Do you book or wait?

[TeacherDL]

Do you go ahead and book your vacation, and make changes if a discount becomes available? Or do you wait and book after you know the discount?
I'm trying to decide what to do for the end of May.

 

[jenineh]

I already booked mine for May. If any discounts become available I will have them applied.

 

[Jupiter&Wolfe]

I'm going in May as well. I think it depends on how flexible you're willing to be. I only have a 2 week period in May that everyone in my party will be able to go, and we know where we want to stay and are somewhat planning around that factor. Because of this, I plan on booking ASAP and if a discount comes along I'll just apply it. I don't want to wait and risk not having the room that i want be available.


With that said, in the past, I usually only wait 2 - 3 months in advance to book because that's what my financial situation usually dictates, and I find that to actually be pretty nice. By then the discounts are out and I can just make my reservations and I don't have to worry about changing them up at all. I've also been able to be more flexible in the past, however.

 

[bigbabyblues]

I book what we can afford/are willing to pay as soon as our dates are firm. If a discount comes out and we qualify for it, great. If not, we go anyway.

 

[minerva78]

I'm just planning my first vacation, but I went ahead and booked for June 2014 and I'm planning to have a discount applied when they come out. I've not mentally committed myself to the resort I have booked, because I know that this resort could likely change based on which resorts are offered the discount. I did make sure I booked a resort I could afford without a discount though, just in case. I figure I can upgrade later if it's in my budget.

 

[mickeynut1]

Do you go ahead and book your vacation, and make changes if a discount becomes available? Or do you wait and book after you know the discount?
I'm trying to decide what to do for the end of May.

If we know we are going for sure and have our dates prior to any discounts being released, I book to make sure we get what we want. If the trip is dependent on a discount, I wait to see what the discount is (should one come out) and book at that time if what we want to available. With that said, if you will be going with our without a discount, I would book now to get the resort/room type you want. Should a discount come out and be available for what you have booked, you can call and have it applied to your existing reservation.

 

[Mousemommy1]

I book what we can afford/are willing to pay as soon as our dates are firm. If a discount comes out and we qualify for it, great. If not, we go anyway.

This!

 

[dhodges82]

I like to book as soon as I possibly can. For me, it was cheaper to book my December '13 trip with AAA in March than it was to book when Disney released their discounts over the summer. By booking early, you lock yourself into the lower ticket & dining plan prices which we know will inevitably go up. However, ticket prices shouldn't go up before your trip.

 

[mommyrosa2]

I, personally, do not book until I get a discount...not because I can't afford it but more because I refuse to pay rack rate. If I don't get some sort of discount, we vacation somewhere else

 

[wiigirl]

I already booked mine for May. If any discounts become available I will have them applied.

 

[ericstac]

This upcoming xmas trip we booked based on available time with kids being off school and money. Then discounts came out and we were a day out of the free dining so we added a day to the front of our package and got free dining for the entire 11 days

 

[Princess Polamalu]

I book and then change if I need to. DH and I can take our vacation whenever we want so our dates are flexible. The problem with the discounts are they come out so late and that causes problems making ADR's. My ADR for my May trip was late November with discounts likely not coming out until Jan. Its so difficult to get dining these days that waiting until Jan would likely limit top tier places. That's the reason why I book early. If we need to change or cancel then so be it. That's why the change/cancellation policies are in place.

 

[black562]

Everyone should always wait, and here's why. Disney bases their discounts on the need to fill empty rooms. If rooms are booked up, then they have less chance of offering a discount.

Occupancy at the end of last August was really good, and you notice the free dining, for the first time, didn't include August dates. Also, back in October when the room discounts came down, at the last minute two resorts (Riverside and All Star Movies) were suddenly excluded from the offer due to good occupancy.

There is zero to gain and everything to lose by booking a room with the sole expectation of a discount to come. You still have to call on the day the discount is offered, and if there isn't availability left at your resort/room type, you won't get it even if you have a room booked. Many many people end up having to change resorts when this happens. So, you have the same chance of calling the day of the offer as you do booking ahead....but if everyone books ahead, there will be no offer.

