4 rooms, 4 nights each, how do I save?

[Jana49]

Can you help with this?

My DH and I are taking our grown children and their families to a value resort (either ASSp or PC) in about a year. We will be paying for their airplane tickets, hotel rooms, and park-hopper tickets. They are on their own for meals and other things.

My question is, should I consider an AP to save money? How much of a discount is given on the rooms with an AP? Is there any other way to save on room costs??

I have already bought most of the park-hopper tickets and will be making ressies soon and begin paying on those.

Also, this will be my 5th time going - why haven't I ever received a discount code??

Any suggestions are welcome and very appreciated!

TIA, Jana

 

[mad4themouse]

You may want to consider an AP to save money but hold off on buying it.

• There are no guarantees that there will be AP room-only rates for the time that you will be there.
• Even if there are rates for your time period, there may not be rooms available where you want to stay.
• You will only be able to reserve 3 rooms per AP holder, so there will be one room that will have to be booked at another rate unless you purchase 2 APs.
• The difference in price between what you would pay for your APs and your PHs should exceed the difference between what you would pay for your rooms with and without the APs. If it doesn't, and you have no plans to return less than a year later, then the APs would not be worth the added expense.

As far as getting discount postcards, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. My DS11 has gotten them in the past (he's the "subscriber" to Disney Magazine in our house) and he's never made a ressie in his name! On the other hand, we've been to WDW 8 times and done the Disney cruise twice, but neither DH nor I have received a discount postcard.

 

[Ellester]

Be sure to check out www.mousesavers.com for rates good for anyone. You can also sign up for her newsletter to get breaking news and subscriber only deals. The codes are hit or miss as mad4themouse said. We've gotten one postcard, but that's it. Even if you make your ressies now and a lower rate comes out, you should be able to call back and have them adjust the rate. Just keep your eyes out!

PS-What nice parents! Our last trip was a Christmas trip from my dad and stepmom and we all had a wonderful time! It was great seeing the grandkids and the grandparents have such fun together.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

1111111111

 

[2angelsinheaven]

The average AP rate is 49 a night at the values, rack is 77 for your projected arrival according to you countdown... thats $112 a night difference for all 4 rooms... so 448 over the four nights... that pays for an ap in its self...

221- 4 day
254- 5 day
392- Annual
334- Child's Annual

So here is goes:
Even if its true about booking only 3 rooms per ap, here is the breakdown.

4 day hopper: 221
Annual Pass: 392
Diff- 171, savings for three rooms 8 four nights is: $332.oo or $161 after you take out the 171 to upgrade. Savings of 161, worth buying a pass.

5 day hopper: 254
AP- 392
Diff- 138
Savings is 194 for the rooms after you take out the 138 for the passes....

If your able to book all 4 at the ap rate, you'll save another $112 for the fourth room...

Or if anyone is coming back anytime withen the next year, buy two aps... you'll still save $106 for the four nights.

448-342 (cost to upgrade two 4 day hoppers to ap's)= 106 saved on the rooms.

You didn't say what tix you were buying 4 or 5 day... that would help with the break down. You can call and reserve the rooms with an ap discount and buy an ap once you get there... that way is there are no ap rooms avail you wouldn't have spent the money already.

Also with the ap you can park free, even onsite sometimes it is nice to drive over...

Feel free to PM or email me at darlenenjake@aol.com, we do budget disney all the time, hence so many trips recently in our siggie... I would be happy to help you out.

 

[2angelsinheaven]

Forgot to mention %10 off most DTD restraunts with ap, 10% of merch at World of Disney, %10 off lunch at EPCOT during the week and more... savings here too and could make it even more worthwhile.

 

[kilee]

If staying onsite is a must then overlook this. However if you pay $77 a night per value resort (which only going to be offseason) that is$1232.00 for the 4 rooms for 4 nights before tax. During off season you can definetly get a 5 bedroom pool home for well under that possibly even a 6-7 bedroom. Another thing if you rent from the UK owners, they don't collect tax on the rental. At least that has been my expierence in the past. The house we rented this past fall slept 12. It was a mid size 5 bedroom. They do have 6 and 7 bedrooms though. We paid $930 with pool heating and this was for midseason. If interested try www.orlandovillas.com or www.villasdirect.com I found them to have the best deals. Also, for a group that size, it saves on food, as you have the kitchen space to have some meals at "home" as well as the washer and dryer.

 

[Jana49]

Thanks for all the replies! Especially to 2angelsinHeaven! I will check out the info....

The only bad thing about staying in a villa, is we won't all be going to the same places at the same time, so we would have to rent 3, if not 4, cars. Then there is the parking fees, too.

Planning is half the fun, though!

Jana