AP Discount Watch and FAQ 2023. 10% - 40% off select nights July 11 - Sept 28; Oct 2 - Dec 25

[AquaDame]

To one of the thousands of non-Disney hotel rooms surround Disney World. After all if all the good hotels at WDW are booked you better book something else in your hotel category quick. I still think they're shooting themselves in the foot.

Honestly we stayed offsite for the first time last year - had a blast and saved a ton. If not for EEMH for GE this year we would have done the same. These prices are unreal if you've been going for awhile.

 

[armerida]

Must be just the resorts we are staying in. They have not increased their rack rates. Lower percentage of discount yes. But my rack rate stay was higher than the AP rate by quite a lot.

Hmm, what resort are you staying at? I'm at Art of Animation for Veterans Day weekend and Christmas week, and the discounted prices are showing as quite a bit more than I paid when I booked a while back...

 

[armerida]

It's pretty crazy... I had a GREAT rate for a standard room at POP by booking awhile ago. Now with the new rates I only saved $7 by booking with an AP discount but hey, that will buy (most of) a beer I guess. Maybe if I'd woken up early there would have been something better...but its just not worth a 'maybe they will release them' when you are on the west coast.

Interesting, I booked a long time ago too at AoA and I'm not seeing any discount, even small, reflected in the new AP and/or Fall & Holiday prices for my hotel - they're actually quite a bit higher than when I booked just the standard room rate.

 

[AquaDame]

Interesting, I booked a long time ago too at AoA and I'm not seeing any discount, even small, reflected in the new AP and/or Fall & Holiday prices for my hotel - they're actually quite a bit higher than when I booked just the standard room rate.

Right? I see a tiny AP discount off the NEW rate for only standard pool view, otherwise the general discount is listing a discounted rate of... exactly the same non-discounted price. Do that many people not read? It must have been quite a price jump if rack rate when I booked is now the same as the discounted AP price (I don't think pop charges that much more per night for standard pool view vs. standard view but maybe I am mistaken and the cat jump is large)

 

[cakebaker]

To one of the thousands of non-Disney hotel rooms surround Disney World. After all if all the good hotels at WDW are booked you better book something else in your hotel category quick. I still think they're shooting themselves in the foot.

But if you don't want to stay off site, then this is the only game in town. Judging by the business of the website and the long, long waits by phone, it wouldn't appear they are losing much business.

 

[vinotinto]

Yeah, the price increase,coupled with small discounts (really? 10% on the weekends), means many discounts are very close to rack rate...

 

[gottalovepluto]

Does anyone think these wonky prices could be do to technical difficulties? (A girl can dream right?)

Those seeing higher rates than when they booked, have you check your rates since the 2020 rates came out? I recall people noticing then that a few 2019 rates had been hiked as well.

 

[JPM4]

Are people still getting the in orbit space mountain page? I’ve been getting it for the last hour plus.

 

[AquaDame]

Does anyone think these wonky prices could be do to technical difficulties? (A girl can dream right?)

Those seeing higher rates than when they booked, have you check your rates since the 2020 rates came out? I recall people noticing then that a few 2019 rates had been hiked as well.

I have and noticed the price hike awhile ago when I considered moving to Caribbean Beach, but it was almost double the rate I had at POP by then.

Are people still getting the in orbit space mountain page? I’ve been getting it for the last hour plus.

I have but the count down was only a few minutes the first time and a mere :30 the second.

 

[rbenn81]

Can someone explain how to book the AP discount online? I cant seem to figure that out?

 

[AquaDame]

Can someone explain how to book the AP discount online? I cant seem to figure that out?

Hover on the 'My Disney Experience' link towards the top right and at the bottom click on Annual Passholder Types, Benefits and Discounts. Under
Discover Exciting Passholder Discounts is an option for 'View Resort Options' and it will have you sign in/put in your dates and such.

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Let us know if you're successful.

I was successful. They were able to modify my AKL reservation to Sept 5th - 10th (down from Sept 1st to 10th) and my CSR reservation to Sept 1st - 4th (down from Sept 1st to 10th). And I was able to retain the discount on both reservations.

 

[tlmadden73]

Must be just the resorts we are staying in. They have not increased their rack rates. Lower percentage of discount yes. But my rack rate stay was higher than the AP rate by quite a lot.

