I am in a NIGHTMARE - everything is going wrong

[caselaw3]

Thanks! But POP and Nick r for the same night. ..do u think I should stick woth POP do be on-site and pay the penalty at Nick? I am soo at a loss

BTW you guys have made me feel a ton better! Learning from experience. ..wosh I hadnt jumped so fast and waited to think things through when we decided to fly

I am at AoA for the rest of tbe trip and have Pop and Nick booked for the last extra day because I couldn't afford to stay in our room at AoA an extra nignt (although now It looks like that would have been cheaper, lol)

 

[caselaw3]

I remember your other post-if you are taking Dh I would reduce as much "stress" as possible. Changing hotels after you arrive-can be quite stressful. There is no way I would stay at the Nick hotel. Even if you get a clean room-it will be anything but relaxing.

Yes...I am taking him...ee have comr to an agreement for now -

I am going to call them again and find out what's what! I think something seems fishy

 

[caselaw3]

If you cancel Nick, you'll be on site at Pop and be able to use Magical Express each way. Magical Express is free for resort guests (you mentioned there was no transportation for less than $100 each way - not true and good news for you). No need for a rental car. If this is your first family trip, make it easy on yourself and just stay on site this time.

I'd just cancel Nick and chalk it up to stupid tax. We've all paid it. Fix it and move forward.

"Stupid tax" hahahaha. Thanks!
No transportation from sanford airport...

 

[fabulousfive]

I would definitely just stay at POP and try to forget about my costly mistakes. And trust me, we've all made mistakes where we lose money. Why punish yourself more for it by staying at either of two places you don't want to be at? Truly, staying in Disney is so fun, easy, and carefree, it will be a treat! Just do your best to get as much money as you can from the other hotels and book POP. You may even want to use a Disney authorized travel agent who makes it so much simpler too. There's no extra cost to you and really can take the stress of planning away from you. Another Disney perk!

 

[JessM]

I'm not sure if this will make you feel better BUT my family and I have flown either out of Manchester NH or Portland ME to go to Disney in early December at least 10 times. Its snowed a little bit a couple times when we were on our way down but we've never had a flight get cancelled or even delayed. Unless its a blizzard you'll be fine

 

[caselaw3]

I would definitely just stay at POP and try to forget about my costly mistakes. And trust me, we've all made mistakes where we lose money. Why punish yourself more for it by staying at either of two places you don't want to be at? Truly, staying in Disney is so fun, easy, and carefree, it will be a treat! Just do your best to get as much money as you can from the other hotels and book POP. You may even want to use a Disney authorized travel agent who makes it so much simpler too. There's no extra cost to you and really can take the stress of planning away from you. Another Disney perk!

Thank you! I Feel better knowing that others have made mistakes like me - and I have learned so much this year that our next vacation will be planned with so much more insight! I am using a disney travel agent for all things disney and she has booked the stay at pop for us and made all the other arrangements (except for some of the dining that I switched after she made it) - I didn't use her for the flights and stuff that was outside disney because I couldn't afford any of the flights that were going to MCO -
I am going to reread through everything on the Nick site - because I just don't believe that I should have to pay that fee with so much advanced cancellation notice!

EVERYONE here has been so great to me - from my first post to this and all the ridiculous questions inbetween - it is very nice to have a place to go with people who understand and are so helpful and so nice!

 

[fabulousfive]

Awesome, so glad you could turn it around! Now the fun part: planning all you'll do while there. Enjoy! And I agree what you wrote about Dis people. It's a great group.

 

[caselaw3]

I'm not sure if this will make you feel better BUT my family and I have flown either out of Manchester NH or Portland ME to go to Disney in early December at least 10 times. Its snowed a little bit a couple times when we were on our way down but we've never had a flight get cancelled or even delayed. Unless its a blizzard you'll be fine

JessM - that makes me feel a TON better! THank you!

 

[caselaw3]

Well I just got off the phone with Nick Hotels about the ridiculous $70 charge for cancelling - it is because I booked and early booker room and that comes with a 50% non-refundable charge at the time of booking - I don't know how I didn't see any of that - and now i am just stuck -

so the dilemma now is keep the room at Pop - which may be easiest and pay the $70 fee to Nick

or cancel Pop and save $70...but at this point does $70 even matter????

 

[Lynne G]

Well I just got off the phone with Nick Hotels about the ridiculous $70 charge for cancelling - it is because I booked and early booker room and that comes with a 50% non-refundable charge at the time of booking - I don't know how I didn't see any of that - and now i am just stuck -

so the dilemma now is keep the room at Pop - which may be easiest and pay the $70 fee to Nick

or cancel Pop and save $70...but at this point does $70 even matter????

First, I am not one to throw stones. I too have made mistakes that cost me.

I say the easiest is to pay the $70 fee (which I find outrageous too), as you would pay even more if you kept the room and didn't stay there.

 

[caselaw3]

First, I am not one to throw stones. I too have made mistakes that cost me.

