Disney to cancel FPs if room is cancelled

[Iowamomof4]

I'm really confused why DVC members staying on points will get special treatment over people paying cash at other resorts.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

If this truly ends up being as far-reaching as rumored it will affect our Ideal trip a lot. Do I abandon a split stay (which I love)...or do I keep the split stay and then risk not getting the FPs I want to make my day successful. And we have often adjusted our trip by a day or 2 if flight costs come in lower or if work necessitates it or such...do I risk losing all of my FP over a 2 day change once I'm inside 60 days. So much stress added to what should be a happy trip.

I miss the days when this thread just discussed tasty garlic dressed shrimp I figured there was some teeth to this rumor but I NEVER could have fathomed it would be as restrictive as it's now rumored...

 

[Jfsag123]

This is incredibly frustrating. We have split stay #4 coming up in July because we love them! We’re doing 4 nights at BWI through Disney and 4 nights BLT via DVC point rental. Of course I can’t modfiy to a single resort due to the DVC portion. This completely screws up my fastpasses for a completely legitimate reservation. We were planning on another split next summer of 10-11 nights because we love having time in the Epcot and MK resort areas. This is causing me to rethink those plans and possibly move to a shorter trip if this continues, as I don’t really want to do a trip that long in a single location. We did a 3 way split over 11 nights last year and loved it.

 

[crvetter]

I worry MS is wrong (wouldn't be the first time...). After all, the ADR system didn't recognize split DVC stays as continuous. So if they are now making the FP system work like the ADR system, I bet these changes will happen regardless of whether the stays are DVC or not.

Agreed I'm worried they are wrong too. But you can call MS for a continuous stay when doing ADR just the limitation is online. So there was an exception being granted there for DVC members.

I'm going to call and speak with a different MS member to see what they say in a bit.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

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.

Do I send a thank you letter in this instance or what's the right move there? Asking for a friend...

 

[TheFloatingBear]

It makes sense that they're tightening things up, and I guess they've always looked at on-site split stays as "two separate reservations" but the impact on split stays really is a bummer. I don't make a lot of ADRs so I didn't ever notice that part, but the FP booking will make a big difference. We always do split stays, usually for location and/or to chase a discount. On-site resort availability - and discount availability - is so fluid, I'm always looking at what's available and changing things. Last April, we were planning to stay at AKL for the entire trip, but then an AP rate opened up for BW, but not for the length of stay, so we did a split because it was a great rate. But I probably wouldn't have done it if this policy was in place because I wouldn't have wanted it to impact our FPs...

 

[SL6827]

I'm really confused why DVC members staying on points will get special treatment over people paying cash at other resorts.

They shouldn't.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

This is incredibly frustrating. We have split stay #4 coming up in July because we love them! We’re doing 4 nights at BWI through Disney and 4 nights BLT via DVC point rental. Of course I can’t modfiy to a single resort due to the DVC portion. This completely screws up my fastpasses for a completely legitimate reservation. We were planning on another split next summer of 10-11 nights because we love having time in the Epcot and MK resort areas. This is causing me to rethink those plans and possibly move to a shorter trip if this continues, as I don’t really want to do a trip that long in a single location. We did a 3 way split over 11 nights last year and loved it.

The Epcot/MK split is one of the most enjoyable Disney trips one can embark on. Very sad indeed if this all holds

 

[Iowamomof4]

If this truly ends up being as far-reaching as rumored it will affect our Ideal trip a lot. Do I abandon a split stay (which I love)...or do I keep the split stay and then risk not getting the FPs I want to make my day successful. And we have often adjusted our trip by a day or 2 if flight costs come in lower or if work necessitates it or such...do I risk losing all of my FP over a 2 day change once I'm inside 60 days. So much stress added to what should be a happy trip.

I miss the days when this thread just discussed tasty garlic dressed shrimp I figured there was some teeth to this rumor but I NEVER could have fathomed it would be as restrictive as it's now rumored...

I hardly ever set out my Disney planning with the intentions of doing a split stay, yet in 3 trips we've ended up doing exactly that. This time and last time it was mostly due to flights and deciding to come in a day or two earlier than originally planned. Both times we have been unable to extend our original booking to include the added days and have been forced to book at a different Disney hotel. This just plain stinks.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

It makes sense that they're tightening things up, and I guess they've always looked at on-site split stays as "two separate reservations" but the impact on split stays really is a bummer. I don't make a lot of ADRs so I didn't ever notice that part, but the FP booking will make a big difference. We always do split stays, usually for location and/or to chase a discount. On-site resort availability - and discount availability - is so fluid, I'm always looking at what's available and changing things. Last April, we were planning to stay at AKL for the entire trip, but then an AP rate opened up for BW, but not for the length of stay, so we did a split because it was a great rate. But I probably wouldn't have done it if this policy was in place because I wouldn't have wanted it to impact our FPs...

