Nov 10-19: Value, Regular or Peak Season?

[sbkline]

When we were on our trip last month, we got a bounceback offer for our next trip, where we can get 40% off a Deluxe Resort. However, since 2011 rates are not available yet, we had to book for 2010 in order to hold onto the bounceback code, then in August, edit the reservation for next year's dates, whatever dates we decide to go. So, for now, just to secure the bounceback offer, I booked for November 10-19 at the Wilderness Lodge. My total for this hypothetical reservation is pretty close to what it came up to for 9 nights at our moderate resort on this previous trip...probably 4 to 5 hundred dollars, which really isn't too bad in my opinion. However, just to get a clearer idea of how good a deal this is, for comparison's sake I just wanted to know what season these November dates fall in, just so I can try to compare apples to apples so to speak. Our dates for our recently completed trip fell in Regular season. So I wanted to see what season these November dates fall into. I figure if it happens to be Peak season, then I know that it will be even cheaper for regular season, which would obviously make it that much better of a deal, for example.

Of course, as , I said, we don't even plan on going in November. We're planning to go in March or April next year so we'll need to see what season those dates fall in to get the true comparison, but for now since all we have are 2010 rates, I just wanted to see if my current price is based on value, regular or peak season. Or does anyone have a link to a site which breaks down the dates for the various seasons in 2010?

Oh, and one more thing. Easter is April 24 next year. I realize that 2011 rates aren't out yet and no one can know for sure, but based on that late date for Easter, what should I expect March to be like in terms of value, regular or peak season? Should I expect all of March and April to all fall under Peak season with Easter coming up? Or since Easter falls late, should I expect the first half of March to be a cheaper season until all the Spring breakers show up? Should I expect Presidents' Day all the way through Easter to be Peak Season, or can I expect a small break in there somewhere in which it goes down to regular or even Value Season?

 

[mousefan1972]

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but the bounceback discount you booked for November 2010 will not be transferrable to 2011 dates. We were at Disney the same time as you, and the bounceback flyer clearly stated the dates it was valid for, and the latest date was December 24, 2010. There are currently no bouncebacks available for 2011 dates, although there may be later in the year. You would need to be a resort guest at the time one is offered to take advantage of it. Hopefully another discount will be available for the time you want to travel in 2011.

 

[sbkline]

Hate to be the one to tell you this, but the bounceback discount you booked for November 2010 will not be transferrable to 2011 dates. We were at Disney the same time as you, and the bounceback flyer clearly stated the dates it was valid for, and the latest date was December 24, 2010. There are currently no bouncebacks available for 2011 dates, although there may be later in the year. You would need to be a resort guest at the time one is offered to take advantage of it. Hopefully another discount will be available for the time you want to travel in 2011.

I was assured on the phone by more than one person that since 2011 rates aren't available yet, then the bounceback cannot be currently booked for 2011, but that I could secure the bounceback code by booking a fictional trip for 2010 and then just changing the dates when the new rates come out in August. It shouldn't even require cancelling and rebooking, because I am already booked for a room and ticket package plus dining. So in August, I'll just call and tell them to change my dates from November to March or April and I was assured by both people on the phone that this would ensure that I keep the bounceback offer.

 

[mousefan1972]

I was assured on the phone by more than one person that since 2011 rates aren't available yet, then the bounceback cannot be currently booked for 2011, but that I could secure the bounceback code by booking a fictional trip for 2010 and then just changing the dates when the new rates come out in August. It shouldn't even require cancelling and rebooking, because I am already booked for a room and ticket package plus dining. So in August, I'll just call and tell them to change my dates from November to March or April and I was assured by both people on the phone that this would ensure that I keep the bounceback offer.

Let us know how you make out with that. Disney is notorious for giving out incorrect information, and even more notorious for telling a guest exactly what they want to hear. Hopefully DisneyJoe or one of the KK agents will chime in as I'm not a travel agent, but I highly doubt the scenario you presented will actually work. Bounceback rates are not guaranteed. Disney can stop offering them at any time. That is like saying "I'm going to book free dining for September 2010, but I really want to go in February 2011. Once Disney releases packages for 2011, I'll just call and move my free dining reservation from Sepetmber to February. Of course I'll keep my free dining!" Again, let us know if you are able to do this. I'd be very surprised.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Peak season is usually from President's weekend in February until about a week or so after Easter.

