so POED at Disney right now...still cant get new rates

[yankeeslover]

august 10th check in..check out aug 19th at movies...been on the phone w/disney all morning....w/dining plan and 9 day hopper for the four of us im paying $3877.00.... because im not checking in on or after 8/15 I cant take advantage of the new discount.... only discount im eligible for is the measly 5% off for 4 nights which saved me $30.00 in today..big woopey deal.... I tried to have the rep split my stay... i will check out on the 15th and check back in, and it actually works out worse this way, it brings me over $4100.00 to do it that way.. i dont understand why... When i called and complained the rep on the phone said the only thing i can do is cancel my reservations and go somewhere like universal...can u beleive this? instead of helping me figure out a way to save a buck or two they tell me to cancel and go to a competitor... im am sooooo poed at them right..i cant believe i cant take advantage of any promo.. does anyone have any hints or tips that might work? i tried the split stay and it makes it cost more... im doing 9 day park hopper with no waterpark...and the dining plan for two adults and two kids...all star movies....

 

[Twoboysnmygirl]

Are you trying to do two separate PACKAGES? That may be why it costs more b/c they are charging you for 4 day tickets and then 4 day tickets again (or however many days you have, I didn't look) instead of you purchasing tickets for the total amount of days and then doing room only. Tickets get cheaper the more days you do, so if it is splitting and making you buy two different packages of tickets, that is why the price would be up. I believe to save money you need to do a split stay of room only? I'm sure someone else will chime in here. Good luck to you!

 

[Mom2Elliot]

The only way I know is to book a package with a 9 day hopper and dining for the 10th-15th and then book a room only with the discount for 15th-19th. The problem is that you can't have a dining plan for the 15th-19th part of your stay!

 

[tripplanner2]

You can pick up your package tickets 3 days prior to your package starting. So if you have your package starting on August 15, you can get your tickets on August 12. But you will not get dining for those first few days.

 

[tripletots]

I just got off the phone with Disney trying to use the discount. She ran the numbers and said I'm better off with the AAA discount I have. Right now we are booked for 2 standard rooms at POP room only. We check in August 11 and check out Aug 22. With the AAA rate days 1, 8, 7 are $96.30 and the rest of the days are $82.80. I assume the higher rates are on the weekends. The CM told me the rate is 101.80 for their current summer discount.

I was willing to book with AAA from 11-15 and then 15 to 22, but she said to keep what I have. Our total is still over $2,100, so I will be calling Vacation Upgrades in June to see if they have anything available. I just really wanted to stay on Disney property.

 

[fla4fun]

The first thing I would have done is hang up and call back. Any Disney CM who tells you that you need to book and stay at Universal shouldn't still be booking for Disney in my opinion. There is a great variance in the skill set and attitude of the CM's who book reservations, so if I get one that is uncooperative, I hang up and try again.

It is hard to get a good deal when they switch in the middle of your trip. If you can, I would try pricing out different options online first. For one thing, you can do that in the privacy of your own home without relying on someone else to interpret the information. Second, you'll be more informed if you do decide to call and have them change your reservation. You may have to go with some sort of combination of a package for one part of your trip and room only for the other part. I have had to book back to back offers to cover my dates, and so long as I booked the same type of room I didn't have to change rooms.

You can always book online if you find a better deal and then call and have your current reservation cancelled. I've had to do this a couple times when a new offer came out and I could see availablility online that they couldn't see when I called. So I booked online and called to have them cancel out the first reservation.

I wouldn't give up yet!

 

[jking6]

I would of asked for the persons name and called back and made a formal complaint! I can not believe a cm said that. Good luck!

 

[JLa01844]

I would make two reservations then. Room Only the 10th - 15th and then the package deal for the 15-19th. You can pick up your park tickets as early as the 12th. So order 8 day tickets with your second reservation. The 10th and 11th you will not have tickets or dining, but this is the only way you can take advantage of the sale. I would use those first two days to explore DTD, Boardwalk, maybe go to Sea World or Universal...or relax, have a nice meal at the Poly, Watch the fireworks from the Poly Beach!

