Reservation Question...CRAP! I learned my lesson...

[kristenrice]

I booked a 2-night cash reservation (back in May) for HHI for March 30-31. When I booked it, the CM told me that they would charge my credit card for a 1-night deposit. She also told me that the charge would be for the CURRENT 2012 rate. Assuming that the rates would increase for 2013, she said that I would receive an invoice showing the balance owed for the remainder of the deposit and the reservation.

I have not received any such "invoice". Also, when I check the member website, this is what it says:

March 30, 2013 - April 1, 2013

Total Cost (USD) $ 501.16

Balance Due at Check in (USD) $ 250.58

This reflects the 1-night deposit for a 2BR at 2012's rates. I checked the rates for 2013...a 2BR for our dates is $1137!! That's rack rate, but even with the 25% member discount, it's still $850. I'm wondering....what will happen if I show up at checkin with this printout? I would think that I would be expected to pay the "Balance Due at Check In" amount of $250.58, right? I expected the rate to go up, but, WOW...a 100% increase??? That's crazy. The only thing I can think of is because this is Easter weekend. The DVC points chart doesn't include Easter in the premiere season so I guess I was surprised that they have such a huge markup for cash reservations.

Getting to part 2 of my question...

I have Sat-Sun booked with cash and Mon-Thur booked with points. When the 7-month window opens, I will be able to buy 4 of the one-time use points and have enough to book Sunday night with points. I plan to do that before I mess with the cash reservation. BUT...will I be able to "modify" my cash reservation by just dropping one night? Or will I have to cancel and rebook it? If that happens, do they issue a refund of my deposit and charge my card again for the new deposit?

 

[wdrl]

The best thing to do is to call Disney and ask them. Disney changes its rules and procedures all the time, and what might have happened six months ago for another member may not be what will happen in your situation today.

Good luck in getting everything straightened out!

 

[DebbieB]

I booked a 2-night cash reservation (back in May) for HHI for March 30-31. When I booked it, the CM told me that they would charge my credit card for a 1-night deposit. She also told me that the charge would be for the CURRENT 2012 rate. Assuming that the rates would increase for 2013, she said that I would receive an invoice showing the balance owed for the remainder of the deposit and the reservation.

I have not received any such "invoice". Also, when I check the member website, this is what it says:

March 30, 2013 - April 1, 2013

Total Cost (USD) $ 501.16

Balance Due at Check in (USD) $ 250.58

This reflects the 1-night deposit for a 2BR at 2012's rates. I checked the rates for 2013...a 2BR for our dates is $1137!! That's rack rate, but even with the 25% member discount, it's still $850. I'm wondering....what will happen if I show up at checkin with this printout? I would think that I would be expected to pay the "Balance Due at Check In" amount of $250.58, right? I expected the rate to go up, but, WOW...a 100% increase??? That's crazy. The only thing I can think of is because this is Easter weekend. The DVC points chart doesn't include Easter in the premiere season so I guess I was surprised that they have such a huge markup for cash reservations.

Getting to part 2 of my question...

I have Sat-Sun booked with cash and Mon-Thur booked with points. When the 7-month window opens, I will be able to buy 4 of the one-time use points and have enough to book Sunday night with points. I plan to do that before I mess with the cash reservation. BUT...will I be able to "modify" my cash reservation by just dropping one night? Or will I have to cancel and rebook it? If that happens, do they issue a refund of my deposit and charge my card again for the new deposit?

I can't believe a 2 bedroom would only be $250, that sounds really low. Sounds like the rate for a studio.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I can't believe a 2 bedroom would only be $250, that sounds really low. Sounds like the rate for a studio.

I agree. No way a 2 bedroom in 2012 went for $250 at any DVC resort... - well I take this back. If it were "off season" possibly at HH. Sounds like that is probably what happened when you reserved..

I took a look for you, and rack rate is $1137. Problem is, a member discount of 25% is random, not a sure thing. Since this is Easter weekend, I highly doubt any discount would ever apply. In fact, I would not be surprised if they are either close to or about to sell out for Easter weekend...

 

[kristenrice]

I agree. No way a 2 bedroom in 2012 went for $250 at any DVC resort... - well I take this back. If it were "off season" possibly at HH. Sounds like that is probably what happened when you reserved..

