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

[skylizard]

By booking a campsite every other day for the length of my stay I am now entitled to:
1. FP+
2. Free parking
3. EMH
4. Disney transportation
5. ADRs
6. Use of FW facilities

For a family of 4 plus 2 friends at $50 for 2 days, I get all of that for $4 per person per day. It is purely a financial decision.

All Disney has to do is offer a package that gives people use of the same amenities for a cheaper price and I will buy that instead....

This is the mentality that makes me go 'huh?"
So you pay for an onsite every other day and use the perks even for the in between days? Sorry, but that's a whole new level of cheap. And not in a good way.

 

[Laketravis]

This is not a loophole. If I rent a car for the week and only drive it 1 day to go off site did I steal the car from someone for the other days?

It is at my disposal once I pay for it to do what I choose.

That is an excellent analogy.

 

[Tramp68]

Okay, I understand why people might do this at Disney, since at times you can get Value resorts for less than $100 per night.

But why would you ever do this at Universal? To get Unlimited Express Pass, you have to stay in a $300+ per night room. If you're going to spend that and not use it, just buy the Unlimited Express! And these are really nice rooms at fancy resorts. Why *wouldn't* you want to stay there, if you've paid for it?

I can get a room at Universal for 5 people with my AP discount for $179 a night. With taxes that is $40 per person for 2 days of unlimited express pass and 2 days of early entry to WWoHP You cannot buy the Unlimited Express pass for that money. The cheapest 2 day both parks pass would cost $72 per person for 1 use per ride! That would even justify the cost of a $400 room for 5 people as you are getting early admission and unlimited EP

 

[amylevan]

This is the mentality that makes me go 'huh?"
So you pay for an onsite every other day and use the perks even for the in between days? Sorry, but that's a whole new level of cheap. And not in a good way.

Personally, I think its a waste of money, not cheap.

And for those who are thinking of doing this...tent sites start at $48/night. But peak/holiday times it jumps to $92/night. You're talking about a decent amount of "throwaway" money for perks that IMO aren't worth it.

But to each his own.

 

[CalvaryMike]

A couple of things:

• For the people booking a "throwaway" room. They are gambling that Disney will continue to allow this practice with the FP+ tied to the number of days of the tickets. Disney could pull this policy at anytime and if it is done within five days of their reservation, they'll lose out on their one night payment with no benefits.
• With MK going to FP+, it doesn't matter. Offsite guests will only be able to book FP+ current day vs. 60 days.
• My BIL owns a lock company where one of their products is hotel door locks. Most hotels cannot tell the status of who has entered the room from the front desk. That system is very very pricey and it requires quite an infrastructure. The current practice is a reader that use on the physical door iteself that reads who has entered the room. I couldn't tell you if Disney has such a system in place. Do you know for sure?
• Is Disney allowing this practice to test whether people are willing to pay for FP+ in the future? If so, I guess they now know the answer.

And one last thing, "In before the lock" or "mysterious thread disappearence".

 

[nugov2]

A couple of things:

• For the people booking a "throwaway" room. They are gambling that Disney will continue to allow this practice with the FP+ tied to the number of days of the tickets. Disney could pull this policy at anytime and if it is done within five days of their reservation, they'll lose out on their one night payment with no benefits.
• With MK going to FP+, it doesn't matter. Offsite guests will only be able to book FP+ current day vs. 60 days.
• My BIL owns a lock company where one of their products is hotel door locks. Most hotels cannot tell the status of who has entered the room from the front desk. That system is very very pricey and it requires quite an infrastructure. The current practice is a reader that use on the physical door iteself that reads who has entered the room. I couldn't tell you if Disney has such a system in place. Do you know for sure?
• Is Disney allowing this practice to test whether people are willing to pay for FP+ in the future? If so, I guess they now know the answer.

And one last thing, "In before the lock" or "mysterious thread disappearence".

You would know at the 60 day mark if you could book your FP+ slots for the length of your tickets. Even if WDW changes this policy they wouldn't wipe out the FP's a guest booked. That would be a PR nightmare for them with all of the angry guests. Not everyone who books a room is doing it for a throwaway, some may be doing a split stay and I do not think WDW would risk upsetting customers who already booked and planned FP+ and dining reservations 60 days out when it was their policy. You would IMO be grandfathered in.

