Book now, apply discount later?

[DisDad4Life]

I've booked many Disney trips over the past several years (all through the Disney website) but my questions are probably going to sound like a newbie since I've never done this particular scenario before. I've always waited for the discounts to be released, then booked our package and made ADRs and FP+ selections. The only problem I've had with that is that some of our dining choices haven't been available for our desired dates and times due to booking them 30-60 days out instead of taking advantage of the 180 day window.

So now I'm looking at possibly booking a boardwalk resort in June (I think the discounts should be released late March/early April?). When I check the website right now all the dining options we'd want are available, so that's the plus.

So here are my questions:

1) If I book now at the rack rate, is it a simple process to have the discount applied when they come out (I assume I would have to call)?

2) Would updating with the discount affect any reservations I would have made (resort or ADRs) in any way?

3) Would I run the risk that our selected resort might not be included in the discounts or are YC/BC/Boardwalk always (usually?) included?

I know this is a fairly common thing to do but not having booked this far in advance I just don't know what the process is and what to expect.

Thanks to anyone who might weigh in on this and I look forward to a bit of education!

 

[bigbabyblues]

You would have to call and see if there is a discounted room available at the resort you booked for the dates you want. Booking a room now does not increase your chances of getting a discounted room. Not all resorts are available for all dates of a discount, and only a certain number of rooms per participatingresort are allocated for a discount. There is o way to know if YC/BC will be included or available for your dates. It is possible that when/if a discount comes out for your dates, you would have to change resorts to get it. Or, it could be that not all of your days are available with a discount.

 

[nemodeb]

In my experience, I call and get the room reservation first, usually several months away, before AP rates apply to that time period. Then I watch DIS and mousesavers for when the AP rates come out, then I call as soon as I can to see if I can get the discount applied. I think in all the years we've been going, maybe only once or twice have it not been able to get the discount applied. But PP is correct, your resort may not have discounted rooms available, or they may already be filled. Updating with the discount should not affect your dining reservations.

 

[mickeynut1]

I've booked many Disney trips over the past several years (all through the Disney website) but my questions are probably going to sound like a newbie since I've never done this particular scenario before. I've always waited for the discounts to be released, then booked our package and made ADRs and FP+ selections. The only problem I've had with that is that some of our dining choices haven't been available for our desired dates and times due to booking them 30-60 days out instead of taking advantage of the 180 day window.

So now I'm looking at possibly booking a boardwalk resort in June (I think the discounts should be released late March/early April?). When I check the website right now all the dining options we'd want are available, so that's the plus.

So here are my questions:

1) If I book now at the rack rate, is it a simple process to have the discount applied when they come out (I assume I would have to call)?

2) Would updating with the discount affect any reservations I would have made (resort or ADRs) in any way?

3) Would I run the risk that our selected resort might not be included in the discounts or are YC/BC/Boardwalk always (usually?) included?

I know this is a fairly common thing to do but not having booked this far in advance I just don't know what the process is and what to expect.

Thanks to anyone who might weigh in on this and I look forward to a bit of education!

1. As the pp's said, it is simple, provided what you have booked is available under the discount. Not all resorts/room types are offered under a promo, so sometimes you have to be flexible in order to take advantage of a discount.

2. Having a discount applied to an existing reservation will not have any affect on your ADRs. There is, however, a chance you might have to change resorts (or room type) as not all resorts/room types are always offered with a discount and having a reservation already in place does not guarantee a discount can be applied. If what you have booked isn't available, you won't be able to take advantage of the discount on that particular resort/room type.

3. Like the pp said, there is no way of knowing ahead of time which resorts will be included, but in my experience, the Epcot resorts have usually been included in discounts.


Also, I wanted to mention that you don't need a resort reservation to make ADRs at 180 days. A resort reservation is needed only if you want to make them all at once for the whole trip, up to 10 days. Without a resort reservation, you would have to make ADRs a day at a time for each day of your trip, but that's an option if you didn't want to book your package now. FP+ is a different story, however, since you need a resort reservation to book those 60 days out, but you can make your ADRs without a resort reservation.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I've booked many Disney trips over the past several years (all through the Disney website) but my questions are probably going to sound like a newbie since I've never done this particular scenario before. I've always waited for the discounts to be released, then booked our package and made ADRs and FP+ selections. The only problem I've had with that is that some of our dining choices haven't been available for our desired dates and times due to booking them 30-60 days out instead of taking advantage of the 180 day window.

