Pop Century Emergency

[liv4god4evr]

Hi! This is my very first post but I have been hanging around (lurking) for a while now. We are getting ready to go for the second time ever to WDW, and we are having a problem, and I was thinking that you experts might be able to help me.

We are going to arrive in FL on 12-2-05, but there was no availability in any resorts for 12-2 or 12-3, so we made reservations at Best Western in Downtown Disney and booked a package with dining for the rest of the week. Well I just found out that I can't get my tickets to get in the parks until the 4th when we check into Pop Century! AHHHH! That means we will be down there 2 days without being able to go to the parks!

If we change it to daily tickets for those 2 days it will cost like around $500! And I just found out that the package has to be in Pop Century and we wouldn't be able to stay in a different Disney Resort and get our tickets either. So according to the Disney Travel people the only thing we can do is change to daily tickets for those days or hope for a Pop Century Room to open up.

Is there anything else I can do!!?!?!? I am panicking! Please help. Thanks in advance!

Amy

 

[lynn71092]

I just went to tripreservation.com and found your 2 nights there at the Pop.
I found this through the Disboards.

http://www.tripreservations.com/ind...8d3a8c5b7-721C471E-3048-7299-F7C8903D1F898DEC

 

[claudia]

Don't panic! Just keep calling back everyday at 7:00 Am, when ressies open. More than likely someone will cancel and you will get your room. We just got back from AKL and I could only get the first 5 nites there and the last night was at ASSports. 3 days before we left I was able to get the last night at AKL. Maybe if you are not dead set on Pop, ask for availability at any of the All Star resorts as well.

 

[kidsister]

you can also try www.bookit.com that has some ressies at $77 a night for Pop and the AllStars .

Now sure how many Disney tickets you need but, you coud stay at a timeshare condo for about $29 a night (39 for 2 bedroom) take their tour and get a couple free day passes.

Not clear on what you actually booked, whether you can cancel or not, but if it is the dining/room/ticket package, they should have told you up front it is only good starting day of check in.

Maybe you need to explain the problem to Disney and see if they can help.

 

[Allison]

Those dates are going to be difficult at a value as the Pop Warner kids stay at the values during that time.

 

[DebbieB]

You could change your Pop Century package to 1 day tickets and buy tickets separately for the rest of your stay, which you could start using on 12/2 (buy them at The Disney Store, phone or online in advance for the discount). You could also save those 1 day tickets for another trip and use them to upgrade your tickets for that trip.

You can't reserve rooms through another source (tripreservation or bookit) and add those nights to your package. You would still have the problem of your package not starting until 12/4.

 

[liv4god4evr]

You could also save those 1 day tickets for another trip and use them to upgrade your tickets for that trip.

We are planning another trip around Thanksgiving next year, so how would I upgrade that ticket? And how would that be better than just buying new tickets next time. Thanks for the tips!

Amy

 

[DebbieB]

We are planning another trip around Thanksgiving next year, so how would I upgrade that ticket? And how would that be better than just buying new tickets next time. Thanks for the tips!

Amy

If you were going to buy tickets on the next trip, they would credit the cost of the 1 day tickets to the price of the new tickets. For example, if the tickets next year cost $250 and the 1 day ticket was worth $60, you would only pay $190. You would have to go to a park ticket window or guest relations.

If you are planning another trip next year, have you considered annual passes? You would still have to buy 1 day tickets to keep the package, but you can save them for the next time you buy passes.

 

[photonut]

We have the same problem for our upcoming trip so I understand completely.

We have the Pop Century booked for the first 2 nights and then we have 6 nights at Grand Floridian. We have the Magic Your Way with Dining Package booked for the Grand Floridian. (and we did the 8 night ticket purchase) assuming that we can get our tickets (passes for the park) when we check in at the Pop Century. Makes perfect sense to me but I guess it is not possible for Disney. Thank goodness that when we called to make a small adjustment to our reservation the CM noticed what was booked and told us that we wouldn't have passes for our first 2 nights.

