Never give up! edited to add: unless its Halloween

[GA WDW Fan]

I don't post much here but read and gain a lot of information from everyone. But I wanted to post this so others know that it's possible...

I had reserved a campsite long ago for 10/21-11/4/2023. At the time the only spots left available were preferred sites. I took it even though I was a bit worried as my bumper pull camper is 37ft long. I've looped through those sites many times and was concerned about backing into those sites; especially with all of the Halloween decorations out. I know there would be a few sites that we may have fit nicely in (and I had a list) but I was still worried about any of those sites being available when we checked in.

Now for the good and, some might say, unbelievable news.

I occasionally checked for other sites available over the last couple of months. This morning I checked again and a premium meadow site was available for those same dates!! I grabbed it and paid the deposit. Now I just need to call, transfer what I had previously paid on the preferred site over to the new reservation, and cancel the preferred site. Sure, it cost a little more but now I won't be anxious about backing into the site.

We have always camped in the full hook loops. So if anyone has a favorite premium meadow loop or site(s) and would like to share, please pass that along. I don't even know exactly which loops are premium meadow. Off to check a map.

So never give up and keep checking for the dates and site preferences you want. You just never know.

Oh, and if anyone needs a preferred site for those dates, at some point this morning, it will become available.

 

[GA WDW Fan]

I don't post much here but read and gain a lot of information from everyone. But I wanted to post this so others know that it's possible...

I had reserved a campsite long ago for 10/21-11/4/2023. At the time the only spots left available were preferred sites. I took it even though I was a bit worried as my bumper pull camper is 37ft long. I've looped through those sites many times and was concerned about backing into those sites; especially with all of the Halloween decorations out. I know there would be a few sites that we may have fit nicely in (and I had a list) but I was still worried about any of those sites being available when we checked in.

Now for the good and, some might say, unbelievable news.

I occasionally checked for other sites available over the last couple of months. This morning I checked again and a premium meadow site was available for those same dates!! I grabbed it and paid the deposit. Now I just need to call, transfer what I had previously paid on the preferred site over to the new reservation, and cancel the preferred site. Sure, it cost a little more but now I won't be anxious about backing into the site.

We have always camped in the full hook loops. So if anyone has a favorite premium meadow loop or site(s) and would like to share, please pass that along. I don't even know exactly which loops are premium meadow. Off to check a map.

So never give up and keep checking for the dates and site preferences you want. You just never know.

Oh, and if anyone needs a preferred site for those dates, at some point this morning, it will become available.

Well that didn't work out as planned. When I called to transfer the money paid on the original reservation, it was not possible due to the Fort's policy of changing reservations during the Halloween timeframe. Tried to explain that I was not updating an existing reservation...just wanted to move the money paid on the original reservation to the new reservation. They could cancel the existing but not simply move the money paid to the new reservation.
Since I had paid in full already, I was not going to do that as the refund process could take up to 10 business days. I would possibly not have that money to use for paying off the new reservation or even have it at the start of our trip. Just not worth it.
Now back to being anxious until I get my site and get backed in a preferred loop.

 

[StormyCA]

It's probably too late now & you've released the new reservation, but I would have hung up and called back later and hopefully spoken to a different CM. Or I would have requested a lead.

I agree, you weren't modifying an existing reservation, you were cancelling it and booking a new reservation at a later date, albeit within the 'restricted' timeframe. The policy was put into place to stop people from booking a huge number of nights knowing they were going to cancel some of them once their plans firmed up. IMHO the fact that you were 'booking up' to a more expensive site for the same dates shows that you weren't trying to game the system.

FWIW about 2 months ago I cancelled and rebooked our Oct trip and had no problem getting the amount paid on the cancelled trip transferred to our new dates. The two caveats are that my cancellation was due to necessary medical treatment and that our new dates are for next Spring.

