Disney to cancel FPs if room is cancelled

[mamaofsix]

According to how I am reading this, those who book, pay for, and do not stay in campsites can still do so.

Yes, if you follow the 'throwaway room' thread, the whole concept is to book and pay for your room - not cancel it. We have done this for campsites. We used it for day use, not the night. I see absolutely no problem with it because we reserved and paid for the campsite just like everyone else. Free perks like fp, parking and magic bands are available for anyone who pays for a reservation.

It's no skin off of Disney's back to have you pay for a reservation and not stay - just means they save money on housekeeping! I can't see them changing the rules such that you would only receive the perks if you pay AND are physically on the resort at night. It would take far too much work for Disney to keep track of that - especially with online check-in options.

This news does not change the concept of the throwaway room. It only means trouble for the very rare person who uses the throwaway unethically by canceling at the last minute.

 

[crvetter]

Yes, if you follow the 'throwaway room' thread, the whole concept is to book and pay for your room - not cancel it. We have done this for campsites. We used it for day use, not the night. I see absolutely no problem with it because we reserved and paid for the campsite just like everyone else. Free perks like fp, parking and magic bands are available for anyone who pays for a reservations. This news does not change that. It only means trouble for the very rare person who uses the throwaway unethically by canceling at the last minute.

As long as the room is paid for and checked into I can’t see Disney doing anything about it since it isn’t against the rules (though in spirit it seems to be, such as removing hard to get inventory from the system for those that legitimately would use it like the campground). However the one time I stayed on property recently I got more than just the day you had a room for on property to make fast pass reservations for. So I hope they did or have gotten rid of that. It was in October when I stayed on property for 3 nights it showed as an option for me to make fast passes for an extra 5 days after my checkout. That seemed like gaming the system if anyone can do that. Not sure if it was a glitch at the time.

Personally fast passes should only be good from checkin to checkout days and be canceled if those dates are not overlapping anymore. So I’m glad they are moving in the right direction.

 

[Branderson610]

Yes, if you follow the 'throwaway room' thread, the whole concept is to book and pay for your room - not cancel it. We have done this for campsites. We used it for day use, not the night. I see absolutely no problem with it because we reserved and paid for the campsite just like everyone else. Free perks like fp, parking and magic bands are available for anyone who pays for a reservations.

It's no skin off of Disney's back to have you pay for a reservation and not stay - just means they save money on housekeeping! I can't see them changing the rules such that you would only receive the perks if you pay AND are physically on the resort at night. It would take far too much work for Disney to keep track of that - especially with online check-in options.

This news does not change the concept of the throwaway room. It only means trouble for the very rare person who uses the throwaway unethically by canceling at the last minute.

There are some people who book rooms, just to get fast passes at 60 days, with no intention of keeping them. Then once they are in their 30 day window they cancel the hotel reservation but they are able to keep their fast passes. I think this is what Disney is looking at stopping. I can see this being an big issue if they don't put a stop in place before Galaxy Edge opens.

 

[Branderson610]

There are some people who book rooms, just to get fast passes at 60 days, with no intention of keeping them. Then once they are in their 30 day window they cancel the hotel reservation but they are able to keep their fast passes. I think this is what Disney is looking at stopping. I can see this being an big issue if they don't put a stop in place before Galaxy Edge opens. I think what you are doing is fine. Disney is making changes for the people who try to scam the system. Now, all guest have to pay for parking at the resorts to cut down on some of these issues.

 

[Brett Wyman]

It should be a no brainer and very easy to track on Disney's side. If you made your FP reservation >30 days and you cancel your resort stay then any FP created >30 days should be automatically cancelled. I can't believe they have/had this huge loophole open.

 

[mamaofsix]

As long as the room is paid for and checked into I can’t see Disney doing anything about it since it isn’t against the rules (though in spirit it seems to be, such as removing hard to get inventory from the system for those that legitimately would use it like the campground). However the one time I stayed on property recently I got more than just the day you had a room for on property to make fast pass reservations for. So I hope they did or have gotten rid of that. It was in October when I stayed on property for 3 nights it showed as an option for me to make fast passes for an extra 5 days after my checkout. That seemed like gaming the system if anyone can do that. Not sure if it was a glitch at the time.

Personally fast passes should only be good from checkin to checkout days and be canceled if those dates are not overlapping anymore. So I’m glad they are moving in the right direction.