I advise everyone to only book if you either have an existing offer, or if you plan to go even if there is no discount.

 

[vinotinto]

Everyone should always wait, and here's why. Disney bases their discounts on the need to fill empty rooms. If rooms are booked up, then they have less chance of offering a discount.

Occupancy at the end of last August was really good, and you notice the free dining, for the first time, didn't include August dates. Also, back in October when the room discounts came down, at the last minute two resorts (Riverside and All Star Movies) were suddenly excluded from the offer due to good occupancy.

There is zero to gain and everything to lose by booking a room with the sole expectation of a discount to come. You still have to call on the day the discount is offered, and if there isn't availability left at your resort/room type, you won't get it even if you have a room booked. Many many people end up having to change resorts when this happens. So, you have the same chance of calling the day of the offer as you do booking ahead....but if everyone books ahead, there will be no offer.

I advise everyone to only book if you either have an existing offer, or if you plan to go even if there is no discount.

I agree with this! For all my trips, I have booked when I had a discount in hand - be it a general public discount, a pin code or a discount from my CM cousin. If you are really are hoping for a discount then booking early can only hurt your chances at a discount. If resorts are full, why will Disney offer a promotion or discount?

And if you want to make ADRs early, then do so. You do not need a resort reservation for that - only a cc to guarantee your spot. And Disney has been holding back ADRs at popular restaurants. BOG had more availability recently than at 180+10 days out.

 

[athumann]

Everyone should always wait, and here's why. Disney bases their discounts on the need to fill empty rooms. If rooms are booked up, then they have less chance of offering a discount.

Occupancy at the end of last August was really good, and you notice the free dining, for the first time, didn't include August dates. Also, back in October when the room discounts came down, at the last minute two resorts (Riverside and All Star Movies) were suddenly excluded from the offer due to good occupancy.

There is zero to gain and everything to lose by booking a room with the sole expectation of a discount to come. You still have to call on the day the discount is offered, and if there isn't availability left at your resort/room type, you won't get it even if you have a room booked. Many many people end up having to change resorts when this happens. So, you have the same chance of calling the day of the offer as you do booking ahead....but if everyone books ahead, there will be no offer.

I advise everyone to only book if you either have an existing offer, or if you plan to go even if there is no discount.

This is what I always do, nothing scientific to back it up I just feel like I'm going to jinx myself if I book before a discount comes out. I make my touring plans and whatnot but just can't bring myself to book without that discount in hand.

 

[TJA]

It's hard not to book, but it really does make sense that if the rooms are booked, why would Disney release a discount? The only time I book without a great discount has been the last 2 Easters when I've booked with just a AAA discount -- and I booked it knowing that I would probably be stuck paying it but it was the only time we could go to Disney so not much choice there.

 

[wdwmaw]

I agree, esp with dining. No, you can't make all your dining in one day since you won't have 180 + 10 rule but you will still get everything you want and to me a discount is worth the extra effort.

I agree with this! For all my trips, I have booked when I had a discount in hand - be it a general public discount, a pin code or a discount from my CM cousin. If you are really are hoping for a discount then booking early can only hurt your chances at a discount. If resorts are full, why will Disney offer a promotion or discount?

And if you want to make ADRs early, then do so. You do not need a resort reservation for that - only a cc to guarantee your spot. And Disney has been holding back ADRs at popular restaurants. BOG had more availability recently than at 180+10 days out.

Sent from my iPad using DISBoards

 

[Eddygirl]

We are going regardless of a discount coming up...if it does it is a bonus!

 

[disneypharm]

We will never pay rack rate, so I always wait for discounts to come out before reserving our trips. I have never had any problem getting what I want waiting for discounts.

 

[Ofinn]

I would wait. I never pay rack rate for a hotel or cruise. My goal is to get the best deal, and take as many vacations I can. People always say they will go without a discount, but I find that hard to believe. As soon as discounts are released everyone is going nuts trying to get them. Even switching resorts if they have too. All the Disney resorts are over priced so even if you can afford it your still paying way too much for what you are getting. There are lots of places to vacation in the world I'm not willing to over pay for anything.