I took a look for you, and rack rate is $1137. Problem is, a member discount of 25% is random, not a sure thing. Since this is Easter weekend, I highly doubt any discount would ever apply. In fact, I would not be surprised if they are either close to or about to sell out for Easter weekend...

That's why I am wondering what the deal is. I definitely have a confirmed cash reservation with the DVC discount for a 2BR at HHI for March 30 and 31. On the DVC charts, the new season starts on April 1 so I would assume that is the day that the cash season changes too.

FWIW, a 2BR villa for March 23-25, 2013 is $670 rack-rate which would be $502.50 with the DVC discount. This is what I would have expected the rate to be for the following weekend since it is in the same month, but I am assuming that they raised the rate because of Easter.

I know that I could call member services, but I'm wondering what would happen if I didn't. I have the confirmation showing that I owe the $250.xx upon check in. I will be calling in a few days to change Easter from cash to points. It's only 25 points for the 2BR so there is no way I'm paying $500 for that night!

 

[steffaknits]

I was able to book a cash reservation for a 2br at HH thru DVC for about the same rate. My dates are September 28-30. I was going to originally book a 1br but when the cast member told me it was only about $40 more a night I went for the 2br. I just figured they were having a hard time filling those and that's why it was so cheap. As far as how much more they are going to try to charge you, I would definitely say call, although they may not even know the answer. Good luck!

 

[CarolAnnC]

That's why I am wondering what the deal is. I definitely have a confirmed cash reservation with the DVC discount for a 2BR at HHI for March 30 and 31. On the DVC charts, the new season starts on April 1 so I would assume that is the day that the cash season changes too.

FWIW, a 2BR villa for March 23-25, 2013 is $670 rack-rate which would be $502.50 with the DVC discount. This is what I would have expected the rate to be for the following weekend since it is in the same month, but I am assuming that they raised the rate because of Easter.

I know that I could call member services, but I'm wondering what would happen if I didn't. I have the confirmation showing that I owe the $250.xx upon check in. I will be calling in a few days to change Easter from cash to points. It's only 25 points for the 2BR so there is no way I'm paying $500 for that night!

The reason you did not pay in full for your cash nights was because the rates were not available yet. So they charged you a deposit and will invoice you for the balance based upon the published rack rate confirmed for your dates.

Like I said before, it is highly unlikely there will be any 25% discount for Easter weekend..not impossible, but not likely IMHO. If it does become available, it has been reported previously that they can apply it to your room and refund you the difference. Just no guarantees.

If you do not pay for the room in advance, you will not have a reservation. Also, there are specific guidelines for cancelling these cash rooms as well. I would call MS to get all the correct info so you can plan appropriately. Good luck, it is fabulous that you will have such a nice Easter vacation!

 

[kristenrice]

For the first time EVER...I did not set my alarm to call at 9am on the day my window opened....and I paid for it. I called today, just after noon, to book Sunday, March 31 on points, using 3 banked AKV points, 18 borrowed HHI points and buying 4 of the one-time use points. Wouldn't you know it....that night is booked! Of course, it is Easter Sunday, so I am not entirely surprised, but I checked yesterday and it was available. I waitlisted that night and if it comes through, it will use 4 points from our 2013 AKV contract instead of buying the one-time use points. It's not exactly what I wanted to do, but it will do for now.

I asked about the cash reservation. The CM told me that the rates for 2013 aren't released to DVC until January 1. She also told me that I have the member discount *CONFIRMED* for my dates and it will *DEFINITELY* be applied to the new rates. We'll see...

So now, I'm in a bit of a quandry. I have several options and I am not entirely sure what the best one will be.

Option #1: Keep it as-is and pray that the waitlist for Easter Sunday comes through. If it doesn't, we could be looking at forking over about $900 for those two nights on our cash reservation....

Option #2: Take our Saturday night cash reservation and switch it to points right now. This way, I can use up my banked AKV points (3), my borrowed HHI points (18) and buy 14 one-time use points (10) for an OOP cost of only $210. We'd still be looking at $450 for the Sunday night cash reservation, but at least the Saturday night would be aabout 50% less.

I guess I need to figure out how much of a gamble I am willing to take with the waitlist. If it comes through, we will only be looking at spending about $450 for the one night. If it doesn't come through, we're looking at $900. OTOH, if I secure the Saturday night on cash, it will guarantee that we spend $210 to risk saving $450...make sense??