 

[mom2rtk]

People do think they are becoming too "big brother". Maybe the magic bands work like house arrest ankle devices. They see you enter a off site location while wearing one and..... Tink is waiting to rough you up the next morning when you leave your off site property.

Don't forget Mickey doing a pat down on your way off property to make sure there are no dollars left in your wallet!

 

[MinniesPymp]

Don't forget Mickey doing a pat down on your way off property to make sure there are no dollars left in your wallet!

Day better not be any spare change left in yo pockets when you leave dat room!

 

[Tramp68]

This is the mentality that makes me go 'huh?"
So you pay for an onsite every other day and use the perks even for the in between days? Sorry, but that's a whole new level of cheap. And not in a good way.

Each room stay includes all perks for the day of check in and the day of check out. So my Monday reservation gets me Monday and Tuesday ,my Wednesday reservation gets me Wednesday and Thursday, etc...

There are no "in between days"

I guess you do not use coupons either, or discount codes. I bet you also refuse free shipping on orders over $50...that would be a whole new level of cheap.

If I can get a perk by booking every other day why would I want overlap and pay for days I do not have to?

 

[Luckybee]

A couple of things:

• For the people booking a "throwaway" room. They are gambling that Disney will continue to allow this practice with the FP+ tied to the number of days of the tickets. Disney could pull this policy at anytime and if it is done within five days of their reservation, they'll lose out on their one night payment with no benefits.
• With MK going to FP+, it doesn't matter. Offsite guests will only be able to book FP+ current day vs. 60 days.
• My BIL owns a lock company where one of their products is hotel door locks. Most hotels cannot tell the status of who has entered the room from the front desk. That system is very very pricey and it requires quite an infrastructure. The current practice is a reader that use on the physical door iteself that reads who has entered the room. I couldn't tell you if Disney has such a system in place. Do you know for sure?
• Is Disney allowing this practice to test whether people are willing to pay for FP+ in the future? If so, I guess they now know the answer.

And one last thing, "In before the lock" or "mysterious thread disappearence".

Not for all of us....we're booking a throwaway to get 2 days use. If we luck out and get length of pass I wont say no but i'll be quite content with just our arrival and departure day....and yes we'd be willing to pay for advance fp+ and I very much like the idea of it being done on a per attraction/parade etc. basis as opposed to the way it appears to be done at Universal

 

[Tramp68]

Don't forget Mickey doing a pat down on your way off property to make sure there are no dollars left in your wallet!

To quote Homer Simpson:

Sweetie, they won't kill you at an amusement park, as long as you've got a dime in your pocket.

 

[nugov2]

Don't forget Mickey doing a pat down on your way off property to make sure there are no dollars left in your wallet!

I forgot about that!!

 

[mmmcl]

This is good to know. We are planning to do a split stay and part of our stay will be off site will be at the doubletree at dtd on hilton points. I wasn't expecting to get advanced booking for FP+ for our entire trip, but I'm not going to turn it down it it's available.

At the risk of starting wwIII, will EMH work the same way?

 

[kaytieeldr]

I can get a room at Universal for 5 people with my AP discount for $179 a night. With taxes that is $40 per person for 2 days of unlimited express pass and 2 days of early entry to WWoHP You cannot buy the Unlimited Express pass for that money. The cheapest 2 day both parks pass would cost $72 per person for 1 use per ride! That would even justify the cost of a $400 room for 5 people as you are getting early admission and unlimited EP

But then why wouldn't you just stay in the Universal Resort room?

 

[nugov2]

Not for all of us....we're booking a throwaway to get 2 days use. If we luck out and get length of pass I wont say no but i'll be quite content with just our arrival and departure day....and yes we'd be willing to pay for advance fp+ and I very much like the idea of it being done on a per attraction/parade etc. basis as opposed to the way it appears to be done at Universal

Like I said before you will know what you can/can't do at the 60 day mark. I just don't see them cancelling peoples FP+ reservations if they decide this is something people will get for only length of stay. If WDW decides to change this from a length of park ticket perk vs a length of stay perk it will be a from this day forward type of implementation. Would cause way too much uproar and lost revenue.