 

[GA WDW Fan]

It's probably too late now & you've released the new reservation, but I would have hung up and called back later and hopefully spoken to a different CM. Or I would have requested a lead.

I agree, you weren't modifying an existing reservation, you were cancelling it and booking a new reservation at a later date, albeit within the 'restricted' timeframe. The policy was put into place to stop people from booking a huge number of nights knowing they were going to cancel some of them once their plans firmed up. IMHO the fact that you were 'booking up' to a more expensive site for the same dates shows that you weren't trying to game the system.

FWIW about 2 months ago I cancelled and rebooked our Oct trip and had no problem getting the amount paid on the cancelled trip transferred to our new dates. The two caveats are that my cancellation was due to necessary medical treatment and that our new dates are for next Spring.

Thanks for the information. I haven't cancelled the new one yet. Thought I might wait for later today in case I got any reply from my end of call survey responses. The person I spoke with did put me on hold to talk with guest relations but came back with the same response. But good suggestion to try again later today. Never hurts to ask again.

 

[proudmomof4]

That policy is in place for all FW stays, the dates don’t matter.

I had a stay last month, I had 3 nights on 1 reservation and 1 night on a separate reservation. I called to get them merged and I was told no.

I was later able to modify my longer reservation to add the 1 night online and called to get the 1 night canceled and my money moved. I was told no.

The policies are in place for FW only. It’s all because of the TA problems they were having. The DRC CM told me straight out that these TAs caused a lot of problems with bookings at FW and all others are suffering because of the actions of those few.

 

[Teamubr]

So it sounds like the new/enforced policy is working though. It is freeing up availability it seems. Unfortunately the timing isn't ideal for you to get the refund in time. I would do what was suggested and try calling again later to see if a different CM may be able to help or escalate it to a manager who can do it. Doesn't hurt since you still have both reservations.

j

 

[morrik5]

I don't post much here but read and gain a lot of information from everyone. But I wanted to post this so others know that it's possible...

I had reserved a campsite long ago for 10/21-11/4/2023. At the time the only spots left available were preferred sites. I took it even though I was a bit worried as my bumper pull camper is 37ft long. I've looped through those sites many times and was concerned about backing into those sites; especially with all of the Halloween decorations out. I know there would be a few sites that we may have fit nicely in (and I had a list) but I was still worried about any of those sites being available when we checked in.

Now for the good and, some might say, unbelievable news.

I occasionally checked for other sites available over the last couple of months. This morning I checked again and a premium meadow site was available for those same dates!! I grabbed it and paid the deposit. Now I just need to call, transfer what I had previously paid on the preferred site over to the new reservation, and cancel the preferred site. Sure, it cost a little more but now I won't be anxious about backing into the site.

We have always camped in the full hook loops. So if anyone has a favorite premium meadow loop or site(s) and would like to share, please pass that along. I don't even know exactly which loops are premium meadow. Off to check a map.

So never give up and keep checking for the dates and site preferences you want. You just never know.

Oh, and if anyone needs a preferred site for those dates, at some point this morning, it will become available.

We enjoy the 1100 loop for our 35' Class A but I've been reading here that the 400 loop is also a Premium site vs Premium Meadows and that much closer to Settlement Post and the dock. Enjoy your trip - so jealous as we start to experience the dropping temperatures of our late Canadian fall.

 

[GA WDW Fan]

So it sounds like the new/enforced policy is working though. It is freeing up availability it seems. Unfortunately the timing isn't ideal for you to get the refund in time. I would do what was suggested and try calling again later to see if a different CM may be able to help or escalate it to a manager who can do it. Doesn't hurt since you still have both reservations.

j

Yes, seems like the new policy is working. Just didn't think the new policy applied in this case as I made an entirely new reservation today, had not held multiple reservations for weeks on end, tried to add/remove people from the existing reservation, or even modify (other than cancel) the existing reservation. I've cancelled the new reservation made this morning. Now I just hope I get something that's not too difficult to get into in a preferred loop with my long travel trailer. Plan is to get there around 10am on check in day to improve my chances. I'm no worse off than I was when this day started; I was just looking forward to what would likely have been a much easier site to get into.

