Empty Rooms

[Becky]

After waiting, calling and paceing the floor ever since the Florida Passholder rates came out I finally got tired of waiting for the AP rates for September

I put a curtesy hold on an AS Music Room at the AAA rate I wanted Movies but all the discounted rooms were "booked".

Why booked in quotes? Because many of us booked rooms waiting for the AP rates and if they don't have any for September a lot of people will cancil and stay off property or at the Swan or Dolphin.

Disney thinks they have sold those rooms and is holding back on the AP discount Disney may well find out that many of those "sold" rooms will be empty if there is no discount.

Many of the CM's in CRO know those rooms are really not sold but the higher ups don't want to listen to them

Oh, to irritate me even more a co-worker got a Disney Post Card today offering the All Stars in September for $49. She is not an AP holder. Maybe you get punished for having an AP.

 

[HennieBogan1966]

Do Fla. residents frequently get "postcards" such as the one you describe?

We're eventually moving to Fla., and in trying to plan ahead, we're trying to decide if being an Annual Passholder really holds an advantage over other methods of discount. And how much of a discount do passholders receive on hotel rates? I am assuming that we will be visiting the parks a lot once we're there. ( I know we will)

Thanks in Advance.

Brian and Rachel

 

[AdLibSean]

Not to thread drift- but is AS Movies THAT hard to get a room in- during off-season as well?

 

[Woody13]

WDW resorts regularly "holds back" rooms for several different special interest groups. AAA is the largest but travel agents, airlines, corporate clients, etc. all get "special rates". How special depends upon various parameters. Contrary to popular belief, WDW resorts is never booked solid. Their objective is to book as many rooms as possible at the rack rates. Most visitors are not willing to pay those "Tomorrow Land" rates. The AP discounts are generally not too good only because they (WDW resorts) know they already have you hooked, so to speak. AP discounts are kind of a "good will" deal in that it's just enough to keep you coming back. In my experience $49 a night at the All-Stars is the standard off season rate since the great visitation decline.

 

[wiskband]

My mother recieved one of those cards a few years ago. The funny thing is she only went once. I on the other hand have gone 7 years consecutively and I didnt receivee them. My guess was they werent giving those rooms to the regulars, they were focusing on folks who had just recently been there once or a few times and wanted to get them to come back. But I simply used the code on the card and got the discount. Just my 2 cents. Perhaps you should ask your friend what the code is and try it!

 

[wiskband]

Just had another thought, Although I am not an Ap holder I have heard about the benefits you can get but, it just makes sense that your gonna go reguardless if you get a discount on hotel right? cause you wanna use up that pass. The year that my mom recieved that card, I already had my room reserved at reg. price but I just called up with the code and they honored it and although my room was paid for already they credited me when I got there. I just reread your post and you said your friend just got it so try and use it as well..... do AP holders get a better price than $49.00? BY the way I always make my reservations in a year advance and I somply keep checking for specials, if I come across them I just call and once again they honor it. well..... good luck.

 

[LivefortheMouse]

Well as far as i know (im a passholder) they dont give pass holder rates for every resort just for selected ones. If u are a florida resident like me u are in luck rihgt now for septembe the sll stars is 49 a nite moderates are 79 and deluxe 109 do to www.disneyworld.com for more info good luck

 

[s25843]

Originally posted by Becky
After waiting, calling and paceing the floor ever since the Florida Passholder rates came out I finally got tired of waiting for the AP rates for September

I put a curtesy hold on an AS Music Room at the AAA rate I wanted Movies but all the discounted rooms were "booked".

Why booked in quotes? Because many of us booked rooms waiting for the AP rates and if they don't have any for September a lot of people will cancil and stay off property or at the Swan or Dolphin.

Disney thinks they have sold those rooms and is holding back on the AP discount Disney may well find out that many of those "sold" rooms will be empty if there is no discount.

Many of the CM's in CRO know those rooms are really not sold but the higher ups don't want to listen to them

Oh, to irritate me even more a co-worker got a Disney Post Card today offering the All Stars in September for $49. She is not an AP holder. Maybe you get punished for having an AP.

You have to remember one thing, Disney Does not need to give out discounts to get people to come, they will Come regardless. Its the same thing with having no 1-800 #. Why should Disney pay for every call that comes in, when they know that we all are going to just call using the 407 numbers regardless?

