AP RATES

[Annchristine65]

I booked in a standard room at RPR Sept 21- 26. SMSM rate of $200 per night (not bad). I have been patiently waiting for AP rates to come out hoping to upgrade to maybe club. No luck yet. But I have noticed that there are now no standard, water view or club rooms available at SMSM rate. There are standard, water view and club rooms available at seasonal rate. I don't understand this. Am I out of luck? Will there only be discount on seasonal rates?

 

[AngelDisney]

I booked in a standard room at RPR Sept 21- 26. SMSM rate of $200 per night (not bad). I have been patiently waiting for AP rates to come out hoping to upgrade to maybe club. No luck yet. But I have noticed that there are now no standard, water view or club rooms available at SMSM rate. There are standard, water view and club rooms available at seasonal rate. I don't understand this. Am I out of luck? Will there only be discount on seasonal rates?

I have been wondering the same thing for August.

 

[HairyChest]

They will be made available at the latest, 3 weeks before your arrival date. Today they just released standard rooms for aph rate at portofino bay for june 5th.

 

[macraven]

I booked in a standard room at RPR Sept 21- 26. SMSM rate of $200 per night (not bad). I have been patiently waiting for AP rates to come out hoping to upgrade to maybe club. No luck yet. But I have noticed that there are now no standard, water view or club rooms available at SMSM rate. There are standard, water view and club rooms available at seasonal rate. I don't understand this. Am I out of luck? Will there only be discount on seasonal rates?

With hhn starting mid sept, many rooms have been booked leaving less

Some travel agencies book blocks of rooms for hhn for their companies bookings

When their bookings slow down or drop low, they release blocks held rooms, back to UO

When that happens, rooms are highly discounted and ap rates open up

If you are already booked, call and modify your booking to the ap rate

Do start checking rates for your dates ten days out
I snagged the ap rate once before

I used the smsm rate for my oct 1-15 stay rpr king suite
$190 + tax last October 28 for this year

But will be checking for ap rates closer to my dates

Smsm is giving me a 35% discount
Not sure if ap rate will match it but I still watch

Will give a heads up when I see ap are released that covers your dates

Send me a pm to remind me in early September
I have a short list I am doing this for others
Will add you to my list if you want an extra pair of eyes to help

 

[tarq476]

I'm new to the APH discount. Is there a rhyme or reason to when APH rooms are released? Is there a way to tell besides searching each day? I'm currently looking for an APH room in late June and standard room are not showing up. Is it more likely some will be released later, or are they perhaps all booked? Thanks!

 

[macraven]

I'm new to the APH discount. Is there a rhyme or reason to when APH rooms are released? Is there a way to tell besides searching each day? I'm currently looking for an APH room in late June and standard room are not showing up. Is it more likely some will be released later, or are they perhaps all booked? Thanks!

No one knows

We can give it our best guess based on years of experience
But after going to UO since 1993, and park expansions over the years some things we find stay solid some not

Anytime something new and big happens, we have to wait a bit to see how it effects the parks

New third park opening this month
It can change the present pattern crowd flow and change hotel bookings

UO does not need to release more ap rates as the hotels will fill themselves due to opening of a new park

Months from now we might see a new pattern where booking early months out are best
Vbay already has sold out dates for cabana's
Who would have guessed it happen weeks out to May 25

Late June has always had crowds
But this year see more hotel standard rooms filled on some dates

If there are days hotels have availability, always possible to release new ap rates to fill them

Too unpredictable at his point to say when additional ap dates will be released

Many seasoned UO guests will book months out with smsm public discount code (or no discount) to secure actual booking

Then wait to see if ap rates are released
They can call and modify their room rate then

I book with a rate I can live with and check for discounts later

My vacation dates are not flexible


Rooms are released back to the booking pool when cancelled
You will see standard rooms show up on the booking site then

Travel agencies do release these blocks of rooms they don't sell back to UO about couple weeks or ten days out

Booking site will show more available then

USually we get posts when some one scores and able to book standard rooms
So check for new info that posters share

Hotels do have higher end rooms now for late June
Those with a strict budget may not be able to swing that sometimes

 

[jeffbeardreams]

With hhn starting mid sept, many rooms have been booked leaving less

Some travel agencies book blocks of rooms for hhn for their companies bookings

When their bookings slow down or drop low, they release blocks held rooms, back to UO

When that happens, rooms are highly discounted and ap rates open up

Correct.

