Those Who Really Hate The BRP Please Read....

[Ladyhawke10]

My DH spoke with a cast member on another forum...He has been bouncing from Disboards and WDW magic. This cast member said that the BRP was developed to stop the AP holders who took advantage of the system. He said AP holders would book multiple hotels for the same dates and wait all year for the rates to come out. They then compared the rates of all the hotels and chose which one was the best then canceled all the other hotel reservation. For example, they may be going in September on the 15th thru the 20th and they would have bookings at AKL, GF, POL, POP, & WL. They then would wait for the rates to come out and if they like the rate at WL, they would then cancel all the other ressies. The CM said they had so many problems with that and it gave Disney inaccurate readings of how booked they are. This is why the non-refundable deposit and the bookings being 120 days out and 60 days out. This kept price comparison AP holders from holding too many rooms for bogus ressies.
My problem with the BRP program the non-refundable deposit and how far out you have to book. If it was truely a problem with AP holders holding too many rooms. Why do they not have a system set up that when you book a set of rooms for a certain date you could not book another hotel for the same dates? Only one hotel per dates...for example....AKL for Sept. 15th thru 20th only, but no other hotel during that time frame. If you want to stay at multiple hotels during your stay then AKL from Sept. 15th-20th and WL 20th thru 25th. I hope I am making since. This system would be like fastpass. If you already have a fastpass you cannot recieve another one until after the time of your current fastpass.
I don't know this is just a thought...

Then why not just limit the amount of rooms an AP holder can book to just one--like the system is now, but without all the other changes? I never booked more than one room at a time on the old system--but in any case, seems that could easily just be solved by limiting reservations to one room only without all the other limitations on the new program.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Cute Sammi, your absolutely right, how silly of me. I do apoligize i didn't realize i had to spell it all out since we were all talking about the BR Program and anyone who has used this program to book a room KNOWS You book at the "Rack Rate" or normal price for that room with the HOPE it will go on sale. When booking a room thru BR Program you DO NOT know what the possible discount rate could be or even if that particular resort will even be offering a discount.

 

[julfre]

Deedeedis

I am confused by your message and am NOT trying to flame or confuse the situation, but I did book with BR and I did get a confirmed rate reduction for POFQ from rack rate to 109/night(about 35$) So you do not book the BR at rack rate. My rate may go down even more with BR but I am not counting on it. Best rate sometimes does come up as rack rate if there are no discounted rooms available, but then I would not book it that way-no reason to. So you can get a confirmed( on the reservation screen and an email from disney) discounted rate through the BR program. Sorry if you were trying to say something else, but there are discounts out there with just more hoops to jump through to get.

 

[dcgrumpy]

Cute Sammi, your absolutely right, how silly of me. I do apoligize i didn't realize i had to spell it all out since we were all talking about the BR Program and anyone who has used this program to book a room KNOWS You book at the "Rack Rate" or normal price for that room with the HOPE it will go on sale. When booking a room thru BR Program you DO NOT know what the possible discount rate could be or even if that particular resort will even be offering a discount.

What do you mean? I had a room booked at CSR for $149 a night, then they came out with the BR program and I got it for $109 a night.

 

[Sammie]

Cute Sammi, your absolutely right, how silly of me. I do apoligize i didn't realize i had to spell it all out since we were all talking about the BR Program and anyone who has used this program to book a room KNOWS You book at the "Rack Rate" or normal price for that room with the HOPE it will go on sale. When booking a room thru BR Program you DO NOT know what the possible discount rate could be or even if that particular resort will even be offering a discount.

I am not trying to be cute, I am trying to be helpful. I don't think you are understanding the program.

You know your rate when you book. If you book a rate expecting it to change you are definitely going to be disappointed. If when you check Best Rate and it shows Rack Rate that means no discounts available for the resort and time you were checking. Just like the old way when you called in and asked for available AP discounts.

