News Round Up 2020

[scrappinginontario]

In the dedicated thread there are some reports from people who booked. Some info:
- can book park hoppers
- cannot modify 2020 into 2021
- can still select plain magic bands
- price wise, someone mentioned booking Pop for Feb 2021 and was over $200/night

I just looked at booking mid-September and the price per night for a standard room averaged over $200/night!! And, Pop is currently the 'least expensive' resort that is available for booking.

Not sure what's happening Sep 17/18, 2021 but a standard room at Pop those nights was $232 before taxes!! That's ridiculous but with the All Stars not accepting reservations they have us. I'm not booking yet. Those prices are crazy!! Still holding out hope that someday I might be able to modify my 2020 discounted room into 2021.

My exact same trip in 2020 and 2021 has increased by hundreds of dollars!!! I can't figure out the exact amount as I originally had FD booked but I can say a 2021 trip with just room and park passes is about the same price I was going to pay in 2020 when it included Free Dining with the upgrade to the DDP!!

 

[CastAStone]

If it makes everyone feel better the middle of the week in September Early September at Pop is still not insane.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Oh .. didn't realize 2021 reservations would be open today.

How are prices? I am getting the "We're Almost in Orbit" error on the pages.

I think the 'We're Almost in Orbit' error in indicative of the prices they are charging!!

 

[elephant98]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1275442761022312448

Yikes. It reaffirms my decision to drive to Hollywood Studios and Epcot from Ft. Wilderness. As for the Magic Kingdom, we are renting a golf cart to get around within the campground and prepared to have our patience tested waiting for a space on a boat to/from the park.

 

[Helvetica]

Oh .. didn't realize 2021 reservations would be open today.

And that's a lot of popular resorts NOT accepting reservations for 2021. Are they really planning on not being at full capacity and not having those resorts not open? I wonder why those? Simply because they are the "farthest" away from any of the parks and require buses 100% of the time?

I'll book something, just to have it on the books .. just not sure when ... or how(like what tickets to get) .. (I mean the way things are going what will the parks be like in January? February? Spring Break? Next Summer? Eesh).

How are prices? I am getting the "We're Almost in Orbit" error on the pages.

My guess? It's easier to lower prices than it is to raise prices and it's easier to add capacity than it is to take it away.

They don't have any additional information about when things might start going back to normal than we do. It would be foolish for them to overbook right now and have to do the mass cancellation thing again. As much as I love the All-Stars (and think they should built another one), they're the biggest resorts with the biggest social distancing issues that are the least profitable (per guest) for Disney.

Not booking French Quarter was a bit of a shock to me personally. Mainly because it's the best and smallest moderate, but I guess it sort of makes sense because if you open French Quarter, then you'd have to open Riverside and Riverside is pretty big.

 

[skeeter31]

I just looked at booking mid-September and the price per night for a standard room averaged over $200/night!! And, Pop is currently the 'least expensive' resort that is available for booking.

Not sure what's happening Sep 17/18, 2021 but a standard room at Pop those nights was $232 before taxes!! That's ridiculous but with the All Stars not accepting reservations they have us. I'm not booking yet. Those prices are crazy!! Still holding out hope that someday I might be able to modify my 2020 discounted room into 2021.

You Kippur is 9/15-9/16/2021 so schools will be closed in most areas (especially NY, NJ, CT) and parents will make it a long weekend with just having to take kids out of school for the Friday.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Yeah they’re not going to offer any discounts at this point. They are going to want to see what demand looks like at full price before rolling out any discounts at all.

And my thoughts on the closed resorts, I bet it’s a programming issue that they have those resorts closed now and the system can’t handle accepting reservations for them in the future either. Add to that the fact that they don’t know when they’ll open everyone of the closed resorts, so it’s just easier for them to leave them all closed for the bookings right now. I highly doubt they’ll all be closed next year, but they’ll just open availability once they need to.

