I’ve worked with Disney on these Armed Forces Salutes for years. I have been coordinating with them on the coming renewal and was awaiting their press release later this week to start getting the word out.
My goal with this site has always been to help my readers by providing all the information that I can in order for them to be able to plan for and save on their Disney vacations.
Last Thursday evening I began getting requests from readers to confirm information that had appeared on the DisBoards around noon. It was partial information about the New Armed Forces Salute to start on 1 October 2012. I immediately emailed my Disney contacts but it was after work hours by then.
I took Friday off from work to monitor the situation and by mid morning my contacts did confirm that what had come out was indeed correct and that the official press release with the full details would be coming by the middle of this week. They didn’t ask me not to publish the information, but I held off posting anything as we just had partial details on tickets. I intended to wait until we had the full details to do a post. Having decided that I headed in to work for the rest of the afternoon.
When I got home in the evening the DisBoards and Facebook were on fire with people saying they’d called Disney and booked rooms using the new 2012-2013 Armed Forces Salute rates.
I’ve been receiving email requests for info on the October-December 2012 timeframe since January from readers who desperately want to be able to afford a Disney vacation, while trying to plan around deployments.
I have readers and subscribers who have been with me for over 4 years and depend on me to keep them informed. So at that time I felt it was my responsibility to them to pass on what was happening online, so that those who desperately wanted reservations, especially for October, could try to get them.
I have been criticized for doing so, perhaps I should have held off, but if only one military family was able to reserve a room at these great rates for the first week in October I feel justified.
What do you think?
Leave a comment please.
Hi Steve,
I think you made the right decision. Our family loves your website and your blog posts! Keep up the great work.
Elizabeth
Thanks so much Elizabeth!
ALWAYS do what you can to help! the people who are mad are being selfish!
You were completely in the RIGHT!! I know of a few that when I re-posted the info., they were able to get their reservations changed and or got new reservations with the discounts! I think what happens is SOME out there want to the the FIRST to give out the info., you know the ones that always want to be considered in the know but really aren’t?! This is info., so many have been waiting for and a lot can’t wait until Disney decides to put it out there….I wish I knew why they like to play the “hold on a second” game. Now a days people have to plan way a head plus any little bit helps…..we know it is in their system so why not just get it out there?!
Im thrilled you posted it…I was able to pass it along and help some of my friends save money!
Hi Cat,
Every time I engage with Disney I try to impress on them the need to do these early so people can plan around deployments and PCSs. The Ideal situation would be to just say it is a permanent program and that the discounts will change year to year.
I’m not sure who or why someone got upset with you posting the deals. You clearly stated that it was unofficial. Personally I was over the moon when I saw the post. Rumors were flying Disney wasn’t renewing. These deals not only save us money but just offer the opportunity for military families to enjoy Disney. Esp with deployments, knowing sooner than later makes al the difference. We have no say about military orders so we should be able to plan our vacations with more than a weeks notice. Thank you for all the research you do! I for one am thankful you posted. We are an Oct traveing family that has been waitng for this release
I booked our vacation in March & the closer we have gotten to October the more anxious I have become. I was so thankful & relieved to be able to call & get the discounted rate. It has taken so much pressure off & now I can finish planning withou worrying about the money aspect. Thank you for providing the information!
I don’t get why people are upset. Who is hurt by you getting a word out a little earlier than expected? Thanks for taking your time to help others to enjoy disney.
Thanks everyone! I appreciate the kind words.
I agree. You did the right thing. Even though I wasn’t able to get the discount for our October trip, I am happy for the people who were able to get the discount. I will wait patiently until the official announcement is made and then book.
I imagine it will be “official” tomorrow or Wednesday.
I think you did the right thing. Everyone was anxious to see if these discounts were coming out, myself included. It put a lot of people’s minds at ease. I think the people who are getting mad or upset are probably people who are hearing rooms are completely booked and are scared they won’t be able to get a discount when the official announcement is made. But I feel Disney should be able to correct this since they booked people before they were supposed to. I know last year we had a military discount applied to our reservation months after the promotion started, so I think people should stop stressing out.
Steve I appreciate your efforts. I think you handled this situation well, especially considering the challenging circumstances. Your blog, newsletter and website are a big help to the military community! Thank you!
Please continue to let your contacts at WDW know how appreciated the discounts are.
And and little suggestion: You might point out on your site that all dates/hotels many not be available. To get the discount, one may need to be flexible. I am not sure everyone that’s trying to book understands this.
Thanks Ginny and a great idea!
So are they now not going to offer the discount because it was leaked? I am confused. Who cares if it was leaked early? If they were not supossed to book rooms yet it was their fualt not yours? I am still waiting for the offical announcment because we are scheduled to go in October. This waiting is killing me!!
Even though I am one of the ones who has tried since you posted to book a stay and have been unable to. I still think you did the right thing. I am so very thankful for all your hard work. YOU ROCK!
I appreciate your blogs and updates…keep up the good work!