I say the easiest is to pay the $70 fee (which I find outrageous too), as you would pay even more if you kept the room and didn't stay there.

Thanks Lynne - that does seem like the easiest - they did say that i could give the reservation to someone else - but I don't know anyone anywhere that would want a one night stay at the nick on December 15th, lol!!!

at this point it does seem like the best thing is just chalk it up to a learning experience and let it go....

 

[JeanfromBNA]

She's not flying into MCO - that's why she needs to pay for transportation.

Got it. That cheap air fare just got more expensive. It always pays to look at the entire picture when flying. DH has to check luggage when he travels to seminars, and the bag fees can add $100 to the fare. That's why we fly Southwest whenever we can. What airport is she flying from?

Re: Cancellation fees. Some hotel booking sites do charge a cancellation fee for those room deals. They're consolidators; they guarantee the hotel a number of room nights in exchange for a break on rates. Have to watch that, too.

 

[caselaw3]

Got it. That cheap air fare just got more expensive. It always pays to look at the entire picture when flying. DH has to check luggage when he travels to seminars, and the bag fees can add $100 to the fare. That's why we fly Southwest whenever we can. What airport is she flying from?

Re: Cancellation fees. Some hotel booking sites do charge a cancellation fee for those room deals. They're consolidators; they guarantee the hotel a number of room nights in exchange for a break on rates. Have to watch that, too.

We are flying out of Portsmouth NH on Allegiant and into Sanford/Orlando
The flights and checked baggage and rental car 1 hotel room come to about $1200 - this was cheaper than if we had flown any other airline and I wanted to have the rental car because I don't like being completely dependent on public transportation but now when I add in the darn cancellation fees for my stupid hotel bookings, i am starting to get close to I should have just flown and relied on DME

The cancellation fee is apparently from getting an early booking discount...LESSON LEARNED!!!!!!

 

[Shagley]

Just cancel the other hotels and stay at Pop, and don't stress about the cancellation fees. Don't keep beating yourself up about it! I have made plenty of mistakes in my time, and some were much more stupid and cost me much more

You are still paying less than you would have paid if you would have booked with a different airline that flies into MCO, plus you will have a car for a week. That will give you an advantage if you decide you don't like relying on Disney busses, because you can drive to the parks or to any breakfast ADR's that you have, etc. Also, if you want make a run to a grocery store to pick up a few breakfast items, etc. You might really like having the car, and you wouldn't have that otherwise.

With the credit card situation, did you try calling the card company and asking them if they will raise your limit on your one card? Maybe they would be willing to do that, since at one time they were willing to give you two different cards? That would take care of your over the limit problem, and you would only be making one cc payment.

Don't worry, this will all get worked out, and you will have a magical trip with your family

 

[powellrj]

A couple of questions. Is the car rental tied into the airline tickets or can you still look for a cheaper rate?

I would cancel the Ramada room, the Nick room and just stay the whole trip at POP and you will likely save the money that way. Are there any other ways you can save on your trip, do you have the dining plan you can downsize, hoppers you can take off your tickets or anything like that.

Good luck.

 

[mm1971]

We are flying out of Portsmouth NH on Allegiant and into Sanford/Orlando
The flights and checked baggage and rental car 1 hotel room come to about $1200 - this was cheaper than if we had flown any other airline and I wanted to have the rental car because I don't like being completely dependent on public transportation but now when I add in the darn cancellation fees for my stupid hotel bookings, i am starting to get close to I should have just flown and relied on DME

The cancellation fee is apparently from getting an early booking discount...LESSON LEARNED!!!!!!

Sorry you had to find out the hard way. We have all done it at one point or another. OK, I think I got it all.

Just an FYI...We fly out of Manchester to MCO every year on SW airlines. The flights are between $99 and $130 each way if you book at the right time. That's $1040. We usually rent a car from Alamo for the week that runs around $200. That is right about where you are above. Not trying to make any waves, just information for next time. You may want to take a look right when the calendar opens up for the flights. There are tons of discounts for the rental cars as well or you can avoid it since you would be flying into MCO and can take DME.

Now onto the room issue. For the last day, do you have park tickets you can use? Is there a reason to stay on property? I ask because if you are just hanging at the hotel for the day, I would save the money and go to the Nick. If you can get a little extra magic by staying at POP, then I would probably eat the $$ and stay at POP. Since you have to pack everything up to move to a new hotel anyway, I would base it on the activities you had planned.

As far as the flights and snow, December has typically been pretty good weather recently and any snow has not caused cancellations. Maybe a short delay, but not cancelled flights. I fly out of Manchester in December and January for business and have never had a flight cancelled (maybe just lucky). I wouldn't worry too much about the flights, but I have never flown Allegiant so their policies may be different.