I think the later is key too ... even if they are confident All Stars will be open by June (for example), if they start taking reservations starting June then people will assume it is definitely closed until June even if it might open before then, but they just don't know exactly

So better to just not have them available yet and add them in the future when they are comfortable doing so

 

[tlmadden73]

Well .. thanks for sharing the news here .. Not knowing what else to book, I decided to go for an early June trip (like I was trying for this year) ..right after school is out. This time at Caribbean Beach (mainly because it was only a little more expensive than AoA mermaid rooms.

I guess I have to make park reservations now?

Now to decide if I can go late enough this year to just get an AP for the family for the entire 2021 year.

 

[skeeter31]

Well .. thanks for sharing the news here .. Not knowing what else to book, I decided to go for an early June trip (like I was trying for this year) ..right after school is out. This time at Caribbean Beach (mainly because it was only a little more expensive than AoA mermaid rooms.

I guess I have to make park reservations now?

Now to decide if I can go late enough this year to just get an AP for the family for the entire 2021 year.

Did you get tickets too? Not sure if they’re currently selling APs yet, so you may not be able to book parks just yet.

 

[sherlockmiles]

Do we know why Port Orleans inst available for 2021 bookings?

 

[skeeter31]

Do we know why Port Orleans inst available for 2021 bookings?

Currently closed with no reopening date announced. Same for all AllStars, WL, AKL

 

[sherlockmiles]

Currently closed with no reopening date announced. Same for all AllStars, WL, AKL

*SUPER SAD*

Thank you.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

DCL introduces "Cruise date flexibility" for sailings through March 31, 2021 if you book by Aug 31, 2020

https://dclfan.com/general/disney-c...te-flexibility-for-sailings-through-march-31/

 

[tlmadden73]

Did you get tickets too? Not sure if they’re currently selling APs yet, so you may not be able to book parks just yet.

I have tickets -- 5-day no-hopper tickets (for 3 of us) and 1 AP (unactivated). The system let me make reservations for my entire length of stay (even though I don't plan on going to the parks every day .. (unless I get APs for the rest of us)). So that's nice. Gives me some flexibility until it goes closer, though I am taking up a reservation "slot" i probably won't use. (Like I have a reservation for AK on arrival day .. but no idea when I'd even be arriving).

 

[only hope]

This is probably the only change I'm excited about:

As someone who always buys the photo package, its frustrating to wait for the the photographers to take a set of pictures - and then take them all over again with guest phones.......or every phone of everyone in the party......

Families/groups should be able to get a photo with everyone in it without paying for an expensive package. But just using one persons phone- any more is inconsiderate of the people waiting. Not that it matters now. How is the whole family supposed to be in a photo now? Guests not traveling together are supposed to maintain a six foot distance so handing off the camera to the nice stranger behind you doesn’t work either.

 

[MissGina5]

Catching up but just a reminder to be kind everyone. We are all struggling rn and it's a lot of information and frustration. This is some of the only magic a lot of us can get right now and the only place we can vent about all this Disney/Covid crossover. Let's spread a little pixie dust.

 

[skeeter31]

Families/groups should be able to get a photo with everyone in it without paying for an expensive package. But just using one persons phone- any more is inconsiderate of the people waiting. Not that it matters now. How is the whole family supposed to be in a photo now? Guests not traveling together are supposed to maintain a six foot distance so handing off the camera to the nice stranger behind you doesn’t work either.

I definitely wouldn’t want to take anyone’s picture now. I’m usually a person that gets asked multiple times a day to take peoples pictures, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable handling someone else’s phone at this time. I definitely don’t fault Disney for not wanting their employees to handle them either.

 

[Firebird060]

Hmm i wonder how this new reservation system for parks will work with people wanting to upgrade there tickets to AP. Will they have to have everyone do it on there last day? and or have to fear there current park reservation disapearing. Or will there be someway to make the switches and then manually have someone from guest services add the park reservation to the new AP.

 

[rteetz]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1275816679377944576

 

[sherlockmiles]

Families/groups should be able to get a photo with everyone in it without paying for an expensive package. But just using one persons phone- any more is inconsiderate of the people waiting. Not that it matters now. How is the whole family supposed to be in a photo now? Guests not traveling together are supposed to maintain a six foot distance so handing off the camera to the nice stranger behind you doesn’t work either.

Have regular CMs for that - not the memory maker ones.