New Passholder Best Rate Program

[Jekyll Baker]

Just saw this topic on another site/forum and didn't know if anyone here knew about it yet.

This is from the Passholder page:

Planning a vacation in a few months? Then it's time to try our Passholder Best Rate Program! Now Passholders booking a Disney Resort room online under the Passholder Best Rate Program at disneyworld.com/passholders can rest easy knowing they have received our best room rate offered to the general public* at that time for the room and nights booked. And, if we subsequently reduce our room rate to the general public for the same room and nights you booked online under this Program, we will automatically reduce your room rate to match that lower rate.

Rooms must be booked at least 120 days in advance and, unlike our normal cancellation policy, a non-refundable deposit of 1-night's room charge and tax must be paid at the time of booking. Currently this program is only available for arrivals through 12/19/05. The number of rooms and nights available for this Program is limited and rooms are not available every night. This Program is subject to change or discontinuance at any time and without notice.

* Does not include group rates, auction rates or rates conditioned on group/club memberships or other specified eligibility requirements.



It's access through the passholder section of disneyworld.com, and let's you book through what looks like the regular booking engine. I looked at it briefly, but since AP rates for 120 days away haven't really been announced, it gives rack rates. So you'd be leaving it up to Disney what price you end up paying.

I dunno 'bout 'dis. What ya'll think?

 

[tigger1968]

You Da Man JPVonDrake!

I think everyone here will agree with me when I say a HUGE "Thank You" to JPVonDrake for all the help and information he has provided us on this topic. I know how much confusion and concern has surrounded this new program, and you've done an awesome job of helping us navigate thru this. Thanks for all your help!!!!!!!!! (And patience!)

:sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy: :sohappy:

 

[JPVonDrake]

I know Holiday season in the past started around the 20th or 21st of December, and AP discounts were given until December 26th for 2002 and 2003. AP discounts went until December 25th for 2004.

I can also confirm that in the past a Passholder offer was released to include part of the Holiday Peak Season. The key words being "in the past" as past offers have no affect on future offers.

Will there be a Passholder offer for the holiday period, no one knows yet. The marketing department based on current occupancy levels and trends creates all discounted Marketing Offers. If Disney projects we can sell enough rooms at standard rates, no discounted offers will be released.

:sohappy:

 

[fjm777]

JP,

Thank You for all your help. But just one more time. If I were to modify my reservation, unless I change it to something of lesser value the $50 fee is waived.

So a change of dates would be free
or
moving to a move expensive resort would be free

but

reducing my stay from 6 nights to 5 at the same resort would cost me $50
or
changing from moderate to value would cost me $50.

Thanks Again and Sorry I am so slow.

 

[JPVonDrake]

JP,

Thank You for all your help. But just one more time. If I were to modify my reservation, unless I change it to something of lesser value the $50 fee is waived.

Thanks Again...

If you are booked on the Passholder Best Rate Program, then..

So a change of dates would be free
or
moving to a move expensive resort would be free

Correct, there would be no modification fee, however the discount may not be availiable or at the same discount percentage for different dates, resorts or room catogories.

reducing my stay from 6 nights to 5 at the same resort would cost me $50
or
changing from moderate to value would cost me $50.

In most cases true. However, again the passholder discount may not be availiable or at the same discount percentage when you modify to a different set of dates or different resort or room catogory. Select dates may have a discount for a 6 night stay but not a 5 night stay. If this is the case and you simply modify down to a 5 night stay, you may lose the discount.

The $50 modification fee is now added only if your total room package price is reduced due to the change.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

 

[fjm777]

<h2>Well, I did it.</h2>
PO Riverside
Nov 27 - Dec 3
$94 a night

It just remains to be seen now whether this is a good decision or something I will regret. Of course, this will be my 4th trip on my Annual Pass. Even without the resort discounts I would say I'm getting my money's worth.

I have been to WDW twice in December so I know ...

The weather is cool, the crowds will be low, and I am sure the trip will be great.


<h3>Thanks JP for all the info you provided!!</h3>

 

[JPVonDrake]

<h2>Well, I did it.</h2>
PO Riverside
Nov 27 - Dec 3
$94 a night

It just remains to be seen now whether this is a good decision or something I will regret. Of course, this will be my 4th trip on my Annual Pass. Even without the resort discounts I would say I'm getting my money's worth.

