I just cant believe Disneys disoganization

[miller2470]

My dad and I sat down in September and planned out our grand gathering trip for this June. We got 3 rooms at POR along with 7 day hopper passes for 12 people. This is a trip that my dad has wanted to do for the family for 3-4 years now. He wanted to be able to see the grandkids faces in Disney. Anyways, At the time that we set our reservations we didnt do the DP because we were not aware of how great a deal it was, and even though we go every year, last year we went on the Disney Wonder, so we had no need for it. After reading all of the threads on these boards, we decided to add the DP. I called Disney and the CM who assisted me advised me that because we had the AAA discount on the room. that we were unable to add the DP. She did however advise me that we could transfer our reservation to AAA and add the DP. We were happy because we were gonna be able to get it. I called back because I just wanted to double check and the second CM said yes, that is correct.

The next day I went to AAA along with my dad and we had the reservation transferred. Later that day we got a call from our AAA agent advising us that she couldnt add the DP because of the way Disney had the reservation. Now 2 Disney CM's looked at our ressie and assured us that it would be no problem. AAA said that all we could do was cancel the existing ressie and start from scratch. Well, that would be ok except...Disney raised their rates on tickets and the room price went up. I wouldnt feel as bad as I do except that my dad has been saving a long time to be able to take 12 of us. He wont take any money but now has to pay quite a bit more. I really dont understand how this could have happened. We go to Disney every year and have always had excellent experiences with everyone that we encounter, starting with the CM that we make our reservations with.

Has this ever happened to anyone. I really dont mean to speak poorly of Disney or the CM's but I feel that this situation is so unfair for my dad.

We made our initial reservations before January when the prices went up.

 

[srfrgrl07]

Sounds like you booked room only reservations and now want a package so you can add dining. Did you add the tickets to the room reservation as a "Key to the World" or did you have them sent to you? The room rate shouldn't have increased since September so I would definitely encourage you to ask the TA about that.

Disney's systems are completly different when booking room only reservations vs. packages. They cannot simply "transfer" your existing reservation or "upgrade" it, if that makes sense. Your TA was correct in that it has to be rebooked and cancelled.

If you paid by cc, they issue a refund and recharge. If you paid by check, they can transfer the funds.

My advice would be to have your TA speak to a Guest Services agent and explain the situation to see if they can alter the ticket prices on your "new" package. I don't know that they can, but it's worth a try.

If not, I guess it comes down to this: Does the increase in ticket prices offset the savings offered by the dining plan? I know with that many people, the ticket increase adds up but so do the food costs. Not knowing how many days you have on your tickets, I really can't say but my gut tells me it is probably worth it for the dine plan.

I understand your frustration, but wouldn't classify this as disorganized just as I wouldn't think to "blame" you for being indecisive on whether or not to take the dine plan. I wouldn't expect a Disney agent to know what procedures a TA follows when taking over a reservation. The CMs probably should have checked into it further or the TA should have explained it to you before taking over the reservation...it's always better to say, "I'm not 100% sure so let me check with a supervisor" or "I would inquire with your TA as to the proper procedure since I do not process such requests." Try having the TA call and "pleading the case" first...hope it all works out to your satisfaction and you have a great family reunion!

 

[maggiew]

I guess figure out how much you would be saving with the dining plan and then compare to how much extra you will have to pay to rebook. If its not worth it, then don't rebook.

I don't think this problem, though has to do with Disney disorganization. The only way to book a package with AAA discount is to go through AAA. Since you did not originally book with AAA, you are forced to cancel your original reservations and book with AAA. That's just how it is. Sorry.

Maggie

 

[rascalmom]

Have you thought about getting an AP (annual pass) for one person? There are room discounts sometimes available & with an AP you can get a DDE card. The Disney Dining Experience gives you 20% off at most all of the Disney restaurants. I know for our family, we came out a lot better pricewise with DDE than we would have with the Dining Plan. We don't always want an appetizer, entree & dessert. DH and I like an adult beverage now & then. It saved us a lot of money on our last trip & we didn't have to worry about "credit" and how & when to use them.

 

[miller2470]

Disney might not have been diorganized as I said. I guess when I wrote the post I was furious. It does come down to the fact that we did book everything but the dining plan at one time. That should have made it a DYW package right? If not for the AAA discount we could have added the Dp as one cm told us. The AAA agent told us that they booked the rooms and did the tickets as add ons so it wasnt showing as a package and that was the problem. Anyways, since dad wont take any money, I made arrangements with AAA to pay my mom & dads DP for them. Their birthdays are in 2 weeks and for their b-days my sisters and I are paying for their air fare.

7 days in Disney makes me think that the DP is worth it but I just hate to see my dad put out so much money. My mom is trying to retire.

Thanks for your help and suggestions!