tired of waiting

[brownii]

I finally gave up on waiting for discounts. We are staying at Courtyard Downtown Disney from Sept 28 thru Sept 30 @ the 20.03 rate. I was hoping they would come out with a discount for the Polynesian for Oct 1 thru Oct 6, but I need to go ahead and get my planning done. I am going to book the Royal Pacific Resort for $146 with the fan club card and buy the pay-for-2-days-get-5-days tickets for $89. We are buying the 3 day park hoppers thru the alamo site. We were planning on going to Universal for a couple of days anyway, so now we will just go 4 or 5 days and get front of the line access.

 

[webray]

Sounds like a great plan to me.

We love the Royal Pacific!

Enjoy!

 

[brownii]

I am tagging along with a friend and her 7 yr old daughter (her birthday present), and I told her about the great deal at Courtyard. I decided to show her tikiman's website about the Polynesian and she fell in love with it, but she told me that she would also enjoy the RPR.

What can you tell me about the rooms and the hotel? I have been to WDW, but never Universal.

 

[hulabird]

I'm not going back until Aug 2004, but while watching what's happening (or NOT happening) with the AP rates/discount codes, I am getting concerned that maybe there won't be anything but package deals when my dates roll around, and I won't purchase a package when I already have my passes, that would be foolish.

Our plan is BC/BWI, and I can book and wait and see, and I actually CAN afford the rack prices, but I do not feel that BC/BWI are WORTH their rack rates, and it's the principal of the matter. I started looking into Swan and Dolphin yesterday for the first time ever, and my husband is a government employee and gets a discount, I can get a room for 144.00/(King bed) a night there, which to me is a deal. I am thinking about booking at that rate and waiting to see what happens. At least I will then have a good rate and still be able to have the magic., still be able to use the restaurants on the BW and at BC/YC and still have a perfect location. My DH says that would be fine with him since he thinks the rooms at S&D are much more luxurious than at BC/BWI anyway.

Hope things change and we can get some deals, but actually the 144.00 at Swan will still be more of a deal than at BC/BWI because the lowest I ever got with a code at either of them is $159.00

 

[Lesley]

Good for you!

We wanted to add a night to our DVC stay in October and are still waiting it out. I'm not too confident at this point that they'll release AP rates, but I have plenty of other options (and paying rack rate for anything at WDW is the last of my choices....though I *might* consider a moderate for the night....if I can't find anything else at a better rate....and I have very little doubt that I can find something else). Actually if we weren't meeting friends from PA at WDW that day, we'd just head home.

I like what the Mousesavers newsletter said...if you don't like it, vote with your feet! And I don't like that its getting harder and harder for loyal guests to get any kind of reward for that loyalty. I mean, obviously they don't have to offer us anything, but if they don't we can choose to go elsewhere.

 

[thessaly]

For those interested in Royal Pacific and the other Universal resorts, here's a direct link to the DISboards Universal Resorts forum:

http://disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?forumid=75

(I have no agenda, just trying to help out. Will be staying at the Hard Rock Hotel for the first time next month, and was very happy to discover all the info available right here on DIS.)

 

[brownii]

My friend and I are also government employees and I had looked into booking the swan or dolphin, but we really wanted to stay at the polynesian. I was waiting to buy an AP, but since no discounts have come out I will wait and see. I was going to talk my husband into going back with me in Dec, but not at the current onsite hotel rates.

 

[susy]

What did the CM say when you cancelled the Poly? Even if they don't advertise AP rates, you would think they would try to get you to keep your ressie when they have you on the phone and it's so close to your travel dates. With the FTP over, kids going back to school, and travel being what it is now, you would think they would try to keep those rooms booked. I'm sure they have plenty empty for those last minute people who are dying to get in at rack rate

 

[maggiew]

I've booked at the Sheraton Safari at the $49 rate for our November trip. I had wanted to try out Coronado Springs, but I can't convince myself to pay rack rate there when I can stay for $49 elsewhere - and get Starwood credit for staying there. We've already been to Disney twice this year on our APs, so staying offsite isn't a big deal plus we will have our car since we are driving down.

Maggie

 

[sandbar]

I just cancelled our ressie to POR 2 days ago because we got the $99 Swan Labor Day rate. The CM didn't seem to care. I thought she might offer a discounted rate since I was paying rack rate. Oh, well........I think we'll like the Swan better anyway. It's their loss if they don't want my business, but we've never been to POR and we wanted to give it a try.

 

[hulabird]

If I switch to the Swan, I won't need to buy an AP to get a good rate which saves me some more $$$ plus I will still have the other location benefits....and that wonderful heavenly bed, which I know my DH will thank me for. Disney will lose my AP purchases as well as my room purchase....

 

[hulabird]

I just cancelled our ressie to POR 2 days ago because we got the $99 Swan Labor Day rate. The CM didn't seem to care. I thought she might offer a discounted rate since I was paying rack rate. Oh, well........I think we'll like the Swan better anyway. It's their loss if they don't want my business, but we've never been to POR and we wanted to give it a try.

The CM's probably COULD care less, however if enough people started taking business elsewhere, the MANAGEMENT and TOP DOGS would start to notice. The CM's are there just doing a job and I don't really expect too much from them. Their hands are tied most of the time unless something happens to pop up on their screen.

 

[AlisonB]

We've just cancelled our stay at AKL. We had 5 nights booked at WL and 6 at AKL (WL at AP rate and AKL at rack rate - value season though). AKL savannah view still comes out at $306 per night though!!

We were very disappointed at the lack of codes/AP rates and so we've taken our business to Universal! We have Hard Rock Hotel at just $160 per night - no contest, especially when you consider the front of line access!

We would have preferred to stay at AKL but not to worry - we'll be back next year!

 

[CaliforniaDreaming]

That's right, choose to stay someplace other than a Disney resort. Quite honestly, they aren't worth rack rate. For the price of some of these rooms, you could go to a Four Seasons or a Ritz-Carlton. And, now that there is a Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, I'm sure that's what many will do.

 

[Gillian]

Originally posted by hulabird
The CM's probably COULD care less, however if enough people started taking business elsewhere, the MANAGEMENT and TOP DOGS would start to notice.

Maybe right now they couldn't care less, but if business at WDW slows down, WDTC CMs will probably be the first to be let go!!

 

[johnsonet]

If a meaningful percentage of people cancel at WDW believe me, Disney WILL care!
Also, for those of you going to Universal hotels, you will NOT be disappointed. We stayed at HRH in July and that place is fantastic. Now we WERE in a large suite at Club level, but I still think the entire place competes with Disney deluxe resorts. I walked thru the RPH to get to Tchoup Chop restaurant (don't miss it!!) and was blown away!! The hotel (outside, pool area, and lobby at least) is AMAZING! Enjoy!

 

[tinawv]

I finally talked my whole family into going to Walt Disney World this December. We are going the 13th through the 20th. I told them how wonderful it was to stay on site and about the great discounts they offered last year. The discounts were one of the main selling points I used on them to get them to go. Now it looks like I am going to have to eat some humble pie. lol We are now looking at staying off site. I hate to do this as I love being in the World 24/7. I keep hoping that WDW will come through, but I starting to have my doubts. I am now working on a back up plan. We are thinking the Dolphin, as three of us are government employees. I have read a lot of positive posts about the Swan and the Dolphin. Still keeping my fingers crossed for WDW though.