 

[Woody13]

Re: Re: Empty Rooms

Originally posted by s25843
You have to remember one thing, Disney Does not need to give out discounts to get people to come, they will Come regardless. Its the same thing with having no 1-800 #. Why should Disney pay for every call that comes in, when they know that we all are going to just call using the 407 numbers regardless?

Who wants a 1-800 number? They'd just connect you to someone in NJ that doesn't know squat! Also, WDW DOES need to provide discounts for their resorts because they are way too overbuilt and they can't fill them. Discounts abound! Without significant discounts, many WDW resorts would have to close. The Pop Century is WAY overdue for it's opening as just one example. How many years do you think will go by before WDW builds another resort facility? If you build it they will come, does NOT apply to WDW.

 

[s25843]

Re: Re: Re: Empty Rooms

Originally posted by Woody13
How many years do you think will go by before WDW builds another resort facility?

I see Saratoga Springs opening up next year with Both DVC Units and Rooms for Rent to the General Public...

 

[wannabeBelle]

I beg to differ on the passholder rates. I actually think they are pretty decent. Whenever I have called and gotten a room with my AP rates, my discount was somewhere around 40%. For the Passholder Preview weekend for M:S I stayed at the Coronado Springs. The rack rate was 321.12 for 2 nights, with my AP Discount I paid $187. I think that is pretty OK, if you ask me. I do have to admit that the passholer rates are one of the reasons I became and still am a passholder. Belle

 

[HennieBogan1966]

Well I think that it's true that the AP rates sound very good, and that they pay for themselves very quickly, based on mulitple trips per year. But I would also agree that as a resident outside the state that Disney wouldn't offer discounts to the general public if they weren't having problems filling rooms. I do think that they have reached a point of saturation and should probably "hold" what they've got as it relates to the number of resorts they offer.
(taking into account what's already in the pipeline)

So, we're very grateful that they offer discounts to those of us out here who haven't made the move to Fla. just yet. And we're looking very forward to our next trip in Jan. And hopefully, we'll be able to enjoy a healthy discount on this trip as we did the last.

 

[tigsmom]

Just a note...we were unable to get the room we usually stay in at the WL (got upgraded) and asked why. Was told by the CM checking us in that the lodge was full (and it seemed that way). Seems bookings are up 138% since the Fairy Tale package began.
Maybe this has something to do with it.

 

[DisneyJill]

AdLibSean-I was at WDW at a totally off peak time, and I spent a lot of time at the All-Stars because I have a friend that works there and while the Music and Sports were at around 32-35% occupancy, Movies was at 97%. My friend said that Movies is ALWAYS busier than the other two, even at off times.

 

[s25843]

Originally posted by DisneyJill
AdLibSean-I was at WDW at a totally off peak time, and I spent a lot of time at the All-Stars because I have a friend that works there and while the Music and Sports were at around 32-35% occupancy, Movies was at 97%. My friend said that Movies is ALWAYS busier than the other two, even at off times.

I think its awalys Busier because its newer....

 

[Becky]

Originally posted by HennieBogan1966
Do Fla. residents frequently get "postcards" such as the one you describe?

We're eventually moving to Fla., and in trying to plan ahead, we're trying to decide if being an Annual Passholder really holds an advantage over other methods of discount. And how much of a discount do passholders receive on hotel rates? I am assuming that we will be visiting the parks a lot once we're there. ( I know we will)

Thanks in Advance.

Brian and Rachel

The CRO CM that booked my Sept. room said she moved to Florida in 88 and started working for Disney in 97. She has never gotten a discount post card or e-mail. She said some of her co-workers have gotten both.

There was a 40% AP discount in May, but I had already gotten the 40% "Come Back" discount.

AP discounts depend on time of year (none in late Dec) and resort.

Yes, Disney knows AP holders are coming back , But there are tens of thousands of off property rooms. So Disney may end up with hundreds of empty rooms if AP holders cancel when discounts don't come out and decide to stay off property.

Let's face it except for summer and holiday seasons there is a glut of rooms at WDW and Pop Century just adds to that glut.

As for transfering the Post Card discount I think only the person who's name is on it can get the discount.

And Movies is difficult to get into at discounted rates. I had to stay at Music in March as Movies discounted rooms were full. Movies is newer, has better theaming and I think their food court is nicer than Music.

