Travelocity?? Confused?

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

I'm really confused. I've wrote in a couple different places about how we're thinking of going to DW the last week of December and I realize it is a busy time of year and I'm having alot of trouble getting a room onsite to pop up besides ones I just can't afford. What is confusing to me is how I can get some to pop up available through Travelocity, but not Disney's own website?? Why do you think this would happen? Has anyone used Tavelocity, can they be trusted? Or do you think that maybe calling the resorts would be better, would there be rooms still available that are just not showing up online?
Thank-you to anyone who can give me a little info!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Large travel agencies - like Liberty Travel, AAA, Travelocity, etc - contract for blocks of rooms from various hotels. These rooms are then not available directly through the hotel until said contract expires AND only if they haven't already been rented by the agency/company.

Calling the resorts will do you NO good - either you or your call will be redirected to Disney's Central Reservations Office. Disney resorts do not handle their own reservations.

Once you book a hotel, car, flight, package, or other travel reservation using a Travel Agent, that Agent "owns" that reservation. If you then try to contact the service provider directly (like, calling Disney to make a room request), they will not have any information about your reservation until just before your reservation begins - until then, ALL contact has to go through your Travel Agent, and in this case, Travelocity is the Travel Agent.

You decide.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Disney alots a block of rooms to companies like Travelocity and Orbitz and if they have availability then you should be assured they are available. They can't list rooms available that aren't available. There is no way to call the resort directly. Even there are numbers that are listed as direct numbers, the call still goes to a central location, so that won't do you any good. The only place I have had any trouble with was the AAA AL website, but they take the info you put in and then call WDW to see if anything is available. They were even telling me there was nothing available and I called WDW myself right at 7:00am the next morning and got the one room that was available.

I have been helping a friend of my mom's find a Value resort room for the week of Thanksgiving, and finally found some on Orbitz last night. You might also try calling WDW every morning as soon as they open at 7:00 am EST, because they release cancelled rooms back in the pool each morning. I have lucked up on a room that way just as recently as June.

Suzanne

 

[HANDYMOM]

The way this happens is, travel services and agencies "buy" blocks of rooms to sell on their sites. They buy in bulk for lower than rack rates and then (hopefully) sell them over what they paid. Disney is guaranteed to fill the room and if someone calls for a room, they have other resorts to fill.

If you really want a certain resort and want to buy through Disney, keep trying..... What will happen is as you get closer to your dates, the travel agencies will "sell back" room nights to Disney that they didn't sell.

Travelocity is a well known site, I'd book it through them unless you're looking for a package. I'm sure Disney would verify Travelocity as an independant room broker too! Checking never hurts.

Good Luck!

 

[GrumpyFamilyof5]

Thanks all, makes sense. Appreciate the info!

 

[ITmickey]

Last year we booked thru an online agency that had rooms not showing on Disney's web site. They just messed with the number of people staying n the room, but we did not have any problem at check in