Booking disney the week of trip

[mymadelynn]

Dh is a real last minute planner. He thinks we will get a better deal if we what till the very last minute. Meaning the morning of the night we want to stay. Is it possible to get a deal at disney this way? Or should I book a caa discount room before hand just in case.

 

[Bob P]

Hi,

A lot depends on when you are going. Christmas week? Easter week? President's Day week? July 4 week? Or September? Or January?

Personally, I'd never do it that way, but I'm sure it has worked for some people, especially in the off seasons.

 

[AmyBWV99]

I'd book a room now. If WDW is at high capacity, booking too late could be extremely costly (if they only have GF concierge rooms left, for example). Booking earlier also assures you get your pick of resort.

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Absolutely book the room now. DH and I have tried doing last minute trips before and even with all the rooms you'd think Disney has they were booked solid.

You know the old saying, "A bird in the hand is worth more than two in the bush." Better to have the room reserved and then if you get a better deal cancel the first reservation.

 

[mymadelynn]

It would be the end of January. I'm I think I'm going to book a week with caa room only discount then I can always change it if we get a better deal.

 

[Got Quattro?]

Depends on the season...off peak...yes..you cvan usually get a deal last minute...or book 2-3 months using promos or Ap pass rates.

Peak seasons....book as far out as you can....they dont discount price and they sell out.

 

[hansel1]

Not only should you book now (as you can always apply a discount code later), but you should book your ADRs now if you are planning a january trip. Restaurants are still full in the off-season.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You might wind up paying rack rate if all the Disney discounts are gone. Book a room now with CAA and go with that.

 

[disneymath]

Don't think we got a discount, but we did get last minute rooms back in August of 2003 ... had planned to stay offsite, got into that hotel at 1:30 AM and it was BAD!! I was on the phone to Disney CRO as soon as they opened ... I think I was a bit hysterical - but I do remember asking if they had any rooms for under $100 per night ... anyway the cast member was very nice and got us adjoining rooms at ASMo (actually, she gave us our choice of All Star resorts) at a rate of $99 each per night. At the time, it seemed very reasonable, all things considered.

Would I try that again ... nope, now we just book onsite as soon as we decide to go ... better to have a Disney room at "rack rate" than be forced to be offsite.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Don't think we got a discount, but we did get last minute rooms back in August of 2003 ... had planned to stay offsite, got into that hotel at 1:30 AM and it was BAD!! I was on the phone to Disney CRO as soon as they opened ... I think I was a bit hysterical - but I do remember asking if they had any rooms for under $100 per night ... anyway the cast member was very nice and got us adjoining rooms at ASMo (actually, she gave us our choice of All Star resorts) at a rate of $99 each per night. At the time, it seemed very reasonable, all things considered.

Would I try that again ... nope, now we just book onsite as soon as we decide to go ... better to have a Disney room at "rack rate" than be forced to be offsite.

Isn't that the truth. I have never stayed off-site before, but thought I was going to have to in June when I booked a trip about 1 1/2 weeks out. Got lucky though, the morning after we decided to go, I called exactly at 7:00am and got the only room avail at AS Movies, paid rack rate, but was very happy with that. Now I am right up there with the Dis pros booking rooms with codes and AAA, no more rack rate for me.

Suzanne

 

[Lynne M]

I understand what your husband is thinking, but Disney's discounts don't work that way.

The very best discounts are usually available months in advance of the trip. If a resort doesn't seem to be booking enough rooms for Disney's taste, they make various discount codes available. Some are for specific groups such as annual pass holders, some are for the general public. They only discount a certain number of rooms, and once those are booked, the discount is gone.

The other thing to consider is that Disney resorts are pretty heavily booked year-round. Those last-minute discounts you read about are at chains that are desperate to fill rooms. Disney doesn't do 'desperate'. They know that if you aren't willing to pay their prices, someone else will be.

So, if you follow your husband's plan, you won't be seeing any $150 rooms at the Poly. What's more likely to happen is that you'll be told that only the most expensive room categories are available, and at full price.

If you want to get a better handle on how Disney's discounts work, visit mousesavers.com. Lots of excellent info there, and they always have all of the current discount codes.

 

[Marci]

I understand what your husband is thinking, but Disney's discounts don't work that way.

The very best discounts are usually available months in advance of the trip. If a resort doesn't seem to be booking enough rooms for Disney's taste, they make various discount codes available. Some are for specific groups such as annual pass holders, some are for the general public. They only discount a certain number of rooms, and once those are booked, the discount is gone.

The other thing to consider is that Disney resorts are pretty heavily booked year-round. Those last-minute discounts you read about are at chains that are desperate to fill rooms. Disney doesn't do 'desperate'. They know that if you aren't willing to pay their prices, someone else will be.

So, if you follow your husband's plan, you won't be seeing any $150 rooms at the Poly. What's more likely to happen is that you'll be told that only the most expensive room categories are available, and at full price.

If you want to get a better handle on how Disney's discounts work, visit mousesavers.com. Lots of excellent info there, and they always have all of the current discount codes.

I agree totally with this advice. As a Florida resident, I love to dash to Disney on a whim and have learned the hard way that getting a deal to stay on property means planning ahead. Of course there are often deals to be had off site.

 

[mymadelynn]

So any advice on how to convince dh to book early? I think I'm convinced.

 

[Lynne M]

I'd think that printing out this thread and showing it to him would go a long way towards convincing him. Just emphasize that waiting till the last minute means that he will MISS the good discounts.

Or, you could conduct an experiment.....call up WDW reservations and ask if they have any rooms available for the next few days, and if they are discounted. Or, you could go to the WDW website and look at what's available for this week or next week. I suspect you'll find that many resorts are completely booked except for the really high-end rooms, and if there are discounts, they're nowhere near what you could have gotten a few months ago.

 

[Taja]

I would just do it and advise him later. Ermmm...just before the credit card bill with the deposit on it arrives!

If you're booking room only, I think the cancellation policy is 10 days prior to arrival for full refund. Disney has one of the worst cancellation periods for room only ressies--but other major hotels seem to be following suit.

So, tell your DH that you need to book now and request a CAA discount. According to your research, not only is it unlikely any discounted rooms will be available near the time of your trip, but most likely only the most expensive classes of rooms will be available. You also might want to toss in the part about the refundable deposit and the cancellation policy.

Let him know that if any other discounts become available, you will be on the phone to Disney Travel (or your TA, if using one), to have them applied immediately.

And if he agrees, be sure to join a code watch and do your part to try to find a discount and apply it!

 

[NHTikiBeckie]

So any advice on how to convince dh to book early? I think I'm convinced.

Make him read this. Disney is not like other vacation destinations and cruises. Last minute deals come out 2-3 months prior, and certainly NEVER come up on ther day you leave to go there! You would be lucky to get a room at all if you wait till the day of! I would not take that chance. And like others said, if a discounted rate came out you could still apply it. I use AAA to book, I always save around $300+ this way and when discounts come out they apply it.

 

[SorcererDonald16]

I would definitely say book now and cancel it later if you come across a better rate. Even 2 years ago, we could wait a month in advance to book and still get the room we wanted. Not anymore! Just called yesterday about rooms in May 2008 (well before Memorial Day, mind you), and the standard room we wanted at WL was already gone; not even rack rate rooms were left. Luckily we got a AAA rate on a courtyard view though, but that's still way more than we wanted to spend. That's almost 7 months in advance, and we still had problems.

Lesson being: book as soon as you decide when you're going and what hotel you want to stay at.

GL and enjoy your trip!