Throwaway room (read post #2041 or #2710 before posting)

[Laketravis]

Please don't do this. It is very disheartening to try and book a site to actually go camping, see everything is booked solid, and then hear from people there that a a lot of sites sit empty.

Do what? I only posted exactly what you can read on the WDW website.

 

[Laketravis]

Just don't bring this up in the camping forum here, you will get majorly flamed.

The problem is that there are a limited number of sites, I think 700, you reserve one night in the middle of a week that site is now pretty much useless for the week.

There's an even more limited number of MK view rooms at the CR as well, but whether I pay for one night or ten, it's nobody's business if I'm actually in the room or not.

Suggesting that up to 10 people rent a single campsite at WDW so that they can get the perks that come with that campsite has nothing to do with whether or not they will actually use that campsite. They paid for it, and that is all that matters to Disney.

Welcome to the new "tips & strategies" manifesting themselves from the changes Disney has made, using opportunities Disney has created, to take full advantage of the features Disney provides.

 

[ckelly14]

In December, we had fp+ for the length of the ticket (7 days) not the length of the room stay (1 night) for us. The parking pass was only for the actual resort stay (1 night, 2 days).

Could you start your FP+ days after you check in, or does it have to include the day you check in?

 

[recmouse]

OW! This is all too much... what happened to the 'magic.'

 

[johde]

In December, we had fp+ for the length of the ticket (7 days) not the length of the room stay (1 night) for us. The parking pass was only for the actual resort stay (1 night, 2 days).

This has been widely reported about annual passes but I think this is the first time I'm seen it in relation to MYW tickets. If I remember correctly, with annual passes, at 60 days out for your reservation you could book FP+ from check-in date to check-out date. For dates after check-out they could reserve 60 days out from that date. With a limit on how many days they could reserve at once.

This would also relate to what some people think the system will look like once "testing" is complete.

Onsite books entire stay (maybe upto 10 days like adr's) 60 day out from check-in.
Offsite book 60 days out.

And, once a ticket has been "activated" into the FP+ system it can stay in the FP+ system.

 

[CalvaryMike]

Could you start your FP+ days after you check in, or does it have to include the day you check in?

When I went to MDE, I could schedule my FP+ for any day. I just couldn't schedule them for more days than I had tickets. So, I could schedule them for day 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 etc for a total of six days (that's how many days my passes were good for).

 

[ckelly14]

Thanks. Just what I wanted to hear!

 

[CalvaryMike]

As others have said, things at WDW are changing everyday. MB's are in their testing phase. Be prepared in case policies change. My personal experience was a month ago.

 

[maggiew]

We went in Dec. 2013. We planned to stay the first night at Pop Century to get the Magic Bands and then move off site to our 2 bedroom/2 bath condo at Marriott Residence Inn LBV. (We have 2 teen girls and it is so much better having 2 bathrooms!!!) We were unsure what was going on with the FP+/FP- since everything was changing day to day. I didn't want to be surprised during our trip with the FP machines removed or something!

Anyway, DH & I then decided to just go ahead and add another day to our Marriott reservation so we wouldn't have to check in/check out twice and move rooms. We kept the Pop Century reservation (which we paid for room only at the time of reservation). We linked our tickets that we purchased separately from Undercover Tourist to our MDE account and made FP+ reservations. I was able to make FP+ reservations for the entire length of our tickets - NOT just the one night of our hotel reservation.

We had a rental car so on our way to the Marriott, we stopped at Pop Century and checked in. I'm not sure if this was necessary for the Magic Bands to work or not, or whether the FP+ would have been deleted or not. But it only took about 10 minutes, so no big deal. I did get a parking permit that had the checkin and check out dates printed on them. We never saw the room.

When we entered the parking lots each day, I stopped at the toll booth thing. We had the Pop Century parking pass clearly displayed on the dashboard with the dates listed. Half of the time the toll booth agent told us to go on ahead. The other half of the time we paid the parking fee.

This was my experience.

