How early book flight/hotel

[iu97alum]

Ok, so we've decided to go to WDW at the end of Jan. When do I start all the booking? Do I book flights now or wait? Do I do flight first then hotel? Not sure what to do first and how soon!
thanks!!
dana

 

[mgilmer]

You can never book too early for WDW. We are going in June 2008 and I have already booked part of my reservations (the Swan) and will book my DVC reservation next week. I cannot book my airfare (SWA) because they will not release June 2008 until the spring, but if I could, I would.

 

[iu97alum]

You can never book too early for WDW. We are going in June 2008 and I have already booked part of my reservations (the Swan) and will book my DVC reservation next week. I cannot book my airfare (SWA) because they will not release June 2008 until the spring, but if I could, I would.QUOTE]

So I go ahead and book hotel now? We probably will fly AA (since I know they have non-stop and with two little ones its a necessity!) so I know if I book and the same flight drops, I can get a refund. And get flight after?

THanks so much! Wow, you're planning WAY in advance!

 

[mgilmer]

If you are staying on property, I would definitely book now. You can always adjust your reservation later to account for any sales or discount codes that come out. If you are staying offsite, I would check to be sure that you can adjust your ressie for any discounts that come about without penalty. As for airfare, be careful that your airline will allow you to change your ressie if the fare drops or the flights change without charging you an arm and leg penalty fee.

 

[iu97alum]

As for airfare, be careful that your airline will allow you to change your ressie if the fare drops or the flights change without charging you an arm and leg penalty fee.

Thanks! We actually booked our flights last year for our XMAS vacation six months in advance. And then about 4-6 weeks before our trip, I saw the price dropped by over $200 PER PERSON! So I called and since it was the same flight/leg/ (all matched) we got a refund for all FOUR of our seats! So excited. Made our trip to say the least.

Now, off to talk to DH and MIL to finalize resort location.

THANKS!!

 

[illiniowl]

A word of caution on the airfare. Especially with a legacy carrier like AA, it is definitely possible to buy airfare too early. AA's reissue fee is $100/ticket. In other words, they reserve the right to charge you $100/ticket if you want to re-price your ticket after you buy it. Let's say today you buy 4 DFW-MCO-DFW tickets for your January trip at $250 pp so your total cost is $1000. In November or December a fare sale happens and the price goes down to $150 pp or $600 total. You may think you can call them and get a $400 refund, but if they apply the $100/ticket reissue fee, they will apply $400 in charges against the $400 difference, resulting in you getting nothing back and in effect you will have spent $400 more than you needed to. Can they waive that fee? Sure. Will they? Who knows. They do not promise to do so, that's for sure.

What I have learned is that many airlines do not make their lowest fares available for booking more than 4-5 months in advance. Use the time between now and your 4-5 month mark to familiarize yourself with what a good, low airfare between DFW and MCO should be (I use FareCompare which has graphs showing up to 2 years' worth of historical fares between any two cities, there are other similar sites out there as well). Then whenever you can get a fare that is at or near the historical low, grab it. Good luck!

 

[iu97alum]

thanks! We didn't get a reissue for our carribean flights, just a refund. I wonder how those things work... I probably will hold off another month or two anyways to do flights. Thanks for that website. I hadn't seen that one before.

 

[banjobears]

Hi, I agree I would wait on making your airline reservations. I would wait at least until August or September, after the summer. Last year I made may airline reservations to early for my April 07 trip and they went down after I made my reservations.

 

[LGH1946]

I am flying from Atlanta in December '07. I keep checking Delta & AirTran but the cost is about $350.00 roundtrip per person. I will just keep checking. I was told by a travel agent that you can't get a lower price if it goes down after you book.

If anyone hears of a cheap flight, from ATLANTA, please let me know.

Thanks to all, I am just learning (slowly) how to use the DisBoard.

I don't know how to reply to the personal e-mails I have received, but I am trying to figure it out.