How should I book this? So confused.

[mommymanda]

We are planning to go August. I believe our dates will be the last week, but that is resting on whether my parents confirm they are joining us or not (they will be taking one of my three kids under their reservation to help us save room costs). If they decide not to join than we'll be going the 2nd week.

Our Disney savings is also partly our every day savings I am scared to book anything right away and than have some financial emergency come up and be in trouble.

What I am trying to decide is whether I book the trip ASAP with flights than rearrange any reservations when discounts are released. OR do I wait until April/May when Disney releases August deals and book than? My concern is how much more am I looking to pay on flights if I'm only booking them 3months from the trip?

I am also trying to figure out if we go the last week, if a good enough deal comes up we won't have to send a kid with my parents and could all stay at POR instead.

I have all these concerns now because I messaged the travel agent who booked us on our last trip (7 years ago). She said so much has changed and prices jumped since then (d'uh I can see that) and that last year there were no discounts in August and they sold out. She also said last year flights were going for around $450each, right now I'm seeing them at $250.

Am I making sense, I know I'm in a ramble. I want this trip so badly and have worked so hard to plan it...yet I am on a budget and if we can't fit into that than it won't happen.

So tips? Should I just book and get flights at an affordable price or wait and hope that flights are still affordable when the day arrives?

 

[Susan2771]

If staying onsite is really breaking your budget and making it unaffordable, could you not consider a more economical option of staying at a location offsite? There are a number of lovely options in the area that can be a budget saver and still be a great vacation.

 

[lizabu]

That's a great price for flights. I would lock in a date and go for it. Down the road if your parents aren't going you can always save money by staying off site and food is another easy place to save.

 

[thr33boys]

I'd book the flights now in order to secure the good rate. Put the $200 down on POR, and if a discount comes out call on the day it is released and have it applied to your reservation. If no discount is offered, then you can look at all your options on-site or off. I think your biggest problem right now is not knowing with certainty what week you'll be going.

 

[dancin Disney style]

If you can get airfare for $250/person I would jump on that. We go to FL almost every year in August and regardless of the date $250 is now a great price. The last 2 weeks of August are the better time to go....the local kids are all back in school as well as many of the surrounding states. The crowd levels are lower and the hotel prices are also lower. If you want to stay onsite your best hope for a discount is after August 16th.

I would book the flight and then make a Disney reservation which only requires a refundable deposit. Then, if interested, you could start looking at what's available for offsite accommodation. Since you are considering POR I can tell you that it wouldn't be that hard to find a 2br, with full kitchen, offsite rental for less money than POR. I had a 1br at Marriott Grande Vista last August for only $540/week...the 2br would have been another $85/week.

 

[mommymanda]

Thanks, if I do book flights early and something happens that we can't go do I lose our money? I am waiting for Southwest to release their August dates, but if the prices are the same as their May/June costs it looks like around $230/person with two free checked bags.

On site and dining plan is our only option for going. This is a one time trip for our youngest two and the only reason my oldest lucked out and went before is because she was an only child for 6years. We want to go all out and I want to be able to relax.

I'm just a budget freak and its like the two headed monster trying to plan this. One is yelling just do it, you've worked and saved (at this point all going well it is only around $800 above my planned cost and that's before discounts) for years to do this. The other side is yelling "no keep saving one more year so you know everything is covered and than some". Lol yes I am an odd one

I have from day one planned to book in January and since in the past the kids tend to end up with nearly $200cash on top of their gifts over the holidays I may just use that towards flights and all the stress on that will be over.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Thanks, if I do book flights early and something happens that we can't go do I lose our money? I am waiting for Southwest to release their August dates, but if the prices are the same as their May/June costs it looks like around $230/person with two free checked bags.

On site and dining plan is our only option for going. This is a one time trip for our youngest two and the only reason my oldest lucked out and went before is because she was an only child for 6years. We want to go all out and I want to be able to relax.

