Can you just walk in and get a room?

[Lyneigh P]

My family and I are thinking about taking a road trip for three weeks, driving from California to Florida and back. We would like to stay a few nights at WDW, but don't know what day we would arrive. Has anyone ever showed up in the middle of the summer with no reservation and got a room? We stayed at the WL in Dec01 and would like to stay at either BC, GF, or Poly. I would like to make a reservation before we go , but we don't know when we will get to WDW. My family and I like to go with the flow and take our time traveling. We don't know if we will even make it to FL. We may end up turning around before we actually make it that far.

Any and all suggestions would be great!

 

[AllyandJack]

I was staying at the Poly and had huge problems there. We went over to GF and practically begged them to take us in. After some discussions with her manager (and after I gave her my platinum card and told her to take whatever they wanted) I got a room. I even treated myself with a lagoon view room to make up for my horrible Poly experience. This was in August.

Since I was technically a WDW guest, I'm not sure if that made a difference. My suggestion is to call CRO while en route. Say, when you're about 12 hours away and know when you'll be arriving. Or, if it's too late and CRO is closed, call the hotel directly and inquire. Maybe a few hours notice would make a difference. Then, if you get a No Vacancy, you could at least have the option of calling other hotels instead of getting back in the car and driving to another hotel.

Good luck!

 

[nicurnc]

What about stopping in Ocala at the Welcome Center and seeing if they have any rooms available for that night? I hear you may even get a discount

Loretta

 

[Kermit]

I would try getting a room in Ocala too. If you're more concerned with getting a room than getting a good deal, you can call CRO as you get close, as long as you're not arriving that day. Only the front desk can handle same-day check-ins. I don't think you'd have a problem, unless maybe it was the 4th of July. I guess it could be different this summer since they've closed resorts, but the rooms sell out very rarely because there are so many available.

 

[Liz]

Just be prepared for the possibility of staying offsite in case everything is booked onsite, but I think that's not likely. Sounds like a very fun trip!

 

[Lyneigh P]

Thank you very much for the advice! Having never been there in the summer, I was just wondering if they would be completely booked. When we went for the first time, during the first week in Dec 01, it was so quiet and slow at the WL and all of the parks. But I know that it can be very crowded in the summer. We know we will end up paying rack rate, but it would only be for one night or two. I feel it's worth the cost. If I knew for sure we were going to make it there by a certain day, I would book a discounted room now. But you never know when your taking a road trip, you might find some great place that we want to stay longer. I guess we should call a day or two before we get there to see if they have a room availble.
Thanks again for your help!

 

[n2mm]

I just had a friend go a couple of weeks ago during value season. She drove down and arrived a day early. She asked about a room since her ressie wasn't until the next day and there was nothing but a camp site available. This was during value season. So only by a miracle and if you might be arriving in the middle of the week, would there be a room available, or an affordable room available. Maybe a $400 suite. I would make sure you have the 800 number for a Holiday Inn. I recently called to see about changing my ressies for my April/May trip and was told there was nothing available (but that was the All Stars, which were sold out).

 

[Grumpy92]

You never now. You may not even have to pay rack rate it all depends on when you go. During the week things are little slower then the weekends, even in the summer. I do know that at most of the resorts I worked at, depending on how many rooms we had available we would reduce the rate and try to get a sell out. In the past the resorts put together a fax that they all received in the morning with a listing of which resorts had availability and at what rate. If you have a cell phone with you call CRO that day or the day before or call the Hotel directly on your arrival date.

 

[Disneydenise]

From past experience I would not call CRO the day before or the day of and expect to get a discount offered to you. We tried it 3 years ago and paid rack rate at the BC. Cro is not the easiest place to gt a discount. I would try to haed to Ocala visitors center. People have said hat have gotten half price rooms there.

 

[Disneydenise]

From past experience I would not call CRO the day before or the day of and expect to get a discount offered to you. We tried it 3 years ago and paid rack rate at the BC in August . Cro is not the easiest place to gt a discount. I would try to haed to Ocala visitors center. People have said hat have gotten half price rooms there.

 

[Bstanley]

Oh darn, someone has already mentioned it!

While driving down I-75 take exit 68, turn right and check in with the Disney Info Center in Ocala. You can get a nifty Mickey antenna topper while they tell you all the information on what might be available and then make your 'reservation' for up to 4 days from the day of your visit. So you can spend a couple of days at a Universal hotel or one of the other 120,000 hotel rooms in the area before your Disney stay.

We've never tried it in the summer, but when we've stopped there in the fall/winter we've always managed to get a room at a Disney resort by using Ocala (and often with a nice large discount).

 

[JohnnyOldBoy]

Disney Info Center in Ocala worked for us in the middle of August. We also got a better rate than we were able to by phone before leaving. We had a choice of about 4 Disney resorts to pick from.

