Advice Needed: Trip to Yosemite in Jeopardy

[Charlie Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Charlie]

This is not a timeshare issue but I am looking for advice on dealing with a problem concerning reservations at Yosemite Nat'l Park. I planned a trip to the park this May and made reservations a year ago to stay in 3 locations. 3 nights in Sequoia Nat'l Park. 2 nights at Wawona(inside Yosemite) and 4 nights at Yosemite Lodge. Checking today 1 1/2 months in advance they tell me the last 4 nights were cancelled. They said the original reservation never went through on-line. But I have confirmation emails for all 3 locations saying my deposits were accepted and confirmation #'s provided. I never thought to check my credit card account but now I see that the deposit was never charged for the last reservation. A manager I spoke to said he would try to "resolve" the issue but I am worried, especially with flights and rental car booked. The company handling lodging at the parks is called DNC Inc. I've thought about going higher up the chain of command but I'm not sure how to do that. Any thoughts?

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

There are ALWAYS cancellations; last year, we secured a week using two locations only about a month before we were planning to go--and we later cancelled. There is no formal "calcellation list;" it's a matter of who calls when what is available. Call every day, twice a day; you'll get lodging. It may be exactly what you want; it may not, but you will manage a booking, even on your own.

If you have a manager working on your behalf, I suspect you'll get what you need with no problem.

[garyd210 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close garyd210]

Ditto

Rather odd that you were given a confirmation number, but without them securing a credit card deposit. Most definitely, stay in touch to be sure you aren't forgotten, record name(s), their title, date, time and summary of each contact. May should be a wonderful time to go, but because it's in the sierra, invest in rain gear if you like to get out and hike or see the sites. The Yosmite Falls with their huge volume of winter water should be spectacular during your visit. I got reservations for the first few days in October at the same lodge and had to pay for one night's stay to validate my reservation. This was the best I could do when I went online last month. If it works out for you, I would surely hope you properly show your appreciation for something the now assisting individual was not responsible for in the first place since it's all via automated reservations.
As a backup, you may want to make backup reservations with clear cancellation policies at a rental place in the area. I think there are some privately owned lodgings in the park, between Wawona and Yosemite Valley. Unfortunately with the big rock slide 1-2 years ago behind Camp Curry, there are a lot of cabins that have been roped off for likely removal/relocation due to the risk of futher rock slides near there. Mother Nature has greatly impacted the number of camping/cabins sites in the last decade or two within the valley. I would push ahead for what you originally desired. It's a wonderful location! Sure beats sleeping in a car like I did for one night last June!
Gary