Jan 2010 Code Watch

[mvansear]

I am usually a board lurker but I hope to be more interactive this time as I feel like I have spent thousands of hours reading these boards time to give some back. SOOOO excited about Jan trip cant wait.

 

[snookiedoodles]

I spoke to my travel agent who said that the 4/3 is more than likely going to be the deal in Jan to spring months.

The deal will come out in Oct/Nov.

I have friends that just came back from the forth of July, they walked on every ride....not a good sign for Disney....but maybe they will be pushing more deals this winter, when it is historically a slow season.

One can only hope.........

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

How much more did you have to pay for the extra night. was it rack rate for that time of year?

I believe so...

 

[Monny2AE]

Getting really excited, I must admit i am a board lurker. I don't post much but read a lot. Huge thank you to all who post. I learn so much every trip just gets better. Hope to go end of Jan first of Feb. Last year i was on the boards nov 6th when deals came out. I wrote it down so I would remember.

I was trying to remember the exact day last year but couldn't so thanks!

I spoke to my travel agent who said that the 4/3 is more than likely going to be the deal in Jan to spring months.

The deal will come out in Oct/Nov.

I have friends that just came back from the forth of July, they walked on every ride....not a good sign for Disney....but maybe they will be pushing more deals this winter, when it is historically a slow season.

One can only hope.........

That would absolutely wonderful!!!! Crossing my fingers and toes it happens! Now back to waiting... We're gonna go through lots of popcorn between now and November!

 

[MissMagnolia]

I just got an e-mail for free dining for dates into December...maybe we won't need to wait as long for January deals!!

 

[jjarman]

I didn't really pay attention to the 4/3 deal last year because I never thought I would use it. Now since we are going in january it looks like it might just be offered for us. How did it work exactly? You book a package for 4 nights including rack rate for room, tickets and dining and you get 3 nights free including room, tickets and dining. Is that right?

 

[Momof2J's]

Well, it looks like our dates are set! We will be going Jan 30- Feb 6th. I would like to book the air right now since prices are low, but we now have to buy a new water softener so the tix may be put off for a while

 

[figment82]

I didn't really pay attention to the 4/3 deal last year because I never thought I would use it. Now since we are going in january it looks like it might just be offered for us. How did it work exactly? You book a package for 4 nights including rack rate for room, tickets and dining and you get 3 nights free including room, tickets and dining. Is that right?

Not quite...room and tickets are free for the 3 nights (though the additional 3 days on the ticket was laughable - it's like $4 or something)...but you still have to pay for the dining for the whole trip - the 3 nights are not free for that.

Also the first part of the year (I want to say January through March but I could be wrong) people also got 1 $200 gift card per room as an added bonus.

 

[nickcdn]

I'm in the same boat as others here. I am thinking a cruise but am waiting too see the kind of promotion comes out from Disney. If it is like last year 4/3 deal with $200 GC than I will book a weeklong trip for my family at Disney.

Nick

 

[jjarman]

I think I would rather have the free dining. I put some numbers together based on last years rates and come up with this. It will be me and my mother in my room. I realize it is last years rates on everything but all in all it looks like free dining is great. See if I am missing something:

4/3 plan

Room:
3x92.00(MLK weekend)= 276.00
1x82.00= 82.00
total room 358.00
Tax 13.5% 48.33
Total 406.33

2 - 4 day PHP= 572.98

7 day DDP
40.00 per person
2 people 560.00

Total for 2 adults 4/3 $1539.00



Free Dining Plan

3x92.00 276.00
4x82.00 328.00
Total 604.00
Tax 13.5% 81.54
Total for 2 adults 685.54

2 - 7 day PHP 592.14

Total for 2 adults 1277.68

 

[Flossbolna]

I think I would rather have the free dining. I put some numbers together based on last years rates and come up with this. It will be me and my mother in my room. I realize it is last years rates on everything but all in all it looks like free dining is great. See if I am missing something:

I think your numbers are correct, but you missed the 200 $ gift card. We did not get the dining plan (I acctually love being more flexible with my meals), but used the gift card towards our food.

Free dining is a great deal if you are staying at the value resorts and/or have more persons in your room. However, for us, who are two adults planning to stay at a deluxe resort, a room discount will work out like a better saving and the 4+3 was in the end like a room discount.

By the way, there has been talk about ticket prices going up on 8/2 - historically the ticket price increase and the release of next years resort rates has been on the same day. So I guess on 8/2 we will at least be able to see the rack rates!

 

[jjarman]

I think your numbers are correct, but you missed the 200 $ gift card. We did not get the dining plan (I acctually love being more flexible with my meals), but used the gift card towards our food.

Free dining is a great deal if you are staying at the value resorts and/or have more persons in your room. However, for us, who are two adults planning to stay at a deluxe resort, a room discount will work out like a better saving and the 4+3 was in the end like a room discount.

