my wish - back to back FTP

[momxx5]

We did the FTP this summer, and although I know alot of people did not like this - we loved it! It truly made it affordable for our big family to go to WDW for a "whole week" and we had the best vacation ever!

Now I am already making plans for next yr, and I got to thinking IF(big IF - I know!) WDW offered the FTP again next summer, wouldn't it be cool to book 2 packages, back to back. Thus staying for 2 weeks and only paying for 8nights! I think that would just be the best. Not that we could actually do this. But hey I can dream can't I.

BTW, we stayed at Ft.W cabins - it was the only thing available for the week we were going. Because of the number of kids, we needed to book a Home-Away-From Home resort. It turns out that the cabins were perfect for us. It was our own little cabin in th woods. My husband really loved the cabins, rather than a bed,tv and balcony.

Any one else ever considered this?

 

[PartyOf5]

That's funny you should mention this. My husband was able to get some extra time off and I told him if I knew this was going to happen, I would have booked back to back Fairytale Packages for us. We would have stayed at GF one week and Beach Club the other!

 

[clhcpaca]

Hi there

I did book back to back FTP. I will be at WDW from September 13-27 and I booked one week at CSR and one week at CBR. So, I am only paying for 8 nights, plus I get two of those pictures.

It was as cheap as getting a regular AP and prior September AP room rates. Looks like it was a good thing that I went this way as AP rates have not come out for September.

PLUS, I used my Delta miles from my AMEX Delta card to get my first class plane tickets from California.

ONLY four more weeks and I will be in WDW, Cindy

 

[Grumpy'sMom]

momxx5,

This is the same thing I am hoping for. My family and I usually go every other year for 12 days, if we could get back to back FTP, we could go for 2 extra days, yet pay for only 8!!!

I hope it works out for us!!

 

[Gary M]

Fourteen days of AP room only discounts would be less expensive than back- to- back FTP packages, but if AP room only rates aren't available, then back-to-back FTP would be the best.

Have a good time.

 

[LoriZH]

I think it would be an awesome deal! I really do hope they do it again next year, it's nice to hear of people that cannot usually either make time or afford to go for so many days taking advantage of this offer.

Glad you had a wonderful time, that's what it's all about!


PS, what did you mean by "a lot of people did not like this?" just curious who wouldn't like a deal like that.

 

[suzywindy]

Never thought of that before SO THANKS FOR THE IDEA - now I have some other options to think about if they ever offer FTP when I go.

 

[Gary M]

LoriZH, I'll answer the question of who didn't like the FTP, because I am one of those.

If a person has an AP, this package was not a good deal at all for us. Just do the math. If you go to WDW for 14 nights on the FTP, you will spend at least $300 per person more than if you have an AP with an AP room- only discount. After 8 days of park visits, the AP pays for itself. With the FTP, included in the package, are pass charges for all 14 days. You are paying for an extra 6 days more than with an AP room- only discount. Lets say the park passes are $50 plus per day, take 6 times $50 and that is $300 extra paid per person. The AP room- only discounts were at least 40% off for deluxes, which is about the same as FTP room discounts. In the past, a person would buy an AP for a 14- day stay, but with the FTP, the AP does no good, so WDW makes about $300 more per person on a two- week stay. Good business move for WDW, as long as people don't figure it out mathmatically.

For a family of four, the example I gave with the AP rates versus FTP would save $1200 with the AP discounts. That would pay for the total hotel costs at a value resort for all fourteen days or several nights at a moderate or deluxe WDW resort.

If a person wants to go to WDW for 14 days, I don't see why they wouldn't have done that with the AP room only discounts. I'm sure some people did it because it was a much better deal than FTP.

 

[ceecee]

That would be great! But we couldn't let DD miss that much school. We already went from 5 to 6 days and I'm feeling kind of quilty....she's only in 2nd grade now and she does really well.

 

[Gary M]

ceecee, my example was for the people that said they are going for 14 nights. If you are going for 7 nights and that is the only time in 12 months that you are going to WDW, then the FTP is great for your situation.

If the people that are going for 14 nights with the FTP package didn't take advantage of the AP room only rates, for that same length of time, then they missed out on a real good bargain.

Have a great time.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I wish I could have taken advantage of FTP this year.

14 nights for the price of 8, who could complain about that.

The ap would not work for us. The only reason I'd buy one would be for the room discount. We can't use the ap to get into PL, DQ, BB, and TL. The PAPs are @ 500. I'd be very angry if I purchases two PAPs and then wasn't able to get a room discount.

Since I have no way of knowing if I'll be able to get a discount with the passes or if we'll be able to use them for more than one trip, a package like FTP would be great for us.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I hope those of you that took advantage of the FTP and were pleased with it let Disney know. Maybe that will encourage them to offer it again.

 

[Tinkbell]

I'm hoping that the FTP is offered again in 2004. I did not go to Disney in 2003 so I couldn't take advantage of it this year. I think we should email Disney and let them know that we appreciated that package.