So now I'm looking at possibly booking a boardwalk resort in June (I think the discounts should be released late March/early April?). When I check the website right now all the dining options we'd want are available, so that's the plus.

So here are my questions:

1) If I book now at the rack rate, is it a simple process to have the discount applied when they come out (I assume I would have to call)?

2) Would updating with the discount affect any reservations I would have made (resort or ADRs) in any way?

3) Would I run the risk that our selected resort might not be included in the discounts or are YC/BC/Boardwalk always (usually?) included?

I know this is a fairly common thing to do but not having booked this far in advance I just don't know what the process is and what to expect.

Thanks to anyone who might weigh in on this and I look forward to a bit of education!

First of all, if you see the dining reservations you want, book them now, even if you don't have your resort sorted out yet. You can always cancel them if you end up not going, changing dates, etc.

1) If you book now at rack rate, yes, you can call to see if a discount can be applied once the discounts are released.

2) No. Resort reservations, resort changes, discounts, cancellations, etc. have zero affect on dining reservations. Just know, if you make dining reservations and resort reservations and end up cancelling the resort reservation, you have to cancel the dining reservations too. Resort and dining reservations are not linked.

3) Yes, you always run the risk that your resort and/or room category will not be included in the discount.

If you are flexible with resorts and will only go IF a discount is released, I would book your dining now and then book your resort once the discounts are out. There is no point in booking at rack rate and then having to call and adjust (if you are lucky) when you can simply book online with the discount the day the discounts are released.

 

[Sue M]

Anyone can book dining ADRs 180 days out. The only difference is if you don't have a resort reservation you have to book them daily rather than the 180 + 10. So every day you'd go online from your 180 mark and book another ADR. You don't have to wait for 30-60 days for dining.

I always wait for a discount before I book. Reasoning being is that if a resort is filled without discounts, Disney see's no reason to offer a discount to fill it. Or offer a lessor discount.

Go ahead and book your dining at 180 days!!

 

[DisDad4Life]

Thanks everyone for the info! I was wondering about the ADRs and if I could book them 180 days out without a resort reservation. Now I know and I will begin booking those (a day at a time - excited about getting the process started)! I'll probably wait until I see what rooms are available once the discounts are released. Thanks again! Much appreciated!

 

[Babsy]

I like to book a resort at rack rate that I would be willing to stay in even if there are no discounts. That way I do have a reservation to fall back upon and I am not negatively impacting the likelihood of discounts at the resort that I am hoping for. Also with discounts getting less reliable, you just might end up staying in the rack rate back up resort. But if/when the discounts are available you can easily upgrade.

I am talking about room only reservations, though. I have never booked a package, so I don't know how the rules work for those.

 

[buzznina]

Anyone can book dining ADRs 180 days out. The only difference is if you don't have a resort reservation you have to book them daily rather than the 180 + 10. So every day you'd go online from your 180 mark and book another ADR. You don't have to wait for 30-60 days for dining.

I always wait for a discount before I book. Reasoning being is that if a resort is filled without discounts, Disney see's no reason to offer a discount to fill it. Or offer a lessor discount.

Go ahead and book your dining at 180 days!!

I agree with Sue M and in regards to discounts, with the occupancy that WDW is pulling in now, I actually think booking early decreases your chances for a discount. Since you can book ADRs without a reservation why book early, the rack rates will almost always be there Plus, I would never pay rack rate, definitely not worth it, unless it's a once in a lifetime trip.

 

[Aurora0427]

1) If I book now at the rack rate, is it a simple process to have the discount applied when they come out (I assume I would have to call)?

2) Would updating with the discount affect any reservations I would have made (resort or ADRs) in any way?

3) Would I run the risk that our selected resort might not be included in the discounts or are YC/BC/Boardwalk always (usually?) included?

!

1. I do not think you can simply have the discount applied. We discovered this the hard way. They will cancel the reservation and you will book a new reservation based on availability. They used to just apply the discount, but the last two times we've done this, we've had to cancel and re book. This started in 2015.

2. It will not affect any ADRs you booked under the prior reservation.

3. You always run the risk. There will be resorts not included, and usually only certain room levels are included. For instance, last fall at the Grand Floridian, no standard garden view rooms were included. You had to book water or theme park view.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Book now. Apply discount using the "modify" button later. Easy.