Booking online at 499 days out ?

[kstgelais4]

Hi all, I have a quick question I am trying to book our 15th anniversary trip for Jan. 2014. (we like to book early and make payments ) Anyway, according to my calculations we are 467 days out, and I keep getting an error message that says they only accept reservations 499 days in advance. Am I missing something? TIA!

 

[lanejudy]

I think you need to call to make a reservation that far out; their online system currently only goes through Dec. 2013. Package rates for 2014 have not been released yet, but you can make a room-only reservation by phone now; they will tell you that the price can/will change once rates are released for 2014.

 

[Missytara]

Booking that far in advance, you have to call.

They will quote you the highest rack rate for the room and then they will adjust it when the 2014 rates are released next summer.

 

[kstgelais4]

Ahhhh, I thought that may be it. Do you know when the 2014 rates are usually announced?

 

[Missytara]

Ahhhh, I thought that may be it. Do you know when the 2014 rates are usually announced?

Rates are normally announced in August, but the last two years, it has been a bit earlier.

 

[ssleblanc]

The 2013 package rates were not released until right around July 11th this year. I know because I made my room only reservation and then wasn't able to update to the package until then ... and I watched DIS daily for information on the packages around that time.

You can book the room only now, but you can NOT make payments other than the first night room deposit. Payments can't be made on room only reservations like you can on a package. (I also know this from experience). I really wanted to spread my payments out longer and did a poor job of saving while waiting for package rates (my fault, I know).

 

[kstgelais4]

I want to book a package, not room only, so when do they allow you to do that for the following year before the new rates are announced. Surely they allow you to book for Jan. prior to July? Correct?

 

[dansdad]

I want to book a package, not room only, so when do they allow you to do that for the following year before the new rates are announced. Surely they allow you to book for Jan. prior to July? Correct?

If you want to book a package, you have to wait for the new rates to come out. I remember this past Summer there were lots of people on the DIS who were clammering for the 2013 rates to be announced so they could book for early 2013. The dreaded waiting game.

 

[kstgelais4]

If you want to book a package, you have to wait for the new rates to come out. I remember this past Summer there were lots of people on the DIS who were clammering for the 2013 rates to be announced so they could book for early 2013. The dreaded waiting game.

OK, LOL, I guess I"'ll just chalk this up to one of the many things I don't get why Disney does.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can book the room, pay on that, and just upgrade to a package when the rates come out correct?

 

[smitch425]

OK, LOL, I guess I"'ll just chalk this up to one of the many things I don't get why Disney does.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I can book the room, pay on that, and just upgrade to a package when the rates come out correct?

No. You cannot turn a room only into a package. You would have to cancel and rebook putting down a new $200 deposit and get a refund on the room only deposit.

 

[cwt580]

I went through same process. that being said just wait till july/aug 2013 to book pkg if sure A PKG reservation is what you want.I dont think booking room only now guarantees anything. not even the room if you cancel it and rebook as pkg. in 2 seperate booking systems. Cant even transfer the deposit between them.


if only tix needed and NOT DDP then you could just purchase tix at front desk at check-in. no special pricing with pkgs.

If you want something above normal accomodations some pre planning might "behove" you to do some research. If a very std room is what you want then its not a big deal to wait.

 

[kstgelais4]

No. You cannot turn a room only into a package. You would have to cancel and rebook putting down a new $200 deposit and get a refund on the room only deposit.

Well there goes that idea Why do they have to make it so hard for the people who like to budget their trips in payments! I feel like we booked our last trip super far in advance, but I guess it was only 11 months in advance. and it was in Oct., so closer to the end of the calendar year. Oh well...

 

[kstgelais4]

I went through same process. that being said just wait till july/aug 2013 to book pkg if sure A PKG reservation is what you want.I dont think booking room only now guarantees anything. not even the room if you cancel it and rebook as pkg. in 2 seperate booking systems. Cant even transfer the deposit between them.


if only tix needed and NOT DDP then you could just purchase tix at front desk at check-in. no special pricing with pkgs.

If you want something above normal accomodations some pre planning might "behove" you to do some research. If a very std room is what you want then its not a big deal to wait.

I don't want to book this far in advance because I think the room/resort I want will be filled, it is more because we like to budget. I find that booking far in advance and making payments on it is the best for me. It gives me ample time to make sure everything is "prepaid". And we are doing deluxe dining (hey, it our anniversary trip) so it will have to be a package.

 

[Missytara]

Well there goes that idea Why do they have to make it so hard for the people who like to budget their trips in payments! I feel like we booked our last trip super far in advance, but I guess it was only 11 months in advance. and it was in Oct., so closer to the end of the calendar year. Oh well...

I guess I am one of those lucky ones; I go the week after Thanksgiving and I always book the week after I get back.

I just like the idea that I know I am going and I can pay it off early and be done with it.

 

[smitch425]

I don't want to book this far in advance because I think the room/resort I want will be filled, it is more because we like to budget. I find that booking far in advance and making payments on it is the best for me. It gives me ample time to make sure everything is "prepaid". And we are doing deluxe dining (hey, it our anniversary trip) so it will have to be a package.

Perhaps instead of booking, you could just purchase Disney gift cards on a regular basis and then when you do book, you could make payments with those. The only thing you would need to worry about is if you needed to cancel. Disney will refund your payments to the form in which it was made, so you would need to hold on to the cards so they can be credited in the even you needed to cancel.

You could also book a package with a Disney Visa 6 months+45 days out and take advantage of their 6 mos. zero interest.

 

[lanejudy]

You can book the room only now, but you can NOT make payments other than the first night room deposit. Payments can't be made on room only reservations like you can on a package. (I also know this from experience). I really wanted to spread my payments out longer and did a poor job of saving while waiting for package rates (my fault, I know).

Actually, this is not correct. You can make payments on a room-only reservation that is booked BY PHONE - not online. The original reservation must be made by phone and payments must be made by phone. I know this because we made multiple advance payments on our room-only reservation for this past March. A room-only reservation that is originally booked online cannot have payments applied, only reservations made by phone.

To convert a room-only to a package requires canceling the room-only and rebooking a package, though we've had no trouble doing this a couple of times in the past, but we did it by phone. WDW transferred the deposits/payments from the original room-only reservation to the new package reservation. I haven't tried this for a couple of years though, as we did a room-only this past spring.

 

[ssleblanc]

Sorry, I didn't realize that. I booked through a TA, and just was told no payments on room only reservations. And yes, my room only reservation was canceled when I converted to a package. I got a new confirmation number. It wasn't really "converted", but canceled and rebooked.