For sure. In our case, we booked 3 different nights for our last trip. This gave us fp's for the check-in and check-out days for each reservation. So, we didn't just book one night and get a week's worth of fp's at the 60 day mark. We also actually DID use our campsite during the day. A great atmosphere to relax. Spent time visiting the stables and playing at the park... We weren't there for the night, but as far as I was concerned we still used the site and got what we paid for in a fair manner.

 

[Ben E N]

Yes, if you follow the 'throwaway room' thread, the whole concept is to book and pay for your room - not cancel it. We have done this for campsites. We used it for day use, not the night. I see absolutely no problem with it because we reserved and paid for the campsite just like everyone else. Free perks like fp, parking and magic bands are available for anyone who pays for a reservation.

It's no skin off of Disney's back to have you pay for a reservation and not stay - just means they save money on housekeeping! I can't see them changing the rules such that you would only receive the perks if you pay AND are physically on the resort at night. It would take far too much work for Disney to keep track of that - especially with online check-in options.

This news does not change the concept of the throwaway room. It only means trouble for the very rare person who uses the throwaway unethically by canceling at the last minute.

I'm all in favor of that system, too. Why not? If others want those campsites, they can book them before the throwaway people want them. Those who pay for them are still paying customers, just as actual campers would be, and it puts less strain on Disney.

This other system, being called "throwaway room", but really just "bait and switch to get benefits" is different, and is unethical. I will admit that I realized this loophole 3 years ago myself, but I felt it wasn't worth compromising my character to use it. I would be more than happy to pay for a throwaway room, though, if the opportunity ever presents itself.

 

[Wubar]

It should be a no brainer and very easy to track on Disney's side. If you made your FP reservation >30 days and you cancel your resort stay then any FP created >30 days should be automatically cancelled. I can't believe they have/had this huge loophole open.

Truth. Shut the door on that loophole and close it up tight.

 

[crvetter]

I'm all in favor of that system, too. Why not? If others want those campsites, they can book them before the throwaway people want them. Those who pay for them are still paying customers, just as actual campers would be, and it puts less strain on Disney.

This other system, being called "throwaway room", but really just "bait and switch to get benefits" is different, and is unethical. I will admit that I realized this loophole 3 years ago myself, but I felt it wasn't worth compromising my character to use it. I would be more than happy to pay for a throwaway room, though, if the opportunity ever presents itself.

I agree it is in the rules and allowed. I simply think it’s not really the intention of the rules as they were written. But as long as it doesn’t cost Disney money they will never do anything about it. But giving magicbands away and the parking does lead to a loss of revenue for the rent sites for Disney so they eventually might just because of that.

 

[amcc]

I agree it is in the rules and allowed. I simply think it’s not really the intention of the rules as they were written. But as long as it doesn’t cost Disney money they will never do anything about it. But giving magicbands away and the parking does lead to a loss of revenue for the rent sites for Disney so they eventually might just because of that.

I agree and I hope the next step will be tightening campground reservations to make it more difficult to do this. It is within the rules but it is rude to fellow Disney visitors (often, camping bookings are very different from room bookings). This policy will just lead to people seeing the reservation as “the cost of doing Disney” and won’t cancel. As a camper, I preferred when people canceled their throwaway rooms and gave people the option of booking to use it.

 

[Ben E N]

I agree and I hope the next step will be tightening campground reservations to make it more difficult to do this. It is within the rules but it is rude to fellow Disney visitors (often, camping bookings are very different from room bookings). This policy will just lead to people seeing the reservation as “the cost of doing Disney” and won’t cancel. As a camper, I preferred when people canceled their throwaway rooms and gave people the option of booking to use it.

I don't see how this is rude to fellow visitors. If I were in a hotel, I would love it if the rooms next to me were empty. On the other hand, it would upset me a ton knowing that people who hopped ahead of me in the fastpass line did so by gaming the system. If they are paying customers, same as me, then good for them, even if they aren't actually camping out.

 

[crvetter]

I don't see how this is rude to fellow visitors. If I were in a hotel, I would love it if the rooms next to me were empty. On the other hand, it would upset me a ton knowing that people who hopped ahead of me in the fastpass line did so by gaming the system. If they are paying customers, same as me, then good for them, even if they aren't actually camping out.

