"Limited" # of AP rooms?

[Sally Bradley]

When they say a "limited" # of rooms are available at the AP rate, what exactly does that mean? Does it mean:

1) Between the dates of...say April and August....there are x no. of rooms available among ALL the WDW resorts...and once those are booked, they are booked?

2) During the AP season, each resort only gets x no. of AP rate rooms..once those are booked, they're booked?

or...
3) For any particular date during the AP season, there are x no. of rooms available, either in a particular resort or WDW-wide?

I'm trying to figure out, for example...if I cant get an AP rate for, say April 27th...is there a possibility April 30th might be available....

Thanks
(hope this isnt too confusing)

 

[Hayley]

If someone has figured out this WDW mystery, I'd like to know too!

What I do know is that it changes alot - sometimes due to people making reservations and changing them. A CM once told me that there were no AP rooms available in the AM, and then I read on these boards that you should check many times in case someone cancelled, and I called in the PM and got the AP rate.

I think that the # varies from resort to resort depending on the season and other variables, but it's defininately not true that once they are gone they are gone for good.

 

[jel0511]

Basically a number of rooms from each resort and room view category area set aside for AP rates. Once that allotment is gone, the AP rates are gone. There is a possibility that AP rates could be sold out for a particular date, so call as soon as you know your dates.

 

[Sally Bradley]

So....

Let's see if I have this straight...

(hypothetical)
They post AP rates for the April thru August period. For the Grand Floridian, they have designated 10 concierge rooms at the AP "rate." If 10 people book a concierge room for 1 nite each, all of the AP rate for that category would be "used up." If all 10 reservations were booked for August...none would be available for April thru July....whether those concierge rooms were booked for 1 nite or 2 weeks.

Is that correct?

 

[jel0511]

No, that wouldn't be correct. If there are 10 rooms set aside for AP rates, then those 10 rooms would be available for EVERY night that the AP rates are valid for. In your example if 10 people book 10 rooms for one night, that one night would no longer be available, but the other nights would be available. Also, just so you know if you're talking about RPC rooms at the GF, those have been excluded from AP rates usually, so I wouldn't count of a RPC room at an AP rate. Sugar Loaf concierge is always included.

 

[Sally Bradley]

Thank you!

That certainly clears it up!!

 

[cindyfan]

jel0511 is correct.
This is what I can figure out......
Depending on the time of year, how many guests have already made reservation using other rates and any other things that each seperate resort has going on (example: if CSR might have a big coorporate convention in town)....then they will decide how many rooms by resort to "block out" for AP rates.
I am guessing the computer does it all by percentages.
That is why there are some resorts that don't typically open up to AP rates....such as ASMovies...they fill up faster than Sports and Music. And CSR because they have so many rooms blocked out for conventions, etc.
And it is done by day too. That is why if you can't get AP starting on for example April 30...check May 1st and they might. Then as other people change their reservations and cancel, etc April 30 might open up!

 

[GoldenOldie]

Participation in each and every discount code including AP discounts is determined solely by the general manager of the resort. It is he/she alone who decides if that particular resort will participate and if so, exactly how many rooms they wish to release at the discounted rate.

Room occupancy rates are the major determining factor. If the resort's booking are running at or over a certain rate (say 80%), the chances are slim that there will be any discounts offered.

But reservations are a very fluid thing. The occupancy rates are reviewed at set intervals (sometimes weekly, sometimes bi-weekly). If the resort sees that the percentage has fallen, it can and often does releases rooms (or more rooms if the original allotment had been exhausted) to the discount program.

So just because one resort or classification of rooms within a resort isn't participating now doesn't necessarily mean it won't be available in the future.