IS this Disney legal--renting a room for the EMH?

[Cass]

I wouldn't bother with the hassle. EMH is not worth the trouble, IMO. Too crowded for us!

I agree, not worth it

 

[awswilson2007]

The only thing that you need to probably keep in mind is that you will not be using the site as you said you would. That might give you a probably with WDW.

 

[auntie]

excuse my camping ignorance, but how would they know that your site was not occupied? do they actually patrol the campground knowing which sites are issued and which are not? it's certainly not like mousekeeping comes and tidies up your dirt

i have heard it told that off-site guests will often book and not use a campsite just to have access to the paid dining plan (campsites are not eligible for free dining)... so this is really no different...

The camping sites are actually on cement pads...very long and wide. There isn't much dirt involved. So that you can accomodate an RV..either a Travel Trailer or motor home. I don't believe the tenting sites are in dirt either. they are quite lovely and landscaped on either side..with shade trees..and palms.They are located in individual loops. Based on the type of hook up your rig requires. Most of the sites have cable...same as what's in the resorts. It is obvious if it isn't occupied..as your neighbors would notice quite easily. If someone were looking at your site..and wanted to occupy it because it were empty..all they need do is inquire at check in. If the site was supposed to be occupied and it wasn't. As no camping equipment was on site..then certainly the front desk would then be aware of what was actually going on. There is also Disney security through out the campground. We rode our bikes through FW several times last week( We were staying at the WL, but scouting out sites for a future trip with our travel trailer)..and saw security cars making the rounds in several different loops.

 

[gigi1313]

thanks for the education on the camping sites... learn something new every day

i guess my thought was, even if security notices the empty site, and the neighbors notice an empty site, who's to know that it's not supposed to be empty (just like the room next to me at pop was empty)... if they never set up camp or even go beyond the front desk to check in... i guess i wasn't thinking that people would inquire or assuming high turnover that security would have a map/list of what's taken and what's available every day (like mousekeeping has in a resort)...

 

[Florida_Mom]

The campground maintenance crew most definitely would notice. They tidy up the site after someone checks out (blow off the cement pad, etc). They're always around. They know which sites are supposed to be occupied.

Having said all that, can you do it? Probably. Is it worth it? Only you know that. Would it prevent someone who wanted to tent camp from getting a site for $40 or $50 a night...depends on the time of year, but highly possible.

 

[auntie]

I know there has been talk of this practice on the camping board. There is a growing frustration among campers who wanted a particular site and were told it wasn't available..only to find when they are actually there, that the site is unoccupied. Thus it is brought to the attention of management. I guess it's kind of a crap shoot..sure you could try..but you also run the risk of getting caught. Being that both the campers and management are aware of the practice. I'm sure Disney will accept anyone's money..but the campground is the only resort on property that makes money all the time..and has no problems with low occupancy even after 9-11. I would think they would want to keep the loyal customers they have and prefer to rent the site to those they know would actually use it. The campground offers many amenities..and there are those who camp there, and never even go to a park.

 

[disneymayz]

Just stay onsite and this would not be an issue.

EMH - Not worth it
Free parking - pay 40/day for a 10/day parking spot - also not worth it.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Even though you don't know how busy FW would be when the OP is visiting WDW, I believe it's taking a reservation away from a family that wants to stay there for their vacation and not use it just for EMH. I know it's their money and they can do what they want but if they said they wanted to double book ADR's on a certin day, everyone would be flaming them saying how it's wrong because your costing someone else the chance of getting them. So even though the two are completely different the OP is still causing another family who really wants to stay there from getting a reservation, because you never know when it could mean the difference between it selling out for the next person who calls asking to make a reservation for FW.

 

[gigi1313]

have you never heard of first come first served?! comparing PAYING for a site vs HOLDING A FREE RESERVATION are not even close to apples to apples... the OP wants a perk and is willing to pay for it... if another family wants a campsite, then they should reserve one before the OP does...

although i am not condoning the practice, the "other family may want it" argument doesn't really hold water to me...

how 'bout your family, you're staying CR/Club level in august... my family has never stayed there and would like to stay there in august but it's not available... should you give up your ressie 'cause you've been there before and i haven't? of course not, you made your ressie first and secured that room for yourselves... too bad for me for dragging my feet and not reserving before you... that's a closer comparison than ADRs...

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

how 'bout your family, you're staying CR/Club level in august... my family has never stayed there and would like to stay there in august but it's not available... should you give up your ressie 'cause you've been there before and i haven't? of course not, you made your ressie first and secured that room for yourselves... too bad for me for dragging my feet and not reserving before you... that's a closer comparison than ADRs...

You can't compare my families reservation to what the OP wants to do. We plan on staying there and using all the services they offer. So we are not staying there just so we can have the EMH privileges.

 

[princessgirl2238]

At any hotel or resort, if you do not occupy the room (or campsite in this case) it will be assumed that you have checked out early. They should try to contact you first if you gave them a phone number, but there is no legal requirement to do this. They would then cancel (check out) the reservation and the invalidate the room keys.

Why not set up a tent and have a place to go during the day for a break?

even if you are checked out early, your parking pass is still valid till midnight of the night you check out, same with the key pass (even though it no longer works on locks or what ever at the campground) but you still have charging access to it and it still works at emh (when ever my family comes and visits me, they let my friends use their room keys the day they check out for emh since cast members can't go to emh unless we stay a night like all the guests- they just take the charging privlages off of all of the keys except mine, which i get to use till midnight, and we get to enjoy the night)
*remember: all perks that a person pays for at disney are good till midnight of the night you check out

 

[stitchlovestink]

have you never heard of first come first served?! comparing PAYING for a site vs HOLDING A FREE RESERVATION are not even close to apples to apples... the OP wants a perk and is willing to pay for it... if another family wants a campsite, then they should reserve one before the OP does...

although i am not condoning the practice, the "other family may want it" argument doesn't really hold water to me...

how 'bout your family, you're staying CR/Club level in august... my family has never stayed there and would like to stay there in august but it's not available... should you give up your ressie 'cause you've been there before and i haven't? of course not, you made your ressie first and secured that room for yourselves... too bad for me for dragging my feet and not reserving before you... that's a closer comparison than ADRs...

