Does Disney really hold reservations without a deposit?

[EnchantedPrincess]

I am just curious if Disney really does hold reservations without a deposit? I have booked three trips through Disney and I was always required to put a deposit of $200 for them to hold that reservations. One of my friends just told me that she didn't have to put any deposit down for her trip in November of 2008 (week before Thanksgiving) and they would hold it for her until April or so of next year and every month they offer her a discount if she go ahead and book the trip, she would get a discount and the discount keeps getting bigger and bigger...she said the first month she priced out her trip, they emailed her giving her a $100 off, then the following month...$300 off, and then just couple days ago..they are offering her $500 off if she book her trip. So she is holding out for a much bigger discount....

I have priced out trip and save them..but they just get deleted if I don't book by the end of the 30 days...I sure would love to get a $500 discount..!

 

[safetymom]

No they require a deposit. The reservation expires after 14 days without payment.

 

[gigi1313]

i've been doing the disney thing for years now and have NEVER heard of such a program... and trust me, if it were out there, it'd be all over these boards!

but to ditto safetymom, yes, you can reserve for fourteen days w/out a deposit, but after that it's cancelled...

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

Ok, that's what I thought...and I just wanted to be sure I wasn't missing out on anything because she thought I was crazy to have already put down a deposit on my june 2008 trip. She insist that they are holding her reservation for her until April of next year without any deposit and her dh is convinced that the discount will only get bigger!

 

[lilyv]

Your friend's reservation sounds very odd. I would tend to think there is a big disconnect between what she has and what she thinks she has.

As far as discounts, I love AAA. The membership gives me peace of mind on the road, and the discount at Disney is very nice. Might be something to consider if there are rooms available when you want to book.

If she's a good friend, and you can ask comfortably, you might consider suggesting to her to call WDW and double check her ressies-she'll need the reservation number to do this. I'm thinking she probably won't have one, but it's a gentle way to help her find out if she's just receiving offers, because she actually has nothing booked.

 

[Poohbear123]

My very first trip to WDW 12 years ago, I had NO credit card to hold the reservation, so I had to send a check within the 14 days to hold the room. Lucky I live 3 hours away.

 

[Brizite76]

Did she actually price it through WDW website or someplace else? The whole thing sounds strange... especially when you think about it - why would Disney hold this ressie for her and keep offering a discount when there are more than enough people who will pay rack rate up front for the same ressie?

 

[skipperkim]

Have your friend log on to WDW website and check her confirmation # out there. It should list the resort's name, dates, tickets, and names of those on the ressie. That way your friend would know for sure what's going on and if there is no problem they'll know right then.

 

[EnchantedPrincess]

Well, I know this whole thing sounds strange...I have talked to her about it, and she said she did it through the WDW website, and she got an email from them saying that they will hold her reservation until April next year...and I have asked her a few times if she is sure that is the case because my understanding is that nothing is reserved until she puts the $200 down...she still insist that they didn't require any deposit on her reservation until April of next year...she is a good friend,so I have talked to her about it but she can also be very stubborn at times.

 

[Luv2Roam]

I think if they will hold a res depends. For a package the norm is $200 at booking.
I have never heard of what your friend has though. Sounds like one of thhose too good to be true deals. Sure it is through Disney directly?

 

[lilyv]

Well, I know this whole thing sounds strange...I have talked to her about it, and she said she did it through the WDW website, and she got an email from them saying that they will hold her reservation until April next year...and I have asked her a few times if she is sure that is the case because my understanding is that nothing is reserved until she puts the $200 down...she still insist that they didn't require any deposit on her reservation until April of next year...she is a good friend,so I have talked to her about it but she can also be very stubborn at times.

That must be hard. About all you can do is just suggest she make certain she has an actual reservation number. You're a kind friend!

 

[DznyDreamz]

Could it be a room only reservation? I may be mistaken, but I believe they do not require a deposit.

 

[NCDisneyMom]

Could it be a room only reservation? I may be mistaken, but I believe they do not require a deposit.

Room-only reservations do require a deposit within 14 days of originally booking. However, while packages are a flat $200 deposit, the room-onlys have a deposit equal to one-night's stay including tax.

 

[Traveliz]

Could it be a room only reservation? I may be mistaken, but I believe they do not require a deposit.

Yes they do - you have to pay the first night rooms cost within 14 days for a room only reservation.

Liz

 

[Densgirl]

Could it be a room only reservation? I may be mistaken, but I believe they do not require a deposit.

When I added on a two night room only before our upcoming package I had to put one night down.

The closest thing like this I've ever had happen was I booked a vacation and then a week later I got an email pincode. But I had to put down my deposit when booking the original vacation. The pincode was for our dates and we did save almost 40% off the room portion when the code was applied.(This was a few years back, not to be confused with this latest 40% off discount)

 

[klmall]

A Room Only reservation made via phone requires a 1 night deposit paid within two weeks I believe. This is how we have done all our reservations but 1 which was a package in 1999 (no longer available ). The balance is due upon arrival and there is no loss of deposit if cancelled prior to 5 days of arrival.

I think an online Room Only reservation operates differently although the info from DISsers about this varies! Some say the cancellation policy is different while others say the full payment deadline is different. We've never done this and I never have really trusted Disney's computer systems to work properly. (They still display errors when I check our upcoming reservation online; yet when I call everything is correct and my e-mails are correct!)

Here's a thread which shows the confusion:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1523440&referrerid=&highlight=online+room+reservation

HTH

 

[Miss Daisy]

Disneyland does this! I booked the Disneyland Hotel and Paradise Pier for May 2008 (and have official confirmations in hand). They took my CC number but said that I owe nothing until I check in. If we are no-shows, they will charge my CC for one night's stay (like most hotels). Make sure she didn't book a Disneyland hotel by mistake!!

Miss Daisy

 

[NJRRK]

Perhaps they reserved the Swan or Dolphin? Since they are Starwood hotels they do have different policies than the Disney owned and operated resorts.

 

[Mickiethepooh]

Your friend does not have a reservation. the fact they keep offering her offers to BOOK it means she has NO reservation currently, what she has is an offer, you can use the website to get an offer you can save several offers.

 

[Mamalisa58]

I think the word here is "book", your friend hasn't booked her vacation yet only has taken a quote?