Resort -- No Show

[lovestigger]

We have booked a quick trip for Nov. 1 to Nov. 5 and received "free dining" for our entire stay. Now looking at airline tickets, there are no direct flights on the evening of Nov. 1. We are able to get a flight very early on Nov. 2 and would arrive at the resort by 9:00 AM on the 2nd. I am comptemplating my options to re-book with arrival on the 2nd (no free dining) or keeping my current reservation arriving on the first and saving my free dining discount. It is still cheaper to pay for the first night and be a no show if I am able to keep the free dining.

Has anyone ever attempted to do this?

 

[cwt580]

make sure you at least tell someone at WDW that you wont be arriving till that day or they will cancel your res and no room available.

If free dining is only available up till the 1st id keep the day and just tell them you are checking in next day now because of traveling conflicts. all depends on the price of your resort room if its worth it or not....

Also if using ME this may be affected by your schedule.....

will online check-in help with issue. scheduling it as a late arrival but then calling late that day to explain you have had a traveling conflict that has delayed you till around 9am ?????

 

[Reddy]

how long of a layover would you have without the direct flight?? I'm thinking with you knowing ahead of time that you won't make it - it isn't right of you - what about driving down?

 

[danceintherain]

I've always been under the impression that if you don't show up to check in on the day you indicate, you will lose your reservation, especially for Free Dining, since the availability is so specific.

 

[Mama Moose]

We are in the same boat and I was wondering the same thing. We can't get there until 11/2 and FD ends 11/1. I don't know why they would care if you get there the next day, you have already paid for your vacation at that point, including the night you missed. It's not like you are trying to get a refund for the night and keep FD.

 

[mickeynut1]

I've always been under the impression that if you don't show up to check in on the day you indicate, you will lose your reservation, especially for Free Dining, since the availability is so specific.

This is what I always thought as well. If you don't check in on the first day, you are considered a no show and the reservation would be cancelled. This has been asked alot in the past and people have posted that the reservation would already be paid for and since Disney already has your money, they wouldn't cancel you. With that said, I personally wouldn't want to take that chance. If it were me, I'd take whatever flight I could on the 1st or rebook and arrive the 2nd (but that's just me). Good luck.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I've always been under the impression that if you don't show up to check in on the day you indicate, you will lose your reservation, especially for Free Dining, since the availability is so specific.

That is the rule.

I have gotten it waived once but I called at like 11 PM from the airport and said my flight was STUCK... (I wound up landing at 5 AM LOL!)

I would not try this without some good justification. Disney might check. I did give the Front Desk agent my info so if she had wanted too she could have looked and seen the flight from LA that was suppose to leave at 5 PM was still on the ground at midnight (or whatever the details were, it's been a few years!)

Of course if you call and "make up a story" about your plane to get the 'Delay' realize that 'karma' may bite you and your REAL flight might be delayed too. So then what do you do?

 

[lovestigger]

I certainly don't want to do anything unDisney like! I called to inquire about changing our reservation and was able to get a regular room at AOA! Since there are no preferred room upgardes in the LM section and we are staying one less night, the difference was nominal even with purchasing the Dining Plan. Things are looking up! I was even able to get a lunch reservation at LeCelliers!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Good job, lovestigger!

Just to clarify - even with a fully paid reservation, if you don't check in by 6 AM on the morning following your reservation start date, you are indeed considered a no-show. Your reservation gets cancelled, and you're not entitled to any refund. Weather and mechanical delays may be exceptions, but they're easy to verify - as OrangCountyCommuter indicates .

 

[bumbershoot]

Weather and mechanical delays may be exceptions, but they're easy to verify - as OrangCountyCommuter indicates .

Not if you are driving and have a breakdown....

 

[AndyFL]

We had a couple trips inwhich we weren't able to make it down there on the day our reservation started.....couldn't get there till the next day due to work issues. I just called the resort and told them that we WERE coming but were probably going to be delayed a day or two, they said no problem and they were true to their word. BTW, I started the coversation with by telling them that I was aware that I basically was losing a night that I had paid for and that I was cool with that. I puts the operator on the other end at ease because they know that they aren't going to have to deal with a guest who is going to demand a refund for the unused night.

 

[danceintherain]

Not if you are driving and have a breakdown....

You would very likely have a receipt.

OP: I'm glad you got it sorted out.

 

[purple figment]

We are in the same boat and I was wondering the same thing. We can't get there until 11/2 and FD ends 11/1. I don't know why they would care if you get there the next day, you have already paid for your vacation at that point, including the night you missed. It's not like you are trying to get a refund for the night and keep FD.

Qualifying for FD or other promotions depends upon physically checking in on a day when the promotion is in effect. If you don't show up until 11/2 and the promo ended the day before you would no longer qualify. It doesn't matter that you've paid for the night before, you didn't show up in time.

 

[CaptainEO71]

Glad the OP got it worked out. I just wanted to add this happened to someone in our travel group. We had 4 rooms booked & one group didn't show up. The rest of us had no idea why & weren't able to contact them. Since we had our ressies linked, management kept checking with us to see if we had heard from them, before they took action. The following day their reservation was cancelled & they were charged for the room.