PLEASE READ & COMMENT... will this actually work for us???

[moopdog]

We have ASMo for 3 nights & then OKW (on points) for 5 nights so we only qualify for "free" dining plan for 3 nights. I booked the dining plan for our 3 nights last week and then mailed our payment in full.

I don't know how many nights I paid for at ASMo, but today I get the notice in the mail that has a mistake on it - has us at ASMo for all the nights. And it got me thinking. We'll actually save money if we keep the room at ASMo, even though it will be empty for 5 nights. We'll pay $77 per night (that's the value season rate right?) but it saves us from spending $110 for the dining plan each night that we're at OKW.

Will this work?? Is there a loophole to keep this from happening. I'd be paying for it (or maybe already did) so it's not like I'm ripping anyone off. I just can't believe this might actually work and save money.

I really need to hear comments on this please!!!

 

[eeyore45]

I think you need to call and talk to a supervisor!! From what I understand if you're on points at OKW you cant even pay for the dining plan...

good luck!

 

[moopdog]

Right... BUT if we're paying for a value room resort.... then we COULD pay for for the plan! So.....?

 

[frannn]

We are arriving 10/7. If I added 10/4-10/6 to my reservation at AS Mo, if would have only cost me 30. more than what I would be paying for rack now (since 10/4 is the end of value season), and I'd get the free dining. I wouldn't have had any problem paying for the entire reservation, even though we wouldn't be using the room for the first three days. No go. If you don't check in the first day, I believe they cancel your entire reservation. At least this is what I was told. Your situation is different, though, because you are already checked in as AS Movies. Hmmmm- are your reservations at both places under the same name? How would they know whether or not you were using the room? Once the reservation is paid for and you check in, don't only the maids go in to clean? I wouldn't think you'd have a problem, but maybe there's something I'm not thinking of.

 

[gigi1313]

first of all, you cannot buy the dining program when you are staying on points at a dvc... secondly, in order to get the free dining, you will need to purchase your tickets as part of the room/food/tix package... third, is the maid reporting that the room is empty/unused on the fourth day (when you leave to go to okw), that could be a problem... and last but not least, you'd have to go back to ASMo on check out day to check out... if the financial savings is worth the risks/time, then go for it...

 

[javaj]

That sounds like a smart plan. In your situation, I'd definitely keep the extra nights at AsMo for the free dining plan. The only issue I foresee is if you had problems with the dining plan credits, you'd have to go to AsMo sometime during your OKW stay to fix it. That doesn't seem like a big problem though.

 

[eeyore45]

I don't know how many nights I paid for at ASMo

I understand better what you are asking, I think I'll stand by the quote from you and suggest first to check with Disney (800-828-0228) and see how many nights and dining you have paid for, and if that same number corresponds with dining, and is it "keyed" to your room card...

If then you discover all 7 nights have been paid in full at ASM, and you have the dining for those same 7 nights, and you check in on the first night... Like the poster said, maybe a mousekeeper would mention there is no clothes... so I think on your way back from OKW you should stop in the room (using your keys) dropping off some trash, jumping on the beds, running the shower... give it the lived in look... esp if you're paying for it...

bottom line is wait till your check clears, then make the call to confirm...

 

[Barbday62]

The maid would never know if you was in a room or not. Id put out the card to keep them out. I dont quite understand what the dilema is here but I dont think the maid knowing or not knowing anything would be a problem. They cant enter if you put the do not disturb sign out. We sometimes use the do not disturb sign for days we dont care to have a maid enter at hotels.

 

[ziggystardust]

I don't really know the answer but I will tell you this much. A few summers ago when they were having the go for 7 pay for 4 deal. We went with my DBf's sister's family. We had all agreed on staying at ASMo. Until a few weeks before the trip she tells me that she really wanted to do AKL. So she stayed in ASMo with us for 4 nights, then moved over to AKL for the last 3. She kept the room at ASMo the entire time.

She did it and had no problems.

 

[safetymom]

Don't know about WDW but many hotels are required to check every so many days if you have the do not disturb sign out. They want to make sure that everyone is OK and something didn't happen.

 

[Mickeefan]

My question is if it's cheaper to keep the ASMo room and have the free dining, then why not stay at ASMo and save your points for another trip? Granted, I am not a DVC member and don't really know how the points thing works, but I'm all about going to Disney for less money! LOL

 

[moopdog]

I rented the points long ago on the DVC board, and can't return the points for money - so that is out. I am not too concerned with the maid thing. Just wondering if Disney will transfer our luggage from ASMo to OKW (they're supposed to) IF we're not checking out of ASMo... also wondering if it will be a problem to have our names on two diff hotels. I'm guessing not, since the DVC is so seperated from the Disney system so to speak (can't check eachother's computer type of thing). The more I think on it... the more I think it might work.

