Just when you think booking with Disney can't get any more weird....

[AngiTN]

I've got to add a day and/or make a change to a stay that starts next week. I have to call to do it but am trying to check some pricing for myself first, to the best I can.
I have a room for Friday now, at AP discount.
I checked for Thursday and I can get it for the AP discount so that's good.
Tried booking a new stay for Thursday AND Friday with the AP discount and I can, so even better (because I know how strange the booking has gotten lately). So that problem solved, we can come in a day early. I'm tempted to just book this new stay and then cancel my single night just to avoid calling but that's silly to tie up the refund so I'm going to buck up and call.

We currently have to move on Saturday to a different resort so I keep checking to see if we can stay put. I am able to find rooms but even though it comes up as Passholder rate, the rate isn't discounted, it's rack rate. Just for grins and giggles I put in dates for Thur, Fri and Sat to see what it shows and here's where it got strange. It showed available for 3 nights but it does the following
Thur AP discount rate
Fri Rack rate!
Sat Rack rate

What happened to Fri at AP rate? Adding Saturday to it reverted Friday to rack rate. If I take Saturday away then Friday reverts back to a discounted AP rate. Add Saturday in, back to rack rate.
That is a strange/new one for me. Obviously not doing that. We'll change resorts, it's no big deal to us at all, unless they can override, fix it when I call, which I have to do to add Thursday. I'm not counting on it but we'll see.
Just thought I'd toss out there that they've got even more strange quirky things going on.

 

[goofy4tink]

Don't ask me!! I'm having my own booking issues! I would imagine that Disney will tell you that only so many days are available for AP rates...and that as of now, weekend nights no longer qualify. Now, I don't know this to be the case, but I can imagine that happening!

 

[StrwLady]

I guess in one way this is good. It keeps you from having to book 2 different reservations and still get one day at rack rate. But I can see how frustrating/disappointing it can be seeing only one day at the so discount.

The aggravation I'm having now is dropping one day of my trip. I had booked 6 nights before my son finalized his college schedule. So now I have to drop the last day. I called in and the CM says its not available. I was told instead of simply dropping that day the system looks for another room available for the shorter stay. Of course guest services can take care of that.

Last week I was on hold for 35 minutes when the line went dead. Rather than call back and start over I assumed the CM I was talking to would just follow through and get the date dropped but that didn't happen.

I just finished getting the date dropped but it took 30 minutes of my time and th CMs time for her to get guest services on chat and have them make the change. They really need to allow the front line cms drop a day from a trip.

 

[AngiTN]

Don't ask me!! I'm having my own booking issues! I would imagine that Disney will tell you that only so many days are available for AP rates...and that as of now, weekend nights no longer qualify. Now, I don't know this to be the case, but I can imagine that happening!

I can too. But that doesn't explain why it's available if I stay Thursday and Friday but not if I stay on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Either Friday qualifies or it doesn't. I failed to see how adding Saturday changed the rules for Friday, and dropping Saturday reverts Friday back to weekday rules.

 

[StrwLady]

I can too. But that doesn't explain why it's available if I stay Thursday and Friday but not if I stay on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Either Friday qualifies or it doesn't. I failed to see how adding Saturday changed the rules for Friday, and dropping Saturday reverts Friday back to weekday rules.

Oh ok I miss read. Yea that seems wonky. I guess its another day in the life of Disney booking.

I hope you can get it straight soon.

 

[AngiTN]

Oh ok I miss read. Yea that seems wonky. I guess its another day in the life of Disney booking.

I hope you can get it straight soon.

Eh, if that's how it is, that's how it is. I have a room at an AP rate for Saturday night now so I am good. We'll move if we need to, no big deal to us. Disney makes it super easy to do, seamless and painless.
There just seems to be an ever growing list of odd booking quirks here of late, both intended and unintended. I'm not even sure where this one falls.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Eh, if that's how it is, that's how it is. I have a room at an AP rate for Saturday night now so I am good. We'll move if we need to, no big deal to us. Disney makes it super easy to do, seamless and painless.
There just seems to be an ever growing list of odd booking quirks here of late, both intended and unintended. I'm not even sure where this one falls.

The catch is in the fine print - the passholder discount is for Sunday through Thursday stays.

With this offer, you can stay in the middle of the magic and enjoy rates starting as low as $86 per night, plus tax in a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, most Sunday through Thursday nights from September 3 through October 5, 2017. Ask about other great rates and Resorts that may be available from September 1 through October 7, 2017.

Their website doesn't accurately reflect this, though, when you look at prices. They seem to use some sort of strange system to decide when they will apply the discount and when they won't.

 

[pattyw]

I had it do the same thing for me. It gave me the AP discount for Friday and then NOT! when we added a day. And I find myself rebooking on the website rather than calling. I know it's foolish to have my $$ tied up but it saves stress!

 

[AngiTN]

The catch is in the fine print - the passholder discount is for Sunday through Thursday stays.

With this offer, you can stay in the middle of the magic and enjoy rates starting as low as $86 per night, plus tax in a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, most Sunday through Thursday nights from September 3 through October 5, 2017. Ask about other great rates and Resorts that may be available from September 1 through October 7, 2017.

Their website doesn't accurately reflect this, though, when you look at prices. They seem to use some sort of strange system to decide when they will apply the discount and when they won't.

Yeah, whatever rule they want. Or in other words, no rule at all.

