Ideas for getting a good rate last minute please.

[Disneycrazymom]

My parents and some friends are in Tampa for the next month. when they decided to go to Florida no one thought they would want to go to Disney, but of course now they have changed their minds and want to spend next Wed. and Thurs. on site. They would like me to find them a great rate, but the codes are expired. Any ideas? They would not be considered FL res. and do not have an AP. Any resort is find even All Stars. Ideas? Thank-you, I knew you guys will make me look smart!

 

[Planogirl]

It depends on what you consider a good rate. We have a lot of luck with Expedia and made our current ressies there in fact. Good luck!

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

I'd try the Swan and Dolphin. I've had friends who have gotten good rates there at the last minute.

Or you could try renting DVC points for a studio?? Check the rent/trade board to see if anyone has any.

Lots of people do those auction type websites like hotwire.com and priceline.com. So that's an idea.

Also look into the Downtown Disney resorts. Try expedia, orbitz, and travelocity.

Oh, another one of my favorites... hotelkingdom.com!!! And hotels.com!!

Good Luck!!!

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

Do not do hotels.com.
I made a promise to myself after what they did to us (we got up there and THEN got a call that even though we'd already completely paid in full they had booked us at Lake Marion Golf Resort when it was already booked! We ended up in a place that was NOT as good as the place we booked, not the same amenities at ALL, not the same type of place, not as many rooms, upstairs/downstairs which was a pain for us plus with a 2yr old, etc AND now they are hemhawing around for a few weeks now saying they'll 'get back" to us about compensating us since we would not have paid as much if we'd known we were staying in a dump with fecal matter dried on the shower walls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) that I would tell anyone considering them to not use them.
And I will do so until they make good on this. I didn't spend $1500 for my family to stay in the place we ended up having to "settle" for last minute like that. We got there and were left homeless practically even though we already paid! Then had to take whatever they could get us.

Do not use hotels.com. Consider that my warning.

 

[TigrLvsPooh]

WOW! Thanks for the warning on hotel.com. We used them once to book a room at the Westgate Lakes Resort and had no problems. I guess we were lucky. I can't believe they forced you to change resorts when the one you wanted was booked. I would have demanded a full refund.

 

[Tinky]

Hmmm.. I have used hotels.com about 25 times this year and never had a problem. Had to change a couple of ressies and customer serviced was far superior to expedia or travelocity. Maybe the hotel oversold (why sell at a discounted rate when they have someone at their counter willing to pay full price?)
Sorry to disagree... but have always had good luck!

 

[jdkdorn]

We have a friend that was a CM and she would weait until the Monday of the week she wanted to go and then call CRO and ask if they had any last minute cancellation that were available at a discount. She was always able to get a good room. The last time we were there she had a 1-bedroom at the BW Villas and she only paid $ 148 a night. You may want to try this. The late cancel rooms are already paid up so Disney is getting extra money by booking them again.

 

[The Sybah Shelstah]

It's okay to say you have had good service with someone! Even though I was relaying my bad service. I realize they couldn't stay in business if they messed up everyone's reservations- but it's a pretty big deal to drive 20hrs to Florida and then after being there a few hours waiting for check in time to get a phone call basically saying you are homeless until they can find you a place to stay!
Oh and btw- the person that called us is the person that owns the home or whatever. It's not a hotel- it's a vacation home type thing (a house) -Lake Marion Golf Resort. When he called he said they booked it (for me -online) while he was gone on his own vacation and he'd already TOLD them that they'd overbooked one other person BEFORE they booked me! He said he had already told them they were booked up solid through some certain date (I can't remember when it was exactly).
The place was showing available online AND when I called to make the reservation because I had qualms at that time about booking it online.
I suppose we COULD have refused any lodging they gave us and demanded a refund- but who's to say I would have gotten the refund? Plus pay for another place and probably couldn't have found more than a flea-motel type place when it was the day before Christmas (and needed that entire week after Christmas also)-yanno?
(they really made the place sound good too... it wasn't... but by that time it was 6pm and we didn't have a place to stay Christmas Eve if not there).

The reason I say they might not have refunded us is that they have a guarantee- the best places at the best prices or your money back. I wouldn't want a full refund- but since it was NOT -by far- anywhere close to what we paid for in any way- I feel something should be done. The contact/representative keeps emailing me telling me she'll take care of this and get back to me with what she can do about it. Then emails me saying she needs my complaint email again because the computers were down. Then days later emails me saying she is still working on it and will get back to me. Then again asks for the email again (all this time I have not been emailing her again- only when she emails me requesting the complaint email again). Finally after a couple weeks of this and about a week since the last email from her- I email her again just replying to her last email saying "Thanks" -and that's it. (Thanking her for going to get back with me) and she emails once again about computer problems.
It's been almost a month.
I say they probably aren't going to stand by their guarantee in any way.
But I hope I'm wrong!!!

In any case, it was not the "hotels" fault.. it was hotels.com.

 

[Disneycrazymom]

Thanks everyone for the help. Since they are in Tampa already they decided to drive over and see what was available. If they don't like what is offered they can always just drive home to Tampa.

 

[Mrs. Snowgod]

I just added on 1 night at ASMo for Wed, 1/29... rate was $77 plus tax, which came to about $86 & change. Did this last evening when I discovered I could save $$$$$ on airfare by flying in Wed. night instead of Thursday morning.

Yes, my savings will be spent on the extra night's lodging, but at least we'll be sleeping on Disney property instead of waking up at 5 a.m. to catch our flight that day!