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

[KenDoll]

IF they booked them fair and square like everyone else and didn't book a fake room they didn't have any intention of using for the purpose of getting a jump on everyone else or using multiple wristbands and fake names it wouldn't be an issue. edit to add: then everyone would get a shot at it.

There truly is no such thing as fair and square. I don't like not being able to get the FP's I wanted just like everyone else but I had my shot and I missed out, that's life absolutely nothing is fair. While I think it's a waste of money and a room, if a family wants to pay money for something they won't be using for 30+ days than they have whatever right they chose. I personally do not have the money for that not would I. I make my vacation as magical as possible and if there is an attraction I can't love without going on then guess what... Standby! It's not the end of the world.

 

[FINFAN]

I didn't read this whole thread but wanted to comment on our recent resort bookings/trip and how the whole throw away room thing was implied upon one of our check in's.
We arrived on Friday, 8/29 and stayed at ASMU for 1 night as our off-site condo didn't start until Sat 8/30. We legitimately qualified for 60 days out FP+ booking for 8/29 and 8/30. We also were able to use EMH. We discovered that our DD who is an AP holder (linked together in MDE accounts) had the ability to book ALL of us for up to 7 days if we had tickets that duration.
Now, when we checked into ASMU, the CM was extremely nice, pleasant and magical. We told her we were just there for the 1 night so room location didn't matter and she said, oh even for 1 night we like to do our best..and proceeded to tell us that since ASMU food court was down use Movies etc and at here was a small station set up for coffee etc. Did the MB info and asked if we were celebrating anything, you know the drill. All went well and we headed to our room. Hit MK that night and then AK/Epcot the next day, and also checked into our condo.
Our off-site condo was 8/30-9/6...went to Daytona for the night of 9/6 and had ressies for POP Century on 9/7 for 1 night. We were not going to do any parks on the POP stay, just go over in the morning to check out AOA and then begin our drive back home. Our check in at POP was less than magical. We arrived about 7 p.m. , there was a medium line and it was pouring so bell men were busy trying to cover luggage with plastic, people just wanting their rooms etc. I just had my wallet with I.D. and CC as family stayed in the car with the bags until I texted them the room #. Anyway, CM asked where the rest of our party was, I explained and said we had our magic bands already linked and are familiar with how the work as room keys etc. She said it would have been "easier" if we were all present.(ok...not needed if I had been doing online check in but o.k.)I said, I could call them all in but they were with our bags, the rain etc..she made the comment, well, it appears you may not be really in need of the room THAT much..did I have a preference of location because they were really trying to place guests quickly with the weather. I was kind of "huh?" but then the comment of the weather did make sense so I just said, no, we are only here for the night, departing early, any location is fine. She sort of smirked and said" yes, I see you and "you're family" are repeat single night guests. " I said, yes, just last weekend we stayed 1 night at ASMU and enjoyed it. She asked if we actually used the room , raising her eyebrows. We did actually use the room and I replied that we did, and that we actually plan on using the one that night as well. She said to enjoy the parks, I said thanks, but we are not entering them, she said, "O.K." and winked.
I had read about the throw away rooms and FW spots so I knew exactly what she was alluding to, but I think it was presumptuous of her. I didn't get too irritated as I know our ressies must have looked like we were doing exactly, that, using a throw away room, I show up alone etc. But if I were TRULY doing a throw away I wouldn't have shown up at all.
She took my lack of room preference literally as we were in one that was really in need of updating. Mold in the grout, divider curtain stained and slightly torn. carpet pretty worn and tub faucet would not turn all the way off. Fridge gurgled loudly all night and smelled awful. We were tired and didn't care , just wanted sleep before hitting the road in the morning but boy, compared to ASMU POP was really run down. We loved AOA and wish it had been in the budget to stay there, but happy we got to tour it.
SO~the throw away room is not being thought of too highly by at least one POP CM, lol....I guess she felt the need to call us out for doing it even tho we weren't. Maybe she thought I was wasting her time by being checked in if we had no plans of using it? Who knows but I gotta say, if I had seen the POP room ahead of time, I WOULD have done a throw away..it was in sad, sad, shape.

