Booking Early @ rack rate?

[Jjs7one]

We are planning to visit Disney World over thanksgiving 2019. We are a family of 5 so the poly villas are perfect for us as they fit us all but not at the price of one bedrooms and my wife really wants to try the poly this time vs our normal beach club trip.

We tried to book 11 months out using the point rental site, to no avail.

Would it be beneficial to book our trip now direct with Disney to hold a room and hope that promotions come and we can apply them or should we wait until promotions are announced?

 

[Marionnette]

We are planning to visit Disney World over thanksgiving 2019. We are a family of 5 so the poly villas are perfect for us as they fit us all but not at the price of one bedrooms and my wife really wants to try the poly this time vs our normal beach club trip.

We tried to book 11 months out using the point rental site, to no avail.

Would it be beneficial to book our trip now direct with Disney to hold a room and hope that promotions come and we can apply them or should we wait until promotions are announced?

Any other time, I would say wait but with SW:GE opening in "late fall", and because you want to stay over Thanksgiving, I would lean toward just booking now as long as you're comfortable paying the rack rate. If there's no way that you would stay at the Poly without a discount, then wait. Booking at rack rate doesn't give you a foot in the door for a discount.

 

[focusondisney]

I agree with Marionnette. Since Disney offers discounts to fill unbooked rooms, the more rooms booked at rack rate, the less chance of discounts. But if you wait for discounts, the room you want still might not be discounted. And sometimes, it might not even be available at rack rate either. You have to decide if you want that room no matter what & are willing to pay full price. If you are, book as soon as you are ready so you are guaranteed the room you want. If you will only stay there with a discount, there really is no point booking early. Having a room already booked doesn’t guarantee you a discount even if one is released later.

 

[Gehrig1B]

We always book early and then look for the discounts. If nothing emerges we can 1) cancel or 2) keep the non-discounted room.

 

[tnolan]

A strategy I have used last year and this year, is to book two reservations for the same time period, one for a value (Pop) and one for a deluxe (Poly). Depending on how our finances go, the one I can afford is the one I keep, and cancel the other one no less than 6 weeks out from arrival date. But I always make the decision with the idea in mind that I will not be able to get any discounts, this way there are no surprises when the time comes for final payment.

 

[_19disnA]

We always book early and then look for the discounts. If nothing emerges we can 1) cancel or 2) keep the non-discounted room.

I agree. At peak holiday times, once the rooms are sold out, they are gone. There is no advantage to waiting as you may not be able to get the room/resort you wanted. Discounts around peak times are less likely, but if one does appear you can always apply for the discount.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I may be buying into DIS hyperbole, but Star Wars Galaxy's Edge has me a bit spooked. I'm not taking any chances with my late fall/holiday reservations. If you have specific dates/resort/room category preferences and you're likely to keep the reservation even if it's ultimately at the rack rate, I'd be inclined to book now.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

In 2017, we stayed at boardwalk, under the free dining promotion, from the Sunday before Thanksgiving to the Monday after. In 2018, free dining was blacked out for those similar dates. They offered a 10-20% off room deal that looks like it covered Thanksgiving week. We went to universal instead, so I never looked at that deal when it was available.

If star wars opens before Thanksgiving, I think you'll be lucky to see a 10-20% off rack rate deal that covers that week. It is a very busy week.

Book what you are comfortable paying for assuming that you won't get a better rate than that. Of course, if something better does come along, you can cancel/rebook. But this year? I wouldn't count on it.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I booked a rack rate I was comfortable with for Thanksgiving. I'll cross my fingers for AP discounts and will be willing to switch resorts if the discount is good enough.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Book with what you're comfortable with paying now.

Don't count on discounts but continue to look for them.

 

[saskdw]

We are planning to visit Disney World over thanksgiving 2019. We are a family of 5 so the poly villas are perfect for us as they fit us all but not at the price of one bedrooms and my wife really wants to try the poly this time vs our normal beach club trip.

We tried to book 11 months out using the point rental site, to no avail.

Would it be beneficial to book our trip now direct with Disney to hold a room and hope that promotions come and we can apply them or should we wait until promotions are announced?

Booking now doesn't serve a purpose unless you are willing to go through with the reservation at the booked price.

IF discounts come out you have to re-apply for a discounted room just like everyone else who isn't already booked. It DOESN'T hold a room for you to apply the discount to.

Most of us here on DIS are not expecting any discounts for the fall/Holiday season because of SWGE opening. It's expected they will have no trouble filling all their rooms at rack rate as this is maybe the most anticipated event in theme park history.

We have already booked our room for Christmas time to make sure we get the room we want. I'm not holding my breath on a better deal. I expect by March/April all the cheaper rooms will be gone and it will be just the more expensive options left.

 

[hammie59]

Booking now doesn't serve a purpose unless you are willing to go through with the reservation at the booked price.

IF discounts come out you have to re-apply for a discounted room just like everyone else who isn't already booked. It DOESN'T hold a room for you to apply the discount to.

^THIS^

Just book what you’re willing to pay no matter what and cross your fingers that you can get a discount later. Booking now “fills rooms” in Disney’s mind, so the more people that book early at rack rate lessen the chances of discounts for that future date.

 

[DaisyDuck001]

The more people who book at rack rate, the fewer discounts there will ever be.

Discounts are offered to fill rooms that didn't sell at rack rate.

So if lots of people book at rack rate with the idea of getting a discount later, it just reduces the chances that they or anyone else will be able to get a discount later.

If you want to stay there so much that you're willing to pay rack rate, then I guess you'll book it, but I wouldn't count on there being discounts later.

It is also true that even if you don't book it, it may sell out without any discounts ever being offered.

 

[Nancyg56]

Booking now doesn't serve a purpose unless you are willing to go through with the reservation at the booked price.

IF discounts come out you have to re-apply for a discounted room just like everyone else who isn't already booked. It DOESN'T hold a room for you to apply the discount to.

Most of us here on DIS are not expecting any discounts for the fall/Holiday season because of SWGE opening. It's expected they will have no trouble filling all their rooms at rack rate as this is maybe the most anticipated event in theme park history.

We have already booked our room for Christmas time to make sure we get the room we want. I'm not holding my breath on a better deal. I expect by March/April all the cheaper rooms will be gone and it will be just the more expensive options left.

This is true. If you book a room hopping to apply a discount, those days are gone. If a discount is offered, and I am not at all sure we will see many, you will need to rebook. The offers are specific to what Disney has allocated in inventory so your room may not een be a part fo the offer.

I always say book in advance if your dates are set in stone, and you are comfortable with the rack in place. If you are not going to go without a discount don't bother booking a room because there is no advantage.