Does anyone actually book and pay rack rates through Disney?

[GPC0321]

While messing around with both the new Sam's Club option for Disney World and good ol' Undercover Tourist, I priced my dream vacation with 5-day flexible hoppers and 4 nights Beach Club Standard Club Level (for three people). I didn't do the whole thing with Sam's but I did with UT, and then I went to Disney to price the exact same stay for the same dates, etc. UT comes out to over $1,000 cheaper.

Which made me wonder...why would anyone ever book directly through Disney?

 

[danielocha30]

People from Latin america who might not have any clue about those sites.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I haven’t ever paid rack rate but I suppose if there were dates and a specific hotel I wanted that a TA or other third party didn’t have available that I’d consider it.
Like I just looked at the Costco site and all they have on there now are four resorts when I put in my dates. Luckily the TA I use has been pretty great. I’m considering going back for a Halloween party and since I have young kids I’m really leaning towards contemporary - if I couldn’t find a deal I may consider paying Disney site price.

 

[afan]

Sure. Last year for the W&D half I had specific dates and wanted Pop. My dates didn't fall within any of the discounts Disney had for regular or AP rates. Similar dates 2 years prior for the same race and I think we were able to save a total of $40 off our rates. But I pay with gift cards and don't go all the time. I book with what I know I can pay for the specific dates I want/need and if something comes out great but I'm going anyway. I save on other parts of travel or on other vacations to make the Disney trips feasible.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

No. I don't book rack rates. I'm a FL resident though....so why would I?

 

[Disneylover99]

I happily pay standard room rack rate at Pop for free dining.

 

[Haley R]

We've paid rack rate before because the room we wanted was only available on Disney's website.

 

[disneedee]

I have many times when booking a family trip to DL. We book a 3bdrm for 10 to15 people and have a multi generational family reunion with more family at other hotels, condos, and some that live close. I have learned to use discounted gift cards to pay for it. Have booked through Costco which isn’t cheaper but has a few extras.

 

[gottalovepluto]

While messing around with both the new Sam's Club option for Disney World and good ol' Undercover Tourist, I priced my dream vacation with 5-day flexible hoppers and 4 nights Beach Club Standard Club Level (for three people). I didn't do the whole thing with Sam's but I did with UT, and then I went to Disney to price the exact same stay for the same dates, etc. UT comes out to over $1,000 cheaper.

Which made me wonder...why would anyone ever book directly through Disney?

Because many people go straight to disneyworld dot com to book their Disney world vacation. I literally know nobody in my life who has ever heard of Undercover Tourist (one friend is about to find out when we buy universal tickets and I can assure you within a few months she will have completely forgotten them). Thinking to look for discounts for Disney property outside of Disney is not intuitive. Those of us who’ve stumbled upon Dis Budget Board are a very small group! We put time & effort into learning what we have even if we don’t really realize it. A lot of people don’t want to deal with that for a vacation so I suspect plenty book rack rate rooms.

 

[Haley R]

Because many people go straight to disneyworld dot com to book their Disney world vacation. I literally know nobody in my life who has ever heard of Undercover Tourist (one friend is about to find out when we buy universal tickets and I can assure you within a few months she will have completely forgotten them). Thinking to look for discounts for Disney property outside of Disney is not intuitive. Those of us who’ve stumbled upon Dis Budget Board are a very small group! We put time & effort into learning what we have even if we don’t really realize it. A lot of people don’t want to deal with that for a vacation so I suspect plenty book rack rate rooms.

Our first trip was our honeymoon and we booked our Disney stay all at rack rate with dining and everything You live and learn, but we didn't know any better and still had a great trip

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Most people I know don't stay on Disney property. Or go to WDW for an entire week. They stay in Orlando for a week, stay offsite, do maybe a day at one WDW park and then do other Orlando attractions like Universal, Sea World, GatorLand.

The very few people I know (maybe 3-4) that go to Disney and stay onsite either book directly through Disney and pay rack rate or go through a TA that looks for deals for them. Most don't look around for deals like we do on the DIS.

Honestly I've turned to booking with a TA that does agency exclusive deals. I book a year out and already have my "deal." I got POFQ for Jersey Week 2018 at $180 a night which I booked in January 2018. No need to stalk the internet waiting for discounts to be released.

