I need some booking help!

[iheartmypanda]

I made a call to Disney and I booked my wedding...
now I have until Wed. to call them with a four night hotel reservation code..

I think FH and I will just book the four nights for now and then later add more because we don't have all the money right now, still saving!

So how do I go about this? Where do I book? Where do I find codes?
Small world vacations never gets back to me...

FH is a Florida resident.. does that help?

I want to book a value (prob. AMus) for Aug. 6-10th, 2008...

we might want to add more days later, is that allowed? And what happens if we have to change the date?

I'm pretty clueless about booking in the first place and could really use some pointers!

Thanks in advance!

-Mariana

 

[fla4fun]

Are you booking a package or a room only reservation?

Most codes apply to room only reservations. Check Disney's website for special offers before booking anything, so you know what offers are available. There is a separate place for Florida Residents to check for specials, if that applies to you. Once a room only reservation is booked, either with or without a code, if you see a code come along later that is valid during your stay, call back and see if they have availablilty that matches your current reservation. For example, say you want WL for your resort. Let's say you are going in May 2008. There are no codes out at this time for May. If you have AAA, you can ask if any AAA discounted rooms are available. Let's say you are able to book with the AAA discount. So now you have a reservation. Around February or March, let's say some codes are released for Florida Residents and AP holders that cover the month of May. So you call Disney and ask if the Florida Resident code can be applied to your reservation. Let's say they check and the answer is yes. Let's say they save you enough money that you can add an extra night or two and still be paying the same amount you were paying for your original reservation. So now you have a longer trip for the same price.

Of course, discounts are never guaranteed. Your dates may fall during peak times when there are few codes to be found. But that's the basics of how it works when there are discounts offered. Some people apply the savings to upgrade to a better room or resort. Some people use it to book more nights. And some use the savings for more souvenirs and better restaurants.

Best wishes on planning your trip!

 

[iheartmypanda]

Ok so I read on this site that there actually is a discount for our dates because he is a FL resident.
So where do I go to book? Or where do I call?

And what happens if we have to change our wedding date? (we're going through the K1-fiancee visa process)
Would the money spent on hotels be wasted or count towards a new stay?

 

[megnsamsgracie]

First off, discounts arent available for 08 yet.

Second, if you book room only, you just need 1nights deposit and you can cancel within 5 days with no penalty. If a code comes out (FL resident or other) you can call and try and get the discount added to your room.

 

[fla4fun]

Ok so I read on this site that there actually is a discount for our dates because he is a FL resident.
So where do I go to book? Or where do I call?

And what happens if we have to change our wedding date? (we're going through the K1-fiancee visa process)
Would the money spent on hotels be wasted or count towards a new stay?

If there are Florida Resident rates available for your dates, you can go to the Disney website and click on Florida Resident near the top right hand side of the screen. So long as he has a Florida Drivers License or Florida State Issued ID card with a Florida address when you check in, he qualifies for the discount. It's best to use the website to get an idea of availablity for the different promotions, as well as getting the codes to use when you call. Once you're in the Resident's page, click on special offers, and then it will show you the different offers available. When you click on one, read down and it will tell you to either call and give code "XXX" (whatever the code happens to read) or there is a Book Now button. Use the book now button to check the availability, and then call to make the actual booking. Sometimes the availability is a little better by phone than online.

As far as changing the dates, you can cancel up to five days prior to arrival and get your one night room deposit back. Because the resident discounts are for limited periods of time, you can't just change the date and keep the same rate, unless your new travel dates fall into the same promotion period. They have resident rates of some kind available most of the time, but some are cheaper than others. Actually, room only reservations are the most flexible when it comes to cancellations, because packages have to be cancelled at least 45 days prior to arrival in order to get all your money back.