 

[doconeill]

I didn't read this whole thread but wanted to comment on our recent resort bookings/trip and how the whole throw away room thing was implied upon one of our check in's.
We arrived on Friday, 8/29 and stayed at ASMU for 1 night as our off-site condo didn't start until Sat 8/30. We legitimately qualified for 60 days out FP+ booking for 8/29 and 8/30. We also were able to use EMH. We discovered that our DD who is an AP holder (linked together in MDE accounts) had the ability to book ALL of us for up to 7 days if we had tickets that duration.
Now, when we checked into ASMU, the CM was extremely nice, pleasant and magical. We told her we were just there for the 1 night so room location didn't matter and she said, oh even for 1 night we like to do our best..and proceeded to tell us that since ASMU food court was down use Movies etc and at here was a small station set up for coffee etc. Did the MB info and asked if we were celebrating anything, you know the drill. All went well and we headed to our room. Hit MK that night and then AK/Epcot the next day, and also checked into our condo.
Our off-site condo was 8/30-9/6...went to Daytona for the night of 9/6 and had ressies for POP Century on 9/7 for 1 night. We were not going to do any parks on the POP stay, just go over in the morning to check out AOA and then begin our drive back home. Our check in at POP was less than magical. We arrived about 7 p.m. , there was a medium line and it was pouring so bell men were busy trying to cover luggage with plastic, people just wanting their rooms etc. I just had my wallet with I.D. and CC as family stayed in the car with the bags until I texted them the room #. Anyway, CM asked where the rest of our party was, I explained and said we had our magic bands already linked and are familiar with how the work as room keys etc. She said it would have been "easier" if we were all present.(ok...not needed if I had been doing online check in but o.k.)I said, I could call them all in but they were with our bags, the rain etc..she made the comment, well, it appears you may not be really in need of the room THAT much..did I have a preference of location because they were really trying to place guests quickly with the weather. I was kind of "huh?" but then the comment of the weather did make sense so I just said, no, we are only here for the night, departing early, any location is fine. She sort of smirked and said" yes, I see you and "you're family" are repeat single night guests. " I said, yes, just last weekend we stayed 1 night at ASMU and enjoyed it. She asked if we actually used the room , raising her eyebrows. We did actually use the room and I replied that we did, and that we actually plan on using the one that night as well. She said to enjoy the parks, I said thanks, but we are not entering them, she said, "O.K." and winked.
I had read about the throw away rooms and FW spots so I knew exactly what she was alluding to, but I think it was presumptuous of her. I didn't get too irritated as I know our ressies must have looked like we were doing exactly, that, using a throw away room, I show up alone etc. But if I were TRULY doing a throw away I wouldn't have shown up at all.
She took my lack of room preference literally as we were in one that was really in need of updating. Mold in the grout, divider curtain stained and slightly torn. carpet pretty worn and tub faucet would not turn all the way off. Fridge gurgled loudly all night and smelled awful. We were tired and didn't care , just wanted sleep before hitting the road in the morning but boy, compared to ASMU POP was really run down. We loved AOA and wish it had been in the budget to stay there, but happy we got to tour it.
SO~the throw away room is not being thought of too highly by at least one POP CM, lol....I guess she felt the need to call us out for doing it even tho we weren't. Maybe she thought I was wasting her time by being checked in if we had no plans of using it? Who knows but I gotta say, if I had seen the POP room ahead of time, I WOULD have done a throw away..it was in sad, sad, shape.

Like I said...data collection.

Now, I would have been none to happy with the assertion by the CM, considering you DID use the room...

 

[cakebaker]

I had read about the throw away rooms and FW spots so I knew exactly what she was alluding to, but I think it was presumptuous of her. I didn't get too irritated as I know our ressies must have looked like we were doing exactly, that, using a throw away room, I show up alone etc. But if I were TRULY doing a throw away I wouldn't have shown up at all.

I agree it wasn't her place to determine your reasoning for booking a single night stay, but I understand her frustration. There are always legitimate reasons for booking single night stays- we've certainly done it before. But I imagine there's been a dramatic increase since people figured out how they could benefit from it. In the process, it creates other unhappy guests for many reasons- they can't get their room requests or can't book their 10 day vacation because there are single reservations blocking them out- So cm's deal with those too.

But it's not her place to take it on, even if you were booking throwaway. That's up to the higher ups at Disney to stop and while I worry just what they'll do to stop it, I have no doubt if it continues to happen on a large scale basis, they will. This is costing them money and that's the one thing that will make them sit up and pay attention.

Btw- a lot of people who book throwaways do check in for one reason or another.

 

[Princesca]

This is madness.

I now feel like you need a PhD in Logistics to keep up with the Jonses at Disney. Maybe I'm just a simple girl with simple ambitions, but I will keep booking my full on - site stays, using my one set of MagicBands per person, making only the reservations I want and nothing more and just doing my best to have the best time possible. I don't want to have to worry that I'm not maximizing my FP+ use because of the time slots I took. I just picked ones for the times I thought we'd be near them.