Maggie

 

[siskaren]

I seriously can't believe that no one other than Cals_dad sees anything wrong with booking a room or campsite that you're not going to use, which could prevent someone who actually plans on using it from booking it.

 

[ckelly14]

Considering that WDW is only 80% filled on average, I doubt many people are unable to stay on site due to this practice. I don't think Disney is complaining...

 

[Laketravis]

I seriously can't believe that no one other than Cals_dad sees anything wrong with booking a room or campsite that you're not going to use, which could prevent someone who actually plans on using it from booking it.

Define "use".

 

[rt2dz]

.

OK, how do you get a completely blank post? I've been seeing a lot of that lately. Don't you need to at least put "." to edit it?

Just curious.

 

[siskaren]

Considering that WDW is only 80% filled on average, I doubt many people are unable to stay on site due to this practice. I don't think Disney is complaining...

OK, I'll concede that, but it could still be keeping people from booking the specific category at the specific resort they want (or more importantly, can afford.) And just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.

Define "use".

Actually occupying the room or campsite. That's what they're there for, not to game the system.

 

[Laketravis]

[Duplicate]

 

[Laketravis]

Actually occupying the room or campsite. That's what they're there for, not to game the system.

And how long does it actually need to be occupied to meet your definition of "use" ??? An hour? Eight hours? Continuous or in the aggregate?

And, if for some unintended reason, I did not "use" my reservation the night before, could I convince Disney to refund my money because I did not "use" the reservation?

In fact, if you don't show up at all to check in for your reservation, doesn't Disney CHARGE YOU IN FULL for the first night, or do they gladly refund your money since you didn't "actually occupy" the room or campsite?

It is not gaming the system if a room or campsite is reserved and paid for. If, by doing so, my intent is to "use" the room to get free parking, advanced FP+ reservations, or any other perks provided in return for that room reservation and payment, then it meets my definition (and Disney's) of "use". There is nothing in the reservation agreement with Disney that specifies otherwise.

 

[willowsnn3]

I seriously can't believe that no one other than Cals_dad sees anything wrong with booking a room or campsite that you're not going to use, which could prevent someone who actually plans on using it from booking it.

Right or wrong, I just think "throw away room" equals "thrown away money"
Like tripping over a dollar to save a dime.
But I'm an onsite kinda girl myself.

 

[LittleMissDisney]

OK, I'll concede that, but it could still be keeping people from booking the specific category at the specific resort they want (or more importantly, can afford.) And just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should.



Actually occupying the room or campsite. That's what they're there for, not to game the system.

That's the mantra I keep saying in my head over and over when I read these boards. I teach 6th grade, and overheard one of my students say, "but it's okay unless you get caught, and then you just tell them it's my life". This is a sad, sorry world we're raising ourselves in. People keep wondering where the "magic" went, it got pushed out by the "me" mentality

 

[Laketravis]

I'm still waiting to hear how long I actually have to be in the room in order to satisfy the moral definition of use ("to occupy").

 

[castleri]

And how long does it actually need to be occupied to meet your definition of "use" ??? An hour? Eight hours? Continuous or in the aggregate?

And, if for some unintended reason, I did not "use" my reservation the night before, could I convince Disney to refund my money because I did not "use" the reservation?

In fact, if you don't show up at all to check in for your reservation, doesn't Disney CHARGE YOU IN FULL for the first night, or do they gladly refund your money since you didn't "actually occupy" the room or campsite?

It is not gaming the system if a room or campsite is reserved and paid for. If, by doing so, my intent is to "use" the room to get free parking, advanced FP+ reservations, or any other perks provided in return for that room reservation and payment, then it meets my definition (and Disney's) of "use". There is nothing in the reservation agreement with Disney that specifies otherwise.

Maybe the gaming the system is more about paying for one night and being able to make FP+ reservations for many more than that and possibly getting free parking for more days than the reservation warrants. In the past people paid for rooms at All Star resorts to get free dining but never stayed in the rooms - but they had to pay for all the nights.