jlf 7 Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 Just tried to make our yearly December 10 day reservations. I was told there are no reservations available for early December. Is anyone having the same problem? Does anyone know why? Yesterday I read prices are going up so maybe they are holding out giving reservations till new prices are released. I have never had this problem so far in advanced. Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 The Fort has been crazy hard to book for clients lately. Especially if your dates include a weekend. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BeachRetreat 0 Posted January 27, 2018 Report Share Posted January 27, 2018 We've run into the same thing for late December. I tried booking the second day the window was open and was told nothing but pop up sites were available. I've seen lots of other posts with the same problem. They've lost us to Universal for this year. Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 28, 2018 Report Share Posted January 28, 2018 Christmas week really needs to be booked by phone 500 days out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 21 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said: Christmas week really needs to be booked by phone 500 days out. Yes but the OP is trying to book early Dec. That's traditionally been one of the slower times. The Disney reservation system SMB. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 9 minutes ago, DaveInTN said: Yes but the OP is trying to book early Dec. That's traditionally been one of the slower times. Except weekends. Locals flood the FORT, his 10 days would include a weekend , thus no availability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 39 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: Except weekends. Locals flood the FORT, his 10 days would include a weekend , thus no availability. 52 minutes ago, DaveInTN said: Yes but the OP is trying to book early Dec. That's traditionally been one of the slower times. The Disney reservation system SMB. We never had a problem booking the first week or two of December including weekends up until this past year. I'm not sure if it's that they are actually booked or the reservation system. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 56 minutes ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: Except weekends. Locals flood the FORT, his 10 days would include a weekend , thus no availability. But they don't allow you to just book a weekend Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DaveInTN 3,247 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 23 minutes ago, Travisma said: But they don't allow you to just book a weekend I just played around with the Disney reservation system. I found availability for the first 2 weeks following Thanksgiving, if I try to book Monday-Friday. If I add in either of the weekends that surround those weeks, the availability goes away. So if the weekend days are booked solid, but the week days are wide open, someone must be booking weekends. How is that happening, when so many of you that live down there tell stories about how the system no longer allows you to book weekend stays? Something strange continues to transpire with the Disney reservation system. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grumpy and Grandma 740 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 27 minutes ago, Travisma said: But they don't allow you to just book a weekend But a lot of people do, they came in on FRI and left on SUN all the years we wintered there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 A lot of people do, I know we have called in for weekend only reservations, but it was a pain. I had searched the app and it wouldn't let me book just the weekend but would allow it if I booked the whole week. After about an hour on the phone a CM booked the whole week then had to call a supervisor or someone to take the days off we didn't want. It was a pain and I couldn't see trying to do it for more than one weekend. Maybe there's a trick we don't know about, or are travel agents able to book fewer days? I remember in the past being able to just book weekends when they were available. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 16 hours ago, DaveInTN said: Yes but the OP is trying to book early Dec. That's traditionally been one of the slower times. The Disney reservation system SMB. If what we saw this past Dec is any indication - not any more. In fact, all of the weeks before and after Thanksgiving week that we'd also typically experienced as somewhat slower over the past 10 years were a LOT busier this time around. Used to be that after Thanksgiving, the Fort would empty out Mon/Tues until the next weekend. This time around it emptied out... for about 6 hours. I have photos of those same weeks in recent years when we were in the 300 loop without another camper near us for 5-10 sites in either direction. We never had an empty next to us for more than a day or 2 for the entire 6 weeks we were there from late Oct to early Dec. And reservations that include weekends are crazyhard to get now just about any time of year. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Travisma 1,317 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 14 hours ago, Grumpy and Grandma said: But a lot of people do, they came in on FRI and left on SUN all the years we wintered there. I bet they are doing what Cortezcapt stated. Booking a week, then calling and speaking to a second tier supervisor and dropping days. They cracked down on that I think in 2016, looks like they are going back to their old ways. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