Honestly, it's fun to sketch out park days and make daily ADRs and choose a hotel, but listening to people talk about things the way they are sometimes just sounds so mercenary. Disney is supposed to be a place of dreams and imagination and magic... not a place where someone will Tonya Harding you just to get their FP+ in first.

It just diminishes the spirit of our beloved place.

And it does make me sad to think that some poor family who really wants to camp may now not be a to plan a vacation because someone has scheduled a reservation in bad faith that they don't intend to utilize. Just because we CAN do something doesn't mean we SHOULD.

 

[cakebaker]

This is madness.

I now feel like you need a PhD in Logistics to keep up with the Jonses at Disney. Maybe I'm just a simple girl with simple ambitions, but I will keep booking my full on - site stays, using my one set of MagicBands per person, making only the reservations I want and nothing more and just doing my best to have the best time possible. I don't want to have to worry that I'm not maximizing my FP+ use because of the time slots I took. I just picked ones for the times I thought we'd be near them.

Honestly, it's fun to sketch out park days and make daily ADRs and choose a hotel, but listening to people talk about things the way they are sometimes just sounds so mercenary. Disney is supposed to be a place of dreams and imagination and magic... not a place where someone will Tonya Harding you just to get their FP+ in first.

It just diminishes the spirit of our beloved place.

Great post- I'm right there with you.

 

[Princesca]

Great post- I'm right there with you.

I'm glad I'm not alone! To me, whether Disney permits this practice or not, it's unethical to reserve a room you never intend to use to take advantage of certain benefits. It's one thing if plans change, but of you do that for the sole purpose of gaming the system... I think it's manipulative and opportunistic at BEST.

 

[cgattis]

Just because we CAN do something doesn't mean we SHOULD.

And the same goes for Disney. They could close this loophole, but they've chosen not to (yet anyway). Think it could be because people that would stay offsite are now paying them for at least one night?? And as a PP noted, they don't even have to clean the room. The whole MagicBand system, the multitude of new ticket-within-a-ticket events, premium packages, etc. shows that right now, Disney is pushing the limits of how to get more $$$ from each guest and NOT trying to enhance the experiences of the ones they have. sigh

 

[nugov2]

For people who simply skirt the rules to get what they want, no big issue with me. It's the "Me" types who hoard the fps and ADRs that take the magic out of things. You know, the type who brag about multiple dinners at BOG or seeing A&E or fps for the SDMT every day while others can't get any, wow, what happened to common courtesy? I just think when people are that uptight about having the PERFECT trip they tend to take the fun out of it for others.

So now people on vacation need to keep the plans other might want in mind when booking If the ADR and FP is available to book..it is as simple as that. If I want to pay for my dd to do BBB everyday of our trip why does anyone care. I am PAYING for all of these things not stealing them. Booking and PAYING for a room is not skirting the rules. Now booking and canceling the room is different and wrong IMO.

This is madness.

I now feel like you need a PhD in Logistics to keep up with the Jonses at Disney. Maybe I'm just a simple girl with simple ambitions, but I will keep booking my full on - site stays, using my one set of MagicBands per person, making only the reservations I want and nothing more and just doing my best to have the best time possible. I don't want to have to worry that I'm not maximizing my FP+ use because of the time slots I took. I just picked ones for the times I thought we'd be near them.

Honestly, it's fun to sketch out park days and make daily ADRs and choose a hotel, but listening to people talk about things the way they are sometimes just sounds so mercenary. Disney is supposed to be a place of dreams and imagination and magic... not a place where someone will Tonya Harding you just to get their FP+ in first.

It just diminishes the spirit of our beloved place.

And it does make me sad to think that some poor family who really wants to camp may now not be a to plan a vacation because someone has scheduled a reservation in bad faith that they don't intend to utilize. Just because we CAN do something doesn't mean we SHOULD.