But your example, the reason it's only showing Sunday through Thursday in that specific example is they give a specific rate. That rate is a weekday rate. So it has to word that way. That doesn't mean the promo is only available WDW wide for weekdays. Just that specific $86 example.

 

[jmasgat]

Last week I was on hold for 35 minutes when the line went dead. Rather than call back and start over I assumed the CM I was talking to would just follow through and get the date dropped but that didn't happen.

I just finished getting the date dropped but it took 30 minutes of my time and th CMs time for her to get guest services on chat and have them make the change. They really need to allow the front line cms drop a day from a trip.

I hear you on this! Just went through 2 calls, 4 separate holds, one "dead air" disconnect and 2+ hour of my time to solve a similar issue. Why are the main travel agents so "un-empowered" to make these kinds of changes?

Even Comcast will do a "call back" so I do't have to wait on hold forever. Disney's reservation system--whether online or on phone-is the least "magical" thing in the whole process.

 

[AngiTN]

I hear you on this! Just went through 2 calls, 4 separate holds, one "dead air" disconnect and 2+ hour of my time to solve a similar issue. Why are the main travel agents so "un-empowered" to make these kinds of changes?

Even Comcast will do a "call back" so I do't have to wait on hold forever. Disney's reservation system--whether online or on phone-is the least "magical" thing in the whole process.

One of the hardest companies to get to take your money. It's truly amazing.

 

[StrwLady]

The catch is in the fine print - the passholder discount is for Sunday through Thursday stays.

With this offer, you can stay in the middle of the magic and enjoy rates starting as low as $86 per night, plus tax in a standard room at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort, most Sunday through Thursday nights from September 3 through October 5, 2017. Ask about other great rates and Resorts that may be available from September 1 through October 7, 2017.

Their website doesn't accurately reflect this, though, when you look at prices. They seem to use some sort of strange system to decide when they will apply the discount and when they won't.

I booked a Tuesday to Monday and all days were passholder rates. So I doubt they lest Saturday out of the passholder rate

 

[mum of two pirates]

So we decided to add on two days before our two week trip is already booked. So I looked at art of animation for December 7 and eighth there were no rooms available to book together for the seventh and eighth but if I looked at the dates separate seventh they have rooms and if I looked at the eighth they had rooms but if you put the two together there weren't any rooms. We need two rooms each night, so I had to do 4 separate booking online because the lady on the phone kept telling me they didn't have two nights together even when she did the same thing. Totally crazy

 

[hsmamato2]

DIsney IT is so bad right now....and we have no choice if we want an onsite stay except deal with this..... I advised my Dsis to rebook the nights she wants online, then cancel the others after. It seems that's what Disney wants people to do also. Oh well, she'll get her refund and apply it to the new res.

 

[Skywise]

It's so weird - I'm trying to do a 11/27-11/29 stay at the Polynesian but they're "sold out" - but I can book a 11/26 - 11/28 or a 11/28 - 11/30 stay and the Poly has standard rooms available at rack rate... So there's "availability" for a 5 day period from 11/26-11/30 but NOT 3 days in the middle!

 

[AngiTN]

It's so weird - I'm trying to do a 11/27-11/29 stay at the Polynesian but they're "sold out" - but I can book a 11/26 - 11/28 or a 11/28 - 11/30 stay and the Poly has standard rooms available at rack rate... So there's "availability" for a 5 day period from 11/26-11/30 but NOT 3 days in the middle!

That one is because they don't want to be stuck with a room open for 1 night on the 26th and 1 night on the 30th. Annoying but at least I can sort of get it. Orphan rooms

 

[danikoski]

The joys of Disney room blocking. Some of the CMs can undo the room blocking and book when it does that. However, I don't believe they are standard phone reservation CMs. I believe you have to ask for management or guest relations.

 

[AngiTN]

The joys of Disney room blocking. Some of the CMs can undo the room blocking and book when it does that. However, I don't believe they are standard phone reservation CMs. I believe you have to ask for management or guest relations.

I do have to wonder if this practice has hurt or helped them, in the long run. If someone can't book their 3 nights and go else where does it really help to have a block of 5 nights unsold? Or would it be better to have the 3 nights booked, with the orphan nights left unsold? Wonder what happens more? Someone finally comes along to book the 5 nights or they remain unsold? Have they even bothered to track it?

 

[adelaster]

I do have to wonder if this practice has hurt or helped them, in the long run. If someone can't book their 3 nights and go else where does it really help to have a block of 5 nights unsold? Or would it be better to have the 3 nights booked, with the orphan nights left unsold?

Being fairly new to this I *really* hope they overhaul their website and particularly the booking process sooner rather than later. It's not great, and most phone staff are dealing with the same glitchy and temperamental issues. It seems hard on everyone-so I am genuinely curious about the end payoff for the resorts/room assigning staff. Wish we could hear more from experienced staff. Had a conversation on the phone where he politely confirmed several of my suspicions/assessments, but I want a no holds barred tell all! My guess is it's been a build the car while you're driving it type evolution...but I really prefer when places pull over and just take care of the car with an experienced and well-reviewed mechanic before continuing on.

 

[AngiTN]

Boy wouldn't it be great to be able to bend some ears for a while.
What worries me is the longer this room blocking business goes on the more I think it's here to stay.
The glitchy-ness of summer, who knows. But the room blocking has been going on for longer, seems like a year or more.
I just hope if someone sits down to look at the numbers it shows them it's hurting, not helping. That's the best hope for it's demise