60 Day Fastpass Window for Offsite Hotels

[jpeden]

Various reports that WDW is going to extend the 60 day window beyond the Swan and Dolphin and include a select number of Good Neighbor hotels, including those on Hotel Plaza Blvd. They're saying expect every hotel in Disney Springs on Hotel Plaza to be included, along with several other Good Neighbor hotels.

If true, this seems like a dumb idea by Disney. They've taken one of the largest on-site incentives and removed it. If it's true, it will make me take another look at the Disney Springs hotels for sure (as we don't fly and have AP's so we don't need Magical Express and already have magic bands).

 

[networkpro]

Maybe so maybe not, its all a numbers game. They've reduced the capacity of their hotels with the construction yet still need to the foot traffic to pay for the man hours to staff that time period.

 

[Master Yoda]

From what I have been told, all of the good neighbor hotels can get most if not all of the Disney resort perks, they simply have to pay for them.

 

[dreamfinder]

Maybe so maybe not, its all a numbers game. They've reduced the capacity of their hotels with the construction yet still need to the foot traffic to pay for the man hours to staff that time period.

? Staffing to change the FP+ window from 30 to 60 days for offsite? EMH I could see having staffing, but FP+ booking window shouldn't require additional staffing.

 

[networkpro]

? Staffing to change the FP+ window from 30 to 60 days for offsite? EMH I could see having staffing, but FP+ booking window shouldn't require additional staffing.

But which customers they service first for the FP+ allocations does for hotel occupation loyalty.

 

[jpeden]

From what I have been told, all of the good neighbor hotels can get most if not all of the Disney resort perks, they simply have to pay for them.

I'm assuming this was the deal with the Hilton that used to be able to participate in EMH correct?

 

[Master Yoda]

I'm assuming this was the deal with the Hilton that used to be able to participate in EMH correct?

Correct.

 

[Mander]

I used to only stay offsite but can now manage to stay at value resorts when we come. This change won't stop me from staying onsite (we use the ME and the bus system) but it definitely irritates me a bit. My FP+ booking opens November 19th. I'm hoping they don't put this in place before then- it's already hard enough to get one for Flight of Passage.

 

[RSoxNo1]

If true, this is going in the wrong direction. They should be reducing the advanced bookings not adding to them.

 

[danheaton]

This surprises me, as I believed that Disney would set up tiers of FPs for their on-site hotels in order to create an incentive for people to stay at deluxe resorts. Given the rates at the DTD hotels, it's another reason to give them a look and not stay at a Disney resort.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I have to wonder if there's a tie to false bookings. I know a lot of people "in the know" use and suggest booking WDW rooms when they are staying at those properties to get the 60 day window and magic bands - then simple cancel within the window. (Even been guilty of it myself.) I have to imagine that dips into inventory in a bad way with real $$ lost. The FP+ capacity changes could help offset that. Just a thought!

 

[TeriofTerror]

I have to wonder if there's a tie to false bookings. I know a lot of people "in the know" use and suggest booking WDW rooms when they are staying at those properties to get the 60 day window and magic bands - then simple cancel within the window. (Even been guilty of it myself.) I have to imagine that dips into inventory in a bad way with real $$ lost. The FP+ capacity changes could help offset that. Just a thought!

Then I wish Disney's response to this would be to automatically cancel the FPs and deactivate the Magic Bands of anyone who cancels a reservation. That makes far more sense to me than making it harder for onsite guests to get their desired FPs.

 

[Horizons '83]

I have to wonder if there's a tie to false bookings. I know a lot of people "in the know" use and suggest booking WDW rooms when they are staying at those properties to get the 60 day window and magic bands - then simple cancel within the window. (Even been guilty of it myself.) I have to imagine that dips into inventory in a bad way with real $$ lost. The FP+ capacity changes could help offset that. Just a thought!

I thought for sure you FP's would be cancelled and unless you are cancelling less than 7 days before your trip, you aren't going to get the magicbands.

 

[nickys]

Then I wish Disney's response to this would be to automatically cancel the FPs and deactivate the Magic Bands of anyone who cancels a reservation. That makes far more sense to me than making it harder for onsite guests to get their desired FPs.

I agree totally. But there's also the loophole for those who don't actually cancel but continue to get the 60 day window on a rolling basis when they move offsite. So stay a couple of nights onsite, move somewhere cheaper and keep that 60 day window.

I actually thought they might close these now that they've stopped the multiple band same day fastpasses. The second one is probably very simple,to do if they wanted to.

 

[peter11435]

I thought for sure you FP's would be cancelled and unless you are cancelling less than 7 days before your trip, you aren't going to get the magicbands.

The FP are tied to the ticket media not the resort reservation. The resort reservation just unlocks the earlier access.

 

[Horizons '83]

The FP are tied to the ticket media not the resort reservation. The resort reservation just unlocks the earlier access.

Got it, well that's not cool then....

 

[Master Yoda]

Then I wish Disney's response to this would be to automatically cancel the FPs and deactivate the Magic Bands of anyone who cancels a reservation. That makes far more sense to me than making it harder for onsite guests to get their desired FPs.

It is my understanding that the system is not setup to work that way.

The reservation is all you need to be granted access to the system at a particular date. Once you have access, the connection to the reservation is no longer needed. It works the same way for dining.

The reason for doing this is Disney guests change their reservations at what could be called an alarming rate and it is much easier to have dining and fastpass separate from the resort reservation. So when Mrs Smith changes her PORS reservation to CS because she is worried about mosquitoes, only to change it to CBR 3 days later because of construction worries, followed by a change to WL a week later because of a room promotion, then back to PORS to save money on the next day...the databases for dining and fastpasses will be unaffected.

 

[Horizons '83]

It is my understanding that the system is not setup to work that way.

The reservation is all you need to be granted access to the system at a particular date. Once you have access, the connection to the reservation is no longer needed. It works the same way for dining.

The reason for doing this is Disney guests change their reservations at what could be called an alarming rate and it is much easier to have dining and fastpass separate from the resort reservation. So when Mrs Smith changes her PORS reservation to CS because she is worried about mosquitoes, only to change it to CBR 3 days later because of construction worries, followed by a change to WL a week later because of a room promotion, then back to PORS to save money on the next day...the databases for dining and fastpasses will be unaffected.

I admittedly change my reservation a ton( when Starwood lowers their rates then I sometimes switch) but by 60 days before my stay I am typically locked in.

 

[DisAl]

I think a better idea would be to let them make FPs at 45 days. Better than other non Good Neighbor motels but not as good as on site. As others have said, when you eliminate the perks of staying on property the lower price of off site motels begin to look better.

 

[larryz]

It is my understanding that the system is not setup to work that way.

The reservation is all you need to be granted access to the system at a particular date. Once you have access, the connection to the reservation is no longer needed. It works the same way for dining.

The reason for doing this is Disney guests change their reservations at what could be called an alarming rate and it is much easier to have dining and fastpass separate from the resort reservation. So when Mrs Smith changes her PORS reservation to CS because she is worried about mosquitoes, only to change it to CBR 3 days later because of construction worries, followed by a change to WL a week later because of a room promotion, then back to PORS to save money on the next day...the databases for dining and fastpasses will be unaffected.

Write a cron that nightly checks FP+ reservations against hotel reservations -- any that don't match up go into review; any that are reviewed that don't link to a MDE account with reservations in that window are cancelled.