And this is a HUGE difference between Universal's business practices and Disney's that gets Disney-centric people confused. Disney has never and probably will never allow its partner agencies to book rooms in blocks. Universal has a more old school approach to this practice and still allows the practice. And it does open up some surprisingly good deals to be had if you search for last minute rates. Universal gets a sudden influx of available rooms and has to adjust pricing to move inventory. Disney is the opposite. They almost never discount anything during the most popular times of the year ... only the times when their resorts aren't full and they need to reduce available inventory.

FWIW, it seems to happen in other times of the year too. With Universal packages it's absolutely something worth tracking.

 

[Roxyfire]

Correct.

And this is a HUGE difference between Universal's business practices and Disney's that gets Disney-centric people confused. Disney has never and probably will never allow its partner agencies to book rooms in blocks. Universal has a more old school approach to this practice and still allows the practice. And it does open up some surprisingly good deals to be had if you search for last minute rates. Universal gets a sudden influx of available rooms and has to adjust pricing to move inventory. Disney is the opposite. They almost never discount anything during the most popular times of the year ... only the times when their resorts aren't full and they need to reduce available inventory.

FWIW, it seems to happen in other times of the year too. With Universal packages it's absolutely something worth tracking.

Not OP but thanks for this explanation. There's very few rooms to book Columbus Day weekend, and I realize it's probably gonna be a popular time with kids out of school, Volcano Bay being new, and HHN. But I had little trouble last year compared to this year. I booked at a rate I can live with for now, hoping more gets released soon.

 

[pcstang]

Not OP but thanks for this explanation. There's very few rooms to book Columbus Day weekend, and I realize it's probably gonna be a popular time with kids out of school, Volcano Bay being new, and HHN. But I had little trouble last year compared to this year. I booked at a rate I can live with for now, hoping more gets released soon.

HHN is growing in attendance every year. There are several of us that booked around Columbus Day for 2017 back in October of 2016 after we got home from USO.

 

[macraven]

HHN is growing in attendance every year. There are several of us the booked around Columbus Day for 2017 back in October of 2016 after we got home from USO.

True
I booked my room a week after I returned last oct 17

Think you booked about the time when I did pc

The other 7 locked in also at the end of the year

Only 20 or 22 king suites for the 3 towers at rpr and they book up fast!

 

[Roxyfire]

HHN is growing in attendance every year. There are several of us that booked around Columbus Day for 2017 back in October of 2016 after we got home from USO.

I had recently decided to go back and thought I'd book when I get home from my trip in a couple weeks. Bad idea, I guess. I have a room, just not at a great rate.

 

[macraven]

Roxy don't give up hope

Start checking rates for your dates 21 days out

Then modify rate

The hardest thing is securing the room as many can not commit months out when they can do their stay

some employers require vacation time off work to be scheduled at certain time periods

 

[Roxyfire]

Roxy don't give up hope

Start checking rates for your dates 21 days out

Then modify rate

The hardest thing is securing the room as many can not commit months out when they can do their stay

some employers require vacation time off work to be scheduled at certain time periods

Thanks mac, I will enjoy the water view at RPR even if my wallet does not. But I will also keep looking as it gets closer. I got what I wanted the other day for my June stay at Portofino.

 

[Annchristine65]

With hhn starting mid sept, many rooms have been booked leaving less

Some travel agencies book blocks of rooms for hhn for their companies bookings

When their bookings slow down or drop low, they release blocks held rooms, back to UO

When that happens, rooms are highly discounted and ap rates open up

If you are already booked, call and modify your booking to the ap rate

Do start checking rates for your dates ten days out
I snagged the ap rate once before

I used the smsm rate for my oct 1-15 stay rpr king suite
$190 + tax last October 28 for this year

But will be checking for ap rates closer to my dates

Smsm is giving me a 35% discount
Not sure if ap rate will match it but I still watch

Will give a heads up when I see ap are released that covers your dates

Send me a pm to remind me in early September
I have a short list I am doing this for others
Will add you to my list if you want an extra pair of eyes to help

Thanks so much Mac!

 

[AuroraluvsPhillip]

I think until more rooms open up with the CBBR expansion and Aventura, discounts will be tough to find, especially with the VB opening. The economy has improved somewhat, so people may be willing to take more costly vacations. Special events at UO, such as HHN and the HP Celebration draw many visitors and now "Christmas at Hogwarts" is being advertised. I will hope for an AP rate for my Sept. trip, but am prepared to pay the SMSM rate I booked at. I'm glad to have my room and flights taken care of.