How to get the best rate?

[PoohBearFamily]

No, only one discount. Whichever suits you more. The free dining plan could be better than a percentage off. You would have to do the math and see what y’all would want to eat and where. For us, a larger percentage off is always better because we don’t always eat appetizers and desserts, etc.

Oh ok I didn't know that. Thank you!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

No, only one discount. Whichever suits you more. The free dining plan could be better than a percentage off. You would have to do the math and see what y’all would want to eat and where. For us, a larger percentage off is always better because we don’t always eat appetizers and desserts, etc.

Oh ok I didn't know that. Thank you!

For hotwire- you can look up tips for securing a Disney resort, however there are no guarantees. When using the tips- I have always ended up getting a Disney resort for about $100 a night at the value resorts.

That's a great price! Thank you!

 

[PoohBearFamily]

There are no guarantees, but using the Hotwire app can help. The app has a tool that allows you to circle a particular location. So, you can create a circle on the map that includes just the POP/AOA area or just Coronado.

I'll have to download that app. How have I never heard of Hotwire before? I have heard of Priceline. Is Coronado nice? I think AoA looks fun (our kids are Cars and Nemo fans).

 

[chasgeese]

Hi! My family of six is planning to visit Disney for the first time sometime in 2022 and even when looking around school/bank holidays, staying on-site at one of the resorts seems so pricey?

We don't really want to stay off-site because of the added cost of car, parking, travelling to and fro, etc and would love to be "'in the bubble" for our first trip. Also, if the dining plan is back in action next year we'd LOVE to use that.


Does anyone know how to get a good rate for staying at, for example the Contemporary resort? Thanks!

Even with the most aggressive discounting available you aren’t going to see rates much lower than $400 for a resort like the Contemporary (and honestly not much lower than $500 for the main tower). Disney is able to charge way higher rates than the on-site hotels really deserve based on what they offer (even if all of the perks come back) because people are willing to pay it. There just aren’t many “tricks” besides going at a time Disney choose to provide discounts or occasionally scoring a last minute deal on Hotwire/Priceline. Travel agents can take some of the work out of keeping an eye out for discounts because they will typically hear about them and apply them automatically, but they don’t have any secret insider deals that a normal guest can’t get on their own.

You can rent points and save a lot of money, but you have to be willing to accept that as a non-refundable reservation (and not just if your plans change, many people who had reservations with rented points when WDW shut down still never got their money back). If you are willing to take that risk, you can save a lot of money, especially because you could book a 2BR villa for less than two rooms at a deluxe, but it’s still a lot of money to put down that you could never get back. Otherwise, I would recommend taking a look at historical discounts to see if your dates would match up with times Disney typically offers them. Then look at the current calendar of rack rates and see what rates fit within your budget.

ETA: Based on the use of the term “bank holidays” I assume you are either in the UK/Australia or Canada. If you aren’t in Canada, a travel agent based in the US could be more useful for you since the discounts tend to come on US/Canada time and it can be a pain to find them and act on them not on that time zone.

 

[chasgeese]

I'll have to download that app. How have I never heard of Hotwire before? I have heard of Priceline. Is Coronado nice? I think AoA looks fun (our kids are Cars and Nemo fans).

Note that the Hotwire discounts typically are only available at the last minute (typically no more than a month in advance) you would still probably want a backup hotel that you are willing to accept in case nothing pops up.

The Coronado is nice, but like all moderate hotels, it’s set up motel style with outdoor hallways and it’s also quite sprawling. The Gran Destino Tower at Coronado is more like a typical hotel, but it’s more expensive and typically doesn’t pop up on Hotwire. The AoA suites could be a great fit for your family since you could all fit into one room, although they tend to not be as heavily discounted as other room types when discounts are offered and even are occasionally excluded from discounts altogether. I