 

[wdw_dine_junkie]

Was the refund going back to a credit card or gift cards? I will say when I've had to cancel, the refund was pretty quick. Just a day for a gift card, a few days more for credit card to post. And since the balance on the new reservation doesn't even pend, not post until checkout, you may have been fine getting the refund around the time you were checking in.

I have also tried to move funds from one reservation to another with little success. Good luck on your back in. I will also be in Preferred over Halloween.

 

[GA WDW Fan]

Was the refund going back to a credit card or gift cards? I will say when I've had to cancel, the refund was pretty quick. Just a day for a gift card, a few days more for credit card to post. And since the balance on the new reservation doesn't even pend, not post until checkout, you may have been fine getting the refund around the time you were checking in.

I have also tried to move funds from one reservation to another with little success. Good luck on your back in. I will also be in Preferred over Halloween.

Refund was going back to a credit card. I just didn't want to possibly not have the refund and then also need to pay off the new reservation.
Thanks for the "good luck" on backing in.

 

[StormyCA]

That policy is in place for all FW stays, the dates don’t matter.

I had a stay last month, I had 3 nights on 1 reservation and 1 night on a separate reservation. I called to get them merged and I was told no.

I was later able to modify my longer reservation to add the 1 night online and called to get the 1 night canceled and my money moved. I was told no.

The policies are in place for FW only. It’s all because of the TA problems they were having. The DRC CM told me straight out that these TAs caused a lot of problems with bookings at FW and all others are suffering because of the actions of those few.

So you're saying the 'no modify/no change' rule is now in effect all year round? I know there's been a 'ban' on merging reservations for some time (although @bama_ed says it can sometimes be done at check in, that info is in a post somewhere), but I thought that was a separate policy from the 'holiday period no change allowed' rule. Wonder if they now consider Sept to be in the holiday period because MNSSHP & holiday offerings are happening that month.

I guess the reason I was able to change our reservation (from Oct to Mar) was because it was a date change for an entire package and the new dates weren't in the holiday period. I had no problem with them moving our dates and transferring the amount paid to the new reservation.

Would the system allow you to cancel that 1-night reservation? I know it wouldn't allow you to transfer money, but at least you'd get your money back if it was within the cancellation/refund dates.

If that 'no change/no modify' policy is going to be year round that's going to present a HUGE problem for a lot of people who have genuine emergencies or who need to change their dates for other legitimate reasons. And it creates a huge inequity in treatment between the camping guests and the guests at the 'bricks and sticks' resorts.

If a guest at at hotel can call and add a couple of nights to their ressie (which I did one year after booking our FtW package) or shift their arrival date a couple of days, it really isn't equitable for the same not to be allowed for a FtW guest, especially if that guest has stayed at FtW previously. They have our booking history (at least they used to keep that info on file), they should be able to determine if a returning guest is 'legit' or not, and if so, allow them to adjust their reservation. If they want to put a limit on the number changes, fine. But to say 'Person A can change, but YOU can't' is simply wrong. The run of the mill guests should not be penalized for what some crooked TAs did.

Again, I know that merging reservations is a horse of a different color. I'm strictly talking about changing/modifying an existing reservation.

 

[proudmomof4]

So you're saying the 'no modify/no change' rule is now in effect all year round? I know there's been a 'ban' on merging reservations for some time (although @bama_ed says it can sometimes be done at check in, that info is in a post somewhere), but I thought that was a separate policy from the 'holiday period no change allowed' rule. Wonder if they now consider Sept to be in the holiday period because MNSSHP & holiday offerings are happening that month.

I guess the reason I was able to change our reservation (from Oct to Mar) was because it was a date change for an entire package and the new dates weren't in the holiday period. I had no problem with them moving our dates and transferring the amount paid to the new reservation.