The Rate you book at the time of booking is what you are going to be required to pay. If you book Rack Rate you are going to be required to pay Rack Rate.

The only way it would go down is if Disney lowers it's rates to "everyone", basically meaning they lowered their Rack Rates.

I don't understand your hostility, I was trying to help.

 

[Sammie]

What do you mean? I had a room booked at CSR for $149 a night, then they came out with the BR program and I got it for $109 a night.

The key word being "then" they came out with the BR program. At the very beginning of the release of the program the rates were not in the computer prior to some bookings.

However that is not the case now, what you book is what you pay.

 

[PIRATEGIRL007]

I don't know how your booking, but when I booked my room, it automatically came up with the discounted price, not rack rates. I have checked it every day since the 60 day limitation was dropped from 120 and when the rate comes up, it is not rack.

It gives me total price which I just divide by # of nights for my per night rate.

I also have checked it several times agains the regular no AP holder room only rates on WDW.com to make sure I am getting a savings.

 

[dcgrumpy]

The key word being "then" they came out with the BR program. At the very beginning of the release of the program the rates were not in the computer prior to some bookings.

However that is not the case now, what you book is what you pay.

Yeah, for what the first 2 or 3 days? It was released on a Thursday or Friday and I booked it that Sunday

and I think you misunderstood what I meant. I booked the room at rack rate back in january. When they came out with the BRP program I booked it at the discounted price and cancelled the original rack rate room I had

 

[Sammie]

Yeah, for what the first 2 or 3 days? It was released on a Thursday or Friday and I booked it that Sunday

and I think you misunderstood what I meant. I booked the room at rack rate back in january. When they came out with the BRP program I booked it at the discounted price and cancelled the original rack rate room I had

Thanks for the clarification.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

When I originally booked my room for Oct 22/23 the BRP was only a few days old. the "best" rate was not listed - just the implication that IF disney lowers or offers a discounted rate at this resort then MY rate would automaticly go down. before booking I called disney to double check that I understood this program correctly and was told that- they did not list discounted rate prior to booking the room - but the words "Best Rate Program" not "standard rate" must appear on the resort reservation screen, if not than this program is not being applied to that particular resort at this time.

It appears that this has changed now and they DO list discounted nitely rates when you book the room.

The below statement is from "Sammi"'s posting

"At the very beginning of the release of the program the rates were not in the computer prior to some bookings."

At the time I booked it appears i fell into this catagory - obviously my problem was planning too far ahead.

 

[freediverdude]

One thing that doesn't seem to make sense about the Best Rate Program is that a lot of the special passholder events, like passholder previews of new attractions, or the Osborne lights preview, or special pin releases, things like that, are not usually announced more than 60 days out. I often plan my trips around these events to be sure and catch them. But with this program, they want you to book more than 60 days out to go to events that haven't been announced yet, lol. So from a strictly passholder point of view, regarding passholder events vs. passholder reservations, the policy doesn't make any sense.

 

[Sammie]

One thing that doesn't seem to make sense about the Best Rate Program is that a lot of the special passholder events, like passholder previews of new attractions, or the Osborne lights preview, or special pin releases, things like that, are not usually announced more than 60 days out. I often plan my trips around these events to be sure and catch them. But with this program, they want you to book more than 60 days out to go to events that haven't been announced yet, lol. So from a strictly passholder point of view, regarding passholder events vs. passholder reservations, the policy doesn't make any sense.

That would be a good point to share with them. I think they are still in the tweaking process with this.

I know they wanted to stop certain abuses of the Passholder discount program and while Best Rate might not be what everyone wanted, including myself, I can understand the need to stop the abuse.

I just wish everyone could have played fair and maybe we would not even be discussing best rate.

 

[Tink10]

I want to thank you all for sharing your reasons.......

Many are very valid, especially those that involve last minute booking. Disney should definately consider offering something to accomodate the AP holders who do travel at the last minute and to those who were lost in the black hole.