I have been to WDW twice in December so I know ...

The weather is cool, the crowds will be low, and I am sure the trip will be great.


<h3>Thanks JP for all the info you provided!!</h3>

Enjoy your stay! :sohappy:

 

[imamouse]

Does Anyone See a Pattern Here?

First, MANY THANKS to JPVonDrake, Belle, Pam (KK), AEfx and others for their informative and passionate posts on this topic. I've been out of town for 2 weeks, and I'm just catching up with this latest twist regarding the booking of AP discounted room rates.

My question is; Does anyone see a pattern here?

At the risk of sounding paranoid, it seems as if Disney is pushing AP holders out of the picture. It started with the MYW tickets. As many have observed, the 10-day ticket makes an AP almost unnecessary, if it weren't (or was), for the room discounts. With tourism on the upswing, Disney can afford to demand full rack rates, even at the risk of customer runoff.

But, in true Disney fashion, and in order to make the new online reservation system more palatable, I expect AP rates to drop dramatically to reward the trusting few who hung in there and took that leap of faith that Disney would take care of them. Heros to the end? Naw - just the latest weenie (Disney's term for a way to attract attention to something they want to guide you toward).

Like many who have posted on this topic, I have concerns and reservations (pun intended) about using the new system. I have a Dec res at the WL that I am considering canceling in protest (with a letter explaining exactly why I am canceling).

It certainly feels like a slap in the face to guests who have been loyal, repeat consumers during the lean years. But it makes perfect sense if Disney is wanting to get out of the AP business.

 

[wannabeBelle]

hey there Imamouse, Welcome back!!!! I am not so sure about the whole getting out of the AP business thing. For me, having an AP makes perfect sense. Thus far I have already been in one Disney Park or another 10 days already in 2005. Two more trips are already booked and planned making for a total of 23 days and I havent gotten December down as of yet!!! I appreciate the room discounts and no doubt this makes it possible for me to spend asmuch time in Disney as I do. I think the long range booking system is OK. I still am not completely sold on it, andI had read on another site that they are expecting call in AP rates to be 6-10% higher than the online price. For those last minute Florida people wo want to book a room for the weekend this isnt a great idea. If anything it will turn people off. As JP said many of his Thursday/Friday calls are what do you have for this weekend type of things. THAT was part of the appeal of that program!! Also if a room hasnt been booked by the Thursday before a given weekend, what are the chances that it will be booked by someone who is not driving distance?? Airfares typically are through the roof at that point and hence air travel will be prohibitive for most. If they are looking to stop abuses such as multiple room ressies and then all but one to be cancelled, I think there are better ways to do that than this program. Belle

 

[AEfx]

I am not so sure about the whole getting out of the AP business thing. For me, having an AP makes perfect sense. Thus far I have already been in one Disney Park or another 10 days already in 2005. Two more trips are already booked and planned making for a total of 23 days and I havent gotten December down as of yet!!!

I agree. WDW isn't Disneyland. Disneyland (and especially DCA) has issues with too many locals with AP's bringing down the bottom line. I don't think that's nearly the case in Orlando, where the vast majority of park guests on any given day are going to be regular ticket holders (who are paying regular admission, likely eating more on-property and buying more souvineers).

I think they realize who the audience is for AP's at WDW, which I'm becoming more convinced has more people following the model Belle and I do than I previously thought. There are also many of the yearly visitors who do the "use it on week one and week fifty-two". My guess is that according to Disney's research they saw one of the complaints about passholder discounts was the fact that you had to constantly to a website on the Internet to get them - especially when non-Disney sites trump Disney by several days usually. They seem to be pushing the point about the automation of the discounts here - the "you don't have to wait/worry" factor.

I appreciate the room discounts and no doubt this makes it possible for me to spend asmuch time in Disney as I do.

For me, I don't think continuing the AP would make as much sense without the room discounts in general. This is because the first AP I bought was purchased because I knew I was doing two trips in one year anyway, 11 months apart, and it was before MYW tickets so it was a no brainer. In that year, however, I ended up traveling back many more times than I would have normally just because of the discounts. Since then, the availability of the discounts has just kept me coming back enough to maintain an AP (though not always automatically renew, I haven't had any other admission media for years). I've always heeded (and shared) the advice that *IF* you are considering buying the AP in the first place, room discounts shouldn't be your deciding factor - but that's the catch-22 in my situation, because since MYW tickets my need for an AP greatly increases in direct relation to the room discounts.