Would the system allow you to cancel that 1-night reservation? I know it wouldn't allow you to transfer money, but at least you'd get your money back if it was within the cancellation/refund dates.

If that 'no change/no modify' policy is going to be year round that's going to present a HUGE problem for a lot of people who have genuine emergencies or who need to change their dates for other legitimate reasons. And it creates a huge inequity in treatment between the camping guests and the guests at the 'bricks and sticks' resorts.

If a guest at at hotel can call and add a couple of nights to their ressie (which I did one year after booking our FtW package) or shift their arrival date a couple of days, it really isn't equitable for the same not to be allowed for a FtW guest, especially if that guest has stayed at FtW previously. They have our booking history (at least they used to keep that info on file), they should be able to determine if a returning guest is 'legit' or not, and if so, allow them to adjust their reservation. If they want to put a limit on the number changes, fine. But to say 'Person A can change, but YOU can't' is simply wrong. The run of the mill guests should not be penalized for what some crooked TAs did.

Again, I know that merging reservations is a horse of a different color. I'm strictly talking about changing/modifying an existing reservation.

I was able to cancel the one night and get refunded. Like the OP, I just would have rather moved the money to the reservation I was keeping.

You can change/modify your existing reservation if the new dates you want are available. Any funds paid would automatically move to the new dates and your reservation number stays the same.

As far as adding dates to an existing reservation, I think that is a little trickier. There have been times I called and was told they can’t add days at the beginning, but if I continuously check online, I have been able to do it. Which is what happened for my September stay.

The OP and I had duplicate reservations and wanted to cancel what we no longer needed and move the funds to what we wanted to keep. I was told they are not permitted to move funds between reservations. I had to cancel the one I no longer needed and receive a refund.

We had a stay back in February where I needed to change the arrival date because my DH couldn’t get the first day of our stay off from work. They would not allow me to make the change, there was no holiday involved, they just said it was the new policy for FW. My choices were to pay for that first night even though we wouldn’t be there or cancel the entire reservation and try to rebook it for 1 less night.

So long story short. You can change your reservation to different dates as long they are available. But adding/dropping days to make a reservation longer/shorter can be tricky but not always impossible. And funds can’t be moved between reservations.

I agree with you that we campers shouldn’t suffer because of the few bad TAs, but the changes have opened up availability for the camp sites. So mixed feelings for me.

 

[StormyCA]

I was able to cancel the one night and get refunded. Like the OP, I just would have rather moved the money to the reservation I was keeping.

You can change/modify your existing reservation if the new dates you want are available. Any funds paid would automatically move to the new dates and your reservation number stays the same.

As far as adding dates to an existing reservation, I think that is a little trickier. There have been times I called and was told they can’t add days at the beginning, but if I continuously check online, I have been able to do it. Which is what happened for my September stay.

The OP and I had duplicate reservations and wanted to cancel what we no longer needed and move the funds to what we wanted to keep. I was told they are not permitted to move funds between reservations. I had to cancel the one I no longer needed and receive a refund.

We had a stay back in February where I needed to change the arrival date because my DH couldn’t get the first day of our stay off from work. They would not allow me to make the change, there was no holiday involved, they just said it was the new policy for FW. My choices were to pay for that first night even though we wouldn’t be there or cancel the entire reservation and try to rebook it for 1 less night.

So long story short. You can change your reservation to different dates as long they are available. But adding/dropping days to make a reservation longer/shorter can be tricky but not always impossible. And funds can’t be moved between reservations.

I agree with you that we campers shouldn’t suffer because of the few bad TAs, but the changes have opened up availability for the camp sites. So mixed feelings for me.