For the cc situation, I would switch to a new bank and ask them to roll over the $$ on the cards you have now. If that is how they do customer service, don't give them your business. Most have some pretty good % back offers now that are available. It sounds like the new card you got may have been a renewal card for the old account. Did you check the expiration date on the old card and see if the cc#'s were the same on both? It's unlikely that you charged using a separate number and the $$ went to the old account. Or maybe when you requested the new card, they misunderstood and thought you needed a new card for the existing account. Either way, it sounds like you need to address it with a manager, let him/her know you plan to close the account if they do not help you get what you want. Usually that will at least get them to put more effort into it.

Most of all, make the decision that is best for your family and will cause the least amount of stress. There seems to be enough of that already. Just try to relax and adjust to what comes. Disney (and vacations in general) are meant to be fun and to allow you to take a break from the stresses we have every day. I wish you good luck and have a great time.

 

[caselaw3]

Just cancel the other hotels and stay at Pop, and don't stress about the cancellation fees. Don't keep beating yourself up about it! I have made plenty of mistakes in my time, and some were much more stupid and cost me much more

You are still paying less than you would have paid if you would have booked with a different airline that flies into MCO, plus you will have a car for a week. That will give you an advantage if you decide you don't like relying on Disney busses, because you can drive to the parks or to any breakfast ADR's that you have, etc. Also, if you want make a run to a grocery store to pick up a few breakfast items, etc. You might really like having the car, and you wouldn't have that otherwise.

With the credit card situation, did you try calling the card company and asking them if they will raise your limit on your one card? Maybe they would be willing to do that, since at one time they were willing to give you two different cards? That would take care of your over the limit problem, and you would only be making one cc payment.

Don't worry, this will all get worked out, and you will have a magical trip with your family

Thank you! I greatly appreciate the kindness!
I kinda think I will like having the car too - which was why I was originally going to drive down 1 - to save money and 2 - to have the car

I am going to call the credit card company right now to see if there is a way to raise that limit - especially since I don't want to get charged huge fees for being over the limit

 

[caselaw3]

A couple of questions. Is the car rental tied into the airline tickets or can you still look for a cheaper rate?

I would cancel the Ramada room, the Nick room and just stay the whole trip at POP and you will likely save the money that way. Are there any other ways you can save on your trip, do you have the dining plan you can downsize, hoppers you can take off your tickets or anything like that.

Good luck.

Thanks! - I can still keep searching for a cheaper car rate but I don't know if I will find one cheaper than $240 for 10 days - but thankfully that hasn't been booked yet...I am going to keep searching and searching and searching

we have the dining plan but I figured out that with all the things we are doing we save a lot of money by having it and we have the hoppers but we are going to use those at least two of the days we are there....

 

[caselaw3]

Sorry you had to find out the hard way. We have all done it at one point or another. OK, I think I got it all.

Just an FYI...We fly out of Manchester to MCO every year on SW airlines. The flights are between $99 and $130 each way if you book at the right time. That's $1040. We usually rent a car from Alamo for the week that runs around $200. That is right about where you are above. Not trying to make any waves, just information for next time. You may want to take a look right when the calendar opens up for the flights. There are tons of discounts for the rental cars as well or you can avoid it since you would be flying into MCO and can take DME.

Now onto the room issue. For the last day, do you have park tickets you can use? Is there a reason to stay on property? I ask because if you are just hanging at the hotel for the day, I would save the money and go to the Nick. If you can get a little extra magic by staying at POP, then I would probably eat the $$ and stay at POP. Since you have to pack everything up to move to a new hotel anyway, I would base it on the activities you had planned.

As far as the flights and snow, December has typically been pretty good weather recently and any snow has not caused cancellations. Maybe a short delay, but not cancelled flights. I fly out of Manchester in December and January for business and have never had a flight cancelled (maybe just lucky). I wouldn't worry too much about the flights, but I have never flown Allegiant so their policies may be different.

Most of all, make the decision that is best for your family and will cause the least amount of stress. There seems to be enough of that already. Just try to relax and adjust to what comes. Disney (and vacations in general) are meant to be fun and to allow you to take a break from the stresses we have every day. I wish you good luck and have a great time.

Thank you I will keep lookiong for cheaper rental rates - I think part of the problem is that we are getting the car from Sanford and not MCO - I noticed a lot cheaper rates out of MCO but not cheap enough to justify the transportation cost to and from MCO to get the car, lol

For the room - we do have park tickets that we can use - so maybe it is worth it to just let it all go and not worry about the money - and just relax

glad I am getting all this stress out of the way now, lol!!

 

[mm1971]

Thank you I will keep lookiong for cheaper rental rates - I think part of the problem is that we are getting the car from Sanford and not MCO - I noticed a lot cheaper rates out of MCO but not cheap enough to justify the transportation cost to and from MCO to get the car, lol

For the room - we do have park tickets that we can use - so maybe it is worth it to just let it all go and not worry about the money - and just relax

glad I am getting all this stress out of the way now, lol!!

I added some thoughts about the cc as well if you care to look back.

With park tickets, it's definitely worth staying at POP and not stressing over the $$ for the other hotels. At least you get some of it back.