So...we are just going to buy single park entrances for our first 2 nights and limit our park visits to only 1 park a day.

Good luck with your dilemma.....I feel your anxiety!

 

[ducklite]

Hi! This is my very first post but I have been hanging around (lurking) for a while now. We are getting ready to go for the second time ever to WDW, and we are having a problem, and I was thinking that you experts might be able to help me.

We are going to arrive in FL on 12-2-05, but there was no availability in any resorts for 12-2 or 12-3, so we made reservations at Best Western in Downtown Disney and booked a package with dining for the rest of the week. Well I just found out that I can't get my tickets to get in the parks until the 4th when we check into Pop Century! AHHHH! That means we will be down there 2 days without being able to go to the parks!

Why on earth would you think you could get tickets that are part of a package for one hotel when you were staying at another?????

THere are plenty of things to do in central Florida.

If we change it to daily tickets for those 2 days it will cost like around $500! And I just found out that the package has to be in Pop Century and we wouldn't be able to stay in a different Disney Resort and get our tickets either. So according to the Disney Travel people the only thing we can do is change to daily tickets for those days or hope for a Pop Century Room to open up.

Is there anything else I can do!!?!?!? I am panicking! Please help. Thanks in advance!

Amy

I'm not seeing the problem. You booked a package for a certain number of nights at a certain hotel. Why is this a problem? Did you think that you could start using your package the minute you arrived in teh Orlando area? Or were you planning on spending some non-park days on teh days you were stayong at Pop? If that's the case, then simply juggle your schedule. I guess I don't see the emergency, it seems like you didn't pay attention to what you were booking or had incredibly unrealisitc expectations.

Anne

 

[Lewisc]

Unlike the old UMP you can buy MYW passes for more days than you have resort nights booked. An extra day is literally a few dollars. A person staying in another resort after their package can use the extra days after they check out. IMHO it's very reasonable for a guest to want to reverse it. Pickup their tickets prior to resort check in so they can use the extra days before their resort stay.

I don't know if Disney can accomodate the OPs request but I think it's reasonable.

Why on earth would you think you could get tickets that are part of a package for one hotel when you were staying at another?????

THere are plenty of things to do in central Florida.



I'm not seeing the problem. You booked a package for a certain number of nights at a certain hotel. Why is this a problem? Did you think that you could start using your package the minute you arrived in teh Orlando area? Or were you planning on spending some non-park days on teh days you were stayong at Pop? If that's the case, then simply juggle your schedule. I guess I don't see the emergency, it seems like you didn't pay attention to what you were booking or had incredibly unrealisitc expectations.

Anne

 

[ducklite]

Unlike the old UMP you can buy MYW passes for more days than you have resort nights booked. An extra day is literally a few dollars. A person staying in another resort after their package can use the extra days after they check out. IMHO it's very reasonable for a guest to want to reverse it. Pickup their tickets prior to resort check in so they can use the extra days before their resort stay.

I don't know if Disney can accomodate the OPs request but I think it's reasonable.

Well, there's nop guarantee the guest will check into the sponsoring resort. The obvious solution is to cancel the package portion of teh reservation and book tickets and rooms seperately.

ANne

 

[Lewisc]

Well, there's nop guarantee the guest will check into the sponsoring resort. The obvious solution is to cancel the package portion of teh reservation and book tickets and rooms seperately.

ANne

The tickets are more expensive when bought through a package than purchasing the tickets through the internet. The package would have already been paid in full prior to picking up the tickets so Disney would have no problem in reducing any refund due by the value of the tickets picked up.

I'm not saying Disney has to extend the courtesy, only that it's a very reasonable request.

 

[FredS]

Why on earth would you think you could get tickets that are part of a package for one hotel when you were staying at another?????

............I'm not seeing the problem. You booked a package for a certain number of nights at a certain hotel. Why is this a problem?

......... I guess I don't see the emergency, it seems like you didn't pay attention to what you were booking or had incredibly unrealisitc expectations.

