bnesquared 0 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 My wife and I have been caught with our pants down. Today we went to register for our annual October Pilgrimage to the Fort (this will be 3 in a row) and they appear to be completely full for the two week period (10/12-10/23) we are trying to book. Any recommendations on how to make sure we don't miss out? My kids will be devastated, almost as much as their dad....... Reservations just told us to keep checking back on a daily basis to monitor for cancellations. I was hoping there is some sort of secret tip to get us on a waiting list? In the meantime I am checking daily! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Unfortunately, you are correct. Checking daily for cancellations is really the only way. Also, trying for smaller or larger windows of time and adding on or cancelling also works sometimes. And so that you don't have to keep checking, send an email to [email protected] He is an awesome travel agent. He will do all the checking for your, book your dining, etc. He is a member here and knows the Fort. (Although he is at Disneyland at this moment, but I'm sure he's still doing what he can for folks). Oh, and WELCOME!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Unfortunately no secret tips or waiting lists exist. Keep checking, but another option would be to get a good travel agent on the case for you. Since they're in the system so often, they can increase the odds of snagging you a cancellation if one pops up. And there's not cost to you to use a TA. As it happens, one of our awesome site sponsors is an equally awesome travel agent. You might see his MouseCounselors ads pop up on the site, or you can find his contact info on our site sponsor page... http://www.fortfiends.net/_/misc/support-our-site-sponsors-r259 He happens to be on vacation at Disneyland right now, but I'm sure he'll get back to you quickly if you contact him. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Mo, your slow today :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Carol - great minds! :) Good luck, bnesquared - and WELCOME! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Mo, your slow today :):rofl2: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 13, 2015 Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Welcome, bnesquared. I am going to agree with the ladies- you really ought to contact Jason and let him handle your reservation. He's the man. Disney has all kinds of hidden blocks they put on their online system to prevent guests from booking reservations at certain times of the year. They are doing this so they can leave the spaces open for guests who are willing to pay for longer reservations. As you may have already learned, the Disney reservation system is not user friendly and it's frustrating. If you use a travel agent, Disney pays them a commission. It doesn't cost you a thing. In fact, it could save you money, as travel agents know how to look for discounts on the rare occasions that they are offered. So stop trying to do it yourself. Leave it to a pro. Before you know it, you'll have your reservation. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bnesquared 0 Posted July 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 13, 2015 Many thanks to each of you who responded. Your advice is much appreciated. I will absolutely turn this over to the professional. Wife and I are excited to hear their is potential light at the end of our tunnel. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Yes I am at Disneyland but I felt my ears burning. LOL if you do want assistance bnesquared feel free to shoot me a message and I will be happy to start checking for you. I have still been working on our downtime at the hotel to try and get all my customers taken care of. Thanks all for you recommendations. I really appreciate them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DramaMama .......... Janet 75 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 I have still been working on our downtime at the hotel to try and get all my customers taken care of. And they (um...we) really appreciate it. Now if somebody out there would just cancel their pre-Thanksgiving Fort rezzies........ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 Sorry to hear that you're without right now.... hopefully you'll connect with Jason and he'll be able to find something for you!! Good luck! :) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 I have no advice to offer beyond what others have given. I just wanted to make sure you and your wife have pulled your pants back up. BradyBzLyn...Mo and Helmsey......Todd 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Starbuc71 162 Posted July 14, 2015 Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 It's real BS that you can't use the Disney online reservation system the way it should be. As we all know, booking online for anything is the way to go. Everything is there for you and you don't have to speak to a live person. What Disney is doing is BS. It just shows they are out for the dollars and hell with the magic. I was lucky enough I could afford the deposits on all my 2016 trips so I booked the fort for all the 3 day weekends the kids were out of school along with spring break. Screw you Disney webmasters, I beat you Quote Link to post Share on other sites
traveltrailerrent 1 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I will tell you a little trick that sometime works - You are looking for a site for 10 days- move it out to look for a site for 16 days and you may find a site open - Add to the start - add to the end - add to both etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
traveltrailerrent 1 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 - book it - wait a few days and adjust to what you need Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I will tell you a little trick that sometime works - You are looking for a site for 10 days- move it out to look for a site for 16 days and you may find a site open - Add to the start - add to the end - add to both etc.Unfortunately they are making it harder and harder to adjust your dates down to what you need. Not saying it can't be done but have to fight for it more now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CJHokie 43 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Unfortunately they are making it harder and harder to adjust your dates down to what you need. Not saying it can't be done but have to fight for it more now.What do you mean by this? Like, how are they making it harder? I thought you could change your res up to a week (or whatever) before check-in without any penalty. Right now we have 10 days but probably won't go that long. Also, I have seen these before but your post reminded me - where do you get the map in your sig? We have one on our camper but I wouldn't mind a digital one. I suppose I could google. Never mind! