Thanks for the love!
As for the discount, have you tried calling Disney reservations and asking what kind of discounts they can give you?
I called and originally asked if I had a pin code. My heart sank when she said no. Then I started talking about how we were going and the Sheraton Vistana Villages, which was where we stayed before, were offering a rate of $85 a night and My family wanted to go to Harry Potter but I wanted to go to Disney, Blah, Blah Blah!!! I told her I wanted to stay at the Beach Club and book the package thingy with deluxe dining but my family was against it and wanted to do Universal. The agent then said that she could give me a 35% off room rate since we were doing the magic your way package and from that point it was all she wrote! I booked then and there since I knew my dates/prices etc.
I priced out the trip ahead of time and I knew that we would really need that 35% off of room rate if we were going to make this happen...
So the moral of this story is call, tell them you are interested in staying at ______ for this date ______ and that X hotel is offering this _____ deal and can they help you out.
Try it and see how far you get. If it doesn't work out, call back next week with the same script and see if things have changed!
Definitely know your pricing ahead of time for each of the room categories at the Disney Hotel that you want to stay at. That way if they say we have no standard rooms but we can give you a XX% discount on... lets say club level standard view you will have the numbers right there on a piece of paper and you can do the calculations quickly and tell right away if that offer is in your budget.
I approached the whole thing like I was buying a car, and I priced out each part of the package, Hotel, park tickets, dining etc. That way when they said for instance "I can give you a discount on dining only", I knew how much I was saving over regular rates.
This whole thing really is like buying a car if you are doing it the savvy way.
Definitely call and chat with one of those representatives at Disney
that are just standing by, waiting for YOU to call!!
Hopefully you won't be unlucky and one of those "turkeys" will answer the phone!
Good luck!
~ MM