 

[Tramp68]

Personally, I think its a waste of money, not cheap.

And for those who are thinking of doing this...tent sites start at $48/night. But peak/holiday times it jumps to $92/night. You're talking about a decent amount of "throwaway" money for perks that IMO aren't worth it.

But to each his own.

Even at $92 for 2 days of perks for a group of 10 is $5 per day...Disney could easily raise ticket prices by this amount. Why would this not be worth participation in EMH, earlier FP+ booking, Disney Transportation, ability to purchase DDP for certain days of the trip...

We all have our priorities on what we will pay money for. Some examples of things people will/won't spend money on (not just Disney things):

1. Expensive Dining
2. Broadway Show
3. Luxury Cars
4. Expensive sound systems
5. Jewelry
6. Clothing
7. Theme Parks
8. Hotel Room View Upgrades
9. Need I continue?

I value my time. If I can pay money to save time on vacation, I will do it. At peak times FP+ becomes even more valuable.

 

[kaytieeldr]

A couple of things:

• For the people booking a "throwaway" room. They are gambling that Disney will continue to allow this practice with the FP+ tied to the number of days of the tickets. Disney could pull this policy at anytime and if it is done within five days of their reservation, they'll lose out on their one night payment with no benefits.
• With MK going to FP+, it doesn't matter. Offsite guests will only be able to book FP+ current day vs. 60 days.
• My BIL owns a lock company where one of their products is hotel door locks. Most hotels cannot tell the status of who has entered the room from the front desk. That system is very very pricey and it requires quite an infrastructure. The current practice is a reader that use on the physical door iteself that reads who has entered the room. I couldn't tell you if Disney has such a system in place. Do you know for sure?
• Is Disney allowing this practice to test whether people are willing to pay for FP+ in the future? If so, I guess they now know the answer.

And one last thing, "In before the lock" or "mysterious thread disappearence".

Don't most hotels have an electronic security system that can show which keys opened the door at what times? Not on the individual doors, but in the security office?

 

[kaytieeldr]

This is good to know. We are planning to do a split stay and part of our stay will be off site will be at the doubletree at dtd on hilton points. I wasn't expecting to get advanced booking for FP+ for our entire trip, but I'm not going to turn it down it it's available.

At the risk of starting wwIII, will EMH work the same way?

Just the day you check out of the onsite hotel and into the Doubletree. Your benefits are valid until 11:59 PM the day you check out.

 

[Tramp68]

But then why wouldn't you just stay in the Universal Resort room?

Because I do not like changing rooms. I want to unpack for the week and leave it.

I usually book Universal in the middle of my DVC stay. Universal rooms do not compare to a 1000+ SqFt 2 bedroom at Old key West. Also, I do not want to have to worry about another set of clothes...

 

[nugov2]

But then why wouldn't you just stay in the Universal Resort room?

Some people don't find hotel accommodations adequate for their family, especially for stays that are longer than one or two nights. We have kids ranging from 3-9. We need them to have their own rooms and space so that when they are in bed(sometimes by 9 or 10pm if they are wiped) DH and I can enjoy a movie, drink or dip in the pool/hot tub while they are sleeping. In the morning if we aren't in a hurry(and with express pass it makes it possible) we can have one up at 6:30 watching tv, running around playing or swimming while the late sleepers get up around 8. Everyone is well rested and nobody was uncomfortable tip toeing around the room in the dark. Trying not wake someone up. Eating on a bed b/c someone is asleep and one is awake and hungry . We expect our accommodations to be as nice or nicer than our home. We make exceptions in certain short trips. For ex. we went to Clearwater and booked two deluxe adjoining rooms so that one of us slept with the early riser and one slept with the late sleepers(me ). Well rested for us equals fun all day without meltdowns, but that is what works for us and we have no problem paying for certain things to get it. It isn't wasted money....it is money well spent!