I did not realize that they parceled out their rooms in that way- room only vs. vacation vs. discount, etc.
My impression was, hey we've got 100 rooms, we want them filled.
Obviously a package is preferred, because we usually get more money that way. Room-only is good too. Then, if there are still rooms at a predetermined date, we release discounts.
I'm not even going to pretend to understand the logic in the way I now realize that they actually do it-because I don't. At all. It doesn't make fiscal sense to me to deny a customer what is theoretically an "up-sell" in the form of a package.
Regardless, I gotta work with the system.
So here's my situation (& it's long):
We had planned to stay at POFQ around Christmas. Knowing that they do not release discounts for that resort and considering the cost, I liked the idea of being able to back out if necessary. At the same time, I knew it was a small resort and had limited space and was likely to book full before our prospective trip. So I made a room only reservation early this year.
If we go (and I am budgeting to that end) I was hoping to try the dining plan. I know it does not usually save money, but on our first visit last year we paid out of pocket and I didn't love that. My reasoning, albeit a bit senseless: I was not impressed with the food at Disney. At all. So the high prices considering the quality detracted from my relaxation. I don't mind spending on food when it seems worth it, it didn't seem worth it. The idea of it being paid upfront and just swiping a bracelet seems easy. So this trip, I wanted to take that "worry about food cost" element out of the picture by just paying up front. Somehow, that seems less abrasive to me. I know, it may not make a great deal of sense to others, but it is how I feel.
With that in mind, I had planned on adding the dining plan to the room only reservation as a ticketless package over the phone closer to the actual trip date, when I had the finances locked down. Which from what I have now learned on this thread, I am unlikely to be able to do.
Reasons I was waiting to do this, aside from cost:
1. Room discounts released during our stay dates swaying me elsewhere for a considerably reduced cost.
I would not be opposed to staying at Riverside if we had a good room for considerably less than we are paying at French Quarter, for example. The access to the Disney Springs boats are a highly desired commodity. I would rather not go back to Riverside because of the bus situation- people were terribly rude there on our last visit. (Shoving, lying to board ahead of others, ditching, etc). Hoping French Quarter will be better on that front.
2. Considering an annual pass.
Which seems insane, with the amount of long-time attendees on these boards that knock the parks and the prices. We live out of state, and we haven't even been in all the parks. In fact, our first visit to MK last year was not overly impressive. However, I do want to experience the parks, the holiday decorations, and special events like the flower and garden show. Quite honestly, even though my impressions of the company so far have been primarily aggravation and bafflement, I think the "Disney bubble" has a lot to offer. Not having to drive on vacation. Transport from the airport. Many activities in one place. It's not the kind of vacation we are used to having, but it was actually kind of relaxing. Disney Springs, a place I see most people knock on here, is a huge selling point to me. This year/next year is a good year for this as we'll have the Southwest Companion pass. Obviously we want to use it to knock out a lot of non-Disney travel too, but it makes it much easier to get to Orlando and back at a lower cost. It would also make last minute/weekend trips more feasible. From what I've read, discounts are available on a less-limited basis for annual passholders. Disney charges much more for short-term tickets than long term tickets per day. Five days is a super long vacation for us, so the ability to do shorter 1-3 day trips on shorter notice (airline/hotel sale) would be a necessity. Unfortunately, there is no way to see what discounts are traditionally released to annual passholders, except some vague historical data (which does not list historical exclusions, blackout dates, etc.). Long term, we'd like to see Star Wars land. I may decide to do that in California, but if the passholder thing went well I could see renewing until it opened. With the renewal discount, and if we like the parks enough to return at least twice a year, it may end up saving us money- if recent price hikes are any indication of the future.
3. Packages have stricter cancellation and change policies.
So I really need to wait to figure out the passholder/resort change based on discount component before I could ever add a dining package, or potentially tickets. Additionally, the passholder food vendor discounts change in September. So I won't even know where, or how much of a discount I could get in December until that point. Which will matter even more if I am unable to add a dining package to my existing reservation and have to pay out of pocket. The tickets are less of a worry, I could add those at any time before the fastpass dates, whether that's an Annual Pass or a few days of parkhoppers.
I had planned to make final decisions a week in advance of our Fastpass reservation opening- which is in October, and make final payments on everything in that month. Now, I don't even know what to do. This is a large investment, and while I think it may be worth it- I am cautious because there is so much left to chance.
This stuff feels so frustrating and overwhelming at points, because I've learned you cannot even trust the accuracy of what actual Disney representatives say online or on the phone- sometimes even in person! There is poor consistency (it seems even passholders get inconsistent welcome packages and newsletters) and the dissemination of information is not great. The snarkiness of some board members in the wake of these things is unnecessary; people come here for help. They are looking for the answers they aren't getting from the Disney company. I am tremendously grateful to those of you who actually do take the time to answer questions thoroughly and kindly, and hope that generosity and patience comes back to you tenfold.