 

[justafigment27]

I’ve paid rack rate. No discounts available through Disney for the week of Easter and planned too late to rent DVC, so paid full price for a Little Mermaid room at AOA. No regrets.

 

[_19disnA]

If your vacation is for a specific week, Disney may happen to not be offering any discounts. People who also have never used certain 3rd party websites may be reluctant to book with them since there are too many online scams. It is hard to know which ones are reputable until you find enough other people who have used them successfully.

 

[missnic]

We have, quite a few times actually.. and we are both FL residents and AP holders. Usually on really short notice (like, the day before) and all the discounts were already long gone. We've also paid rack rate for free dining.

 

[GPC0321]

Oh dear. I hope my post didn't come across as condescending towards those who do or have booked at rack rate through Disney. Not my intention at all. I was just amazed at the difference in cost when I ran the numbers for the stay I mentioned. It's not the first time I've wondered about it. Just curious more than anything about what would compel someone to go that route vs, say, checking Priceline or just Googling "Disney Resort Discounts" and trying to find better rates. I realize some people don't enjoy doing the legwork of comparing and hunting for the best deals, etc.

Some good points have been made. I thought about free dining and figured that'd be mentioned. Getting a specific room for a specific time that isn't available anywhere else makes sense too.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

We have, quite a few times actually.. and we are both FL residents and AP holders. Usually on really short notice (like, the day before) and all the discounts were already long gone. We've also paid rack rate for free dining.

I'm glad to see another FL resident poster. I only travel to Disney every 3 or 4 years, so I tend to start looking for our discounts for the time we are going about a half year ahead of time. I'm going June of this year and that rate hit in early January. I booked around the 20th when my husband got paid. I've been checking the FL resident rate for spring break week and that is gone or nearly done last time I checked. PLENTY of rooms left for the FL resident summer discounts...but I'm sure the closer we get the more they will disappear too.

 

[MegWheels]

This may be a stupid question, but do other sites like UT have refund policies? I just got back last week from WDW and I almost had to cancel my trip because I received a subpoena for a court case...thankfully, I didn't have to cancel but I called Disney and they were great about assuring me that I could either receive a refund or "bank" the money I paid for tickets due to my circumstances. If it would happen again could I receive a refund if I booked through another site?

 

[missnic]

I'm glad to see another FL resident poster. I only travel to Disney every 3 or 4 years, so I tend to start looking for our discounts for the time we are going about a half year ahead of time. I'm going June of this year and that rate hit in early January. I booked around the 20th when my husband got paid. I've been checking the FL resident rate for spring break week and that is gone or nearly done last time I checked. PLENTY of rooms left for the FL resident summer discounts...but I'm sure the closer we get the more they will disappear too.

Yeah, it's near impossible to find a room even at rack rate a day or two in advance anymore. We rarely plan months ahead of time, but when we do we book with an agency exclusive deal

 

[ClapYourHands]

We fly. Car rentals can eat up a huge portion of the budget, if staying off site. Honestly, paying rack rate for a value room is often a better deal than staying at an offsite hotel, renting a car, and paying for parking. I think the rack rates for the deluxe resorts is way out of proportion to what they deliver (personal opinion of an admittedly frugal mama), but rack rate on the lower end resorts can be quite reasonable.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

I've only booked through Disney. But I've never paid rack rates for the rooms, I've only ever booked when they were running a discount or with a pin code. I know I could get better pricing by piecing it all together through other sites, but the ease of booking through Disney and the peace of mind that comes with the generous cancellation policy is worth paying a bit more. For example, my last trip had to be completely re-booked a month out because of a conflict that came up at work. It was super easy to do, all it took was one phone call to Disney, I was on the phone for a few minutes and it was all taken care of. If I had pieced the vacation through a bunch of discount sites I'm sure it would have taken much longer.

Oops, hit post too soon. I also have wondered about how people book undiscounted vacations, or week-long stays at deluxe resorts, and I think it all comes down to different personalities and the simple fact that some people have more expendable cash than others. I pinch pennies because I don't have many, but some people are thrifty by nature, and others like to spend their hard-earned money on themselves. There's nothing wrong with any of those things, we're all different