Well stated Gigi1313! It should be first come, first served. If you want a spot or room or ressie, call & reserve it. If it's not available, then appearantly you didn't call soon enough.

You can't compare my families reservation to what the OP wants to do. We plan on staying there and using all the services they offer. So we are not staying there just so we can have the EMH privileges.

Whether or not someone chooses to use all of ammenities offered is up to them. I don't see anything wrong w/ what they want to do. They are not trying to get something for free. So if someone decides to stay on property and doesn't ever use any extra ammenities offered (no EMH, DDP, transportation, etc...), should they just stay off property so someone else could have their hotel room that would use the extra ammenities?
please explain, when they are paying for the site, how they are cheating Disney?

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

Whether or not someone chooses to use all of ammenities offered is up to them. I don't see anything wrong w/ what they want to do. They are not trying to get something for free. So if someone decides to stay on property and doesn't ever use any extra ammenities offered (no EMH, DDP, transportation, etc...), should they just stay off property so someone else could have their hotel room that would use the extra ammenities?
please explain, when they are paying for the site, how they are cheating Disney?

The difference is we are not staying at the Contemporary on the Atrium Club floor to get EMH. We are staying there because we want to use all the services that they provide us and all the other things you get when staying onsite.

I agree that anyone who stays onsite does not have to use every privilege that comes with being a WDW Resort guest. However there is a difference to staying onsite and not using all of them, compared to making a reservation to get the EMH privilege but not physically staying there each day of your vacation.

 

[disneydance]

I would reccomend ocupying in the spot with a tent and visiting it daily and ambe going swimming and doing the hoop-de-doo-revue or other things and emh dont mean alot to us they get real busy in the evenings but they arre less busy in the night

 

[StrwLady]

We are strongly considering renting a home near Disney to accomodate some special needs in the family. But, we love the resort EMH access. Is there anything wrong with paying for a campsite for the 4 of us to get the resort perks, but then actually staying off campus?

My husband and I are havign an ethical debate. He says its ok because we are paying something for the access, and that it shouldnt bother Disney if we never actually use the space?

Any thoughts out there?

Jennifer

Jennifer did you check with Disney to see if any of the resorts within your price range can accommodate the special needs issues faced by your family members?

As for the right or wrong issue, I think that boils down to your personal feelings. I can't see any "legality" issues unless somewhere in the small print it says "camp site must be occupied during the length of stay" or something like that.

Everyone will have different "ethical" opinions on this issue. I think there have been quite a few opinions that have been offered here that might not have crossed your mind. (popularity of camp sites, unoccupied site, etc) Hopefully they will help you wade through your "ethical debate"

Hope you come to a conclusion soon thats right for your and your family

 

[Disneyhappy]

We are strongly considering renting a home near Disney to accomodate some special needs in the family. But, we love the resort EMH access. Is there anything wrong with paying for a campsite for the 4 of us to get the resort perks, but then actually staying off campus?

My husband and I are havign an ethical debate. He says its ok because we are paying something for the access, and that it shouldnt bother Disney if we never actually use the space?

Any thoughts out there?

Jennifer

Last year someone posted that they were staying in a DVC resort using their points during free dining. They reserved a room at a value resort because the end cost was less than the cost of the dining plan. They did not use the room at all after checking in. There was a huge debate here at DIS without any one actually asking WDW if it was OK. The question had me curious so I called WDW (I forget exactly which department) to find out their position on the issue twice. Both tines they stated as long as the room is paid, they do not care if it is occupied or not during that time period. They only asked that the occupants inform mousekeeping that they will not want any services during their stay. Legally, as long as their is a reservation with payment on record, WDW can not rent that room to someone else.

So is it legal in WDW's eyes? - apparently, if those conversations still hold true. Is it ethical? I don't think it really matters. WDW is in the business of making money so they only care about selling rooms/campsites, whether they are used or not. They would rather the room be rented whether occupied or not than risk it not being rented at all. For them, it appears to me that it is strictly a business decision.

 

[kileybeth]

Disneyhappy,

well said. that would have been my take on it as well.

and really, one less person using the facilities, is hardly a bad thing for those on site using them.

understand the ethical debate, but really, you are using what you paid for.

we often have to rent a suite b/c of number in our party when we really do not need it for sleeping arrangments or whatever so not a huge difference to me.

and if someone else really wanted that tent site, well, I guess they should have booked it before OP who actually did book and is using it.

now that said, if you pay for a room at the Poly, come swim with me but if you don't stay out of my pool!

 

[tnkr_bell]

Personally, I think if you are going to go through the trouble of renting a spot for the EMH I would go ahead and pitch a tent and leave an ice chest with drinks and snacks so that you would have a place to come to during the middle of the day if you need a rest.

That way you are actually using the spot and you get the extra perks that come with staying on site.

And just remember...you can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't please all of the people all of the time. You're not going to get a simple yes or no answer to whether or not this is OK. You just have to follow your instincts and do what you think is right.

 

[disneymayz]

have fun and don't worry about it.

 

[TammiMcMan]

It's absolutely fine. Not only do you get the benefits of EMH, but you also get the free parking and use of the FW amenities (pool, playground, beach, etc) if you want to take an afternoon break from the park. Have fun and enjoy your trip.