Help! What would you do?

[Jammy]

Hi,

So, here's my dilemma....I have a MYW plus dining and 7 day hopper tickets for 12/19-12/25/07. I got an email today from American Express Travel stating that our flight time had changed. This is when I realized that I will be arriving at 11am on 12/18.

So, I wanted to either stay at Pop Century on 12/18 then transfer to my already fully paid stay at POFQ 12/19-12/25 OR split the trip between the two. Originally, I thought I'd be able to just add a day to the existing park tickets for a couple bucks. Pay out of pocket for meals on the 18th and book room only for one night at Pop.

Well, imagine my disappointment when I call WDW Travel and they say that if I did this, I couldn't enter the parks on my first day. So, when she gave me a quote for splitting the stay each reservation with their own dining and hopper ticket package....it was over a thousand dollars more!!!

Can anyone help me with some options here? I was thinking keep my existing reservation but cancel the tickets, and book Pop at Room Only then buy tickets separately form an authorized agency. But this way I would lose my dining, right? I don't want to pay hundreds more to have separate reservations, I don't really understand why they don't let you use the days that you purchase when you want...I could see not going to the park on our last day and just hanging out at Downtown Disney....but not being able to go into the parks on day 1 is not an option.

Is there any way I would be able to do this and not lose my dining? The option of just adding a day onto my existing reservation at POFQ would also cost an extra few hundred dollars. The other monkey in the wrench is that I lost my job and was really contemplating canceling the trip altogether, I just don't want to lose this dream so decided against canceling but now I can't see having to fork over so much more money.

I need extra sets of eyes on this problem. The Disney agent was not helpful.
I can't believe that switching to a cheaper property for half of our trip makes it 1k more expensive! I'm sorry this is so long and rambling! What would you do?

Thanks in advance for your advice and suggestions.

 

[Catrinabeach]

We are staying at Pop with a room only ressie the night before our package starts. But we decided rather than trying to get someone to agree to let us having our tickets a day early (which I've read some people have been able to do) we decided to spend the first day at Pop checking out the resort and swimming and maybe doing some shopping at DTD.

What about a Room only at Pop with 1 day base tickets for the first day. I think someone said the 1 day base tickets are like 69.00 or something like that. So that would be about 450 - 500 I would think for the room and 4-1 day base tickets.

 

[Jammy]

Thanks for your reply Catrinabeach. There are just 2 of us, my52=jwwband and I. We have never been to WDW before and I know we'll want to get straight to the Magic Kingdom on our first day. Especially since we want to try to do all of the really popular attraction at the very beginning of our stay as it will get more and more crowded closer to Christmas. You mentioned some people were able to talk to someone and have them allow admission into the park a day early....who are some of these people and can they let me know or post who or where they called to talk to about this?

 

[smylie1]

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying they said you can't just get a room for one night and buy the tickets at the gate? Since you're paying OOP for meals for that day, why is it not like if I went to say, Daytona Beach, and drove to one of the parks for the day? I'm confused. It seems like if they offer "room only" rates, then if there is a room available, you should be able to get it with or without tickets or DDP or whatever.

 

[GovieMom]

As the above poster said, you would definitely be able to get a room-only at POP the first night, and purchase a one-day ticket to MK for that first day.
No need to change any of your package at POFQ.

 

[Jammy]

I'm not sure I understand. Are you saying they said you can't just get a room for one night and buy the tickets at the gate? Since you're paying OOP for meals for that day, why is it not like if I went to say, Daytona Beach, and drove to one of the parks for the day? I'm confused. It seems like if they offer "room only" rates, then if there is a room available, you should be able to get it with or without tickets or DDP or whatever.

I am so confused about all the different options and everything right now, my head is spinning. I'm sure I could just buy an extra day at the gate, but the point is...why do I have to do that when adding an extra park day to our existing package would be just a couple dollars extra?

 

[Catrinabeach]

Ok so I just checked. For 2 adult base tickets (no park hopping but you could spend the day at Magic Kingdom !) is 151.24 including tax. A room only at Pop Century is $ 105. for a preferred room. That's what I paid for Dec 17th.

So that's only 256.24 if you do it that way and pay for meals that day OOP

 

[Catrinabeach]

I am so confused about all the different options and everything right now, my head is spinning. I'm sure I could just buy an extra day at the gate, but the point is...why do I have to do that when adding an extra park day to our existing package would be just a couple dollars extra?

The reason you can't is because your tickets are tied to your package which doesn't start until the following day. That is just Disney's policy. If you were doing it the day after your package it would be fine because you already would have the tickets in your possession.

 

[GovieMom]

Catrinabeach is correct ... You can certainly add an extra day to your tickets, but you cannot use it until after you check into POFQ. You'd have to determine which would be best for you: Re-doing your package to start on the 18th, or getting a room-only at POP for one night and purchasing a one-day ticket to MK.

