it is too late to change because I have the free dining offer for my 1st stay and I don't want to lose that. Oh well. I just hope Disney will announce dates for DAH soon and then I won't have to worry about FPs so much.

 

[crvetter]

This new process already has easy loopholes if you are willing to spend a little money. Hosing people with split stays isn't required to close the main loopholes, though, they already had the software in place to link them into a continuous stay, they had to activity change that coding to break it.

I think the issue was with recognizing leading reservations and to prevent they. I think they took the easy way out. But I guess this way they don’t need to distinguish between leading reservations and split stays.

Also I don’t want split stays to be hosed I like split stays. What I was suggesting is they may find it to hard to explain the logic of when and how Fastpasses would be cancelled so go the easiest explanation round.

As far as your loophole that really isn’t one if you are suggesting you just book one long stay at your first part of your split stay and book the other at another resort for the second half of the split. Essentially having two stays for the second half. That’s quite the cost and doesn’t actually burden the fastpass system. If anything you’ve unburdened by removing a room from inventory that won’t be adding more people looking for Fastpasses. So not really a loophole. This differs from the throwaway room in that you aren’t getting the rolling 60 day window but is similar in concept.