Just like the old AP rates, IF there are any rates left over, then they should be available to last minute AP travelers. I've had planty of experiences, booking not only AP rates, but also CM rates, AAA rates & MKC rates, when there were none left at any of the resorts that I wanted to stay. That was always a reality when booking late.

I'm happy about booking the WL with Best Rate for $135 and since booking it, I've been playing around quite a bit on the Best Rate booking site and have consistantly found the $70/$40/$20 to be the standard discounts & I personally feel that those are very good discounts. I could've gotten all of the values at $59 or the mods at $99.

There are some on this board who don't like the BR program and are claiming that they can't afford to go to WDW or stay at the resort of their choice because of the change to AP rates and honestly, I just don't buy that. The rates aren't that much different from the last $ off change to the AP discounts. ($75/$50/$25) and over the past couple of years, Disney has lowered the standard AP discount on the rooms more than once. Not to mention that rack rates have gone up.....

I, like many here. feel that this is a change that will make things much more fair. Whether people want to admit it or not, there were many many AP holders who abused the old system....badly. I knew one personally and was totally disgusted that she thought it was ok to hold the rooms that she did.

Can anyone say that they honestly enjoyed the waiting for the codes, the long hold times on the phone or the reality that the resort or room view that you wanted wasn't available at a discount?

Let's not forget that booking hotel rooms online has become the industry norm. Many travel booking sites and Hoteliers are now offering discounted rooms that must be prepaid & are totally nonrefundable (Expedia, Priceline, Hotwire, Starwood etc.) Disney could follow their lead and impose the same restrictions in order to get a discount.

If someone doesn't have internet access and can't check rates they do have the option of calling a travel agent to book Best Rate. One other notable thing is that on the Best Rate website, there is an offer at the bottom of all of the quote pages that gives a special telephone number if you'd rather book the rate over the telephone.

Like many here have said, again & again, Disney is a business. Rooms that are held and cancelled at last minute equals lost revenue. Scheduling lots of extra CM's to man the phones when a code is released equals lost revenue. CM's answering call after call of those people checking to see if rates were released or just checking rates also equals........you guessed it.......lost revenue.

In all reality, this was a great business decision on Disney's part. To them, it's a win/win situation. The AP holders still get their discounts and Disney doesn't have to fork out the overtime. The people on the DIS (and other boards like it) make up a small percentage of AP holders and many people on these boards don't like the change, but they're the vocal ones. Many of us who do like it say nothing at all.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

I just wish everyone could have played fair and maybe we would not even be discussing best rate

Amen to that Sammi

nonrefundable deposits should eliminate future abuse of overbooking than cancelling

But from what i've read on this board it seems like they are making adjustments to the program as they get feedback from customers -

First they went from 120 days to 60 days,

Second they went from us not knowing possible discount, if any, to now listing the discounted price of rooms.

So maybe they'll move it back to 45 day so that the Special event calendars are out first

 

[Minnie's Mate]

I looked into the BRP last night and confirmed what I had suspected: it isn't for me. Everytime I tried to get the AKL (our favorite) I kept getting the WL Concierge at more than $1500 more than our current reservation for pool view at AKL at rack rate for the same week. We don't like WL and aren't interested in staying there.

I assumed that to mean that all of the discounted rooms at AKL are booked for the week we want to go. I wanted to see if we could save anything by adjusting our dates. I tried other deluxes and again, WL kept coming up. I finally clicked the tab labeled "Alternate Offer" and DCS came up. I really didn't want a moderate resort either. I clicked the tab labeled "Disney's Recommendatioin" and DSS came up. I really am not interested in a room that has only one real bed for a family of four and limited maid service!

Also, all of the rooms included Disney's Magical Express. I'm sure there is a charge for that in there somewhere. We live in the Atlanta area and drive down. It is about six hours to WDW from our house so I don't need Disney's Magical Express, but with the inflexibility of having to book on-line, I can't omit that part and must pay for something that I don't need.