I think the long range booking system is OK. I still am not completely sold on it, andI had read on another site that they are expecting call in AP rates to be 6-10% higher than the online price. For those last minute Florida people wo want to book a room for the weekend this isnt a great idea. If anything it will turn people off.

Some very interesting points. I'm OK with this system as long as it's not the only way to get AP discounts, which seems to be the case. We'll find out when they release the non-"best" codes.

The 6-10% higher is a figure I have heard as well, and it's going to be hard to weigh this. Let's say the "best" price at a value is $49, and the regular AP discount is $55 - that would be worth it to me to not have all those restrictions. Then again, if I am relatively sure I'll be taking a trip and fine-tuning the dates no longer costs $50, then booking ahead might work. It's people that stay in Deluxes and even Mods that may see this more, obviously. They have to be careful or they'll take flak from those that DO use the system.

The more I think about this, I do just wish they'd go to straight discounts, X% off per category per season, based on availability. Why go through so much bother? Just normalize the whole thing and most would be happy - and it would be a lot more "fair" (as in, people like us who visit websites like this versus those who have APs and don't, or don't even use the Internet to shop period).

If they are looking to stop abuses such as multiple room ressies and then all but one to be cancelled, I think there are better ways to do that than this program. Belle

I was always surprised they did this anyway. It was convenient for some, but it actually was self-defeating because the more rooms they see booked rack rate, the less likely they would be to give good discounts anyway (not as apparent since we've had pretty reliable discounts for quite some time now). This too is a hard one because it penalizes someone for booking seriously (who would keep the reservation regardless of a code or not); if a new deal did come out and them not be able to take advantage of it.

I think the changes are certainly livable, but again, the real test will be to see how this works in pratice. I'm just terribly glad my final AP trip this year has already been planned and paid for, LOL.

AEfx

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey AEfx, I dont mean multiple ressies that way. I mean all multiple ressies being made for the same time, same dates and people holding onto the rooms as they think that others may be joining them and dont, or they arent sure which resort to stay at so they book several and decide which ones to drop 5 -6 days from the trip!!! THAT is where the abuses come in, which is not great for Disney as they have many unbooked hotel rooms that way and are doing the wrong thing by your fellow AP holders because now 3-4 ressies that were available for AP holders arent there any more as one AP holder won't make a choice for a resort!!!! Not cool in my humble opinion!!! Belle

 

[Woody13]

Look at this article over at Jim Hill's site: Checks & Balances: Thinning the herd


http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1529

 

[dxwwf3]

Look at this article over at Jim Hill's site: Checks & Balances: Thinning the herd


http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1529

My gosh will these people get their information straight before making innacurate articles like this? Thank goodness for informative people like JP Von Drake on this message board or I would actually believe what these people say in these articles.

 

[AEfx]

My gosh will these people get their information straight before making innacurate articles like this? Thank goodness for informative people like JP Von Drake on this message board or I would actually believe what these people say in these articles.

LOL I know, that article is embarassing, even for that website. The article just appeared, but other Disney sites began recanting that bad information days ago.

Anyone can confirm the information here with a call to CRO to ask. Why is it so many "high profile" Disney sites failed to confirm this information, instead writing so many articles laced with assumptions that in this case turned out to be alarmist at best, and in many cases plain wrong? It's one thing for us to speculate on a message board, but when articles like this appear on just about every Disney site you have to wonder about some of the other inaccuracies that we may never know about.

AEfx

 

[AEfx]

Hey AEfx, I dont mean multiple ressies that way. I mean all multiple ressies being made for the same time, same dates and people holding onto the rooms as they think that others may be joining them and dont, or they arent sure which resort to stay at so they book several and decide which ones to drop 5 -6 days from the trip!!! THAT is where the abuses come in, which is not great for Disney as they have many unbooked hotel rooms that way and are doing the wrong thing by your fellow AP holders because now 3-4 ressies that were available for AP holders arent there any more as one AP holder won't make a choice for a resort!!!! Not cool in my humble opinion!!! Belle

Agreed!

