When cast members say "oh yeah, looks like everything is almost booked for 2020" - do they actually know?

[Farro]

How would they already be sold out if you cant book them yet? Can you book via phone just not online?

Now that I think of it, it's accurate: It's sold out for booking before it's open for booking! In other words, since there is zero availability before you can actually book, the available inventory is technically sold out.

You can call and book room only 499 days out.

 

[SaintsManiac]

It's lunacy to say something is sold out that isn't even available to book online yet. They are confused, as usual.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

How would they already be sold out if you cant book them yet? Can you book via phone just not online?

You can book room-only reservations, via phone, 499 days prior to check-in.

 

[Disneypro1]

110% No.

 

[DisLiss]

Well I booked for 2020 on May 22nd and not a single word was uttered about anything being anywhere near sold out. So they apparently sold out 30,000 room in under a month's time.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

What? Sold out? Ya mean no free dining next year... Wahwahwah. Blah blah... Dear lord folks are gullible.

 

[FigaroandFifi]

I am in the “don’t like this information, hang up and call back, you get a different cast member and different answer” group. Except for this one time, I actually got the SAME cast member, talk about awkward. I knew it was her cause I recognized her accent. Once I started asking my question she asked me if we had just st spoken. I fessed up and said I couldn’t Remember it correctly could she tell me again. Needless to say when I hung up I waited a few minutes before calling again and gettin* different information, lol.

 

[Dug720]

I am in the “don’t like this information, hang up and call back, you get a different cast member and different answer” group. Except for this one time, I actually got the SAME cast member, talk about awkward. I knew it was her cause I recognized her accent. Once I started asking my question she asked me if we had just st spoken. I fessed up and said I couldn’t Remember it correctly could she tell me again. Needless to say when I hung up I waited a few minutes before calling again and gettin* different information, lol.

I got the same guy after calling back when he was clueless about something dining-related. As soon as he introduced himself I hung up and did not even bother. Called again and got the best CM who was super helpful.

 

[vinotinto]

Of course they are going to say everything is sold out. They are sales people and have sales quotas. It's called "the scarcity principle" and it's a regular sales tactic: "only a few rooms available, book with me today to ensure you don't get shut out." LOL!

http://changingminds.org/techniques/general/cialdini/scarcity.htm

 

[GirlDreamer]

I think part of it at least is that they don't release all the rooms at the same time, so for the CM on the phone it might look like there's low availability. The UK disney booking site has already released rooms for 2020 a few months back, but I think the available rooms for UK is very limited, especially untill the rooms are released to the US as well. One example is that Beach Club only shows CL rooms as the only ones available at the moment, and I'd be surprised if they were really all sold out. And on previous trips they released more rooms at POFQ, that were previously sold out, which just proves the case.

 

[Farro]

Of course they are going to say everything is sold out. They work on commissions. It's called "the scarcity principle" and it's a regular sales tactic: "only a few rooms available, book with me today to ensure you don't get shut out." LOL!

http://changingminds.org/techniques/general/cialdini/scarcity.htm

I had no idea they worked on commissions, I just assumed most people booked online!

 

[MadMadamMim1]

I had the same thing happen when I called to make a room only a few years ago. They said everything was selling out fast so I better book today! Felt like I was buying a used car.

I started using a travel agent for this reason. Every time I called Disney I got a different answer. Yes my travel agent works off commission but then she can deal with Disney and I don't have to!

 

[writerguyfl]

They get commissions.

Of course they are going to say everything is sold out. They work on commissions.

This is absolutely untrue. I used to work there.

Disney Reservations Center Cast Members are not working on commission.

That said, they do have sales quotas that must be met.

 

[mmsportsmom]

I tried at 8:53 am today, the day packages are available, to look at prices for May 2020 Caribbean Beach Resort and it shows no standard rooms available.

 

[Yooperroo]

I just booked for 15 nights in June.

 

[theburgher]

I just booked 8 nights in October - rooms in every category available!!

 

[vinotinto]

This is absolutely untrue. I used to work there.

Disney Reservations Center Cast Members are not working on commission.

That said, they do have sales quotas that must be met.

Thank you for confirming. I’ll amend my post to say sales quotas. In my mind, it’s similar because they need to try to make the sale. They are sales people. But, I’ll correct It to sales quotas to make it accurate.

 

[Sandiz08]

I tried at 8:53 am today, the day packages are available, to look at prices for May 2020 Caribbean Beach Resort and it shows no standard rooms available.

Those are almost always the first to go, I see a whole bunch of standard rooms for my dates gone.

 

[Farro]

I think not all rooms are released. This happens every time we go. Somehow, only the most expensive categories are available, then later in the year more rooms open up. I don't know why they do that.

Happened to us both October trips. For the longest time there was nothing available, then a couple months before a bunch of rooms opened up.

 

[MichelinMan]

I would suggest looking around to see if you can find rooms elsewhere, other than the Disney site.

I had been looking the last week for a standard room at Coronado Springs on the UK Disney site for 6-20 July 2020, but they were just showing Tower club level rooms available for those dates. But I managed to find a standard room at a website called Attraction Tickets Direct. I suspect Disney are deliberately limiting room availability to get people to book more expensive rooms, and trying to create an impression the resorts are sold out, when they aren't. Almost worked for me, because I was tempted to spend a bit more to stay at POFQ instead, until I found the room on ATD.

I really can't believe that all these resorts are almost sold out for standard rooms for 2020 already.