Thinking about the bolded parts of your post, I think that my reservation for Oct must have been actually moved to March because our reservation number didn't change. If it had been cancelled & rebooked I probably would have gotten a new reservation number. But I know the CM had to take a separate action to move the money I'd paid for October (it was paid in full) over to the March dates because she had to put me on hold to do it (or have someone else do it). It showed up as 'amount previously paid' on MDE as opposed to a 'deposit' or 'payment'.

It tends to make me leery of booking online in the future rather than calling to do it. The change policies aren't spelled out online other than the generic 'if you cancel after X date blah blah blah'. At least speaking to someone you'd (hopefully) get to ask some 'what if' questions.

Hopefully as time passes Disney will be able to relax this 'no change/modification' policy to allow campers a little more flexibility.

 

[bama_ed]

So you're saying the 'no modify/no change' rule is now in effect all year round? I know there's been a 'ban' on merging reservations for some time (although @bama_ed says it can sometimes be done at check in, that info is in a post somewhere), but I thought that was a separate policy from the 'holiday period no change allowed' rule. Wonder if they now consider Sept to be in the holiday period because MNSSHP & holiday offerings are happening that month.

To clarify, what that guy said was multiple reservations can be handled at the initial check-in by telling the CM across the counter that you have "continuing stay" (key words to use) which means same type of campsite on consecutive days with no gap from the initial stay.

I have 3 back-to-back reservations for our November 2024 DISMeet (the core dates then pre-stay dates and post-stay dates) and the first stay I end up using I'll tell the CM about my "continuing stays" and once I get to my campsite I ain't moving. I may or may not drop the pre/post stays or keep them. My personal policy (since I'm retired) is that I can book dates well in advance and hit them and I don't have time for Disney's wonky policies. Having multiple reservations is how I deal with this stubborn, guest-unfriendly Disney policy.

The purpose of informing the CM about the "continuing stay" is that they assign you the same campsite for you next stay as your first stay. You still have to technically check-in for each separate reservation (either on-line or in person). The computer system randomly assigns default campsite numbers based on check-in day and site type which odds are won't be the same for your subsequent stay as your prior stay.

That guy also said nothing about MERGING at check-in but if you need to drop some days off the end of your stay, that can be done at check-in with no hassle (in my past experience) but that's a specific situation only.

A continuing stay is on-the-ground the same as merging but not technically as things like booking Advanced Dining Reservations for example are still contingent on the start date of each reservation.

Me.

PS - I also wonder how much of this no change/modify policy is related to the TA problems the Fort has had with campsites in particular (since they are in such demand). Will the TA-related policy changes alleviate the need for this harsh approach? Interested to see how this plays out in the next year or two.

 

[StormyCA]

To clarify, what that guy said was multiple reservations can be handled at the initial check-in by telling the CM across the counter that you have "continuing stay" (key words to use) which means same type of campsite on consecutive days with no gap from the initial stay.

I have 3 back-to-back reservations for our November 2024 DISMeet (the core dates then pre-stay dates and post-stay dates) and the first stay I end up using I'll tell the CM about my "continuing stays" and once I get to my campsite I ain't moving. I may or may not drop the pre/post stays or keep them. My personal policy (since I'm retired) is that I can book dates well in advance and hit them and I don't have time for Disney's wonky policies. Having multiple reservations is how I deal with this stubborn, guest-unfriendly Disney policy.

The purpose of informing the CM about the "continuing stay" is that they assign you the same campsite for you next stay as your first stay. You still have to technically check-in for each separate reservation (either on-line or in person). The computer system randomly assigns default campsite numbers based on check-in day and site type which odds are won't be the same for your subsequent stay as your prior stay.

That guy also said nothing about MERGING at check-in but if you need to drop some days off the end of your stay, that can be done at check-in with no hassle (in my past experience) but that's a specific situation only.

A continuing stay is on-the-ground the same as merging but not technically as things like booking Advanced Dining Reservations for example are still contingent on the start date of each reservation.

Me.