 

[Gary M]

The last three post made the point that FTP is good for people that don't or can't go to WDW that often. This is a great package for you people. Let WDW know this package is good for you, since it fits your needs.

For us that go to WDW a few, if not at least several times per year, it isn't good. WDW's frequent customers are being left out.
I still believe room only rates, will come out this winter, for we AP holders, but who knows. Most of us that visit WDW, more than once per year, like to plan ahead and not knowing about the room discount situation, makes planning difficult. I like to have my travel dates settled and buy my airline tickets, at the best price offered. I won't buy my air tickets, unless I have dates established. If I'm not pretty sure of room discounts then dates can't be made.


As of now I have trips planned to Vegas in both Nov. and Dec. of this year. I have purchased the airline tickets and have great room rates and airfares. Yesterday, I made room reservations for our trip to New Orleans, next March. The room rate was discounted and is a very good rate for a nice hotel in the Quarter. I will now watch for good airfares. I do have a come back rate at WL for Dec. and a very low airfare for that trip. We are looking for a good room discount for Jan.-Feb. at WDW, but it doesn't look promising enough, so I can't consider the plane tickets at this time and will not renew my AP, because we will not likely be going back to WDW that soon. No matter what happens at WDW, we are taking at least one and probably two less trips to WDW this winter season. I know, who cares.

 

[zulaya]

GaryM, your arguments are perfectly valid...if AP rates are available for the time you want to go. But it seems they are not going to be the guaranteed discount that they used to be and if they ever do become available in the future, they will probably be only weeks in advance.

You are right that Disney will not get your business as frequently if you only ever buy an AP. You should send an e-mail to that effect as well as the people who appreciated FTP.

It's too bad that Disney can't balance its business better by offering FTP and AP/room only discounts when they are trying meet room occupancy goals. They seem to be in an experimental mode right now so we'll have to see what happens.

 

[Gary M]

zulaya, I did send an e-mail to Al Weiss a few weeks ago. I received a phone call and was told they are aware of no room only discounts being offered. The lady also said keep an eye out for the Mickey Monitor. The monitor came and no news. I also asked if they could open the COP maybe once a week for the people that don't go during the busy seasons. She said her brother loves the COP and wishes the same thing. She tap danced around things.

 

[Mouse Man]

Geez. This thread is about how people appreciate the FTP and yet, there still has to be AP holders complaining about rates.

I take my family to WDW for one week each year. We love Disney, but one week per year is more than enough for us. FTP was a great deal. People with APs who go many times a year are still getting a considerable savings with admission alone.

 

[Gary M]

Geez Mouse Man, if you would read the thread,you would see that in one reply, I answered LoriZH's question "Ps,what did you mean by "a lot of people did not like this?" just curious who wouldn't like a deal like this."

I told her that room only people didn't and tried to explain why. For people like you, who wrote that your one week a year to WDW is "more than enough for you" then the FTP is great for your kind of traveler.

The answer about the back-to-back stay, with the FTP package, showed that room only, with AP's, are alot cheaper than the 14 night stay with FTP. This doesn't apply to you because of your travel plans for WDW. Why not show a way to get a better deal, if they decided to stay 14 nights and the room only rate was available. The DIS is for ways to get the best deal for your situation and answer questions of all kinds.

 

[momxx5]

Now, now, in no way was this to be a controversal thread.

I was just doing a little dreaming of being able to spend 2 whole weeks at Disney. We've only been back home a few weeks and I really miss WDW.

The FTP is great for people who can only get to WDW every year or so. We had not been in over 5yrs. This was the 1st trip for my 2 youngest, and the 3 older ones do not even remember going before. The UPH is the best fit for our family. We can do what we want when we want without hesitation or planning. With my husband's work schedule and the children's school, there would be no guarantee that we would to travel during the AP room discount times.

The AP is for people who obviously travel to WDW more often and while, yes they should be appreciated for being frequent customers, having packages to fit others is in no way a "dis" towards AP holders. How about the FL residents getting such great "room only" deals? It's all in Disney's master plan!LOL

Having a big family that wasn't even able to take a vacation at all last year, the FTP was a dream come true!

I certainly did not intend to get anyones feathers ruffled.

 

[KDawnLily]

We love the FTP !! And we booked back to back FTP. Nov 9-23/03.
We figured that even with Discounts (that may not even materialize) of 40% for room rates with AP's- the value is still outstanding. For $2400 we, a family of 3 adults and 1 child, are able to enjoy 15 days and 14 nights at Walt Disney World. We had originally booked 11 days/10 nights and it would have cost us about $250 more for that stay....It's not too shabby at all- especially since we live over 1300 miles away and rarely do a second trip in one year.
It would cost us close to $1900 for PAP's for us all and there isn't any guarentee that Disney will offer room only discounts for AP holders. And what about that Print and Pin? I can't wait to get that- It'll look awesome in my den.
We will definately be letting Disney know that we would book FTP again! Even back to back!
Happy Planning and Posting!