When are there fees to make changes to a package?

[mad hatter fan]

My friends have booked a package through Walt Disney Travel for the beginning of August. They have it all paid off but now one of the family members may not be comming. Their airfare was not booked with the package, so they will be only reducing the price of the trip by one park hopper. Can anyone tell me at what point are there fees to make changes that reduce the value of a package and how much they are? Thanks.

 

[WDWBetsy]

Here's some info that should answer this:

http://wdw.reservations.disney.go.com/DisneyWorldIBC/Descriptions/popups/popup_terms.html

 

[megnsamsgracie]

We have 2 packages (free dining) and both said if its less than 45 days before, they will be assessed a fee if reducing the cost of the trip. We might ADD my dad and were told within that 45 days there would be no fee because we were increasing. HTH, Steph

 

[PatsGirl]

Well, I didn't realize there would be a change fee if one in the party cannot come. My DS17 just learned that he should be here for a football jamboree scheduled for the day we leave. He hasn't decided at this point what he is going to do but now he'll definately have to make that decision before the 45 day mark I guess. Bad enough I was going to take a hit on the airfare, now another $50 to eliminate him from the package too. That's $110 in cancellation charges total and I'll be stuck with a $100 Airtran voucher. Am I reading this right?

 

[megnsamsgracie]

If you change less than 45 days before, yes, you get hit with a fee. It jumps up to $100 I think if between 44-6 days. Then its $200. I could be wrong but I know the fees go up the closer you get!

 

[Crazy4Disney06]

Great, we may have to cancel my dh's part of our package because his new job may not let him off I was expecting a fee, but I don't want to cancel until the last minute so we are 100% sure if he can go or not, so it looks as though we may get hit with a few hundred dollar fee
Now I just keep my finger crossed he can make it.

 

[theparsons]

If the only change will be one less park ticket.....wouldn't it be cheaper to go ahead and take the ticket and just not use it....save it for your next trip to WDW? If this is a "once in a lifetime, we're not going again" trip....then maybe you can sell the ticket to a friend or another family member for a later trip, and by taking a small discount on the sale still come out ahead over really high cancellation fees?

 

[Trekker]

We have 2 packages (free dining) and both said if its less than 45 days before, they will be assessed a fee if reducing the cost of the trip. We might ADD my dad and were told within that 45 days there would be no fee because we were increasing. HTH, Steph

I here the above posted from several different people. I'm wondering if this is something you were told or something that you have in writing?

I ask because from the terms and conditions on the Disney Site it says:

* For a change made 44 days or less prior to arrival or that results in a rate change, there is an additional change fee of $50 per package plus any change fees assessed by hotels or other suppliers.
* For changes, the change fees must be paid in addition to any increase in rate resulting from the change.

Which is saying that even if the price goes up you have to pay the change fee - I'm confused by this?

 

[Lewisc]

The language you quoted sounds like it applies to guests who booked air but I guess it could apply to guests who plan to arrive the last day of value season but now want to check in the next day.

It sounds like the OP is booking a room/ticket package. Why not drop the extra person now? You can always buy tickets when you get to WDW. You can always increase your package, add an additional person, without paying a change fee.

You can add dining a few days before your trip. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT FREE DINING OR A SPECIAL ROOM RATE SUCH AS A PIN.

I here the above posted from several different people. I'm wondering if this is something you were told or something that you have in writing?

I ask because from the terms and conditions on the Disney Site it says:



Which is saying that even if the price goes up you have to pay the change fee - I'm confused by this?

 

[megnsamsgracie]

Trekker, my dad might or might not be coming. It depends on his health. So I wont know until shortly before we go. So I asked the CM when I made my ressie (2 rooms at ASMo, free dining) what to do. If I could drop him before. They said it was easier to ADD him then drop him. I can add him up to 5 days before with no fee and he would be on the same plan as us (1 day base ticket and free dining)... since with 2 rooms we can have 8 in the room and we currently only have 6. This would be an increase in the cost (since it ups it to 1 more 1 day base ticket).

They said if we had him on the ressie now and he cant go, it would decrease the package cost and therefore result in a change fee. That any increase in the package fee nulls out the change fee but a decrease in package price they do impose the fee.

I wasnt sure this was the truth and wanted accurate info to give my dad. So I called 4 more times and got 4 different CMs and all said the same thing. An increase in the package price nulls out the change fee.

So I would take off that extra person now and if they CAN come, then add them on.

Or have them call and ask a CM and make sure that the info I was told was correct