Heads up - Halloween overbooked, Disney called me

[wdw_dine_junkie]

FYI,

I just got a call from Disney reservations saying they have an inventory problem on Oct 29, 30 and 31. They offered to move me to Port Orleans for the 3 nights for free and price match the other 2 nights I have booked (27th and 28th) if I want to stay there the whole stay. Or I can keep the two nights at the Fort and then move. I declined, but maybe that's the first offer. She said they had a few takers but not as many as they need.

 

[bama_ed]

Interesting.

I've never heard of this happening since I've been on this board.

Halloween is a very busy time at the Fort for sure.

It's also the time a lot of "groups" block out sites to stay there.

My advice, since you declined their offer, would be to update your MDE arrival time to as early as possible (even if you won't physically be there at the Fort yet) and take (electronically) any site they might send you. The earlier you can physically show up at the Fort on your arrival day also, the better. If they don't get enough takers, people who show up early will get whatever inventory is available (even if you have to wait for it to be cleaned, prepped, and assigned). The people who roll in at 7pm (or any time later in the day) may not find a room at the inn even if they have one reserved.

So show up early, @wdw_dine_junkie, even if you have to wait for a couple hours. "At their place and in their face" (as we used to say in my past sales job), you check in and then you are THEIR problem.

Halloween is fun at the Fort. You could stay somewhere else but then trying to come over for ToT, they may not let you in (you're not staying there). There's no room to park (drive over to Wilderness Lodge then take the bus). Wilderness Lodge may not take you because you don't have an ADR for one of THEIR restaurants.

Get to the Fort early and stand your ground.

Bama Ed

PS - we would be interested to know how it turns out in a month....

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Great suggestion, I will do that! I am only an hour away and often sit hitched and ready for the text before we head out. I think I have 11am arrival on the reservation now.

She did say they would make sure we had transportation and clearance to come over to the Fort for the Halloween festivities if we chose the hotel, but I feel like that's something they say and in reality would sound like a 'but she said on the phone I could come Trick or Treat!" excuse to the poor CM at the gate or boat. And I felt for the her, you could tell she'd been having some tough phone calls, thanked me for being kind even though she wasn't successful. Camping is just different, it's going to be hard to get people to change their vacation to eating all meals out, etc.. Even with a few comped nights, it probably would have cost me more overall, Halloween aside.

And besides, what would I do with the 1200 pieces of candy I have to pass out that week.

 

[bama_ed]

Good luck to you, @wdw_dine_junkie.

I can put together a plausible scenario regarding how this happened.

It's something Disney will have to rectify.

Bottom line is, the general public will book up all the sites available for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas times and use them once they come open at 500 days. But this is Disney and Disney IT we are talking about. People (them) are stubborn and resistant to change. Why alter how things have been done for years when you can go along (to get along), not make waves, and then blame somebody/something else if an issue comes up?

I'm having to bite my tongue. So hard. I think I'll have to go for a walkabout ....

They can't get out of the way in spite of themselves. Which is ABSOLUTELY so typical.

Bama Ed

 

[Nabas]

FYI,

I just got a call from Disney reservations saying they have an inventory problem on Oct 29, 30 and 31. They offered to move me to Port Orleans for the 3 nights for free and price match the other 2 nights I have booked (27th and 28th) if I want to stay there the whole stay. Or I can keep the two nights at the Fort and then move. I declined, but maybe that's the first offer. She said they had a few takers but not as many as they need.

Sorry, "at the Fort?"

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

And this Halloween (and maybe Christmas) didn't even open at 500 days. I booked the morning they opened up, on 10/15/2020. Sheer luck.

I wonder how many people book nights for Halloween with no intention of actually occupying the site, for access to ToT.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Sorry, "at the Fort?"

Fort Wilderness Campground

 

[Nabas]

Fort Wilderness Campground

Did you have a cabin or campsite?

I'm a little confused about what Disney offered you. They were going to move you to Port Orleans (Riverside or French Quarter?) and then price match the other 2 nights.

But a cabin sleeps 6 and is a lot more expensive, while a campsite costs a lot less. Where they offering you a room at Port Orleans for 2 nights for the price of a campsite?

Thanks!

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

We have a Premium campsite. I didn't think to ask if they had inventory for any of the other campsite categories, but I suspect that answer is no and all the campsites are overbooked. But you are correct, if I wanted to stay all 5 nights at Port Orleans and cancel camping altogether, ( I think she said French Quarter), I could have paid $134 a night for the 27th and 28th and been comped for free the 29th, 30th, and 31st. We check out Monday morning. She didn't say if we would have been charged the $20 parking fee or not.

We could have also kept the first two nights in the campsite had we desired then moved the camper to an overflow lot for the last 3 nights when we moved to the hotel.

Had I wanted to stay at a hotel, it's not a bad deal. One I may have taken had it not been Halloween, but any other time they probably won't be overbooked. Maybe Christmas or New Years.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

I did joke they may have to offer up a deluxe to get takers, but she said not all hotels have room to move the campers to.. I do wonder what will happen if they don't get enough volunteers! We complicate things by having one tent camper in our party along with our camper, so we didn't want to share one hotel room.

 

[Bishoparc]

From a “source”, supposedly it’s overbooked by 200 sites

 

[bama_ed]

From a “source”, supposedly it’s overbooked by 200 sites

I bet I can guess your source, arc.

Yep that’s it.

Disney screwed up.

I refer back to post#4 again. Ed

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

I guess I don’t get it. When the system opens up at 500 days , how do they take 200 more reservations than they have sites for? Sounds like the Seinfeld rental car episode.

Do they normally overbook assuming there will be some cancellations? It’s not like people won’t pick up empty spots year round when things come available if they open up. They don’t need the cash that badly to hold onto one night deposits.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

In anyone from Disney reads here, I’d take one of the treehouses ! I should have thought of that!

 

[Sjm9911]

So it looks like we will not be finding a last minute cancelation. Lol. Oh well.

 

[Bishoparc]

I guess I don’t get it. When the system opens up at 500 days , how do they take 200 more reservations than they have sites for?

My guess is they hadn’t loaded all the group reservations in the system so they weren’t accounted for in the sites not available.

 

[bama_ed]

My guess is they hadn’t loaded all the group reservations in the system so they weren’t accounted for in the sites not available.

Something along those lines. I bet it didn't happen JUST for Halloween 2021 either. The other holidays coming up may be similarly affected. There was something odd, too, about my 2022 reservation that led me to believe the problem was in this area.

Ed

 

[proudmomof4]

So, I guess for the campers that have dogs, if they take Disney up on the offer, they will allow the dogs at the other resorts, like they do in hurricane situations? I know POR is dog friendly but POFQ is not. And then what about the nightly pet and parking fees? I'm assuming those would be waived? But then this is Disney, can't assume anything.

I don't have an impacted reservation, just curious.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

My guess is they hadn’t loaded all the group reservations in the system so they weren’t accounted for in the sites not available.

That makes sense. Like Ed said, terrible IT!

 

[Sjm9911]

That makes sense. Like Ed said, terrible IT!

Make me have great faith in the genie application thats about tonstart. Lol.