Travel Agents at the Fort

[FriendsofMickey]

Ok, I'm curious. I have heard different people say the Fort is looking into some of the business practices of travel agents that stay in the Fort and either solicit business, run multiple businesses, hold reservations, or some other unethical business practices. Everyone seems to say they are looking at one specific travel agent. Are these people referring to the bird lady in the 1600 loop?

 

[nabi]

Dunno. I just want availability of sites to be more accurate, rather than being held for some other agenda. I use sites as a place to sleep, relax, and cook some food for my family. I had never even THOUGHT that those same sites were being utilized for something else.

This is why I love contributors to the DIS boards. The information (not too detailed, as I don't feel it need to be) helps me figure out why getting a site can be difficult, only to find out many sat empty. I hope Disney can prevent this type of problem in the near future.

 

[bama_ed]

Ok, I'm curious. I have heard different people say the Fort is looking into some of the business practices of travel agents that stay in the Fort and either solicit business, run multiple businesses, hold reservations, or some other unethical business practices. Everyone seems to say they are looking at one specific travel agent. Are these people referring to the bird lady in the 1600 loop?

I think we should not speculate about specific individuals. There's nothing to indicate that a TA has to be at the Fort to run their business. Someone is doing some funny shenanigans with the reservations but that could be handled across the internet from any where in the world.

Nabi hit it on the head when they said they just want the info to be accurate. If every site has a trailer or rv or tent on it and the Front Desk CM say they're full, then so be it. But when so many sites go empty overnight despite these same assurances that the Fort is full, something is going on.

Finally, I'm with Nabi again when I say I hope the Fort figures out what's going on and puts a stop to it.

Bama Ed

 

[articfox676]

Have to say I didn't see many empty sites over Christmas. We were there for 10 days and rode our bikes looping everyday and there was less then one empty site per loop. I would assume an empty site here and there is good in case of emergency and having to move someone. Just my observation.

 

[FriendsofMickey]

I just don’t want to see a few travel agents ruin things for everyone and I don’t want to be forced to have to go to a travel agent to make reservations whenever I want to go to Fort Wilderness. I thought if we knew who Disney was already looking at then if anyone had any experience with that person then now would be the time to let Disney know if they had any problem. It’s true with the internet that the travel agent could be doing these shenanigans from anywhere in the world, but it wouldn’t be worth it to them unless they did a LOT of business at Fort Wilderness and that’s why I figured it was a travel agent in the park. If next time I want to stay at the Fort, I’m forced to go to a travel agent to get reservations than I don’t want to go to the agent that caused the problems to begin with.

 

[veraletta]

An empty site could also mean that the person is going to check in later than they thought.
We didn't make it to our site until the next morning, we plan on being there by 12 AM but didn't make it until 7 AM the next morning.
I did call Fort Wilderness to let them know we got a late start but that we were coming and please don't rent out our site.. lol
So empty site could mean someone is coming in late.

 

[Corgidad]

We are here at the Fort now, we come several times a year for at least 3 to 4 months total. We have been using a Travel agent for awhile now that stays at the Fort, from my understanding there were 2 other TA that stayed here. I do not know the other 2 but I will tell you that 1 of them is no longer here because the site that they stayed in has other campers in it and I have not seen them anywhere in the Fort. I will tell you that our TA pays the same as all of us to stay here and this person has always been on the up and up, I know if we could stay here all year long (like many of you) we would but we just can't afford it. This person is just a camper who loves Disney that just is capable of staying at the Fort longer than most of us and happens to have a job(like most of us) as a TA. So before everyone starts to get negative and starting rumors I just wanted to add MY 2 cents worth about our experiences about a Camper here at the fort.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

TrustTheScupper . . .
. . . we do hear of "strange" occurrences of all kinds
. . . we report these to managers as soon as we know specifics
. . . such rumors are THOROUGHLY investigated
. . . and, WDW does take action
. . . if you know of something weird, tell a Front Desk Manager

 

[bama_ed]

This was talked about this summer.

It's not the "one site" here or "one site there" that's empty that's in question.

The best example we had was the poster who said he was at the Fort during the summer and his neighbor wanted to come in for a few days can camp with them. There were plenty of empty sites in the poster's loop and in other nearby loops.

When the neighbor called to get a site, he was told the Fort was full and no sites were available. The poster at the Fort woke up the next morning to find that all those empty sites in his loop were still empty as well as the other loops.

Our friends like jbrostek have mechanical problems on the way to the Fort that might cause a site to be empty for a night or two. Unfortunately those events will happen. But we aren't talking "onsies or twosies".

Bama Ed

 

[MamaJessie]

I cannot figure this out, what is the implication? Why would someone want to hoard Ft. W site reservations? They aren't a lot of $$ commission wise. I must be missing something.

 

[bama_ed]

I cannot figure this out, what is the implication? Why would someone want to hoard Ft. W site reservations? They aren't a lot of $$ commission wise. I must be missing something.

MamaJessie,

I think it's all about 'Competitive Advantage'.

If you are a TA and a client wants to get to the Fort and it's full, you have to tell the client you can't do it. Individual posters/reservers like you and me get a "no availability" also on the WDW reservation tool.