I'm just a budget freak and its like the two headed monster trying to plan this. One is yelling just do it, you've worked and saved (at this point all going well it is only around $800 above my planned cost and that's before discounts) for years to do this. The other side is yelling "no keep saving one more year so you know everything is covered and than some". Lol yes I am an odd one

I have from day one planned to book in January and since in the past the kids tend to end up with nearly $200cash on top of their gifts over the holidays I may just use that towards flights and all the stress on that will be over.

If you don't have the money and it's going to cause a problem then WAIT!!!!

Yes, once you book your flight the money will be paid and gone....unless you have paid the much higher price for refundable tickets which based on what you are saying is not at all in the budget. If you do wait for SW then make sure you book the day flights are released for your dates. That most likely will be the best price wise. If you find that you can't go you can cancel the tickets and get a credit for future travel BUT you will have to book and fly within 1 year of the date of purchase....not the date of the original flight.

How is it that staying onsite and getting the DDP is your only option?

 

[lizabu]

Stay on site and buying food OOP can be cheaper than DDP too so do the math. My family is perfectly happy with no character meals or just one and eating CS for everything else when it's the difference between Disney or no Disney

 

[Skjhjb]

We are planning to go August. I believe our dates will be the last week, but that is resting on whether my parents confirm they are joining us or not (they will be taking one of my three kids under their reservation to help us save room costs). If they decide not to join than we'll be going the 2nd week. Our Disney savings is also partly our every day savings I am scared to book anything right away and than have some financial emergency come up and be in trouble. What I am trying to decide is whether I book the trip ASAP with flights than rearrange any reservations when discounts are released. OR do I wait until April/May when Disney releases August deals and book than? My concern is how much more am I looking to pay on flights if I'm only booking them 3months from the trip? I am also trying to figure out if we go the last week, if a good enough deal comes up we won't have to send a kid with my parents and could all stay at POR instead. I have all these concerns now because I messaged the travel agent who booked us on our last trip (7 years ago). She said so much has changed and prices jumped since then (d'uh I can see that) and that last year there were no discounts in August and they sold out. She also said last year flights were going for around $450each, right now I'm seeing them at $250. Am I making sense, I know I'm in a ramble. I want this trip so badly and have worked so hard to plan it...yet I am on a budget and if we can't fit into that than it won't happen. So tips? Should I just book and get flights at an affordable price or wait and hope that flights are still affordable when the day arrives?

Well, your travel agent is wrong as far as Disney discounts...we went last August, and had free dining for our booking. We also booked it in early December! Maybe that was a freak exception to the rule, but we researched dates in October/November, and the only time free dining/no kids missing school/no wedding cakes on the books for me, all aligned. We booked the first week of December, through CAA.

 

[Disneylover99]

Well, your travel agent is wrong as far as Disney discounts...we went last August, and had free dining for our booking. We also booked it in early December! Maybe that was a freak exception to the rule, but we researched dates in October/November, and the only time free dining/no kids missing school/no wedding cakes on the books for me, all aligned. We booked the first week of December, through CAA.

Do you mean Aug. 2012? Because there was no public free dining offer for Aug. 2013. Some people had free dining because of Bouncebacks the previous year and some had free dining because they were lucky enough to receive a pincode, but no public free dining offer this past August.

 

[mommymanda]

If you don't have the money and it's going to cause a problem then WAIT!!!!

Yes, once you book your flight the money will be paid and gone....unless you have paid the much higher price for refundable tickets which based on what you are saying is not at all in the budget. If you do wait for SW then make sure you book the day flights are released for your dates. That most likely will be the best price wise. If you find that you can't go you can cancel the tickets and get a credit for future travel BUT you will have to book and fly within 1 year of the date of purchase....not the date of the original flight.

How is it that staying onsite and getting the DDP is your only option?

Because this is the one and only time we will be going to Disney in my kids childhood and we want it all out. In order for me to enjoy it I need to be able to sit back and do nothing but enjoy it. Staying off site with a kitchen, I will be cooking and cleaning. Without a dining plan my kids won't get the chance to have character meals in our budget and we'll eat quick service the whole time to save $$. This would also end up leaving my hubby upset that he doesn't get the steak he wants. I agree we can organize cheaper off site and no dining...but this trip is as much for me as the kids and I have done years of "vacations" where all I do is the same things as home, except I'm more exhausted. While the rest of the family enjoys themselves. I want to be able to plan this trip where I can also enjoy myself.