Well mine was for a non-discounted room. When looking up a non-discounted room, it still shows as "valid" for the Fall/Holiday discount, but the savings is $0 (in other words no discount). So if you aren't looking closely, you may book a room (say the Mermaid rooms at AoA) thinking you are getting a discount, when you aren't.

So my anecdote is that If I booked the same room (AoA Mermaid) (for exact same time in October) with no discounts ----- it is $23/night more NOW than it was 5-6 months ago (whenever I booked it). (Which makes sense, most hotel prices increase as the hotel gets more full, just like an airplane).

But discounts are applied to the "current" rack rate, so even if AoA Mermaid rooms HAD a discount applied, it would had to have been more than 10% to actually be a savings for me.

So, it seems, depending on the resort, of course, sometimes booking early can save you some,(and make sure you get exactly what you want). Just like any sale, saving X% off a jacked-up price isn't really saving anything (I am looking at you Kohls), but it "feels" good.

 

[honeymo78]

Does anyone think these wonky prices could be do to technical difficulties? (A girl can dream right?)

Those seeing higher rates than when they booked, have you check your rates since the 2020 rates came out? I recall people noticing then that a few 2019 rates had been hiked as well.

Rack rate for my room only increased today at around 9am. The rack rate for preferred pool view at Pop 9/15-9/22 was exactly the same at 8:30am this morning as it was when I booked the room in January (and the same as the several times I checked in the last few months hoping to find a discount).

The reason I know rack rate for today was I tried a new booking to see if rates went up since I wasn’t seeing a 20% discount overall or for individual nights when I applied the PH discount. Between 7am and about 8:45am the price was identical to Jan. Around 9am is when the price went up and now the PH rate is 20% off rack rate (for weekdays).

 

[focusondisney]

Are people still getting the in orbit space mountain page? I’ve been getting it for the last hour plus.

Yes, since about 12:20 this afternoon.

 

[rbenn81]

Hover on the 'My Disney Experience' link towards the top right and at the bottom click on Annual Passholder Types, Benefits and Discounts. Under
Discover Exciting Passholder Discounts is an option for 'View Resort Options' and it will have you sign in/put in your dates and such.

Thanks! I figured out why I couldn't find it. My AP hasnt been activated yet.

 

[PolyRob]

Yes, since about 12:20 this afternoon.

I'd be ok with the countdown if it actually showed me results once it hit 0:00 rather than redirecting to the homepage

 

[AngiTN]

To one of the thousands of non-Disney hotel rooms surround Disney World. After all if all the good hotels at WDW are booked you better book something else in your hotel category quick. I still think they're shooting themselves in the foot.

That's great but doesn't help at all if someone wants to stay on property and on property only, at a Disney owned resort (let say hypothetically they have to get the dining plan for whatever reason). Which is why I specifically said, if you want to book a Disney resort, then where else do you book? I didn't add in switching to any hotel in Orlando. That obviously changes the game totally. But that's not an apple to apple situation. Is it?

This is why, I think, Disney doesn't try too hard with their IT crap. They know, they have a captive audience. You gotta book with them to get their product.
Those who are willing to move away from their product, it doesn't apply to.

 

[AngiTN]

Hmm, what resort are you staying at? I'm at Art of Animation for Veterans Day weekend and Christmas week, and the discounted prices are showing as quite a bit more than I paid when I booked a while back...

We stay at BWI CL.

Does anyone think these wonky prices could be do to technical difficulties? (A girl can dream right?)

Those seeing higher rates than when they booked, have you check your rates since the 2020 rates came out? I recall people noticing then that a few 2019 rates had been hiked as well.

Yes, have bookings for the room we book going back to Jan of this year. So it's easy to compare what I paid before vs. now. Even have some bookings I made in March of this year for the fall and can compare. I am still paying less. But I don't book Value or Mod so that likely makes a huge difference in results now.
Plus, the resorts that have added the Gondola have changed their rate structure quite a bit.

 

[rbenn81]

I am currently staying 9/29-10/4 at POP. Just got off the phone with Disney Reservations and was told that there were no AP discounts at any of the value resorts during my dates. Could this be true? They've been out for a day. Do they go this quick??