 

[MermaidsMom]

When we arrived at a resort that will remain nameless, I was so upset by the room that I called on cell phone right from the room to CRO, and asked for a passholders discount for the YC. Incredibly I got it and we went back to the front desk and explained that we were moving to the YC and they transferred our deposit over there! I love Disney!

 

[Lyneigh P]

WOW! Thanks for all the great replys. I didn't even know the Disney Info Center existed. Is it there for people who might be driving by? I am not familiar who the area. How close is it to WDW? Do they actually help you find a room in the Orlando area? Sorry for so many questions.

Our plan is to leave L. A. drive to Tucson, then drive to Carlsbad, then drive to San Antonio, then meet a friend in Austin, and then head to Houston, and then drive to New Orleans.We are not familiar with the southern states, so we weren't sure were to visit next, or drive straight to WDW. Does anyone know some nice places to visit when we drive from New Orleans to WDW?
Any beach town places?Thanks!!

 

[Mamatipo]

Regarding your question of whats between New Orleans and Disney World...

My parents own a home near Panama City Beach, FL. It's on the Florida panhandle. Anyway, there are very nice beaches there to enjoy. PCB is definitely a "Florida Beach Town." It's worth a stop.

 

[Deb & Bill]

After you leave NO, heading east, you will come to Biloxi/Gulfport - nice beaches, lots of casinos. Further down the road, Mobile - USS Alabama docked there. You can see if from the interstate. Right across the bay from Mobile is Daphne, AL, our usual stopping point for a night on our way to or from WDW. The staff at the Comfort Suites there is great. Excellent outlet mall in this area - but it's a bit off the interstate.

A bit further down the road is Pensacola, FL - beaches are a ways off the interstate. Further down is Ft Walton Beach, Panama City, Destin and a few other great beach areas on the Gulf Coast. White sugar sand beaches - really beautiful. Just watch out for the sharks and jellyfish.

By this time we are trucking along to get to I-75 and head south again. No stopping for us. Head south, then turn east on the tollway. Once we hit the Florida Tollway, we are looking for orange groves along the way. And we don't stop until we get to WDW.

Before you get to NO, near Lafayette, you will find the Hot Sauce factory (you know the one where everyone wears the ties with chili peppers on them). They have tours there. Once you leave Lafayette, you cross the Atchafalya Swamp basin - really cool - and you wonder how they built the interstate in this area. At Baton Rouge, continue on I-10 to NO, or skip NO and cut off a few miles and stay on I-12. I-12 joins up with I-10 near the east state line of Louisiana.

Hit the French Quarter (if you have kids, do it during the day to avoid most of the adult stuff). There is a VooDoo shop in the FQ that is kind of neat. There's a neat aquarium in NO. Check out some of the antibellum homes in the area. Neat. Also take a cemetary tour - lots of famous people buried there and the mausoleums are neat. Water table is too low to dig graves, so everyone is buried above ground in mausoleums or stone tombs. If you saw the movie Double Jeopardy, some of those scenes were filmed in one of the cemetary there. Ride a paddlewheel boat on the Mississippi River. And get some beignets - they are wonderful when they are fresh. Not like the ones that serve at WDW at Port Orleans. Get them from Cafe Dumonde.

 

[JohnnyOldBoy]

The Disney info center in Ocala is especially for people just driving by. It is right at Interstate 75 exit 68, very easy on /off. It has bathrooms, a small Disney store, a parks info counter and a resort reservations counter. The idea is to offer discounts to travelers who may not have considered staying at a Disney resort. There will be plenty of signs along the highway to direct you there. Good luck on your trip, sounds ambitious!

 

[Boots]

Some friends of ours managed to get a Wilderness Home at FW during July. They were booked off site and decided to try to get a room inside. They drove up to FW and just asked and got this. They picked here because this is where their children wanted to stay. I too like stopping in Ocala and seeing what you can get.

 

[skyhog]

A possible solution, keeping in mind the 5 day cancellation period, is to make an extended reservation covering your earliest and latest stay dates and then 'modify' it in advance of your arrival as your trip and time schedule unfold... don't miss the 5 day cancel period though. This way, you get the resort and rate of your choosing.

A room somewhere in the WDW area is a given at any time of year... many very cheap... but they should be...

Good luck

 

[gottago]

Deb & Bill ... well said! Just wondering if you can tell me how long it takes you to travel from Daphne to get to WDW? If you are talking about the outlets in Foley, I think they're great! Love to go there!

The Hot Sauce factory is the Tabasco Factory. It is located on Avery Island. I think they have a website.

Just to let you know from SA/ Austin area it will take about 5 to 6 hours traveling I-10 to reach the Texas/Louisiana border. Then from there to NO about another 5 hours. If you bypass NO (by taking I-12 at the split in Baton Rouge) and drive to the Mobile/Daphne area, it should take about 6 hours from the TX/LA border.


I hope this helps!