 

[Becky]

Re: Re: Empty Rooms

Originally posted by s25843
You have to remember one thing, Disney Does not need to give out discounts to get people to come, they will Come regardless.

Yep, us AP holders are hooked on going to WDW but not necessarly hooked on staying at Disney. I've been over 30 times and stayed off site the first 20 something. I can go back to staying off site, eating off site and buying souviners off site.

If you check other sites you will find dozens of postings from AP holders who have booked September on site hotels but state they will cancel and stay off site if they don't get a discount. And those posters are only the tip of the iceburg. How many hundred others are holding phantom reservations?

I feel sorry for the CRO CM's. The lady I talked to said everyone there is talking about phantom reservations and are not looking forward to handeling all the cancelations. Hopefully they won't have to.

 

[wannabeBelle]

I agree with you Becky, What a nightmare that would be. I hope Disney realizes that the return customers are their bread and butter so to speak. And as AP customers we are!!!!! Staying off property in Florida is REALLY easy and probably quite a bit more economical. I Am a tad spoiled by the ease and magic of the onsite resorts, but without a discount I may stay off property or not go at all. In the past I have never had a problem getting an AP rate on a hotel room at my first or second choice resort. Hopefully the trend will continue. Belle

 

[HennieBogan1966]

Well, my Wife and I are former castmembers with The Disney Store. And I have to say that having discounted room rates was great!! It allowed us some latitude in other areas during our stay there. And after reading where some AP holders are able to get into Moderates for 79 and Deluxes for 109, it's very encouraging to think about that for our future there.

As for staying off property, we're just getting started, as it relates to staying on property. I can remember as a child, my parents taking me a couple of times to stay on property, but we've stayed at the All Star Sports Resort our last 2 trips. And we love staying on property for various reasons.

Drifting a little here, but I sincerely hope that those in charge at Disney understand that not everyone can afford some of the rates offered at the various resorts, but wish we could. We're looking at staying in a Moderate Resort this next trip, but even those are somewhat pricey for us. We're so anxious to go, but know that the nicer the place, the longer the race. (so to speak).
And even though people say, "you're not going to be in your room that much!", it's the fact that you're at WDW that's important. And you want to soak up "all" of the atmosphere. And staying in the same resort all the time can get old.

We're very grateful for the discounts that have been offered thus far, and hope that they will continue to do so. We're hoping to time our trip right to catch some great deals on property. (Jan. 2004).

Anyhow, thanks so far for all the info everyone.

 

[Woody13]

One of the great things about WDW is that deep discounts abound. My advice to any and all prospective WDW visitors is to shop for the best prices. In my experience, I have found that far too many people "lock" themselves into deals that at first blush look pretty good but down the road turn out to be very costly. I have found it to be far better to play the field and look at all the available options. It is very common for people to narrow their options by making the following mistakes:

1. I will only stay in a WDW resort.
2. I will only stay at a WDW value resort.
3. I will only stay at a moderate resort.
4. I will only stay at a deluxe resort.
5. I will only stay at a DVC property.

These "conditions" are just too limiting and can end up costing a lot of money. All I'm trying to say here is to keep all your opinions open and be flexible. By way of explanation, booking a resort in or near WDW is not unlike visiting a typical WDW attraction. Some folks just get too narrowly focused on one or more attractions and end up wasting a lot of time.

As I am sure most of you know, the lines at most attractions ebb and flow. Sometimes the line at Space Mountain (for example) might be as long as an hour. Yet, if you check Space Mountain later in the day it's a walk on. Timing is everything. Again, I'm sure most of you know that there are some attractions at WDW that CM's have to steer visitors into (because the attraction is not very popular). Well, the same thing is true with the WDW resorts. Some of the resorts (All-Star Movies, Polynesian, etc.) are very popular and stay booked. Other resorts (All-Star Sports, Coronado Springs, etc.) struggle more to get bookings. Yet the All-Star Sports and the Coronado Springs are just as good if not better than their respective counterparts but they just aren't as popular. I will apologize now if I have offended anyone's favorite resort. By the same token the DVC resorts are often available for rental at very deep discounts during the "value" season. We often rent DVC resorts at significant savings over the costs associated with a normal purchase.

I like to save money. In short what I am saying is go your own way, don't become part of the herd. Watch the trends and then go in the other direction. I think it will save you a lot of money. It's very much like the very good reverse early entry advice that was given in another thread. Buck the trends and you can save mucho bucks.