AEfx

 

[JPVonDrake]

Look at this article over at Jim Hill's site: Checks & Balances: Thinning the herd


http://www.jimhillmedia.com/mb/articles/showarticle.php?ID=1529

Thank you for the laugh. That article could not be further from the truth. I stated this before and I would be happy to post this again, DIRECTLY FROM DISNEY MARKETING to the cast at DRC for guest FAQs on this offer:

“The Passholder Best Rate program is an enhancement to the current Passholder program. This is not a replacement.”

The cost of a new 4 Park Annual Pass is $395. The cost of a advance purchased 10 day Magic Your Way Ticket + Park Hopping + No Expiration is $332.00 or $33.20 per day. Use a new Annual Pass over 11.9 days in one year and you start saving money. Renew a current Annual Pass for $355 and you start saving money after 10.7 days.

Who benifits from the Passholder "Best Rate" Program? Those that can and like to plan ahead, they get their discounted rate over 4 months out, (twice as far in advance as previously available) and don't need to worry about modifying their reservation closer to their arrival, or worry if they will "miss out" on a better offer later.

Who will suffer from this offer? The best part, no one! Those that make last minute reservations, or need the flexiblity of a 5 day cancellation policy can still book a reservations the old way. You have just as much of a chance to get a discounted rate as in the past, as most of those that use this program would have been the ones that called first thing in the morning that the offer is released.

The discount is better if you book online with this program, however you should have a better discount as you have paid a non-refundable deposit, and may be subject to modification fees.

Disney does know that Passholders are their most loyal guest.

That is why they opened up the Disney Dining Experience to all Passholders and then gave them a $25 discount off the Florida Resident price.

That is why Passholders are now getting a 25% discount on select nights for the Mickey's Not So Scary and Very Merry Christmas Parties.

That is why more and more exclusive merchandise is being made availiable only to Passholders. Not even cast members can purchase this merchandise. (trust me, I've tried! :lol: )

That is also why they are giving passholders the benifit of planning and booking their discounted rooms twice as far out as in the past, booking without paying a long distance phone call, booking anytime that is best for them (24 hours a day), and booking knowing that they will get the "Best Rate" availalible to the general public.

Trust me, I see no evidence that the "herds" of Passholders are being "thinned out" in any way.

Hope this helps! :sohappy:

 

[dxwwf3]

Disney does know that Passholders are their most loyal guest.

Thank God! While Disney might lose a little bit from all the discounts that us AP'ers get, surely they also know that these special merchandise items they always come up with are usually bought by those same AP'ers.

 

[AEfx]

Trust me, I see no evidence that the "herds" of Passholders are being "thinned out" in any way.

LOL, just enforces my opinion that the site in question is the "National Enquirer" of Disney-fandom...actually, the Enquirer is too high brow...more like "The Globe", LOL. (Do they still even make that one??)



AEfx

 

[imamouse]

I did it!

That is, Pam from KK did it for me - booked the Passholder Best Rate for my Xmas trip. After some additional reading and reflecting on this new system, I realized that I am exactly the type of person who could benefit from the new BPR program.

I am a planner. The further I can plan, the better I like it, so the 120 day advance won't be a big issue to me, especially for a special trip like Xmas at the WL. Pam originally booked my Xmas trip this past Jan, so duh!

As for spur of the moment trips (I am within driving distance of WDW), I can always fall back on the old system of calling for an AP room only code. Win - win!

Also, I never change my plans once set, unless something major happens, to which one night's deposit doesn't measure up (like a medical emergency). I wonder if WDW would make exceptions to the 'no refund' rule for extreme cases such as a death in the family, etc?

With the internet at our fingertips, it is tempting to self-service, but I urge everyone to consider how booking BPR online affects travel agents who provide such outstanding service, free of charge, like our own Pam. Disney compensates her when she books rooms, so rather than do it myself, I called her and she booked my trip online on my behalf. She has added so much value over the years, that even though I can now 'do it myself,' I will continue to send my business to Pam at KK. :king:

 

[Woody13]

This program got a bad review from MouseSaver's as well:

http://www.mousesavers.com/newapdiscounts.html

 

[mousermerf]

Incase you were wondering, an interesting statistic came out recently:

For every 1 AP booking there are 7 calls from APs to inquire about the rate/discount.