Ressie advice

[tribbleorlfl]

So, we're local AP's, thus don't have much experience staying on-site. We decided late in the game to go to Friday's MNSSHP, and because of the late hours and our 2 kids, I'm not eager to drive home afterwards. Figured we'd just grab a hotel room @ a value resort for the night and then go home Saturday.

When I did the search for check-in on 10/24 and checkout on the 25th, all that came up were 200-1k rooms at deluxe and up resorts. Call to the resservation line confirmed the same.

Here's where it gets odd-when I played around w/ the checkout date to the 27, viola, Pop Century and AS Music are available. I'm assuming the algorithm is telling me "no" on my first search because I'm only staying one night vs "yes" on the second search w/ 3 nights.

Has anyone had luck with a similar situation? Would calling the hotel frontdesk for help? I get that they'd rather hold the room for someone they can get more money out of, but at this late "hour," would they rather a room go empty rather than fill it for a night?

 

[Weather_Lady]

I would call the reservation line and book it that way. (If they won't let you book it for 1 night, ask if there's a workaround -- like booking it for 3 nights and immediately cancelling the latter two...)

 

[slappy magoo]

Searching via Travelocity does the exact same thing - 1 night, extremely limited availability and only in deluxes, 3 nights, much more availability. I'm guessing the issue is they still hold out hope those rooms could get booked for a whole weekend, which wouldn't work if they book single night stays.
I'd cal and ask to speak to a manager, explain what you've done so you know rooms are available and at this late stage if they might be willing to let a room go for a night.

FWIW, and I know this will sound elitist, if you don't stay onsite often, don't waste a one night stay on a Value. I know some people swear by them, but IMHO they can be chaotic and loud. You're planning on staying out till after midnight, on a Friday, then going back to getting some rest, you might not get that rest if people are out and about until even later in rooms near yours, and/or you then get early risers hoping to hit their park of choice before they get too crowded. On top of that, you're probably going to try to get some breakfast, and still get out the door before check-out time (at least you probably won't have much luggage). I don't know how far you live, but you might get more sleep driving back home first!

Unless your plan is to hit a park for a few hours on Saturday morning before heading back home, either go with a hotel near WDW or in the Downtown Disney area, OR splurge (if you can) on at least the Coronado Springs resort, a moderate with two sit down choices for breakfast. And I know, if I were staying onsite, even for just one night, unless I HAD to leave early, I wouldn't, I'd squeeze as much time in the parks or in my hotel as I could. So consider how you would intend to leave in the morning before making that call

 

[tribbleorlfl]

I would call the reservation line and book it that way. (If they won't let you book it for 1 night, ask if there's a workaround -- like booking it for 3 nights and immediately cancelling the latter two...)

Would I have to cancel those 2 nights by calling the line, or is there some way to do it online? I'm thinking the only way to do it online would be to cancel the whole reservation.

Searching via Travelocity does the exact same thing - 1 night, extremely limited availability and only in deluxes, 3 nights, much more availability. I'm guessing the issue is they still hold out hope those rooms could get booked for a whole weekend, which wouldn't work if they book single night stays.
I'd cal and ask to speak to a manager, explain what you've done so you know rooms are available and at this late stage if they might be willing to let a room go for a night.

FWIW, and I know this will sound elitist, if you don't stay onsite often, don't waste a one night stay on a Value. I know some people swear by them, but IMHO they can be chaotic and loud. You're planning on staying out till after midnight, on a Friday, then going back to getting some rest, you might not get that rest if people are out and about until even later in rooms near yours, and/or you then get early risers hoping to hit their park of choice before they get too crowded. On top of that, you're probably going to try to get some breakfast, and still get out the door before check-out time (at least you probably won't have much luggage). I don't know how far you live, but you might get more sleep driving back home first!

Unless your plan is to hit a park for a few hours on Saturday morning before heading back home, either go with a hotel near WDW or in the Downtown Disney area, OR splurge (if you can) on at least the Coronado Springs resort, a moderate with two sit down choices for breakfast. And I know, if I were staying onsite, even for just one night, unless I HAD to leave early, I wouldn't, I'd squeeze as much time in the parks or in my hotel as I could. So consider how you would intend to leave in the morning before making that call

All good advice, doesn't sound elitist at all. I've stayed at a Value resort once, back in March (AS Music). There was a tour group of Argentinians that kept marching around the resort chanting at night, and then swarmed every available seat in the food court during breakfast, but other than that, we had no trouble getting a good night's rest. Plus we're actually going to be one of the "Early risers" as we're going to try to be at Uni at open on Saturday to give my son the most amount of time to enjoy DA. Main concern is a safe, clean and relatively inexpensive place around Disney to crash. We live in Seminole County, but the last time we went to the Halloween party, there was such a bottleneck at the monorail and ferry boat to get out of there we ended up not getting home until after 3 am.

 

[bee]

Would I have to cancel those 2 nights by calling the line, or is there some way to do it online? I'm thinking the only way to do it online would be to cancel the whole reservation.

You can only cancel/modify a reservation by calling.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

You can only cancel/modify a reservation by calling.

Thanks!

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Got some disappointing news this afternoon. I called the Resorts reservations line to try and make the 3 day reservation and then modify to one night.

CM confirmed our suspicions that there is a "balance" and that rooms are allocated proportionally to multi-night stays. Once the 1 night stay allocation is gone, no matter how many rooms remain empty, they can't make a reservation.

When I asked about making the 3 night reservation and then modifying down to 1, she said I couldn't do it because the modified reservation is subject to the new stay's availability and allocation.

Absolutely ridiculous. They'd rather the room go empty the whole weekend than fill it for one night.

 

[stevehousse]

I think you made the mistake of telling them to book 3 nights and cancel on te same call. You should have booked the 3 nights and then a day later, modify it to a one night stay. And just because 1 person tells you something, don't give up and te to ask for someone else or tell them you know it had been done before.

I recently called to make sure my family who was visiting for pins for their celebrations, and the information I had; length of stay, resort, name and phone number and address, she first told me she couldn't do it at all and needed the reservation number only. I told her I know for a fact you can do it by lookin up the information I have her. Went ok hold for 2 minutes and she was miraculously able to find them in their system.

 

[NiarrNDisney]

Got some disappointing news this afternoon. I called the Resorts reservations line to try and make the 3 day reservation and then modify to one night.

CM confirmed our suspicions that there is a "balance" and that rooms are allocated proportionally to multi-night stays. Once the 1 night stay allocation is gone, no matter how many rooms remain empty, they can't make a reservation.

When I asked about making the 3 night reservation and then modifying down to 1, she said I couldn't do it because the modified reservation is subject to the new stay's availability and allocation.

Absolutely ridiculous. They'd rather the room go empty the whole weekend than fill it for one night.

Have you thought about any of the hotels in Downtown Disney? Or maybe a room at the Swan and Dolphin?

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Thanks for everyone's help and advice. Fyi, at the behest of the rep I talked to on the resorts reservation line, I checked back frequently throughout the week and was able to get a one-nighter at AS Sports on Thursday for Friday.