Also, we normally plan our vacations months in advance. That is why we have a reservation at AKL at rack rate. I haven't minded waiting for the discounts to come out in the past to know that I had a room guaranteed at the resort I wanted. However, this year we have had to make some changes to our plans. We currently have plans to go to MNSSHP and it looks like we are going to have to cancel that trip. I would have lost that deposit if I had made a reservation with BRP. The other trip we have planned for later in the year may get canceled also or at least shortened depending on how things go at work. I usually don't make my reservations until vacation is approved, but this time I made them first. Now I don't know if I will be able to take the whole week off or just part of the week, or I may have to reschedule. This isn't normal for me, but these are the things that I don't like about the BRP.

 

[wanna-b-Tink]

I dont understand how anyone can have an opinion on the rate differences between BR and AP since I have not read ANYWHERE that someone has ACTUALLY received a reduction in the cost of their room YET. ...

Actually, my rate was lowered.

I had the room booked at AKL (deluxe savannah) back in April. When BR came available, I booked it and then called to cancel my initial ressy. I saved $85 per night with the BR booking over what I originally booked. If I save more in the coming weeks, great, but if not, I've saved a good amount anyway.

 

[yooperfan]

There is a place to omit magical express, I turned it down as we prefer limo service. It did not lower our rate as this service is temporary and a perk only during the celebration months. In other words, not having it will not reduce your price. When are you going? Sounds like the ap rooms in your cadegory are just already booked for when you are going. That could happen just as easily with the old phone in system.

 

[Tink10]

Hi Minnie's Mate,

There is no charge for Magical Express. It's free to all resort guests for the duration of the Happiest Celebration. I'm a DVC member & even we get Magical Express free.

Also, to correct you on Saratoga Springs. If you stay there on a cash reservation, you do get full housekeeping, only guests staying on DVC points get limited housekeeping.

As far as ALK availability, your siggy said that you're probably headed back down in December & I just checked Best Rate (in case your's was having problems) & the AKL is available at a discount every night until December 26th (there isn't much available anywhere on WDW at that time) Mabye they've added availability.....



Just a Little FYI

 

[Minnie's Mate]

Yes our stay is 12/26/05-01/01/06. I was looking to see if we checked in over the week end of 12/24 or 12/25 would save any money. In the past the AP rates always ended around that time so checking in on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day has sometimes qualified us for the AP rates. Sometimes we have gone the week before Christmas and got the AP rates because Christmas would be during the week and the rates would end the week end before Christmas Day. Unfortunately, I am limited to the week following Christmas this year and the week prior isn't an option. The earliest I can get to leave would be after work on 12/23 and check in around mid-night.

Since we always drive, I didn't know any of the details about the Disney Express Service. There has never been a mention in the commercials I have seen that this was a free service. Since all of the planning videos elaborates about fast pass being a free service, including the one I got this year that introduces the DES, I would have thought they would have played up the DES as free too. We stayed at the AKL in June and when I made the reservation the CM made no mention of the DES nor asked if we were flying that I recall. Of course the more gray I get on the outside of this old head of mine, the less I have left on the inside! The CM could have asked and I don't remember.

 

[pouncingpluto]

I have to admit to being totally happy with BR. This is my first and last year as an AP... we only have APs because they were a "gift" from Disney's Fairy Tale Weddings for booking a custom wedding. So, several things were in our favor, regarding BR...

1. We don't have any past experiences to compare it to, other than hearing about people having to call ASAP as soon as AP rates are released. It was nice not to have to be so stressed about it... we just contacted our DU TA to check into BR for us.

2. There's no way our dates are changing, as this trip is for our wedding.

3. There's no way our preferred resort is changing, as AKL is the resort we selected for most of our guests to stay at.

4. We knew almost a full year in advance, so 120 days was no issue.

We ended up getting $90 per night off rack rate. We were previously booked using our wedding discount, but this is still $35 less a night than that.