I think the issue is there is a small number of sites available and there is a significant number of them that sit empty because of this. Also making an analogy to a hotel room is like comparing apples to oranges in terms of layout so there isn’t much benefit at the campground to have the site next to you empty.

It’s not really a question of is it allowed or not. I think most would agree as long as it is paid for it is currently allowed. I think what people are bringing up is a question of decency and consideration for others who legitimately want that space. It’s still technically gaming the system no matter if it is allowed or not; it’s just not one considered as “evil” and “disallowed” because they are paying.

 

[Ben E N]

I think the issue is there is a small number of sites available and there is a significant number of them that sit empty because of this. Also making an analogy to a hotel room is like comparing apples to oranges in terms of layout so there isn’t much benefit at the campground to have the site next to you empty.

It’s not really a question of is it allowed or not. I think most would agree as long as it is paid for it is currently allowed. I think what people are bringing up is a question of decency and consideration for others who legitimately want that space. It’s still technically gaming the system no matter if it is allowed or not; it’s just not one considered as “evil” and “disallowed” because they are paying.

I still remember the drunk parties that happened in campsites next to my family's when I was a kid. The likelihood of that happening at Disney is reduced, but not impossible. Having an empty campsite next to you is better than having an empty hotel room because there are no walls to block noise in campsites.

 

[crvetter]

I still remember the drunk parties that happened in campsites next to my family's when I was a kid. The likelihood of that happening at Disney is reduced, but not impossible. Having an empty campsite next to you is better than having an empty hotel room because there are no walls to block noise in campsites.

Something I would have disagree with. But at any rate I don’t find the concept to be decent and considerate. I think they should just institute a minimum stay requirement during busier times to prevent this if and when it hurts their bottom lines.

I mean to do this to get magicbands and parking is crossing a line in my opinion for sure. The cost of those drives up the cost for everyone else. Essentially guests that reserve rooms/sites for longer times are subsidizing those magicbands and parking.

 

[Spaghetti Cat]

I'm glas to hear this, I hope Disney gets the details right.

They will need to store the date/time that each fastpass was booked, and periodically compare that to the entire parties reservations to make sure the party is still entitled to that past tense booking window. Complicated logic for Disney IT, I hope thay can pull it together.

 

[Dfan79]

This reminds me of when people used to hire handicap people for front of the line access. Everyone should be treated equally and fairly. I don't believe in just giving things to people because they're different than the norm. I don't care if you have a pet alligator as your comfort animal.

What I am alright with is the people with children with autism and such who can't wait in lines. They should have the ability to scan and come back in an hour. But knowing the rotten apples of the world they'll try to cheat the system for that as well.

 

[Spaceguy55]

More to this...

Apparently they won’t cancel the FPs immediately. So if you cancel you have two days before they are cancelled this would likely give you the option to rebook or do whatever.

Any word on if there will be a disclaimer.."like they did with the parking fees"
or if this would be retroactive ?

 

[rteetz]

Any word on if there will be a disclaimer.."like they did with the parking fees"
or if this would be retroactive ?

I believe it will be in the terms and conditions. Not sure about anything else. Still not confirmed yet though.

 

[Capang]

I don't see how this is rude to fellow visitors. If I were in a hotel, I would love it if the rooms next to me were empty. On the other hand, it would upset me a ton knowing that people who hopped ahead of me in the fastpass line did so by gaming the system. If they are paying customers, same as me, then good for them, even if they aren't actually camping out.

It isn't the issue of the campsite being paid for and sitting empty. Sure, that's an issue for those that wanted to actually stay there, but Disney is looking at the bottom line. Empty campsites mean less revenue for Disney. Less people eating onsite, less revenue for onsite gift shops, etc. I doubt this has much to do with FP and more to do with preventing revenue loss. The fact that people think that paying for a site and not using it is harmless may ultimately end up being the reason that other changes come about. I mean, you already have a giant DVC coming that will loom over the campsites. My own opinions are that other changes will follow suit.

ETA: I get the new changes are in regard to cancelling the room and being able to keep the FP. I am of the opinion (my own opinion here) that this will be the first of several changes coming.

 

[Rick195275]

Though I have a feeling it’s going to create havoc for people booking in the next couple weeks it looks like a welcomed change is coming to Disney policy.

https://wdwnt.com/2019/02/wdw-fastpass-to-be-revoked-with-canceled-resort-reservations/