How long before your trip do the travel documents come?

[MsStinkerBelle]

TA e-mailed me this afternoon that ALL of our documents (vouchers, ME luggage tags) arrived today. I'm picking them up tomorrow. Our departure date is 8/22/07.

POLY, here we come!

 

[global_mom]

Disney does not release documents until a package is paid in full so they are directly tied to the payment of the package. Maybe exceptions have been made but I dont deal with Costco and AAA only with DTC.

If you pay your balance at the 45 day window then you will receive them on the standard schedule but you must allow for volume. If you paid further in advance, many people pay the full package amount at the time of booking, then your docs are still released according to the 45 day window. This is done b/c you have until 45 days prior to cancel with no penalty. You also have until the 45 day window to make changes to a package with no fees. If you make changes inside the 45 day window, after paying in full, then Disney charges a $50 change fee and a $10 re-doc fee. Many people make changes inside the 45 day window and do end up with 2 sets of docs. Again, I am sure that eceptions have been made to the fees but I have not encountered it.

If you make a package ressie within 45 days of your arrival date you will have to pay in full at booking. If you book very close to your arrival date, Disney will happily express your docs to you, they state that they charge a fee for this service but I have not seen that done. They will even hold them at the resort for you if you were to book 5 days or less prior to arrival.

ME is a completely seperate department but the tags should not be shipped until the full package payment has been received. They will also overnight these if neccessary.

If you read the "terms and conditions" that accompany all ressie confirmations it spells our the payment and doc release procedures including the fact that travel documents are the guest's proof of payment in full.

Disney trys hard to accomodate every guest in regard to timely receipt of the docs. There is nothing more exciting than getting that package in the mail that signifies that your vacation is almost here!!

 

[bradk]

while what you've said is all true, one still has nothing to do with the other. if you've booked more than 42 days out (which is when DME is sent), you'd have to have paid in full by then. if you book a package 30 days out, it has to be paid in full then, so of course the documents still come out after you've paid in full.

but what about room only? you don't pay the balance until you check-in, yet still DME is mailed out 6 weeks ahead of time.

so it's guaranteed that you're paid in full by the time they send out the documents (and incidentally in a period where if you cancel, you lose at least $100 which will cover all those goodies you get), but they're still not tied together. if you pay in full 100 days in advance, you still wait until 6 weeks out before DME is sent and 5 weeks before the package materials are sent.

so the schedule is like this:

pay in full 45 days out - 6 and 5 weeks
pay in full 75 days out - 6 and 5 weeks
pay in full 200 days out - 6 and 5 weeks
pay in full 3 weeks out - sent then. they sure couldn't know you were going to book to send it out before

 

[bgbodnar]

Thanks for this post! I asked this same question and it never really got answered. I haven't gotten anything and was getting concerned. We arrive on Aug. 26th too and I see many of you already have your info. I will be contacting the TA to see what is up. I'd have been sitting here like a dork the week prior wondering what to do!

I also am going to be there on 8-26, I got my ME packet about a week and half ago, and just today go my travel docs. If you went thru a TA (both packets are probably going to the agency), he/she is probably waiting for both packets-before they get them to you.

 

[global_mom]

So i's guaranteed that you're paid in full by the time they send out the documents (and incidentally in a period where if you cancel, you lose at least $100 which will cover all those goodies you get), but they're still not tied together. if you pay in full 100 days in advance, you still wait until 6 weeks out before DME is sent and 5 weeks before the package materials are sent.

so the schedule is like this:

pay in full 45 days out - 6 and 5 weeks
pay in full 75 days out - 6 and 5 weeks
pay in full 200 days out - 6 and 5 weeks
pay in full 3 weeks out - sent then. they sure couldn't know you were going to book to send it out before[/QUOTE]


45-6 days ahead of arrival = $100 cancel fee
5 days to date of arrival = $200 cancel fee

Obviously if you book 3 weeks in advance they would not have mailed docs to you on the 5-6 week schedule. That is why I said that if you book within the 45 day window, and you book very close to arrival, that they will express the docs. I did not say that they are mind readers and know that you are going to call and book so they go ahead and send you docs before you book and pay. If you booked and paid 100 days in advance, as in your example, you would still follow the 45 day guidelines, never said that you would have docs shipped prior to that time.

You are absolutely entilted to say that the docs and the payment are not related. You also then know that room-only ressies, as posted earlier, are handled completely differently. One night's room rate/taxes as deposit. The confirmation letter is being phased out for an email confirmation but that system is far from flawless. ME sent as usual.

The only point is the fact that the docs don't cut until a package is paid. Of the 123 packages that I have booked this year they all followed this procedure.

 

[mana'olana]

I'm glad I saw this thread - I paid off my trip July 10 but haven't received anything. I booked trip through AAA. I did extend our trip 4 days and added hotel only on it, but I booked the hotel myself through Disney, received my confirmation letter about a week later. I'm going to email my AAA rep today because we leave in less than a month and I want to get my paperwork. We're rarin' to go!!

 

[momtothree3]

We are going Sept. 2-8 and have received all our doc. for the trip. I paid off pur trip on the 19 of July. This last packet had travel doc. and plastic bag tags. Hope this helps Chris

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Still waiting for that wonderful envelope to arrive...Got the DME tags so I know it shouldn't be very long now. Trip's been paid off since mid-July and we are leaving for WDW on Aug 30th.

Can't wait!

 

[mrsnj91]

Thanks for this post. Dh called the TA and she did indeed have the info. In the head office in Washington!!! (We live in NJ!!) So they are on the way. I told DH to let them know there might be two packages coming. He wasn't sure which was there but he thinks it is just one. Thanks for the heads up or I would have been sitting here a week prior going "DUH!"

 

[joyjoy]

We leave Sept 1 and we got all our final stuff yesterday. Pd - 7/12/07.

Can't WAIT!