 

[thr33boys]

I totally get that!

 

[pigletto]

I go every year for the last week of August except this last year. We were booked but cancelled to get our puppy.
The last week of August there were discounts. They didn't offer the public free dining for that week for the first time in years, but there were pincodes.. I got one. Also they did release room discounts for that week. It's not as low crowd as it used to be, but it will be better than the rest of August crowd wise.
Pick your week, book your flights now, and change the room reservation if a discount is released. Don't count on free dining as it isn't likely for that week now. But there will be a room discount most likely.
I say book what you can afford and when/if room discounts come out, decide then if you want to upgrade or switch. But lock in the flights sooner rather than later.

Also, you can book with a deposit of $200 for a package and the total won't be due until 45 days prior to the trip. So your money won't be all tied up with Disney. Just the $200. If a discount comes out you can call and have your package changed. If you cancel all together you will get your $200 back as long as it's before the 45 day mark. There's fees after that but I don't know what they are exactly.

If you are flying out of the States, book with Southwest or Jetblue. Then if something happens and you have to change dates, you can do so without penalty. No you won't get your money back.. that's why it's important to look at getting trip insurance. But you will be able to move the flights to another date with your credit.

 

[dancin Disney style]

Because this is the one and only time we will be going to Disney in my kids childhood and we want it all out. In order for me to enjoy it I need to be able to sit back and do nothing but enjoy it. Staying off site with a kitchen, I will be cooking and cleaning. Without a dining plan my kids won't get the chance to have character meals in our budget and we'll eat quick service the whole time to save $$. This would also end up leaving my hubby upset that he doesn't get the steak he wants. I agree we can organize cheaper off site and no dining...but this trip is as much for me as the kids and I have done years of "vacations" where all I do is the same things as home, except I'm more exhausted. While the rest of the family enjoys themselves. I want to be able to plan this trip where I can also enjoy myself.

I totally get where you're coming from. That said you most likely can save money by not getting the DDP. Book the important TS meals and then eat CS. There are so many CS options now that you don't have to eat burgers or even repeat the same thing in a week. I think you should do your research and price out meals for your family then compare it to the cost of the DDP. With the DDP you barely break even so I hope you don't think of it as any kind of savings.

If you do price out meals to pay OOP consider having breakfast in your room. We find it really easy to bring cereal or bagels from home to eat in the morning before heading out for the day. It's a huge time and money saver. Everyone can eat at their own pace while others are getting dressed/showering etc.

Another idea is to book character breakfast (it's the cheapest meal) for a bit later in the morning...maybe 10-ish and then just have an early dinner. Fill in the middle with a snack if needed. The August heat takes away your appetite so this type of meal plan works really well for a lot of people.

I'm just throwing out some ideas that perhaps you hadn't thought of I completely understand the tight budget thing...we always vacay on a budget.

 

[Skjhjb]

Do you mean Aug. 2012? Because there was no public free dining offer for Aug. 2013. Some people had free dining because of Bouncebacks the previous year and some had free dining because they were lucky enough to receive a pincode, but no public free dining offer this past August.

Yes...but since the OP said "last August" in her post, I assumed she meant 2012 (as I'd call the August that just passed 'this August') so maybe a misunderstanding on my part!

 

[Disneylover99]

Yes...but since the OP said "last August" in her post, I assumed she meant 2012 (as I'd call the August that just passed 'this August') so maybe a misunderstanding on my part!

Or my part...I get where you're coming from.

 

[Questforthemouse]

If you are flying out of the States, book with Southwest or Jetblue. Then if something happens and you have to change dates, you can do so without penalty. No you won't get your money back.. that's why it's important to look at getting trip insurance. But you will be able to move the flights to another date with your credit.

If you book with JetBlue there is a per person charge for changes or cancellations. If you change/cancel 60 or more days prior to the flight you will be charged $75 per person. If you change/cancel inside of 60 days prior to flight you will be charged $150 per person. If you cancel then the remainder of the original fares will be placed in a holding account for each person to use within 1 year from the date of cancellation.

