AP discount vs. regular promotions vs. Orbitz

[Cynister]

We have booked an onsite vaca for December 2015. Currently there is no offer attached to it as I had planned to call around Jun/Jul when the winter offers might start to be announced & I could just apply it then. We do plan on upgrading to an AP once we get there in December, but we don't have one now. After reading a few posts on here I'm wondering which is actually the best way to get a good deal. Do I call & ask to apply the AP discount to the reservation now? Where do I even see what the current AP discount/rates are if I don't have the AP in hand now? I also read that sometimes it is cheaper to book through Orbitz because they offer additional discounts even for Disney resorts. How do the reservations work? Do you still get the reservation book from Disney? Do you get a Disney reservation number?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

[csjordan]

We have booked an onsite vaca for December 2015. Currently there is no offer attached to it as I had planned to call around Jun/Jul when the winter offers might start to be announced & I could just apply it then. We do plan on upgrading to an AP once we get there in December, but we don't have one now. After reading a few posts on here I'm wondering which is actually the best way to get a good deal. Do I call & ask to apply the AP discount to the reservation now? Where do I even see what the current AP discount/rates are if I don't have the AP in hand now? I also read that sometimes it is cheaper to book through Orbitz because they offer additional discounts even for Disney resorts. How do the reservations work? Do you still get the reservation book from Disney? Do you get a Disney reservation number?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

There are no AP discounts out for December 2015 yet. I suspect it will be late Fall before you see any, if at all. Can't remember what the AP rates for December were this past year. Another poster may be able to answer that one. I don't know how to find out what the AP rates are if you are not an AP holder. You could call Disney reservations and explain what you are trying to do to see if they will tell you. Seems like I called before we upgraded our tickets to AP's and the CM would not give me that information. If you have a friend or family with access to the Passholder site, they can look for you. I book through Orbitz alot! In fact, I just booked a Spring Break long weekend at All-Star Music for $129 per night, including taxes! Love, love, love Orbitz! With Orbitz, you have to pay the entire amount upfront. On Orbitz confirmation, they give you an Orbitz booking number and a hotel confirmation number. The booking number is not the one you use in MDE. It is the "Hotel Confirmation Number". I booked a Bounce Back offer for the week of Christmas last week before we checked out of Saratoga Springs. Got a great deal on CSR! You could always keep your reservation and try to change to a special when one comes available. Oh yeah, the Orbitz special they are running right now is only through June. Nothing is out for December yet. Good luck!