Hey Monica, I might be one of these screw-ers, I guess? I don't see what is so wrong with that. Room only bookings at Disney and most other places are able to be canceled without penalty within a certain window before your stay begins. Is everyone who cancels or alters a travel plan based on financial and other concerns "screwing" the lodger? I have to respectfully disagree with you and say they are not.
This will only be our second visit to Disney, but we are considering the purchase of Annual Passes. We have a room held at POFQ, where we very much want to stay. However, if a
really good discount gets announced elsewhere I could see switching to a split stay (I know POFQ is unlikely to get discounted). On a future visit I could see changing resorts entirely. Same if I get an AP- I could see easily switching or booking somewhere simply for the deal. The motivation to do this is only increased by Disney's complex room release/reservation system. I only recently learned that you cannot upgrade a room only to a package or a dining only package. You must cancel your existing room only reservation and then re-book from their designated package inventory. So say I decide to upgrade to a package and there is no inventory. I would be
forced to cancel my room reservation. I feel very strongly that the company encourages people to cancel or alter reservations with the way they release discounts and limit inventories. They may have their reasons for doing so, but you can easily argue that so do the people who need to alter their plans based on the company's actions.
Furthermore, I think the company outright encourages their market to book a vacation before they have the funds to do so. They encourage this through things like the Chase Disney Visa- which offers promotions like 0% interest on a Disney vacation for 12 months. They have a Disney Vacation Account, which enables guests to start saving and planning maybe even before they have a trip lined up. They also only take a minimal booking fee on reservations- both package and room only (as do most hotels). They
want business. I really doubt they care that people cancel and re-book elsewhere. Now when people leave to go offsite, that might sting more. But in the grand scheme of their intake that is a minimal loss- and one presumably filled by other willing guests. I am also
very sure the company thinks of that, just as I am sure guests have been doing it for as long as Disney has had these systems in place. I would also wager that the discounts often encourage people to upgrade- and am also willing to bet that the company is going to continue to push towards that end. Guests who stay on property slightly longer at a "better" rate spend
more on property. Guests that justify a "better" room or resort because of the discount are spending
more money.
It's pretty old now, but I'm too busy to look for a more recent study (It's a 2010 Applied Quality of Life Study):
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11482-009-9091-9?wt_mc=Affiliate.CommissionJunction.Authors.3.EPR1089.DeepLink&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=commission_junction_authors&utm_campaign=3_nsn6445_deeplink&utm_content=deeplink
In short, people are happiest in the
planning stage of their vacation. Disney very wisely utilizes this to their utmost advantage. They
want people to tediously labor over plans. They want people to watch ride videos and lust in anticipation. They
want people to check their website for updates daily. The more of your time and thought they have the more of your
money they ultimately have. The biggest pat on the back for them is the community of bloggers and youtubers and online networks of people who do this for them. So yeah, I really don't think they are feeling "screwed" by the product of their own design- and one that ultimately makes them more cash in the end.
looks like I will have to call down and see if anything is available for that or free dining...if only I knew we were going to be going down a few weeks ago.
