Disney to cancel FPs if room is cancelled

[MickeyMinnieMom]

A few people have mentioned the one night campsite bookings. If Disney wanted to put a stop to that, it would be easy enough to enforce a 2 or 3 night minimum for those bookings. In fact I’m surprised they even still allow it with the booking algorithms they have in place to prevent orphaned rooms.

Agreed. I'm glad they're eliminating this "FP and dash" loophole. I think the throwaway room should be next to go. Even if someone is paying for that night, at minimum they are taking one of the most affordable rooms on property out of inventory and away from someone else who could truly take advantage of it.

 

[rteetz]

If you didn't have separate tickets attached to your profile, they would have cancelled them. If you did have tickets, they would have stayed.

Yep, now they will all be cancelled.

 

[rteetz]

I wonder what will happen to those who have split stays booked and changed or cancel one half of their onsite stay?

There is a 2 day grace period to allow for changes.

 

[rteetz]

Agreed. I'm glad they're eliminating this "FP and dash" loophole. I think the throwaway room should be next to go. Even if someone is paying for that night, at minimum they are taking one of the most affordable rooms on property out of inventory and away from someone else who could truly take advantage of it.

I don't think Disney is too worried about the Throwaway room. Disney is getting the money from that one night stay. I also wonder how you would police that. Only one night stays that people don't show up to? Lets say a guest has a delay in their travel and they don't make it on the first night of their stay. Does that mean their Fastpasses are cancelled. I just think the throwaway room is harder to stop.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

I don't think Disney is too worried about the Throwaway room. Disney is getting the money from that one night stay. I also wonder how you would police that. Only one night stays that people don't show up to? Lets say a guest has a delay in their travel and they don't make it on the first night of their stay. Does that mean their Fastpasses are cancelled. I just think the throwaway room is harder to stop.

Agree that it's harder to stop. I still think that it should be stopped if there is a feasible way. I don't expect it to be high on Disney's list since they're likely often collecting the money for the night stay. I just hate that it takes a room out of inventory at a price point that someone else could most use it.

 

[anomamatt]

So as it stands right now, before the 2/4 change, people can have a hotel reservation, then book FP at 60 days, then cancel their hotel reservation before the 30 day window, and the FP don't get cancelled (even though they no longer have a hotel reservation and they aren't yet to the 30 day mark)?

Correct.

 

[piccolopat]

Well that makes no sense to me.

I mean I don't really care about BOG but we booked Skipper Canteen in MK. From your statement you think if I did do a book then cancel and obtained an ADR for Skipper Canteen as a result of the additional up to 10 days I'm golden because it wasn't BOG which is considered hard to get.

In other words 'hard to get' makes no sense IMO because that's not the root issue. The issue would be using the additional up to 10 days booking window to obtain any ADR when you have no intention of keeping the reservation that allowed you those additional days.

In any case I'm not sure they want to touch ADRs because ADRs aren't tied to resort reservations with exception to the up to 10 additional days. Do we really want Disney's system to even attempt to be responsible for combing out ADRs obtained 181+ days out? lol.

I don't think it is fair that someone can get BOG or CRT at 180+10 with a resort reservation that they subsequently cancel. Without that reservation they would lose the advantage of staying on site and would only be able to book their ADRs at 180 days. I actual think all ADRs booked past 180 days should be cancelled with the reservation but see this as a bigger problem for some of the hard to get places. I think ADRs are tied to your reservation in some way because the booking window depends on the presence or absence of a booked room.

 

[Runnsally]

There is a 2 day grace period to allow for changes.

I assume this is in reference to the new policy...so from your understanding, as long as you have a resort reservation for the same day as the FP in question, it doesn’t matter what resort reservation opened the window for the FP?

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I don't think it is fair that someone can get BOG or CRT at 180+10 with a resort reservation that they subsequently cancel. Without that reservation they would lose the advantage of staying on site and would only be able to book their ADRs at 180 days. I actual think all ADRs booked past 180 days should be cancelled with the reservation but see this as a bigger problem for some of the hard to get places.

I was responding to your below comment especially the bold.

Disney should also close the rolling FP+ loophole. If you only book one night, you should only be able to get FP+ for your day of check in and check out and then have to wait until the 30 day mark to book the rest. I also agree that ADRs booked more than 180 days in advance should also be cancelled, at least for the hard to get ones.

If your viewpoint is that you shouldn't also get that benefit (which I'm not necessarily disagreeing with) then I don't see differentiating between hard to get and not hard to get. It's irrelevant IMO if your viewpoint is the benefit of up to 10 days aspect shouldn't be there if the reservation is cancelled. That's why I used Skipper Canteen and BOG in the mix.

You've clarified in your subsequent comment though that you mean all so we're good there

I think ADRs are tied to your reservation in some way because the booking window depends on the presence or absence of a booked room.

Well yes and no. No resort stay is required for booking 180 days. Your resort stay only matters for the up to 10 days of your stay part. So I agree with you there it's just can we trust that Disney only looks at ADRs booked at 181+ days in advance? It wouldn't be fair to cancel IMO reservations made 180 days or less in advance regardless of resort cancellation because a resort stay isn't required for that. I see that as being a tricky and maybe not the hill Disney wants to die on type situation. At least right now. But that's all JMO.