How is that family not able to camp? If they book early enough they can. It isn't like they know or anyone knows for that matter if it is a throwaway site or someone camping for just a couple of days. Where do we draw the line. So a family that only wants to camp 2 days shouldn't because it might impact the lives of a family who wants to camp for a week? What about the greedy and selfish campers who camp for 2 weeks. How dare they camp for that long when some families cannot get a site because they are hoarding the site for so long. Give me a break We are all adults and know how life works. You book early you have a greater opportunity to get reservations you book late your chances decrease. That is how it works for anything...not just at WDW. I want floor seats to a broadway musical I better order them when they come out. I am curious are people who open a cc to get early access to concert tickets(I know people who did it for one direction) pulling a "Tonya Harding". My mom paid to be a club member for Broadway musicals just to get early access to buying tickets for one show...did she just pull a "Tonya Harding"? She has no interest in any of the other perks and will not use them. She just wanted to ability to access tickets at the presale. That is exactly the same as a throwaway. No interest in sleeping there, but just want the ability to have early access to FP and ADR's.

I also don't get why you feel like you have to keep up with the Jones. Book your vacation with what you want and don't worry about others are doing and then you won't have that feeling. Be satisfied with what you have or don't go and you won't have that feeling. I don't care if someone has BOG 5 times and I have it 0. I might be a little disappointed, but it is such a small blip on my radar I wouldn't let it ruin my trip. I am a planner in every vacation I take. We went to Hawaii, there were hard to get reservations and I booked them as soon as I could. I always research so we have the best crack at what we want. Some don't plan that way and that is fine too. You either are an uber planner or not, but it doesn't make the uber planner evil
for having what the other people cannot get on their vacation. Everyone has equal opportunity if they want it.

 

[Princesca]

Agreed about Disney responsibility but their lack of action does not obviate the need for ethics and considerate behavior in their guests.

 

[cakebaker]

And the same goes for Disney. They could close this loophole, but they've chosen not to (yet anyway). Think it could be because people that would stay offsite are now paying them for at least one night?? And as a PP noted, they don't even have to clean the room. The whole MagicBand system, the multitude of new ticket-within-a-ticket events, premium packages, etc. shows that right now, Disney is pushing the limits of how to get more $$$ from each guest and NOT trying to enhance the experiences of the ones they have. sigh

The idea that Disney is happy just to get the $75 for a room just isn't true.
For the campgrounds it's an even more ridiculous notion.

Perhaps if they're pulling in $500 a night for a deluxe, that might be true, but they built cheap resorts to get people to physically stay on site that couldn't otherwise afford it. If you are physically there, that's where you spend your money. They aren't making the big money on the room, they're making it on your food and entertainment and souvenir purchases.

Also, it clogs their reservation system. A guest who wants to book a 10 night stay might not be able to get their length of stay because on at least 1 night, the rooms are all booked. That's all it takes to stop them from booking, so Disney just lost a ton of money in reservations, dining and purchasing power and got $75 in exchange.

It also takes away fp availability for those it was intended for- length of stay on site guests. This makes for ( and you only have to read these boards to see it) very unhappy on site guests.

Lastly, when they do figure it out, they'll fix it and it's could well come in the form of requiring minimum stays. If you have to book 2 or 3 nights to get those perks, you're not near as likely to do it. That hurts those who have a legitimate reasons for booking a single night.

No one ever accused Disney of being ahead of the curve on figuring out all the ways a system can be taken advantage of, but I think they're seeing it now and I hope they fix it without hurting guests who aren't booking single nights just to get perks.

I'm not expecting other guests to consider how their actions might hurt others- that ship sailed a long time ago. I'm talking about what Disney's intentions are and what they'll do in order for it to work the way they wanted it go.

 

[Princesca]

Edited to take out a suggestion I made because I haven't thought it through enough yet, but...

If someone books one night throwaway in the middle of a week, that inconveniences others who actually want to stay there and can't book the week. Maybe it's just me, but I was brought up that you should live your life, as much as possible, not to cause aggravation or harm to others.

But like I said... mercenary. Some people don't care how their actions impact others as long as they get to spend three minutes with a couple of cartoon princesses.

 

[cakebaker]

Agreed about Disney responsibility but their lack of action does not obviate the need for ethics and considerate behavior in their guests.

We're never going to get some people to consider ethics and considerate behavior-it's sad but true.

Our only hope is Disney doesn't like it enough to put a stop to it.

 

[Princesca]

We're never going to get some people to consider ethics and considerate behavior-it's sad but true.

Our only hope is Disney doesn't like it enough to put a stop to it.

True that. And since these one-day throwaway folks are preventing other people from being able to have a complete several-day stay, maybe Disney will feel a bit of pinch and institute new guidelines. Hopefully those won't harm people who are legitimately staying one night because that's truly all they need.

Personally, though, I think it's a shame when people need rules to do the right thing. To me, the true test of someone's character is how they behave when there are no rules.