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 The entire reservation system changed a few months ago. Check out this thread for more info...http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/15478-issues-with-adjusting-dates/?hl=%2Bchange+%2Breservation#entry445380 Readers Digest version... Early on after the change they were pretty much telling people they could not drop days off their existing reservation, period. You had to rebook the reservation for the days you wanted, and if there was no availability, you were out of luck. Then it was possible but required talking to supervisors, requests (threats, cajoling, etc.), waiting for "approval," and even then some people were still told "no." As things shook out after a bit of time (see the last page or 2 of that thread), they eased up on things as long as there's still a minimum number of days left on your reservation - and the magic number seems to be 5. BTW, this is for all Disney resorts, not just the Fort. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CJHokie 43 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 The entire reservation system changed a few months ago. Check out this thread for more info...http://www.fortfiends.net/forum/topic/15478-issues-with-adjusting-dates/?hl=%2Bchange+%2Breservation#entry445380 Readers Digest version... Early on after the change they were pretty much telling people they could not drop days off their existing reservation, period. You had to rebook the reservation for the days you wanted, and if there was no availability, you were out of luck. Then it was possible but required talking to supervisors, requests (threats, cajoling, etc.), waiting for "approval," and even then some people were still told "no." As things shook out after a bit of time (see the last page or 2 of that thread), they eased up on things as long as there's still a minimum number of days left on your reservation - and the magic number seems to be 5.Very interesting. I wonder if I would be grandfathered since I made the res before they changed the policy? I have called a couple of times to add days and no one mentioned a new policy to me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Very interesting. I wonder if I would be grandfathered since I made the res before they changed the policy? I have called a couple of times to add days and no one mentioned a new policy to me. Initially, that didn't seem to matter. People that had made reservations a full year in advance were told "tough luck." But adding days isn't a problem at all, and hasn't been. It's dropping them. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CJHokie 43 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Initially, that didn't seem to matter. People that had made reservations a full year in advance were told "tough luck." But adding days isn't a problem at all, and hasn't been. It's dropping them.Just read some of that thread. Did I read correctly that you were able to drop some? We currently have 12/21-12/31 and 12/31-1/1. Was planning on dropping a couple at the beginning and hoping to merge the two. I really don't care about the merging IF they don't make us change campsites (both res are premium). The last time I called, the CM said if I got that extra day online I could just tell them at check-in I had two res and they'd keep us in the same site, but that seems iffy to me. I will call when I'm in a better mindset for calling. :D Edited to fix my dates Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Tri-Circle-D 2,059 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Just read some of that thread. Did I read correctly that you were able to drop some? We currently have 12/21-12/30 and 12/30-12/31. Was planning on dropping a couple at the beginning and hoping to merge the two. I really don't care about the merging IF they don't make us change campsites (both res are premium). The last time I called, the CM said if I got that extra day online I could just tell them at check-in I had two res and they'd keep us in the same site, but that seems iffy to me. I will call when I'm in a better mindset for calling. :D When you call, please report back on what you're told. This monkey business they've been pulling with the reservations policies is a moving target. Your reservations are for the busiest time of year, and I'm very interested to hear what they tell you. If they tell you that you have to cancel the entire reservation and rebook, you're not going to get those dates back. If you need to drop days at the end of your reservation, that can still be done at check-in, with no problems. I had to do that with my recent 4th of July reservation, and the CM at check-in allowed it with no questions asked. TCD Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CJHokie 43 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 When you call, please report back on what you're told. This monkey business they've been pulling with the reservations policies is a moving target. Your reservations are for the busiest time of year, and I'm very interested to hear what they tell you. If they tell you that you have to cancel the entire reservation and rebook, you're not going to get those dates back. If you need to drop days at the end of your reservation, that can still be done at check-in, with no problems. I had to do that with my recent 4th of July reservation, and the CM at check-in allowed it with no questions asked. TCDWill do. Interestingly, I just went to MDE and clicked Modify and it brought up drop-down dates for me to change the check-in or check-out dates. That's as far as I got as I was too chicken since I don't know exactly what day we want to go yet. But I will definitely try that before speaking to a person. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 I had a 4 week reservation made last year and was able to drop a week at the beginning. I called as I couldn't make the change online. It took a little while, and the CM said they had to talk to someone in "Guest Relations" but they were very nice and didn't give me any grief about it at all. re: merging reservations I've seen reports elsewhere that people have been able to get this done, but I don't have any firsthand info and can't vouch for the sources. From what I've seen, it sounds like it takes a bit of badgering and "working up the chain of command" to get it done. If you can't get it done without much hassle, at least have them link the reservations (not a big deal) so that you can help ensure not having to move sites. Good luck and I'll be curious to hear how you make out! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted July 15, 2015 Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 Just adding... my reservation includes Halloween, which is a really busy time at the Fort and sold out ages ago. When I tried to modify my reservation online, it kept telling me there was no availability. The CM on the phone didn't go down that road with me at all. She just made the modification - no need to rebook. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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