Booking through Priceline

[MissSaraMangel]

Hey everybody! I'm a newbie here and am going to book my first trip as an adult to DW through Priceline. Has anyone ever done this? Were you happy with booking through Priceline or did you wish you went a different route? I'm looking to save a few bucks doing so but I don't know if more people have more hassle in the end than its worth. Thanks for all the input! Greatly appreciated!

 

[deltadisney]

Are you planning on staying on the disney property or off-site?

 

[MissSaraMangel]

Disney property. ASMu and flight.

 

[Missytara]

I would do a search; some people have posted that it has been more hassle then it is worth; cannot make changes; get dining plan, etc.

 

[vicki_c]

OP - you shouldn't post the same thread in 2 places.

(I was confused because I knew I had just commented on this like 2 seconds ago - but that is on the Budget board.)

 

[MissSaraMangel]

Sorry! I was going to delete the other one after I posted here because I thought i might get a better response here but I couldn't figure out how to delete it so I left them. Sorry, new poster! Don't hurt me! lol

 

[rznhal]

If you aren't saving a significant amount of money, I wouldn't mess with priceline personally:

1. Disney is AWESOME about making changes, cancellations, etc. with Priceline i think you are pretty much stuck once you make the reservation.

2. Disney will let you add (or change to) a promotion. For example, we booked a trip for mid august. A few months later, Free Dining came out starting a week after our dates. Disney let us change the reservation so we could get the free dining.

3. No dining plan options.

Hope that helps and happy planning!

 

[ttstroker]

done reservations through priceline, orbitz, direct with disney, and through a travel agent. Just be aware that when you book with priceline you need to make sure of a few things:

1. the cancellation policy, this may be different than booking directly with Disney. You may get a great room-only rate that is fully guaranteed (no cancellation possible). You also generally pay cost up front while with a room-only with Disney you pay 1 night and the remainder upon arrival. Another thing to consider is that these sites typically charge you then provide their own credit card for Disney to charge. If there are any issues, you need to take up any refund with priceline, not Disney. Also, any changes or comments and requests need to be handled through priceline (like requests).

2. As others have mentioned, you cannot get a dining plan unless booking with Disney. This was a dealbreaker sometimes when we knew we would dine frequently on property. For some trips with plenty of meals, the DDP made sense economically over the savings we would have seen for lodging.

3. Sometimes the promos/coupons/package discounts are way better than whats available directly through Disney. When you arrive, you are treated no different than those guests who book directly with Disney. We have stayed at the Tree House Villas, BC/YC, Poly, BWI, and BWV using 3rd party booking sites like Orbitz and Priceline. We never had an issue with checking-in. You can even do online check-in if you go through the proper website on Disney. Its not easy to find, but it is there.

HTH!

 

[dgundry]

When booking WDW trips, we are sold on using AAA Travel. There is typically at least one agent in each office who is a true Disney afficionado. They are good at their jobs and at getting you the best deal.

Our latest success story was when we booked for early June a few weeks ago. Our AAA TA called us out of the blue to tell us she tracked Disney's 30% off program that came out after we booked and saved us another $600 off our trip.

 

[MissSaraMangel]

Thanks much to everyone for your advice, I'm going to look elsewhere. Happy Holidays everyone!

 

[cassie]

Thanks much to everyone for your advice, I'm going to look elsewhere. Happy Holidays everyone!

I would book directly with Disney. No problem if changes need to be made.