Booking stratagy ?s.

[popriv]

Made the decision to go... Now the fun starts.
Working on the week and how best to buy.

Value room and park tickets, Buy separate or as a package?

3 adults, 1 child (4 yo). 5 nights Sunday to friday
Late October early November.

Separate,
looks like I can cancel room about 8 days out.
I can wait to buy the tickets. Once bought can't return.
Seemed to price cheaper, have to recheck.

Package,
Cancel around 44 days out.
Actually not sure of any benefit to the package?

Do you have to have the package to take advantage of any free dining offer?
Never had the dining plan, that would be nice. Sound like you book and if they offer it you have to call and sign up?
What would be the best weeks on the chance the do offer it.

would appreciate any words of wisdom regarding these matters..


Bunky

 

[ziravan]

If you're planning on free dining, then you would need the package. In that case, you're better off waiting until June to book when the free dining offers are generally announced.

If everybody books planning on changing over to free dining once offered, then Disney doesn't have a need to offer free dining as an incentive to book. In recent years, more and more resorts are excluded from free dining as a result.

Along about May, rest assured that one of the most popular threads on Disboards will be the free dining anticipation thread. I would follow that thread and make your decisions accordingly.

Now that I'm a DVC member, I find it ironic that Disney has to offer incentives for Oct/Nov - those are the busiest DVC times of the year. Mickeys not so scary Halloween Party, EPCOT Food&Wine Festival, Mickeys very merry Christmas party....what's not to like.

 

[purple figment]

Separate,
1. looks like I can cancel room about 8 days out.
2. I can wait to buy the tickets. Once bought can't return.
3. Seemed to price cheaper, have to recheck.

1.Room only can be canceled up to 5 days before arrival date without penalty. Within 5 days the penalty is the deposit (cost of 1 night). Also, final payment for a room only reservation is due when you check in at the resort.
2. You can purchase tickets through Disney or a little bit cheaper through an authorized re-seller such as Undercover Tourist, Maple Leaf, AAA. As long as the tickets are never used, they are good forever so if something comes up, you can hold onto them for a future trip or pass them along to someone else.
3. Packages usually include the cost of insurance which is one reason package quotes may be more.

Package,
1. Cancel around 44 days out.
2. Actually not sure of any benefit to the package?

1. No penalty if canceled more than 45 days before arrival date. Once you're within 45 days of arrival you forfeit the deposit of $200 if you cancel.
2. Not really any benefit unless you want a dining plan because you must have a package if you want to get the dining plan. Penalties and deadlines for a package are steeper than for a room only. Final payment is due 45 days before check in date. Any changes to the package within 45 days of arrival may incur a $50 change fee - usually waived if your package increases in price (e.g. add more nights, change to a more expensive room category or resort), but charged if your total cost goes down.

1. Do you have to have the package to take advantage of any free dining offer?
2. Never had the dining plan, that would be nice. Sound like you book and if they offer it you have to call and sign up?
3. What would be the best weeks on the chance the do offer it.

1. Yes. Typically free dining requires 2 day tickets for everyone 3 years and older, minimum 3 night stay and room at rack rate.
2. If you book a package and a FD special is offered you would have to call to apply the special, but the resort and room category you booked would have to be included and available. Since only a limited number of rooms are included in the offer, having a package already booked doesn't guarantee you'll get the offer so it is best to call as soon as it is available. You might have to change room category or resort if yours isn't included/available.

If you book a room only and FD comes available, you will have to book the FD package and cancel the room only. Room only and packages are booked by separate systems so your room only deposit will be refunded and a new package deposit will be charged. If you are certain you want a dining package there is no point in booking a room only because the 2 inventories are separate.
3. No one knows for sure when/if FD will be offered, but last year September and parts of Oct, Nov and Dec were included. There will be threads on the disboards, especially on the Resorts and the Discount Codes and Rates subforum:
http://www.disboards.com/forums/disney-resorts.12/

Here's a list of past discounts:
http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/#codetrends

 

[wdwjeffc37]

There are a few benefits to booking a package. You get a bunch of coupons for discounts, two free admissions to DisneyQuest, Free mini-golf (I'm not sure for how many people), and 100 points of free play in the arcade. If these are things that you might use look into a package. About "free" dining, to get the free dining you will pay rack rate for the room and have to book a package with at least two day tickets.

With all that said, to make sure you get the best deal for your family you will have to "run the numbers" so to speak. It can be a daunting task. The value of the coupon book versus the price difference between room only and a Magic Your Way package. Only use the value of the coupons that you will use. We seem to never really use the coupons when we get them so they are not really any value to us.

With the dining, look at the menus for the places you want to eat and get a rough estimate of how much a meal will cost. Add in the cost of your snacks to get an idea of how much it will cost your family to eat at Disney. Weigh that cost against the cost of a free dining reservation (remember on the dining plan tips are not included). We have had the dining plan and it did open up a certain freedom to booking place we might not have eaten without it. Now we pick just a couple of nicer places to eat and pay out of pocket. We take the room discount, usually 25% at the Moderates.

It takes some work but by doing it you can figure out the best deal for your family. Good luck and have fun!!!