 

[Luckybee]

So now people on vacation need to keep the plans other might want in mind when booking If the ADR and FP is available to book..it is as simple as that. If I want to pay for my dd to do BBB everyday of our trip why does anyone care. I am PAYING for all of these things not stealing them. Booking and PAYING for a room is not skirting the rules. Now booking and canceling the room is different and wrong IMO.




How is that family not able to camp? If they book early enough they can. It isn't like they know or anyone knows for that matter if it is a throwaway site or someone camping for just a couple of days. Where do we draw the line. So a family that only wants to camp 2 days shouldn't because it might impact the lives of a family who wants to camp for a week? What about the greedy and selfish campers who camp for 2 weeks. How dare they camp for that long when some families cannot get a site because they are hoarding the site for so long. Give me a break We are all adults and know how life works. You book early you have a greater opportunity to get reservations you book late your chances decrease. That is how it works for anything...not just at WDW. I want floor seats to a broadway musical I better order them when they come out. I am curious are people who open a cc to get early access to concert tickets(I know people who did it for one direction) pulling a "Tonya Harding". My mom paid to be a club member for Broadway musicals just to get early access to buying tickets for one show...did she just pull a "Tonya Harding"? She has no interest in any of the other perks and will not use them. She just wanted to ability to access tickets at the presale. That is exactly the same as a throwaway. No interest in sleeping there, but just want the ability to have early access to FP and ADR's.

I also don't get why you feel like you have to keep up with the Jones. Book your vacation with what you want and don't worry about others are doing and then you won't have that feeling. Be satisfied with what you have or don't go and you won't have that feeling. I don't care if someone has BOG 5 times and I have it 0. I might be a little disappointed, but it is such a small blip on my radar I wouldn't let it ruin my trip. I am a planner in every vacation I take. We went to Hawaii, there were hard to get reservations and I booked them as soon as I could. I always research so we have the best crack at what we want. Some don't plan that way and that is fine too. You either are an uber planner or not, but it doesn't make the uber planner evil
for having what the other people cannot get on their vacation. Everyone has equal opportunity if they want it.

Absolutely correct. I still find it mind boggling how there are some who think that Disney isn't ok with this. I hate repeating myself but prior to our booking our short stay at the Dolphin we were booking a throwaway , albeit not a campsite (since we're doing 2 weeks at a Marriott timeshare). Not only were the 2 CM's I dealt with ok with it, they were well aware of the practice and one even made a point of encouraging the booking.
I'm gobsmacked that there are those out there who think that there is some moral wrong in booking and PAYING for a room that you don't intend to sleep in . I still keep imagining that they expect Disney to do room checks....LOL !! I've suggested it before....if you don't think Disney is OK with this, call and speak to a CM, don't express your displeasure with the policy(then maybe they'll just agree with you to pacify), tell them you want to book 1 night but you wont be sleeping in the room, and see what they tell you....you might want to indicate that you''ll get back to them though before they take your CC info

 

[cgattis]

The idea that Disney is happy just to get the $75 for a room just isn't true. For the campgrounds it's an even more ridiculous notion. Perhaps if they're pulling in $500 a night for a deluxe, that might be true, but they built cheap resorts to get people to physically stay on site that couldn't otherwise afford it. If you are physically there, that's where you spend your money. They aren't making the big money on the room, they're making it on your food and entertainment and souvenir purchases. Also, it clogs their reservation system. A guest who wants to book a 10 night stay might not be able to get their length of stay because on at least 1 night, the rooms are all booked. That's all it takes to stop them from booking, so Disney just lost a ton of money in reservations, dining and purchasing power and got $75 in exchange. It also takes away fp availability for those it was intended for- length of stay on site guests. This makes for ( and you only have to read these boards to see it) very unhappy on site guests. Lastly, when they do figure it out, they'll fix it and it's could well come in the form of requiring minimum stays. If you have to book 2 or 3 nights to get those perks, you're not near as likely to do it. That hurts those who have a legitimate reasons for booking a single night. No one ever accused Disney of being ahead of the curve on figuring out all the ways a system can be taken advantage of, but I think they're seeing it now and I hope they fix it without hurting guests who aren't booking single nights just to get perks. I'm not expecting other guests to consider how their actions might hurt others- that ship sailed a long time ago. I'm talking about what Disney's intentions are and what they'll do in order for it to work the way they wanted it go.