I, personally, think you definitely did the right thing. My husband is deployed right now. Our daughter’s third birthday is in December and he’s going to miss that as well as the Christmas holiday. We talked about it before he left, and it was important to him that she have a great birthday at Disney given that she doesn’t understand what’s going on right now and that the holiday season is going to be difficult for everyone. I had booked my trip well in advance, but was counting on that discount. I really wanted for us to be able to stay at the Art of Animation Resort, but that discount was necessary for me to be able to do that. I had tried on Friday afternoon to get the discount applied to no avail. After reading your post, I went ahead and tried again that evening and was successful. By the time that I got through and had the discount applied, the majority of the family suites at the Art of Animation Resort were already booked for our selected dates. I was not able to get the Lion King room or the Finding Nemo room, my first and second choices. I was able to get the Cars suite. However, if I had waited much longer, I am certain I would have been out of luck on that one too. Your post has made our vacation before it ever started. I’m terribly sorry that others were not able to make it work, but this vacation is very important to us and you made it that much better. So, thank you very much for doing what you do and for doing all that you do. My family appreciates you and Disney so very much!
Thank you Mari,
You made my day! That is just what I hoped would be able to happen for people.
I can’t imagine who would criticize someone for posting accurate information. As far as I can see you have done nothing more than answer questions posed to you by others in the most truthful way possible. Thank you for all the research and work you do on behalf of so many of us who want to plan the best Disney vacation possible.
Our family(grandma and Pop Pop included) is looking forward to a January trip and Little Mermaid rooms for our daughter’s 9th b-day… shhh it’s going to be a big surprise! She’s actually going to school the morning we leave and I am picking her up at lunch, she won’t suspect a thing!
That’s so cool Erin!
Steve,
You have no reason to feel anything but proud of your decision to release the information. I have been waiting for word on a new Salute since I booked our BLT vacation in April (we are traveling in December). This website is focused on helping military families with their vacation planning through detailed information and regularly updated information, and all you did was your job which was to keep us informed. The criticism at this time should be focused towards those Disney reservations employees who knowingly booked the early reservations when they were not supposed to. The employees were told before their shifts that there was a salute in the works and not to book any of the reservations yet because the information had not been officially released to the public. Instead the employees used the codes to see if they would work and when they did, they began booking reservations left and right without regard to the rules they were given by their superiors. I spoke to a guest services manager for an extended period of time about this, and although she was looking at the codes, explained to me that she would get into trouble if she changed my reservation before the release. The only people being criticized here are those employees who did what they wanted instead of what was right. I understand people who have booked are saying that the employees didn’t know they weren’t supposed to, but after speaking to guest services, I found out they did know they weren’t supposed to, and some even continued to book reservations after the “lockdown”.
I enjoy reading your website everyday, I follow you on Facebook as well, I am very happy with everything you do and have done for our family. You have made it your “duty” to keep us informed and all you did was your job. Don’t be ashamed, be proud. You did the right thing!
Thanks so much Hope! And also for the insight you gained from guest services.
I think you did the right thing. As a prior military spouse and now a TA, I think you handled the situation as well as can be expected. You repeatedly said, “It’s not official – some are getting it, some are not” and kept everyone as up-to-date with the information as you could. Bravo for all your hard work for military families!!
Steve, please don’t let the criticisms of a few discourage you. You help so many military families with all of your hard work & heart-felt dedication. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!
So what is the latest status? I missed the flurry Friday/ this weekend but am hoping to go in October…am I out of luck in booking a room? Do I need to wait for an official announcement now?
Hey Jennifer, it seems to be hit or miss. Some people are getting the mil discount rate while others aren’t. The official announcement should be tomorrow or Wednesday. Give them a call now to see if you can book it.
Disney benefited from you posting the information with our family. We had just secured a great RCI trade into Bay Lake Tower, but were hesitant to accept it without knowing the ticket situation. You posted the information the night that we got the trade and we confirmed. Otherwise, we likely would have rejected it and not planned a trip. We really appreciate that you posted the information!
I really appreciate you posting this information. I have been waiting for this information for a long time. Knowing is half the battle. I planned on waiting for the official press release to call, but I am happy you made the decision to let people know in advance.
Steve,
You do a great service to us all. I believe you made the best decision in the given situation. Your heart truely is in the “right” place. We appreciate your dedication to us, and this website.
Diane
Hi friends,
I really appreciate all the kind words and encouragement! Helping all of you is why I do this.
Here’s to the best military in the world and the best military families!
You were absolutely right in posting the information. As you said it was already all over the internet. I’ve been checking daily for updates and was thrilled to see your post. I wish Disney would just make it a permanent discount so military families can plan around their deployments. I’m not sure why they don’t or why they announce the discount so late. Even after I read some posts saying not to call they shut down the discount, I called anyway and got it. We already had our reservations hoping for the discount to come so maybe that’s why I got it. We hadn’t told the kids about the reservation cause if the discount didn’t come I was planning to cancel. Now I can tell them where we are going early December and start planning! So excited! Thanks Steve