November used to be Value season, but a few years ago they made it Regular.

Seasons, slightly different for values/mods vs deluxe/deluxe villas:

Values/mods
http://www.mousesavers.com/valueresorts2010.html

Deluxes
http://www.mousesavers.com/wildernesslodge2010.html

The charts used to be a lot simpler before the weekend pricing was thrown in.

I personally doubt you will be able to move the bounceback offer into 2011 - UNLESS they currently have bounceback offers running in 2011, then you may get lucky - and you will probably need to elevate your call to guest services.

 

[fosse76]

I was assured on the phone by more than one person that since 2011 rates aren't available yet, then the bounceback cannot be currently booked for 2011, but that I could secure the bounceback code by booking a fictional trip for 2010 and then just changing the dates when the new rates come out in August. It shouldn't even require cancelling and rebooking, because I am already booked for a room and ticket package plus dining. So in August, I'll just call and tell them to change my dates from November to March or April and I was assured by both people on the phone that this would ensure that I keep the bounceback offer.

I don't understand how that's possible. The Bounceback Offers have specific dates of travel in mind. It's simply another discount. What you suggest is like me trying to book the current free dining offer but have it apply to dates during which it won't be offered.

My only guess as to why it MIGHT be possible to do this is that since the bounceback offers are generally offered for the same periods of time, they'll just apply the bounceback offer that is being offered at the time you re-book. I don't know why they would do that, but that's the only thing I can think of that makes what you plan to do plausible.

 

[sbkline]

Let us know how you make out with that. Disney is notorious for giving out incorrect information, and even more notorious for telling a guest exactly what they want to hear. Hopefully DisneyJoe or one of the KK agents will chime in as I'm not a travel agent, but I highly doubt the scenario you presented will actually work. Bounceback rates are not guaranteed. Disney can stop offering them at any time. That is like saying "I'm going to book free dining for September 2010, but I really want to go in February 2011. Once Disney releases packages for 2011, I'll just call and move my free dining reservation from Sepetmber to February. Of course I'll keep my free dining!" Again, let us know if you are able to do this. I'd be very surprised.

Ultimately, I guess I'll have to wait until August to know for sure if it will work, but I do know that the initial person I talked to, volunteered the information to me, as opposed to me asking. The thought of booking for 2010 and then changing it in August hadn't even occured to me until the rep on the phone told me that I could do it. That was the first time I called, when I was just inquiring about the offer. After talking to my wife about it and deciding to go ahead and take advantage of the offer, I called back and talked to another rep and he confirmed that I can, indeed, do this and that it is very common and happens all the time. And in both cases, these were particular individuals who deal with bouncebacks. When I called the regular line like you would call to book a trip, in both cases, when I mentioned the bounceback offer, they transferred me to another department which specializes in bouncebacks. So I imagine I was told correctly, but I guess we'll have to wait and see.

As far as the comparison with the free dining, the problem with that comparison is that free dining is for a very specific time on the calendar, not some future trip. You either come down to WDW during the time in which free dining is offered, or you don't do free dining. However, this bounceback offer isn't limited to a specific date...it's for your next trip. And people who go in August would be able to book for 2011 since the rates would be available by then, but according to the people on the phone, the only reason I can't book for 2011 is that the rates aren't available yet and they can't quote me a percentage off of a price that hasn't been released yet. So they book me a trip for 2010 under this code and then tell me to adjust the dates later. Like I said, I'm fairly confident that it will work for me, but of course, I could end up being wrong. We'll just have to wait and see.

 

[fosse76]

Ultimately, I guess I'll have to wait until August to know for sure if it will work, but I do know that the initial person I talked to, volunteered the information to me, as opposed to me asking.

I had an agent try to sell me tickets to Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween. I wasn't interested. She volunteered that if I waited until the day of the event, the available tickets are sold at half-price, but since the event always sells out early, I would be better off buying it in advance. Well that info was clearly false. Since I had no intention of attending that event, it didn't adversely affect me. But if I had intended on going, only to discover that the info was false, I can assure you I would not have been very happy.

