Should i book now for april 2013 or wait?

[biebers5]

Is it best to book this early for a trip in April? I have no idea how discounts work, but is there a chance my trip could get less expensive if I wait until some 2013 discounts are released? I know I should book at least 6 months in advance & wonder if by that point some discounts will be in place. What are your thoughts????

 

[Huskerkelsey]

Here is a link to when discounts have been released in the past:

http://www.mousesavers.com/historicalwdwdiscounts.html#2012

If you want to book now and discounts come out later you can always call Disney and have them add on the discount. Hope this helps!

 

[minnie mum]

I have already booked our April trip. I was able to make a room only reservation with a AAA discount. If a better room only discount comes along for our resort and dates, then I will have it applied. If not, that's OK, since I booked a vacation we can afford without one. At the very least, I won't have to scramble to find a room at the resort I want and on the dates that I want.

 

[CalSea12]

I am going sometime in Feb 2013, its pretty open for me so I am going to wait on discounts and see exactly when I want to go. FD looks like it usually comes out in August so I can wait a bit longer. If I do not see discounts by October I will book a package for early Feb.

 

[Minerva Mouse]

I say book now, once the trip is officially booked, you officially have something to look forward to and can beginning planning. Plus, you can make payments on your trip and have it paid off before you ever set foot in the park. You can always make changes or adjustments later and if a good deal comes along between now and then, just give Disney a call and they will give you the discount. Good luck!

 

[jenjifer]

Book now for sure! I booked the minute we could -- our dates really aren't the flexible (April vacation dates), and knowing that we can apply any discount that becomes available to us makes it an easy decision.

As soon as JetBlue extended their schedule to match our dates I booked that as well. I wasn't sure about booking (the rates seemed high), but I knew JetBlue will credit you the difference back on your account. (you don't get the cash, just that money toward a future trip). I'm glad I booked -- I checked today and our 4 tickets would be about $500 more total, with one of the flights not even being available! (and I subbed in a flight with a layover in place of the direct flight!)

Book it now: you won't regret it!

 

[biebers5]

Thanks so much for input. Now I understand if "discounts" come up, I can still get them though I've already booked!! What a great deal! One more quick question...does Disney ever put out discounts on packages? Or is it usually room only?

 

[danceintherain]

It depends on your priorities. Do you have a particular room type you're planning on or is a good deal the most important thing?

Room type: Certain room types are scarce and very popular, and they're also less likely to come up at a discount. If you have your heart set on a Garden Suite at BWI, then it may be better to book it now.

Discount: Disney releases discounts based on the current projected occupancy for that time. If you are booked into a room at rack rate, they are expecting you to stay in it, and they could end up not releasing any rooms in that category at a discount. You can switch to a room with a discount, but there's no guarantee that you'll end up with your original category. In this case, there is no real benefit to booking in advance. In order to get a discount, you may have to be very flexible and possibly even change your resort and dates entirely.

I can see a few instances where booking early makes sense:
1) Airfare - some of the best deals are released at 6 months out, at which point very few discounts on Disney hotels will be available. Since airfare is not changeable in most cases, if you come across a deal you can't pass up, it makes sense to book a hotel room also, even without a discount, so you know you'll have a place to stay.

2) ADRs - Again at 6 months out, you may want to have that extra 10 day bump to get the harder to get ones.

Generally speaking, the best discounts are released during the lower crowd times, so if you're planning on traveling during those times, it is very unlikely that they will sell out. If you're traveling during a more popular time, it might be harder to get what you want closer to your dates.

 

[StuckInKS]

If you will still go to WDW without a discount or there is already a discount available that you will "settle for," then book now to get the resort/room you want. Otherwise it does no good to do so and can even harm your chances of getting a discount (if Disney doesn't think they need to fill rooms that week, they won't release a discount). If you know you need a discount, don't book until it is released. Also remember that having a room booked will not help you availability-wise once a discount is released. They will simply cancel the room you have and book you into whatever is available under the discount.

 

[lustergirl]

Personally the earlier I book the longer I have to pay the trip. I have our trip for September 2013 already booked. If a discount comes along then I will just call and have it applied, simple stuff.

 

[Cafeen]

Thanks so much for input. Now I understand if "discounts" come up, I can still get them though I've already booked!! What a great deal! One more quick question...does Disney ever put out discounts on packages? Or is it usually room only?

They often do both, though, pretty much the only package discount is the free dining plan promotion now a days.

However, "room-only" discounts (which are typically just room rate) can usually be applied to packages to save on the room if the free dining plan promotion doesn't work for you.

 

[nooneshome]

If you don't have a discount - wait.

 

[my2disneyboys]

Book now for sure! I booked the minute we could -- our dates really aren't the flexible (April vacation dates), and knowing that we can apply any discount that becomes available to us makes it an easy decision.

As soon as JetBlue extended their schedule to match our dates I booked that as well. I wasn't sure about booking (the rates seemed high), but I knew JetBlue will credit you the difference back on your account. (you don't get the cash, just that money toward a future trip). I'm glad I booked -- I checked today and our 4 tickets would be about $500 more total, with one of the flights not even being available! (and I subbed in a flight with a layover in place of the direct flight!)

Book it now: you won't regret it!

I cant even believe how much the flights are! I have never paid over 230 for a ticket to MCO and now it is 500-800 a TICKET! We are thinking that if they dont come down we might have to drive. We already rented points at the Beach Club for our April 2013 trip!! We ARE going!!!!

 

[MikeyTex]

I say book now, once the trip is officially booked, you officially have something to look forward to and can beginning planning. Plus, you can make payments on your trip and have it paid off before you ever set foot in the park. You can always make changes or adjustments later and if a good deal comes along between now and then, just give Disney a call and they will give you the discount. Good luck!

I agree with MM!!

 

[Horizons16]

I cant even believe how much the flights are! I have never paid over 230 for a ticket to MCO and now it is 500-800 a TICKET! We are thinking that if they dont come down we might have to drive. We already rented points at the Beach Club for our April 2013 trip!! We ARE going!!!!

We are looking April from Boston to MCO. I almost fell over when I saw the price. I understand its school vacation but holy monkey! I keep thinking that this can't be right and they have to come down. I hope that when more airlines are booking April they will fall a little. It's still a little early.

You can always Amtrak. Its just as long as driving and when we priced it, it was $580 for 2 with no roomette or anything though.

 

[CalSea12]

Wow I can not believe those airline prices, I am going in Feb and tickets from Alaska are only 600 a piece, which is not bad at all