PS - I also wonder how much of this no change/modify policy is related to the TA problems the Fort has had with campsites in particular (since they are in such demand). Will the TA-related policy changes alleviate the need for this harsh approach? Interested to see how this plays out in the next year or two.

Thanks for the clarification, Ed.

Yep, once you're retired the (Disney) World is your oyster. It's so much easier to plan as you don't have to worry about getting the time off (or not getting the time off). We normally plan our trips 9 mos to a year out. It's getting as hard to get a campsite at certain National Parks as it is to get FtW reservations so you gotta grab them early! But at this point it seems like it may be easier to change Natl Park ressies than it is FtW ressies! And Rec.gov is no picnic to navigate! I still can't decide if my moving dates & payment from Oct to Mar going so smoothly was par for the course or a fluke!

I think this policy has everything to do with those TAs. If it was a 'general problem' I think we'd see this same policy resort wide, not just at the Fort. I'm sure hotel guests 'overbook' days or make multiple reservations then chop and change once plans have firmed up all the time. It seems that only at the Fort can you NOT do that and only at the Fort were the TAs playing silly buggers with reservations.

I hope they're able to 'loosen' the policy at some point down the line, too. Especially for guests with a history of stays. It would be easy to see from our past stays that we're 'legit'. Maybe cap the number of changes or put in a 'change charge'. Or a 'no date changes until XX date' like Rec.gov has.

 

[Titanium]

Thanks to all who posted their experiences with the FW reservations situation -- it is nice to see everyone has the same issues with the online res system and not just me.

We're heading down for a long weekend this weekend rather than next because it was impossible to get a four or five night stay near Halloween.

One question I had is to all the references to TAs. Are campers using really travel agents to book campsites now? Seems just a little incongruous since camping is a DIY activity at its core but that's me.

 

[bama_ed]

One question I had is to all the references to TAs. Are campers using really travel agents to book campsites now? Seems just a little incongruous since camping is a DIY activity at its core but that's me.

It was something about during busy seasons (like Halloween) when the Fort fills up, a small number of TA's tied up a number of campsites with reservations that kept being changed/modified. So there would appear to be no sites available to the general public but the TA's were offering their sites to people (and the TA got site commission one would assume). That's why Disney clamped down so hard on changes/modifications to names/dates/etc. now for Fort reservations.

Like you, I wonder why people use a TA for a regular reservation when they essentially have the same tools we general public have. One bonus I can see is that a TA will keep checking if nothing is available. But the Fort basically sells itself IMO.

 

[StormyCA]

I agree, and not just with campsites. Disney makes it so easy to 'do it yourself' when it comes to booking vacations.

I used a TA once for a hotel/tix package to DLR and never again. The TA 'owned' our reservation and we could do nothing. Couldn't make changes, make payments, nada. It all had to go thru the TA which usually meant call and leave a message, wait for a return call to make your payment or confirm your request, then the TA made the change.

I suppose if you're doing a lot of offsite 'extras' (tours, excursions, 2nd destination, etc) or if you need flights it might be more convenient to use a TA and let them do all the work. Sort of 'one stop shopping'. Or if you're coming from outside the US (ie need visas, estas, go thru customs, etc) a TA should be able to make sure you have the right documents.

IMHO the whole TA debacle at the Fort was caused by the TAs themselves. People resorted to using a TA when they couldn't get reservations, because the TAs had already 'snatched' large blocks of them, which created a shortage, which caused people to resort to those dishonest TAs who said 'I can get you in', rinse & repeat. The TAs created the problem themselves and have no one to blame but themselves for having commissions cancelled at the Fort. And if other honest TAs knew and didn't turn them in to Disney, then they were part of the problem. I wish the Fort could 'name and shame' the 'snatchers', but that's not going to happen.

I wonder if this has ever occurred at the more popular resort hotels? I'm sure those (or at least some 'classes' of rooms) book out during popular periods, too, and IIRC the deposit & cancellation policy would be the same. What stopped those dishonest TAs from doing the same there?