My confidence in that night becoming available is not high. It is a 2BR (the most plentiful!) at HHI for Easter Sunday and it was full within 3 hours of the 7-month window opening...I'm not having positive thoughts on this one. It's not like at WDW where people change their minds and swap resorts on a whim.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'd probably do option #2 at this point.

 

[Sandisw]

I think I'd also book what I could on points and keep the cash for the night I could not.

 

[kristenrice]

My waitlist came through!!

I called MS because they used current AKV points to fill the waitlist instead of borrowing my remaining HHI points first, which is what was noted on the waitlist request. It was a quick and easy fix.

I also inquired (again) about the cash night. Our reservation now shows our 1-night cash reservation at $248.xx and it shows that there is no balance due. I mentioned the "invoice" that would be sent sometime in January for the balance and the CM said, "You won't owe anything...your reservation is paid in full". I questioned the rate increase and the discrepancy between our price and the price on the CRO website and how the discount is much more than 25%. She said, "Yup...you got a great deal".

I'm not holding my breath that the price is correct. I have tried multiple times to confirm that there will be an increase, but they keep telling me that my rate is confirmed and that my room is fully paid for. I guess we'll see how this plays out.

 

[loveswdw]

I'm not holding my breath that the price is correct. I have tried multiple times to confirm that there will be an increase, but they keep telling me that my rate is confirmed and that my room is fully paid for. I guess we'll see how this plays out.

Keeping my fingers crossed for you!

 

[dvcterry]

My waitlist came through!!

I called MS because they used current AKV points to fill the waitlist instead of borrowing my remaining HHI points first, which is what was noted on the waitlist request. It was a quick and easy fix.

I also inquired (again) about the cash night. Our reservation now shows our 1-night cash reservation at $248.xx and it shows that there is no balance due. I mentioned the "invoice" that would be sent sometime in January for the balance and the CM said, "You won't owe anything...your reservation is paid in full". I questioned the rate increase and the discrepancy between our price and the price on the CRO website and how the discount is much more than 25%. She said, "Yup...you got a great deal".

I'm not holding my breath that the price is correct. I have tried multiple times to confirm that there will be an increase, but they keep telling me that my rate is confirmed and that my room is fully paid for. I guess we'll see how this plays out.

I'm glad that waitlist came through and it worked they straightened out the points for you. Regarding that last cash night, maybe it will work out in your favor too.

 

[quentina]

I agree. No way a 2 bedroom in 2012 went for $250 at any DVC resort... - well I take this back. If it were "off season" possibly at HH. Sounds like that is probably what happened when you reserved..

I took a look for you, and rack rate is $1137. Problem is, a member discount of 25% is random, not a sure thing. Since this is Easter weekend, I highly doubt any discount would ever apply. In fact, I would not be surprised if they are either close to or about to sell out for Easter weekend...

I am going to disagree...I paid $250.00 last year for a DVC 2 bedroom, first week of May. When I went to check in, the guy did tell me about a balance (I was one night cash the rest points). I pulled out my reservation form, showed to him, he then faxed my paperwork somewhere and told me it would be fixed by the end of my stay. It was.....so, they did honor the $250.00 rate.

He wanted to keep my original, I told him to make a copy Original went into the safe!

 

[dvcterry]

I am going to disagree...I paid $250.00 last year for a DVC 2 bedroom, first week of May. When I went to check in, the guy did tell me about a balance (I was one night cash the rest points). I pulled out my reservation form, showed to him, he then faxed my paperwork somewhere and told me it would be fixed by the end of my stay. It was.....so, they did honor the $250.00 rate.

He wanted to keep my original, I told him to make a copy Original went into the safe!

Oh my! Bring the original and 2 copies.

 

[CarolAnnC]

I am going to disagree...I paid $250.00 last year for a DVC 2 bedroom, first week of May. When I went to check in, the guy did tell me about a balance (I was one night cash the rest points). I pulled out my reservation form, showed to him, he then faxed my paperwork somewhere and told me it would be fixed by the end of my stay. It was.....so, they did honor the $250.00 rate.

He wanted to keep my original, I told him to make a copy Original went into the safe!

I found This Thread where you spoke about this situation you had and the details are a bit different. You even said you always paid over $350 a nite for the 2 BR at HH in the past (meaning prior to May 2011).

You posted that you did not have your confirmation with you and that instead of $200 you were charged $399 at checkout (with further details about attempting to get it changed after the fact). So your posting now is very confusing, to say the least.