djsamuel 322 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Just went to look and was able to book December 16 - 21 in a preferred. All levels of loops were open. As others have stated, when I added a weekend day, no availability. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 29, 2018 Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 16 hours ago, Travisma said: But they don't allow you to just book a weekend 53 minutes ago, Travisma said: I bet they are doing what Cortezcapt stated. Booking a week, then calling and speaking to a second tier supervisor and dropping days. They cracked down on that I think in 2016, looks like they are going back to their old ways. Ah, but one thing I noticed this past trip is that the "weekend" for many people included at least one extra day. Most people didn't come in Friday and leave Sunday. The big turnover days (at least in the 300 loop) were Thursdays and Mondays. So a good number of people were tacking at least an extra day or 2 onto their weekends. That might be why, if the reservation system really is setup to avoid Fri/Sat night stays, they're able to book it without needing to do the "drop days later" trick - which yeah, they have supposedly cracked down on a bunch in the last couple of years, especially if you're trying to cut down to a short/weekend stay. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jlf 7 Posted January 29, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2018 Well I was able to book Sun Dec 8 thru Thursday Dec 13. Hopefully I will be able to get the week before. Oh by the way, it is now $150. A night for premium sites. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 One thing that does happen in the first weekend of December is Pop Warner football. They take over the value resorts, and I would hazard a guess that many of the families also camp. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 The first weekend in December has been a bain in my existence for the last few years for clients. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Oh, FYI, and this has been a few years ago. A friend of mine had camping reservations for a 3-week period including the first weekend of December EXCEPT for one Saturday night. (He came in the Sunday after Thanksgiving). He figured if all else failed, he could grab a hotel for that one night. Once he arrived, they were able to accommodate him for that Saturday night without issue. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 3 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said: Oh, FYI, and this has been a few years ago. A friend of mine had camping reservations for a 3-week period including the first weekend of December EXCEPT for one Saturday night. (He came in the Sunday after Thanksgiving). He figured if all else failed, he could grab a hotel for that one night. Once he arrived, they were able to accommodate him for that Saturday night without issue. Our original reservation last year was through the last week of Nov (made year prior). When we decided this summer to try and add the first week of December, it took me 2 months and 4 more 1-2 reservations to add on Sun-Fri. I didn't get all of it until the end of September and the reservations I snagged where at different site levels (preferred and premium). Fortunately Disney sorted it out once we got there and we never had to move from our Preferred site (which was what we wanted). They even refunded us the difference on the Premium res. While we were there, towards the end of November, we decided to try and add on the first weekend in December too - that took 2 more reservations at the beginning of that week but it wasn't hard. It was just one of those weird things where if you ran 2 nights nothing showed up, but if you checked each night separately both were available. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jlf 7 Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 6 hours ago, mouseketab.....Carol said: Oh, FYI, and this has been a few years ago. A friend of mine had camping reservations for a 3-week period including the first weekend of December EXCEPT for one Saturday night. (He came in the Sunday after Thanksgiving). He figured if all else failed, he could grab a hotel for that one night. Once he arrived, they were able to accommodate him for that Saturday night without issue. I still think it has something to do with Price increase. And since the weekend rate is more than during the week maybe Disney hasn’t decided how much it’s going to cost. We’ve always had the Sunday after Thanksgiving but later started coming the first Sunday of December. We have never had a problem trying to get a site except the year they were redoing the loops. Eventually got our site. My TA told me that sites that are available are the preferred and the tent camping sites. Glad there is still months to go. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jlf 7 Posted January 30, 2018 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Has anyone tried to book another resort to see if there are any weekend openings? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Katman1356...Jason 1,140 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 Disney sets the prices for the year when they release them the end of June for the following year. They don't change after that except for if there is a change in the taxes. The room rate before tax doesn't change. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PrincessNana 15 Posted January 30, 2018 Report Share Posted January 30, 2018 I was able to get November 30 thru December 8, but I think I booked in November. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JStites 0 Posted January 31, 2018 Report Share Posted January 31, 2018 We just returned from a Fri-Sun stay in a Full Hook-Up loop. I had no trouble getting a reservation about 90 days out. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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