 

[moopdog]

Well - I just talked to a CM who had to confer with guest services - she came back and told me there's now way it can be done. She said that the moment we checked into Old Key West, our reservation at ASMo would be cancelled. I have to tell you that I think I'll try back tomorrow and talk with someone else just to be sure. It seemed like maybe they were just trying to give me the easy answer (NO) rather than really dig in and try to find out the answers. Glad I called to ask though. Would hate to go down and get all messed up for hours with guest services.

On a side note, if I was to add 5 nights to my ASMo reservation... they were sold out! I would have had to move to the music or sports. Pop was sold out too. She said that they only had a certain amount of "deals" to go around... not that the actual rooms are sold out. If anyone is still on the fence - act quickly!

 

[gigi1313]

a simple "fix" to the computer glitch is to register okw in dh's name and yours on the ASMo ressie, using a middle initial or jr. on the okw ressie and not on the other... but of course it may be a moot point if the resort is sold out...

 

[DebbieB]

CRO and DVC Member Services are on 2 different computer systems, I doubt it would catch that you double booked.

 

[coinkc]

I think it's an ingenius way to save some money and applaud you for thinking of it. As for the two reservations, how do they know you don't have a large party and need more than one room. Families do that all the time with some people staying at one resort (moderate or deluxe) while others are at another (value) due to financial reasons. You can just say you are the planner in the family and are in charge of reservations.

I currently have two reservations at a hotel in St. Louis for next month. One is for my daughter and I with double beds and one is for my dad and his wife with a king bed. I had to make them seperate because the room configuration was different. Bottom line, I don't think hotels care as long as they get their $$$!

 

[moopdog]

I laid in bed last night thinking about ways it could work. I see that on my reservation for ASMo, it lists all of us and our ages. So if one of us was to check out and go to OKW (on paper - we'd all really be going), then that person would not have free meals for the next 5 days.... right??

And also, they said they might not be able to transfer our luggage from ASMo to OKW since we're not "checking out" of ASMo. So - not sure how that would work. Getting a taxi and paying out of pocket for my DH or ME for our meals doesn't add up to savings in the end if that's what we had to do.

Any fresh eyes on this? I'm going to call Disney again when I get home from my classes today and will report back what I hear then. I will give up if I hear "No way!!" again.

 

[gigi1313]

again, i think if you put each diff't ressie in a diff't name (i.e. book under mary jones for bill jones, cindy jones and billy jones at ASMo and book under william e. jones sr. at okw, the computers will probably not make the connection)... i would bet at any given time that there is more than one bill jones in all of disney's thousands of rooms, kwim? (along w/lots of john smiths too!) you will not have a problem and none of you would have to check out... but you will have to transfer your own luggage...

also, you will have to have bought park tickets thru the ASMo ressie...

and, if you opt to check your dh out of the first hotel, since the meal credits are pooled, you could go out-of-pocket for the kids' meals, not the adults...

personally, if you *ask* wdw's permission, you probably won't get it... since you are paying for what you are getting, i'm not sure you need their permission... you are not "stealing" per se... you are just slipping thru a loophole...

another option, have you considered trying to re-sell the dvc points and stay at ASMo or another value (or if you sell the pts, you could afford to stay at a mod on the package/free dining plan)? maybe find a friend who wants to meet you there for a few days?

whatever you decide... good luck!

 

[moopdog]

Hmmmm... this is interesting. Making the ressie at ASMo in my DH's name only. I will have to look at my ressie for OKW, but I don't think it lists all of us by name anyway. What I think I might do is just call OKW and see what their take is on it and then call Disney back at CM and put my DH's name on the ASMo ressie instead of mine. I think. I will let you all know when and if it works.

 

[Goofy4WDW1964]

Disney made the offer and you are following the requirements. There is no disclamer about having to stay in the room. As long as you have made the reservation and you have paid for it. There is nothing they can do about it. Now, it doesn't mean that they have to transfer your luggage because that is a service. But, I doubt that they would make a fuss of it. If they don't want people doing it, they will correct the "loophole" the next time.

Why do you think they now require fingerprints with all passes now? One family could go to WDW and buy multiday tickets. They could use the first five days and then they could give the remaining days to another family. Since it only costs $3.00 a day once you get past 5 days, that can be a big savings for both families if they were to split the cost of 10 day tickets instead of each buying their own 5 day tickets. Before the new pricing, families could still do this, but the savings wasn't near as much and wasn't worth Disney doing much to prevent it.