I think for those of us doing splits we always knew the ADR thing was a limitation. The fun of a split stay far outweighed getting (for example) a CRT at the perfect time IMO and we have never had an issue getting ADRs at the restaurants we preferred. If FP booking becomes a limitation of splits though it's just a crazy game changer!

 

[anomamatt]

Agreed I'm worried they are wrong too. But you can call MS for a continuous stay when doing ADR just the limitation is online. So there was an exception being granted there for DVC members.

I'm going to call and speak with a different MS member to see what they say in a bit.

That's true re: ADRs. I have done that.

So I suppose us DVCers could call MS and book FP for the second half of a split stay. So much more painful than how it was previously.

But I'm most concerned about the implications of turning one stay into a split after FPs are booked (because a waitlist comes through, or for any other legitimate reason). The planning ahead of time is annoying enough, but now it seems resort reservations need to be "set in stone" once Fps are booked.

I see the advantage to Disney and their bottom line on this... they have now strongly disincentivized people changing their stays within 60 days... I'm sure that was enough reason to do this in the name of closing the loophole.

 

[JenniferYoung44]

The reason DVC would get an exception is because the nature of the DVC booking system and availability often requires you to piece a vacation together. It is EXTREMELY common that if you want a 7+ day vacation you will have to stay at multiple resorts based on availability. If you book less than 7 months in advance it is virtually guaranteed you will have to piece it together unless you get very lucky. This is because DVC memberships are sold with the assumption that all resorts will be full every day of the year. Cash resorts have MUCH MUCH more availability and therefore split stays are usually done out of choice, not necessity.

 

[TheFloatingBear]

I think for those of us doing splits we always knew the ADR thing was a limitation. The fun of a split stay far outweighed getting (for example) a CRT at the perfect time IMO and we have never had an issue getting ADRs at the restaurants we preferred. If FP booking becomes a limitation of splits though it's just a crazy game changer!

Agree! We don't do a lot of high-demand ADRs so I don't really think about that part, I just enjoy the sport of chasing the discounts and doing the split for the locations. Last April, like I mentioned, I tried really hard NOT to do a split and just stay put, but that rate came out and I couldn't resist and then I had to flip a bunch of stuff so my Epcot/HS days would match up to the BW days - the main challenge was the AK stuff had to stay put! But you're right, the different locations is magical and fun! I'm not sure why that would be described as "abusing the system" if they are both on-site resorts but I guess if they look at it as two separate reservations...

 

[crvetter]

They shouldn't.

Perhaps but it was something DVC members where always told from the get go by Disney that they could get continuous stay (when split staying) for the ADR and Fastpasses, so I don't see it as a loophole previously. Now I see it as different treatment but likely do to the way the reservation component works. However, leading reservations that others did were wrong and a definite abuse of the system. Those abuses were exactly why Disney had to implement these changes anyway. I hope Disney gets to the point they recognize continuous stays across multiple reservations (Cash and/or DVC) but we shall see how it plays out. I don't see any reason to penalize any split stays at all.

Though the different treatment I'm not even confident it is the case until DVC members that are doing a split stay and ready to make FP can confirm this. MS could have been wrong when I talked to them. I plan on following up with another individual soon on it.

 

[Iowamomof4]

The reason DVC would get an exception is because the nature of the DVC booking system and availability often requires you to piece a vacation together. It is EXTREMELY common that if you want a 7+ day vacation you will have to stay at multiple resorts based on availability. If you book less than 7 months in advance it is virtually guaranteed you will have to piece it together unless you get very lucky. This is because DVC memberships are sold with the assumption that all resorts will be full every day of the year. Cash resorts have MUCH MUCH more availability and therefore split stays are usually done out of choice, not necessity.

Believe me, if I could get my entire stay at Pop Century, I would do just that! I can't though, so we're stuck with a split.

 

[cakebaker]

Do I send a thank you letter in this instance or what's the right move there? Asking for a friend...

I believe there’s a thread here you could express your gratitude, but doing so may have consequences.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Edited: Nothing here to look at...just a sad guy about his split stays...

 

[cakebaker]

Believe me, if I could get my entire stay at Pop Century, I would do just that! I can't though, so we're stuck with a split.

We had to do a split stay several years ago back when they weren’t linking split stays. It was not fun turning an 8 day stay into a 2/6 stay when making fp’s.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

If the split stay situation, as we understand it today, is disruptive..................call Disney and let them know. The voice of the customer might be able to influence some wiggle room.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I'm really surprised that Disney would disincentivize split stays like this. A lot of people do it to spend time at a resort they couldn't afford to stay at for their whole vacation. You'd think Disney world love that behavior.