 

[mbcary]

You could always just stay at the Pop the first night and do other things besides the parks. You could visit other resorts or go to DTD for the day or hang out by the pool and get rested for the rest of your trip. Last December when we went we stayed at Pop the first night then transferred to POFQ the next day. However, we arrived rather late in the evening so we didn't have practically a whole day to worry about. Good luck and have fun!

 

[Jammy]

Ok so I just checked. For 2 adult base tickets (no park hopping but you could spend the day at Magic Kingdom !) is 151.24 including tax. A room only at Pop Century is $ 105. for a preferred room. That's what I paid for Dec 17th.

So that's only 256.24 if you do it that way and pay for meals that day OOP

This is pretty much the same as I would spend by just adding an additional night to my POFQ stay w/ the dining and and extra park day. I guess that's really my best option. I'm not going to get around adding another day in a room, at the park and with dining for under this amount. I'm just disappointed that it wasn't cheaper to split the stay w/ a value resort. Thanks for your research Catrina.

 

[irish dancer]

Since you're planning on going to MK on 12/18 anyway you might want to think about just buying tix for MVMCP for that night as MK will be closing at 7pm. Two adult tix for that night would be $87.24 total. Many have reported being able to enter the MK starting as early as 4p with their party tix so you'd have 4p-12m plus all the holiday extras. This would be a cheaper option than regular 1 day tix I think.

 

[kellyg403]

We had a similar problem. Now arriving the 18th instead. We also just went ahead and got MVMCP tickets for that night. I hesitated getting another day's tickets since I wasn't sure what time our room's would be ready. I hate the idea of arriving at 12, going to a park for a few hours, getting our room at 4, running to get to a dining adr etc.

So our plan? Arrive when we get there, hang out at resort until room is ready and go to MK at 7 for the party. It actually was cheaper for us to do. We are paying OOP for meal at CSR for that day.

Good luck. We have only driven, so I assuming that you will be flying and taking Magical Express. Not sure how long that will take but is your arrival to WDW at 11 or airport at 11? That might make a difference in your plans for the day.

Kelly

 

[CanadianGuy]

I'm moving this over to the experts on the Resorts board. They know all the ins- and outs of booking and reserving split-stays.

Knox

 

[Cinderella]

Hi - did you book this as a package with flight? It's just that you mentioned American Express Travel. Did they change your flights so that you are leaving a day earlier? If so, surely it is their responsibility to sort this out right?

But, if it's going to leave you paying $1000 extra, then you should either a) pay for the room and an extra day at the parks seperately, or b) pay the room seperately and ask them if you can use one of your days off your tickets from the package to enter the parks on your first day.

Or c) as Kelly mentioned, if you want to do the Christmas Party, it may just be worth buying a seperate ticket for that - you will still be able to enter the park at about 4.30pm and stay until midnight.

 

[Frankiesmom]

Since you have never been to WDW before and are going at Xmas time get the 1 nite at POP and then go check out all the great Holiday decorations at the resorts-like the gingerbread house at the GF,the WL with their huge tree and then over to the POLY. You could have dinner at one of these resorts and then back to POP to relax and get a good nites sleep before you're up early to move to POFQ and the day at MK. Just an idea;you said you arrive at 11 am-so by the time you get checked into POP it's probably going to be after 1 pm. Just a thought. Smile-you're going to WDW!!

 

[smylie1]

I am so confused about all the different options and everything right now, my head is spinning. I'm sure I could just buy an extra day at the gate, but the point is...why do I have to do that when adding an extra park day to our existing package would be just a couple dollars extra?

Oh, I get it now. I wasn't thinking about how another day is only a few dollars if you purchased other days. I was thinking they were telling you couldn't come to the parks until your original package began. I thought,"that's not very good business!" I hope you get everything worked out. Good Luck!

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

Can you just change the dates of your package to start the day you arrive and then add to room-only @ POP the last day of your stay instead of the first? Wouldn't the price be the same, but with access to your tickets the first day instead of the second?

 

[cdrn1]

If it were me, I would add the extra night to the package and stay at POFQ. It would be kind of a pain to repack your stuff up for the move to POFQ, and then you would also waste a little more time checking in to POFQ the next day. Better to just go there to begin with. (It's a beautiful resort, by the way.)

If that isn't a possibility for you, I would do as a PP has suggested: stay at Pop and get tickets to MVMCP that first night. They let you in at 4. Then just have luggage services move your stuff over to POFQ the next day.

What I would not do is pay for 1-day tickets to MK. You wouldn't get to use them for very long, by the time you get checked in to Pop, get settled and over to MK you would only have a matter of hours before it would close for the Xmas Party. I would even hesitate to buy a 1-day ticket and go to a park that closes later; there are a lot of things to do that don't involve going to parks and it would burn me up to know I paid $70 for a ticket that should have only cost a few bucks.

 

[bab31]

I agree about staying at french quarter - but I just perfer not to be moving around so much.

I also agree if you just have to go to the magic kingdom first day buy the tickets to the christmas party event.

Myself I would settle in check out resorts - and get a good nights rest.