Unfortunately, I don't think Disney is looking at long-term repercussions (like the ones you've detailed) of a lot of decisions right now. Do they really think that guests (say those of us coughing up $300+ for AoA) and can't get one of the "hot" FPs for our entire stay, then stand in line for rides which never had lines (like TTA), that we will say "oh well, let's go buy a bunch of stuff instead??" I'm not sure why, but it seems like they never do anticipate the loopholes, unintended consequences, full impacts of things (again, you captured a bunch of them here--why can't they?) before they put them in place. I guess I just get tired of spending megabucks to be the guinea pig. So is it a conscious decision or just some really not-so-super management right now?

 

[Princesca]

Absolutely correct. I still find it mind boggling how there are some who think that Disney isn't ok with this. I hate repeating myself but prior to our booking our short stay at the Dolphin we were booking a throwaway , albeit not a campsite (since we're doing 2 weeks at a Marriott timeshare). Not only were the 2 CM's I dealt with ok with it, they were well aware of the practice and one even made a point of encouraging the booking.
I'm gobsmacked that there are those out there who think that there is some moral wrong in booking and PAYING for a room that you don't intend to sleep in . I still keep imagining that they expect Disney to do room checks....LOL !!

I don't think it's wrong, in principle, to book a room, pay for it, and not use it, as long as it doesn't harm other guests.

But if you are traveling during a peak time, and by booking, you are making it difficult or impossible for someone to have a longer stay because your one day is in the middle of their trip, and a thousand other people have the same mentality as you, then you're causing someone an inconvenience, and I personally wouldn't want to think I'd caused a hassle or disappointment for someone, especially just so I could have an early crack at FP+. Meanwhile some poor family is switching rooms, when they could be at the park, or switching resorts, because of me and the thousand others like me. To each their own, I guess.

ETA: I would venture to guess that this is going to eventually cause Disney to require longer minimum stays for FP+ access, require rescheduling all ADRs after a room cancellation, and/or just charging ala carte for early access FP+ and not tying it to the room at all.

 

[Luckybee]

True that. And since these one-day throwaway folks are preventing other people from being able to have a complete several-day stay, maybe Disney will feel a bit of pinch and institute new guidelines. Hopefully those won't harm people who are legitimately staying one night because that's truly all they need.

Personally, though, I think it's a shame when people need rules to do the right thing. To me, the true test of someone's character is how they behave when there are no rules.

Problem is that booking a throwaway isn't the wrong thing.

 

[nugov2]

Edited to take out a suggestion I made because I haven't thought it through enough yet, but...

If someone books one night throwaway in the middle of a week, that inconveniences others who actually want to stay there and can't book the week. Maybe it's just me, but I was brought up that you should live your life, as much as possible, not to cause aggravation or harm to others.

But like I said... mercenary. Some people don't care how their actions impact others as long as they get to spend three minutes with a couple of cartoon princesses.

Not everyone vacations Saturday to Saturday. We stayed in Clearwater midweek(Wed) for one night and booked a hard to get hotel during busy season right on the beach. I guess we were selfish as we impacted someone who might want a full week. So now you should only vacation if it fits into a specific guideline. No 2 day vacations, no midweek departure days...what else? Only so many character meals b/c you are taking the opportunity from others. If I go in September should my family only ride 7 rides to make it fair for the ones go during high season and only can do that many. I mean good gravy...why can't people just plan the vacation that they can within their means and not worry about who has the money or wants to pay for extras and how that is unfair to those who cannot or do not want to. I feel bad for people who are so unhappy with what they have that they have to go around on their high horse trying to chastise people for making the most of their vacation. If people want to spend more money to make their vacation run smoothly for them...who cares. Enjoy what you have and stop worrying about what everyone else has that you don't. Stop trying to keep up with the Jones and you will be a much happier person.

 

[Luckybee]

I don't think it's wrong, in principle, to book a room, pay for it, and not use it, as long as it doesn't harm other guests.

But if you are traveling during a peak time, and by booking, you are making it difficult or impossible for someone to have a longer stay because your one day is in the middle of their trip, and a thousand other people have the same mentality as you, then you're causing someone an inconvenience, and I personally wouldn't want to think I'd caused a hassle or disappointment for someone, especially just so I could have an early crack at FP+ while meanwhile some poor family is switching rooms, when they could be at the park, or switching resorts, because of me and the thousand others like me. To each their own, I guess.

So does that mean that if Im stopping in Orlando for 1 night during peak season I shldnt stay on property for all the same reasons that you mention? As long as someone is booking and paying for that room (not booking and cancelling which is a horse of a different color) whether they sleep there or not has the same effect.