As far as the comparison with the free dining, the problem with that comparison is that free dining is for a very specific time on the calendar, not some future trip. You either come down to WDW during the time in which free dining is offered, or you don't do free dining. However, this bounceback offer isn't limited to a specific date...it's for your next trip.

Not true. The bounceback offers have specific dates on them.

 

[sbkline]

Not true. The bounceback offers have specific dates on them.

I just pulled up the email that I received the day before checkout and you're right...there are specific dates for this offer so I stand corrected. So maybe they just aren't very strict in sticking to those specific dates. Maybe it's like with any business, they have the official policy, but if it comes down to enforcing the policy vs losing a sale, they waive the policy. I work at Walmart and they do that all the time. We have our official policies, but if the customer makes enough of an issue over it, management tosses the policy out the window in order to satisfy the customer. Or even us out in Garden Center sometimes make that judgement call on our own without consulting management. Technically, according to the rules, we're not supposed to sell the floor model of a grill or patio set unless it's the last one; rather, we're supposed to tell the customer that we can have one assembled and we'll call them when it's ready. However, we don't want to lose a sale over something like that, so if the customer presses the issue, we sell the display anyway and have a new one built, because why lose a sale over that? Perhaps Disney does the same thing. Even if the fine print of that offer is only for certain dates, if giving me the discount outside of those dates is going to get them my money, then they're more than happy to "bend the rules" so to speak.

Or it could be that this is such a common promotion that they plan on offering it next year anyway. It's basically the same promotion under which I visited last month. I took advantage of a promotion which allowed 40% off a deluxe resort, 35% off a moderate resort or 25% off a value resort, and that's the same offer they gave me for this bounceback. So maybe they're offering this deal pretty much all the time now, which is why they could assure me that I can rebook my trip for next year and still get the offer. :shrug:

 

[sbkline]

Just a little update...

I called yesterday and talked to someone in the bounceback department and he told me that this bounceback code would NOT be transferrable to 2011, and that it is only for specific dates in 2010.

Just to double check him, I called back today and talked to someone who verified that, but put me on hold with a supervisor just to make sure. The supervisor came on the line and I told her the story of what I was told in April and she apologized for me being told wrong info by two different people, but that it was, nevertheless, wrong info. So rather than stay at the Wilderness Lodge for regular price, I went ahead and booked a room only for the Carribbean Beach Resort for April 4-14, and cancelled the November package reservation at Wilderness Lodge. I suppose if a special deal comes out in the meantime, I can always look into that, but for now at least I have my room reserved for April until rates come out, HOPEFULLY in 3 weeks or so. I just know when I booked our April 2010 trip, back in April 2009, even a year out, everything there was booked up except Pirate Rooms. So I was afraid if I waited until the first of August, everything might be booked up on me by then.

 

[amykissangel]

Just a little update...

I called yesterday and talked to someone in the bounceback department and he told me that this bounceback code would NOT be transferrable to 2011, and that it is only for specific dates in 2010.

Just to double check him, I called back today and talked to someone who verified that, but put me on hold with a supervisor just to make sure. The supervisor came on the line and I told her the story of what I was told in April and she apologized for me being told wrong info by two different people, but that it was, nevertheless, wrong info. So rather than stay at the Wilderness Lodge for regular price, I went ahead and booked a room only for the Carribbean Beach Resort for April 4-14, and cancelled the November package reservation at Wilderness Lodge. I suppose if a special deal comes out in the meantime, I can always look into that, but for now at least I have my room reserved for April until rates come out, HOPEFULLY in 3 weeks or so. I just know when I booked our April 2010 trip, back in April 2009, even a year out, everything there was booked up except Pirate Rooms. So I was afraid if I waited until the first of August, everything might be booked up on me by then.

Sometimes it just makes me so mad when people put you through this crap. My mom has taught me to always get the information twice (which you did) and ask for their names. That way she points back to specific individuals - not to get them in trouble but to make sure they don't continue telling people the wrong info. Then she always calls to talk with a manager to repeat the correct info. I always thought she was a little crazy for doing this, but apparently not!!!

 

[mousefan1972]

I'm sorry you were given incorrect info. Thanks for coming back and updating us on what happened, even though it was not the outcome you were hoping for.