 

[bama_ed]

As a regular camper at Fort Wilderness, I have an opinion on this proposed policy:

This proposed change affects those who book a "throwaway" on-property reservation to get the 60+10 FP window and, after getting those, cancel the reservation (typically within 30 days or arrival). Emphasis here is on "book-then-later-cancel". The waived parking fees and Magic Bands costs are variable (time of year for the room/site and number of people in party for the MBs) but I believe that throwaway rooms get cancelled more often then kept/held onto and sitting empty. Way more. You book it and paid for it and keep it and want it to sit empty or use it/perks at the resort for day use only? More power to you. You paid for yours like I paid for mine.

The problem with the "book-then-later-cancel" is that one night kept me from booking a week at the campground well in advance and when you cancel it within 30 days, it's too late for me to make plans, schedule time off from work, and book a trip to the Mouse. I daresay most people don't plan and book their trip within 30 days of arrival ("most"). So the cancelled site sit unused because its too close to a possible arrival date to make plans to use it.

The WDWNT link language in the post announcing this proposed change is revealing. "Loophole". "Fraudulent". Yes it was a loophole that was exploited because it was allowed and not explicitly restricted. Very few people stumbled into this situation by accident though.

I call this a step in the right direction.

Bama Ed

PS - and a minimum stay requirement would be the next "right step". Oh I've booked a one night reservation when I had a 5 night already and wanted to get a 6th night and the stupid system wouldn't let me. If you have consecutive nights and want more, you should be allowed. But that may be asking too much of Disney's IT system.

 

[SL6827]

I assume this is in reference to the new policy...so from your understanding, as long as you have a resort reservation for the same day as the FP in question, it doesn’t matter what resort reservation opened the window for the FP?

This. I think you are correct.

 

[rteetz]

I assume this is in reference to the new policy...so from your understanding, as long as you have a resort reservation for the same day as the FP in question, it doesn’t matter what resort reservation opened the window for the FP?

Yes the new policy has a grace period. I would think what you're saying is the case.

 

[SL6827]

So is this policy taking effect today or Monday?

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I don't think Disney is too worried about the Throwaway room. Disney is getting the money from that one night stay. I also wonder how you would police that. Only one night stays that people don't show up to? Lets say a guest has a delay in their travel and they don't make it on the first night of their stay. Does that mean their Fastpasses are cancelled. I just think the throwaway room is harder to stop.

Agree - but they could just make it that at least during peak seasons - e.g., AGE (After Galaxy's Edge) you just can't book all or certain rooms/campsites for only 1 day. So even if you show up late, your reservation would be for more than one date

Or they just jack the prices up so much it no longer is feasible for most people to just "Throw away a room" ... or maybe like a minimum total spend per on site stay. So you want to book a $700 night room at GF? fine, one night is allowed but if a campsite or a value room or something maybe minimum total spend of $500 or something (so if you only want one night there, there is a "single night surcharge" or something)

 

[Runnsally]

Yes the new policy has a grace period. I would think what you're saying is the case.

So this closes the major loopholes, but leaves a few still open.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

Agree - but they could just make it that at least during peak seasons - e.g., AGE (After Galaxy's Edge) you just can't book all or certain rooms/campsites for only 1 day. So even if you show up late, your reservation would be for more than one date

Or they just jack the prices up so much it no longer is feasible for most people to just "Throw away a room"

Agreed. Are there a lot of "legit" campsite reservations that are only for one night? Doesn't seem like it would be punitive to people and would hopefully reduce the abuse.

 

[SL6827]

So this closes the major loopholes, but leaves a few still open.

Yes, it does. But I do think Disney will look at those as well, but not real sure how they would eliminate those.

 

[bama_ed]

Agreed. Are there a lot of "legit" campsite reservations that are only for one night? Doesn't seem like it would be punitive to people and would hopefully reduce the abuse.

There are some legit 1-night reservations for sure.

Like I said, I had a 5-day and wanted to add a 6th. The system would not let me change the departure date to one day later. When I called, the CM said I had to CANCEL the 5-day and book a NEW 6-day. You know as well as I do that cancellations don't reliably show up immediately once cancelled (and I'm being charitable). So I booked a 1-day and later had the two merged into a single 6-day.

I've also camped one night at Fort Wilderness on my way from Alabama to the Florida Keys. And did the same coming home. That was two distinct one night reservations.

There is doubt in my mind if I am willing to give up that flexibility to eliminate all/any 1-night reservations. The Fort was a great overnight stay in both directions. Dinner, campfire, Chip & Dale, and fireworks over the MK from the beach....

Bama Ed

 

[Runnsally]

Yes, it does. But I do think Disney will look at those as well, but not real sure how they would eliminate those.

Agreed - the remaining loopholes are more complicated as it would be difficult to close them and not adversely affect people staying onsite who are making legitimate changes to their resort reservations. This is definitely SWGE prep.

 

[SL6827]

Agreed - the remaining loopholes are more complicated as it would be difficult to close them and not adversely affect people staying onsite who are making legitimate changes to their resort reservations. This is definitely SWGE prep.

Does have something to do with SWGE prep. Hate to say it, but I also think it may have something to do with eventually paying for fast passes too. Just gonna wait and see what happens.