Currently, Southwest does not charge a change or cancellation fee. If you cancel then the original fares are held in a holding account for each person to use within 1 year from the original date of purchase. Southwest may extend this by 6 months for a fee of $50 per person.

 

[pigletto]

If you book with JetBlue there is a per person charge for changes or cancellations. If you change/cancel 60 or more days prior to the flight you will be charged $75 per person. If you change/cancel inside of 60 days prior to flight you will be charged $150 per person. If you cancel then the remainder of the original fares will be placed in a holding account for each person to use within 1 year from the date of cancellation.

Currently, Southwest does not charge a change or cancellation fee. If you cancel then the original fares are held in a holding account for each person to use within 1 year from the original date of purchase. Southwest may extend this by 6 months for a fee of $50 per person.

I stand corrected! I think the last time we used Jetblue the prices dropped and we received a credit with no change fee so maybe I was assuming their policy was the same as Southwest. Has it changed in the last few years or has it always been this way?
Anyway OP.. ignore me.. go with Southwest if you don't want change fees

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Just a word of caution for the OP....I would not totally base August flight price estimations on the current May flight prices for Southwest or Jetblue. We have always found that any summertime flights are higher (sometimes slightly, sometimes by alot) than periods where the kids are still in school.

Our August 2012 flights were $863 for 3 round trip tickets via Jetblue from Syracuse, NY (non-stop flights both directions, and JB airfare includes a checked bag plus your advance seat selection). That worked out to about $288 pp. Our August 2013 flights were slightly more at just under $1000 for 3 (about $330 pp, round trip). Both times, airfare was purchased the January prior, and climbed substantially before the trip date arrived.

And its JMHO, but don't count out a trip based solely on staying onsite vs. offsite. There are some mighty awesome offsite places which will give you a much better bang for your buck, TONS more space, far superior accommodations, and a more affordable overall price. If onsite works out and your budget can allow it (once the airfare is purchased), then by all means, choose onsite. If you need to cut back, stay offsite and still have the most magical vacation you can (and you might surprise yourself and find you LIKE staying offsite.....we sure do!). We have had 4 offsite stays and 1 onsite stay, and even with our full kitchens, we've never done any cooking or cleaning . Your kids will have a fabulous time no matter where you choose to lay your head at the end of the day .

I, too, am anxiously awaiting the release of August airfare as well. Last year, Jetblue released August fares in early December, so I'm hoping the same holds true for this year. We have the flexibility to fly from either Syracuse (our preferred airport) or Buffalo, and will pick whichever one is best. So far, SYR has won out for both August trips but BUF was cheaper for our Christmas 2012 vacation. So we shall see what 2014 fares bring!

 

[momof2gr8kids]

How old are your children? Is waiting a year so you aren't so stressed about it a big deal?

As someone mentioned, there were some room discounts at the end of Aug but not free dining. Personally, I wouldn't pay for the dining plan. I think if you do the math you can still fit in a couple of character meals and eat fine. I don't know if your kids are considered Disney adults or not on the dining plan, or how they eat, so can't say for sure if the dining plan is right for you.

The bonus with Southwest is the free bags. You can put a lot of stuff in there. Like cereal, snacks, bagels, fruit, muffins, etc. That can go a long way to keeping your food costs down. I found the dining plan a lot of food and sometimes a lot of hassle. Especially mornings. It was easier to give the kids a bowl of cereal or bagel/muffin and a piece of fruit than haul everyone to the food court or bring everything back for them. There was a lot of wasted breakfast food.

Even if you are offsite you don't have to clean or cook. You can stay at a suite type hotel with daily housekeeping, still eat out cheaply, but can also get easy things like roasted chickens, deli stuff, etc. for some meals. Sometimes it's easier to do that while you are sitting poolside with the kids than dragging them to a sit down.

So don't think you can't possibly have a good vacation without the dining plan. There's a lot of good options to save money and have a great time. If you've got a great flight deal, I would say go for it.