In Which Jenn Tries To Let The People Choose Her WDW Resort

I know what you’re thinking: Jenn, since when are you a Democratic Republican?*

Generally never. Well, I always consult with my traveling companions before I make WDW-related travel plans, but I certainly have the final word when the only traveler is me.

WHICH WDW RESORT?

Nonetheless I found myself somewhat perplexed when attempting to select a resort for the WDW Marathon in January. Of the value resorts, Pop and All-Star Movies were both available. Pop was about $25 more expensive, but I like Pop and feel comfortable there; you could call it my home resort. I’ve only stayed at an All-Star once, but I wasn’t the diametric opposite of a fan of the shared bus system and the location felt even more remote than Pop’s for some reason. But then again, $25 is $25 – and isn’t it good to try new things?

Given that there were arguments for each, I invited distinguished scientists for all over the world to help me make my decision. Unfortunately, none of them showed up, so I decided to take to Twitter, stumping for commentary and ultimately with a poll. There was a surprising debate with enthusiasts and detractors on each side, but I was resolved to fall with the people’s decision. It came out thusly:

There you are, then! Razor thin, but All-Star Movies it was to be. Not what I would’ve chosen myself but I’d save a little money and expand my horizons. Nothing wrong with that. I brought up the resort on the Disney site for my dates and…

Nothing.

Nothing was available. No Pop, no All-Stars. Nothing value at all. Closest thing was a stay at Coronado at almost twice the price. Well damn. How did all value resort rooms sell out overnight? I mean, I know that race weekend is popular, but geez. Losing all options in 24 hours seems a trifle excessive.

LIES! LIES!

I did not panic, though. I thought. I considered my options. I did some experimenting. And I discovered something very interesting.

I found that if I tried to get a value room just for the night before the marathon, I could. And if I tried to get a room for just the night after the marathon, I could. Oh, I thought, they must be different room categories, like pool view or preferred or whatever. I guess I could make two separate reservations.

But upon closer inspection, I found that this was not that case – at the very least a standard pool view room could be had on both nights at Pop. Then – this was the kicker – I tried to get a room for a full week encompassing my dates. No problem, totally doable.

I concluded that the rooms existed in the reservation system; it was only that the website refused to let me access them.

Hmmm.

Naturally I called up the WDW reservations phone line, and a lovely CM helped me grab the same room at Pop over the course of two nights and with an AP discount to boot.

I find this odd. Why would the WDW site have such a disapproving opinion of two-night stays? You could argue that they’re trying to discourage shorter trips, but then why let me have a single night? Is it simply that something’s wrong with the programming? Am I personally obnoxious and disliked?** Or is there a higher purpose here?

We may never know. But I now know this: if you can’t get the dates you want at the resort you want, don’t revert to plan B immediately. Poke around. See what you can find. And always try a phone reservation for the final word.

The door is still open for suggestions about where to stay in April for the Dark Side Half, so feel free to chime in.

This post is brought to you by musicals about the American Revolution.

* Sit down, Jenn.
** For God’s sake, Jenn, SIT DOWN.

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