Best time to book a summer trip?

[stephe1987]

For people who follow deals closely...

When is the best time to book a summer trip to WDW?

Is it cheaper to book when they first open the dates for booking, or to wait until they post the summer deals on their website?



We are in the early stages of planning a trip for summer 2013.

 

[aprilgail2]

I booked our July trip of this year in Jan- and since then the price has gone up on the website about 300.00 for the trip. I did end up getting a pin code in the mail that said they were happy we were thinking of booking our first trip there....I must have clicked off never been there when ordering the DVD this year but we have been there a dozen or more times. I gave the PIN code to my DU agent and she came back with the new price 550.00 off the old price!

 

[Marionnette]

For people who follow deals closely...

When is the best time to book a summer trip to WDW?

Is it cheaper to book when they first open the dates for booking, or to wait until they post the summer deals on their website?



We are in the early stages of planning a trip for summer 2013.

Once a discount code is announced, there are no changes to it other than possibly extending the booking date. It doesn't get cheaper as time goes by. Disney decides on the number of rooms at each participating resort. Once those rooms sell out under the discount code, they're done.

So, if I wanted to book a specific room for very specific dates, I would not wait for Disney to put the deal up on their website. I would call the very morning that it first becomes available in order to get the best shot at my dates and resort preference.

You can follow "code watches" on the Codes and Rates subforum of the Resort board. And you can see a chart of historical discounts on Mousesavers.com. It shows when discounts were announced and what dates they covered. Both can be very helpful because they will give you an idea as to when you need to start checking for codes.

An alternative would be to book with a Disney travel specialist who will look out for the discount codes and then apply them to your reservation if they can. That way, your vacation is book but someone else takes on the burden of doing the "code watch".

 

[stephe1987]

Thanks for the replies!

Is Dreams Unlimited a good travel agent? Maybe there is a thread about travel agents somewhere?

 

[aprilgail2]

Thanks for the replies!

Is Dreams Unlimited a good travel agent? Maybe there is a thread about travel agents somewhere?

I have used Merri from dreams unlimited about 4 times now- always had a good experience!