Anne

Wow, was this really necessary? No. A little respect goes a long way.

To the OP, hope you can get at least the second of those two days. I would just plan on doing something outside of the parks prior to my checkin -- downtown Disney, maybe DisneyQuest.

 

[Winnie Pooh Fan]

My goodness Anne, if I were the OP I'd go back to lurking OUCH

I can see how packages can be highly confusing and why the OP is having problems.

I would NOT recommend booking the tickets/room separately at this point because the cost could rise dramatically. Unless the OP has an AAA there are no general codes so the rooms would be at rack rate.

I would try one of the following:

Call back every day (multiple time wouldn't hurt) to try and secure those extra couple days. Check all the values and be willing to switch resorts if need be.

Or

Check to see if a mod is available. Compared to the price of the tickets seprately you might be able to swing a moderate for the 2 days or even the trip and then you would be onsite the entire time.

Hope this helps and have a magical vacation!!!!!

 

[Savin4Disney]

This is what I did:
I booked 6 nights at POP with one day tickets so I could get the dining package.

I then went to Ticket Mania through the Mousesavers link. I got our tickets through there.

3 day hopper with DQ added on
DQ for me
4 day pass.

My son needed 4 days park passes
I needed 5 day park passes
And we are going to Disney Quest.

So it was cheaper for me to get him the 3 day hopper with DQ even though he won't use the Hopper part.

When we go in 2007 I will do the same thing unless Disney has some great deal.

We leave in 6 days for our first family trip!

 

[ducklite]

The tickets are more expensive when bought through a package than purchasing the tickets through the internet. The package would have already been paid in full prior to picking up the tickets so Disney would have no problem in reducing any refund due by the value of the tickets picked up.

I'm not saying Disney has to extend the courtesy, only that it's a very reasonable request.

If the tickets are more expensive when bought through a package, then what's the point of buying them that way? Wouldn't it be better to book room and tickets independent of each other? The OP's post just doesn't make sense to me. I don't see how anyone would expect to be able to begin a package before checking into the sponsoring hotel.

Anne

 

[seashoreCM]

I booked 6 nights at POP with one day tickets so I could get the dining package.

I then went to Ticket Mania through the Mousesavers link. I got our tickets through there.

My son needed 4 days park passes
I needed 5 day park passes
And we are going to Disney Quest.

So it was cheaper for me to get him the 3 day hopper with DQ even though he won't use the Hopper part.

When we go in 2007...

Would ten day non-expiring passes with water park fun cover both your 2005 vacation and 2007 vacation completely? The water park fun makes sense if you go to Disney Quest on both vacations (at least two visits altogether).

You might not be able to upgrade the 3 day hopper with DQ to ten days if that was a promotional 3 days one DQ visit ticket, but the other(s) should be upgradable for the same upgrade price in dollars as gate purchased tickets.

Don't use the 1 day package tickets until such time as they can be upgraded to span an entire vacation.

 

[Lewisc]

If the tickets are more expensive when bought through a package, then what's the point of buying them that way? Wouldn't it be better to book room and tickets independent of each other? The OP's post just doesn't make sense to me. I don't see how anyone would expect to be able to begin a package before checking into the sponsoring hotel.

Anne

If you don't buy a package that includes tickets you can't buy MYW Dining. As an example, Disney allows you to purchase a 10 day MYW ticket even if you're only staying 3 nights. It's just as reasonable for a guest to want to use the extra days before they check in as after they check out. The entire package is paid for at least 45 days before check in so the guest has already paid for the tickets.

I disagree, I think it's a very reasonable request. I'm sure you have an AP and probably aren't familiar with park pass pricing.

 

[Savin4Disney]

Since the 2007 trip is not set in stone. I did not think of getting better tickets. I hate to buy DS a longer ticket and him not want to go back. He is in those change your mind teen years. However if we do go in 2007 I know I will get at least one 10 day non expire for me. I see myself going to Disney more times. I would love to do a few solo trips too.

My family thinks I am nuts.

Thanks for the idea though.