HOTEL SEASON QUESTION (important)

[shmmrname]

I went to check on the availability/price of our desired hotel during the time we will now be visiting WDW, and I was rudely surprised. We recently decided that we will be able to arrive at WDW in time to check in on Friday December 30th, and then we will check out Saturday January 7th.

My question for you experts is as follows...
1.) Do we have to pay HOLIDAY hotel rates for our entire stay even though we will only be there for 2 days during that bracket.
2.) What should I do when I make my reservations?

I am super nervous now about this. We want to stay at PO:FQ, and I am worried waiting will make that impossible. Plus, thats alot of money on the line. Please, can anyone help me?

SHMMRNAME@JUNO.COM

 

[JPVonDrake]

I went to check on the availability/price of our desired hotel during the time we will now be visiting WDW, and I was rudely surprised. We recently decided that we will be able to arrive at WDW in time to check in on Friday July 30th, and then we will check out Saturday January 7th.

My question for you experts is as follows...
1.) Do we have to pay HOLIDAY hotel rates for our entire stay even though we will only be there for 2 days during that bracket.
2.) What should I do when I make my reservations?

I am super nervous now about this. We want to stay at PO:FQ, and I am worried waiting will make that impossible. Plus, thats alot of money on the line. Please, can anyone help me?

SHMMRNAME@JUNO.COM

You are correct in that your nightly rate is based on the season you're in on your arrival date, and will remain the same thoughout your stay. Assuming you meant December 30th in your example, yes you would pay Holiday Season rates for your entire stay.

The only way around this is to book 2 separate reservations (Dec 30 - Jan 1; Jan 1 - Jan 7), which would require you to check-out, and check back in on January 1st, receive new room keys, and may require you to move rooms.

Since your first reservation would be only a 2 night stay, you may find it is not availiable as during peak times the Resorts incorporate minimum night stay requirements build into our booking system. These cannot be seen or overridden by the Reservation Center.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

.......check in on Friday July 30th, and then we will check out Saturday January 7th.

WOW - thats a long stay at Disney :lol:

Do you mean Friday December 30th to January 7th or Friday July 30th to August 7th

 

[shmmrname]

Thanks. We got our Hotel Reservations fine this morning. Somehow I just don't see it as fair. It ends up being like $300 dollars, but we have to arrive on the 30th rather than staying an extra two days, as two people in our party start school shortly after we get home.

The only way around it apparently is to check-out on the 1st, then re-check-in on the 1st. This wouldn't be SO terrible, that is if A) we could be assured we can simply stay in the same room, but that's not the big problem, and B) there wasn't such a large amount of time between our chance to check-out and check-in. We would have to cut into our time at the park(s) that day!

I'm looking for any help...

 

[lawyergirl77]

Thanks. We got our Hotel Reservations fine this morning. Somehow I just don't see it as fair. It ends up being like $300 dollars, but we have to arrive on the 30th rather than staying an extra two days, as two people in our party start school shortly after we get home.

The only way around it apparently is to check-out on the 1st, then re-check-in on the 1st. This wouldn't be SO terrible, that is if A) we could be assured we can simply stay in the same room, but that's not the big problem, and B) there wasn't such a large amount of time between our chance to check-out and check-in. We would have to cut into our time at the park(s) that day!

I'm looking for any help...

Checking out and checking back in shouldn't be a big deal at all and won't cut into your park time if you play your cards right.

Put down a credit card number for the first two nights stay - you'll get Express Checkout that way and so you won't even have to deal with getting in line and checking out. In the morning, call Bell Services and ask them to store your luggage for the day. Then, all you have to do is head to the parks! Your passes on your first room keys will be good until midnight of the day you check out.

Return to the hotel when you want to check in later that evening when you're done touring for the day, have your luggage sent to your room and voilà! No time lost at all!

 

[Ducky_Love]

The only way around it apparently is to check-out on the 1st, then re-check-in on the 1st. This wouldn't be SO terrible, that is if A) we could be assured we can simply stay in the same room, but that's not the big problem, and B) there wasn't such a large amount of time between our chance to check-out and check-in. We would have to cut into our time at the park(s) that day!

I'm looking for any help...

Don't sweat it.. worst case scenario you are without a room for four hours. The savings are well worth the hassle since the first week of January is quite slow and normally rates plummet! Hopefully they can keep you in the same room. Go expecting to move, that way you can't be dissapointed!

 

[robynchic]

Don't sweat it.. worst case scenario you are without a room for four hours. The savings are well worth the hassle since the first week of January is quite slow and normally rates plummet! Hopefully they can keep you in the same room. Go expecting to move, that way you can't be dissapointed!

That's one of the reasons my family intends on going down Jan. 2-5. It'll be less on their DVC points, and I can get a day or two of work in!

But do the rates go down to check IN on Jan. 1? If they do, I would be so excited...that'd be another day of work/play (well, to me, they're the same thing!) I have!

 

[Ducky_Love]

That's one of the reasons my family intends on going down Jan. 2-5. It'll be less on their DVC points, and I can get a day or two of work in!

But do the rates go down to check IN on Jan. 1? If they do, I would be so excited...that'd be another day of work/play (well, to me, they're the same thing!) I have!

Nope, Jan. 1 is still prime play time (at least at my hotel).

 

[robynchic]

...we're DVC. Does that make a difference?

 

[crazycalf]

I'm pretty sure DVC seasons are different than disney hotel seasons.
Most likely Holidays is the highest season for DVC points too.
Check your member information.

 

[shmmrname]

Thanks for the attempt to help.
If any are interested, we ended up trying to add another day to our reservation. We just figured we would eat the extra cost, and wanted to move our Check-In date ahead.
Well, all the Value and Moderate resorts were full, so instead, we booked 2 nights at the Hilton near Downtown Disney and cancelled our first day of our PO:FQ booking.
The Hilton is expensive, and I'm assuming way less magical. But, we end up getting a lower rate for the rest of our PO:FQ stay.
So basically, we couldn't really make any of the hard decisions, as the millions of people going there in late DEC kind of limited our options.

 

[maelstrom]

The Hilton is an okay hotel. It's right by DtD. Not too far from the magic.

Of course, I haven't stayed there since 1989 so perhaps things have changed.

 

[shmmrname]

Yeah, we drive from CHICAGO anyways, and with the weather in DEC we highly doubt we'd be up to serious Park time anyways.
So now, we'll just take the Hilton as a rest stop and visit DTD and AK on those days, and get truly magical at PO:FQ and the other parks a couple days later than planned.