But if you are the TA manipulating the system, you can get your clients in when others can't. That gives you a step up on others in your field - you can tell customers 'MamaJessie can't get you in but I can'. That's a competitive advantage in my book. I'm just speculating but given a ressie requires a one night deposit and you can roll those over and push them out if need be, it's possible to tie up sites that might not show as available on short notice.

Given TA's are paid (generally speaking) a percentage of the room/site rate, they get the most commission when the sites are the most expensive (Christmas/Holiday). If ressies aren't claimed, they just keep getting rolled and pushed out until they are.

I'm just speculating, of course.

Bama Ed

PS - I also hate the WDW practice of shorting availability for date but having it for a longer window. We all know to book long and drop unneeded days. That's just another impediment to transparency and availability.

 

[veraletta]

Wow thats crazy. It's a shame too, as site are hard to come by, without someone manipulating the system. I'm having a hard time getting 3 more days in November 2014.

 

[Corgidad]

bama_ed, again just to add my 2 cents here we have been told no at times from our TA about getting into the fort. I think if this was happening we would have been able to get in. I believe that if something is "going on" as some people believe it could be at the Fort level as I have seen this same situation at other upscale campgrounds and resorts everywhere across the country. We love being at the Fort and it is hard to get in at times and seems expensive compared to other places but I think almost everyone who has been here will agree there is no place like it. When we come under the welcome arch at checkin we are about the happiest people alive and after all these years of coming (and even though we know we are coming back soon) the last day here is always the hardest. As I was sitting outside the RV last night listening to the music for the electric light parade (as I do every night) I was thinking there is no where else on earth I would rather be!!!!!

 

[tiggerdad]

Not all TA are willing to do this kind of thing. There are TA who will book someone an offsite location, and then use a "ghost site" at FW to get them the on property perks, all they have to do is pay for the night at the Fort.
From time to time somebody will actually post over on the planning forum about being given this option by a TA. You have to be quick to see them, as it is funny that the posts either get locked or deleted for some "mysterious" reason. It does happen, but by a select few TAs, yours probably has more morals and doesn't take to this practice.

Sent from my Desire HD using DISBoards

 

[tiggerdad]

Hopefully Disney is wising up to the practice and will do more about it.

 

[jbrostek]

True, I was happy to find out my 'site' meaning a location was being held for me. And I was in daily sometimes twice daily contact with the front desk to keep them informed of my developing situation. But I have read here and other forums of people posting trying to get a last minute reservation and it being all booked up, yet responders at FW are saying they have 8-10 sites open. While you might have an odd few days (like sunday through Wed for the Marathon events) I don't see that as a prolific thing yet there are a lot of sites left open when online systems show them full.

 

[bama_ed]

bama_ed, again just to add my 2 cents here we have been told no at times from our TA about getting into the fort. I think if this was happening we would have been able to get in. I believe that if something is "going on" as some people believe it could be at the Fort level as I have seen this same situation at other upscale campgrounds and resorts everywhere across the country. We love being at the Fort and it is hard to get in at times and seems expensive compared to other places but I think almost everyone who has been here will agree there is no place like it. When we come under the welcome arch at checkin we are about the happiest people alive and after all these years of coming (and even though we know we are coming back soon) the last day here is always the hardest. As I was sitting outside the RV last night listening to the music for the electric light parade (as I do every night) I was thinking there is no where else on earth I would rather be!!!!!

Corgidad,

You raise a good point that some places might "withhold" sites from available inventory and not make them available for reservations. For example the Fort might hold out 100 Premium sites on a given night but would probably spread those over several loops when making assignments. That would be an example of the shortage coming at the Fort level.

Unfortunately, we've been assured by Rusty Scupper and others that the Fort does NOT hold any sites back from reservations. The entire inventory is supposedly available every night. That's what makes this perplexing.

Anyway, I'll be coming in March and the Fort should be pretty busy then. It's a historically active time.

Bama Ed

 

[Corgidad]

bama_ed, I did some snooping around today and spoke to a CM that I have know for a few years here at the Fort and they said that( and of course they said " I never told you this") The Fort does hold sites and releases them on-line and over the phone during certain times, I did not ask for any more details. I do tend to believe this person but you never know. I would like to think that the employees and everyone else who reserves sites for other people are doing the right thing. All I know is we Love this place and will continue to reserve our sites WELL in advance as this has almost always allowed us to come when we wanted. Sorry gotta go the Electric Light Parade is almost here and I NEVER miss it..........

 

[bama_ed]

bama_ed, I did some snooping around today and spoke to a CM that I have know for a few years here at the Fort and they said that( and of course they said " I never told you this") The Fort does hold sites and releases them on-line and over the phone during certain times, I did not ask for any more details. I do tend to believe this person but you never know. I would like to think that the employees and everyone else who reserves sites for other people are doing the right thing. All I know is we Love this place and will continue to reserve our sites WELL in advance as this has almost always allowed us to come when we wanted. Sorry gotta go the Electric Light Parade is almost here and I NEVER miss it..........

Well if that's true that could explain it.

Now go, shoo, enjoy the ELP.

Bama Ed

 

[way2tyred]

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