Adding: Would it be easier/more beneficial to switch your travel dates? If you have that flexibility, I would think it would be worth it.

 

[danceintherain]

The issue you're running into here is that the first 3 days of park tickets are the most expensive, and you can only book the dining plan on a package with park tickets, and free dining has a minimum ticket restriction of 2 days.

If you want to go to the parks for the first few days of your trip, then you aren't likely to get a good deal, since Free Dining isn't offered until the 15th.

Discounts at Disney have to be looked at as a clearance sale. You are only given a discount on what is leftover after they sold things for a while at full price. You wouldn't be mad at Macy's for not giving you a deal if you picked something that wasn't on the clearance rack. If you wait for the item you want to go on sale, then there's no guarantee that they'll have your size or any at all.
Historically, Free Dining has almost always begun in the middle of August, very often around the 15th. It depends on how many rooms they fill with the discounts that are offered previously. The reservation you hold now could have actually decreased your chances on being able to apply the free dining discount for your whole trip, because they looked at it as a booked room.

Here are your options:
1) Keep your reservation, as is, without a discount.
2) Change the dates of your trip, so you can get Free Dining with tickets for the whole thing.
3) Book a room only for the first half of your trip, and book Free Dining for the last half. You'll have to figure out something else to do for the first few days, as you won't be able to pick up your tickets until 3 days before your package begins. You may also have to switch rooms.
4) Cut the first few days off the front of your trip, so you'll be able to have tickets for the whole time.
5) Book packages for both parts of your trip and pay more.
6) Cancel the whole thing.

You're going to have to compromise somewhere.

 

[Seahunt]

im doing 9 day park hopper with no waterpark...and the dining plan for two adults and two kids...all star movies....

OP, do you have the QS or "regular" DDP booked now?

 

[peacelover]

I just priced out all star music on the disney website under special offers. 2 adults, 2 children, 9 day hoppers, counter service dining plan. $3123.52

The same package booked for after aug 15 for 9 nights is 2984. . A savings of $139. Not that big a difference.

 

[yankeeslover]

movies from 8/10-8/19... 2 adults and 2 kids.... 9 day park hopper w/out waterpark

 

[tripletots]

I just got off the phone with Disney trying to use the discount. She ran the numbers and said I'm better off with the AAA discount I have. Right now we are booked for 2 standard rooms at POP room only. We check in August 11 and check out Aug 22. With the AAA rate days 1, 8, 7 are $96.30 and the rest of the days are $82.80. I assume the higher rates are on the weekends. The CM told me the rate is 101.80 for their current summer discount.

I was willing to book with AAA from 11-15 and then 15 to 22, but she said to keep what I have. Our total is still over $2,100, so I will be calling Vacation Upgrades in June to see if they have anything available. I just really wanted to stay on Disney property.

I just called Disney again and got a CM willing to help me. We moved to All Stars Music where the discount is greater than at POP and we split the ressies into two reservations. Check in 8/11-15 and then 8/15-22. It saved me $329.44. There is a chance we will have to move rooms, but the CM did make a note on our reservations and then told me we may not have to switch rooms, but will have to get new keys.

I'm not familiar with All Stars Music...where can I find info? Thanks.

 

[fla4fun]

I just called Disney again and got a CM willing to help me. We moved to All Stars Music where the discount is greater than at POP and we split the ressies into two reservations. Check in 8/11-15 and then 8/15-22. It saved me $329.44. There is a chance we will have to move rooms, but the CM did make a note on our reservations and then told me we may not have to switch rooms, but will have to get new keys.

I'm not familiar with All Stars Music...where can I find info? Thanks.

Congratulations! Finding a patient and helpful CM makes all the difference! I have never had to change rooms, but I always make sure both reservations are for the same room type, such as standard/standard or preferred/preferred. If you booked a standard/preferred combo, the odds of moving are greater.

There's a lot of info here on the boards about ASM, so try the search function, plus looking at the wdwinfo section, Disney's website, etc. There's a ton of info out there.