By the way, there has been talk about ticket prices going up on 8/2 - historically the ticket price increase and the release of next years resort rates has been on the same day. So I guess on 8/2 we will at least be able to see the rack rates!

Thanks. Yes. I intentionally did not count the $200 gift card in there. You just never know if they will include something like that so did not want to count on it but it sure would be nice. I was just trying to get a ball park figure. I am planning this trip for 6 of us, DB, DSIL, my mother and 2 nephews plus myself. I am trying to give them a figure to plan on.

 

[CheriePenguin]

I just got an e-mail for free dining for dates into December...maybe we won't need to wait as long for January deals!!

Do you mean you got a personal pin code type deal, or found out about some type of public deal with free dining into December?
Thanks!

 

[Monny2AE]

Do you mean you got a personal pin code type deal, or found out about some type of public deal with free dining into December?
Thanks!

Don't know about the OP but mine was a personal pin attached to my name.

 

[Targsmom]

ok.. so I'm confused.. can someone help me? I've never taken advantage of any of these codes before.. didn't know you could call after you book.

I've already booked 5 nights and 4 days. (Jan. 6th -11th) for two adults. We bought our plane tickets separately, direct from the airlines. We booked our hotel through Disney and bought parkhoppers.

is there any way to take advantage of a 4/3? probably not right? I can't add any more days... but can I get one free? Or am I miscounting?

I'm never good with the day/night thing.... this is why I don't make the reservations.

 

[lovesdumbo]

though the additional 3 days on the ticket was laughable - it's like $4 or something....

It was actually more like $9.

I already had AP's so I just bought 1 day tickets required for the package rather than pay the cost of the 4 day tickets to get the $9.

ok.. so I'm confused.. can someone help me? I've never taken advantage of any of these codes before.. didn't know you could call after you book.

I've already booked 5 nights and 4 days. (Jan. 6th -11th) for two adults. We bought our plane tickets separately, direct from the airlines. We booked our hotel through Disney and bought parkhoppers.

is there any way to take advantage of a 4/3? probably not right? I can't add any more days... but can I get one free? Or am I miscounting?

I'm never good with the day/night thing.... this is why I don't make the reservations.

Did you actually buy the park hoppers seperate from your room reservation? The 4/3 deal required the purchase of at least 1 day tickets but those tickets don't expire until 14 days from 1st use. I still have one day tickets from my trip last January that are still good because I didn't use them on that trip.

Last year you could get the 5th night free but I think they also had some other deals that might have worked better if you weren't staying 7 nights.

 

[Targsmom]

Did you actually buy the park hoppers seperate from your room reservation? The 4/3 deal required the purchase of at least 1 day tickets but those tickets don't expire until 14 days from 1st use. I still have one day tickets from my trip last January that are still good because I didn't use them on that trip.

Last year you could get the 5th night free but I think they also had some other deals that might have worked better if you weren't staying 7 nights.

We got the park hoppers online, separate from the hotel.. I think... My partner did it.. I was in the room but not paying attention. I was too busy happy dancing. Pretty sure she bought the airline tickets from US Air, bought the park hoppers from the Disney Website, and then called for the hotel ressie.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

We got the park hoppers online, separate from the hotel.. I think... My partner did it.. I was in the room but not paying attention. I was too busy happy dancing. Pretty sure she bought the airline tickets from US Air, bought the park hoppers from the Disney Website, and then called for the hotel ressie.

Hmm...I'm thinking that if the tickets were bought seperately from the hotel, you may be out of luck. BUT if you bought the hotel and tickets as a "package", when the deals come out, you could maybe cancel your room-only and tickets, then buy the 4/3-you're right, you'd only get one night of hotel and tickets free, (if you're staying value, would save you about $95, more if you're staying med or deluxe)) but if they're offering the $200 gift card, you'd get that, too. You may want to just call Disney and see how everything was booked and what the CM says!

 

[Flossbolna]

We got the park hoppers online, separate from the hotel.. I think... My partner did it.. I was in the room but not paying attention. I was too busy happy dancing. Pretty sure she bought the airline tickets from US Air, bought the park hoppers from the Disney Website, and then called for the hotel ressie.

Don't worry, historically there have always been discounts for room only reservations as well as for packages. But the package discounts tend to come out earlier. You have a room only reservation, you cannont book packages for 2010 yet. And since ticket prices are rumored to go up on 8/2 you at least won't be affected by that increase!

Best thing to do is to monitor this thread and mousesavers.com and the news on the DIS homepage (http://www.wdwinfo.com/) and you will most likely find out when those discounts will become available on the day they appear. Then you just call Disney and change your reservation to apply the code. Technically you book a new reservation and the old one gets cancelled. Since a room only reservation can be cancelled until 5 days prior to arrival without any penalty, don't worry about the cancelling involved in this. Room only discounts have recently been very good - up to 43%. So this might work out much better for a 5 nights stay than the 4+3 package deal anyway since for you it would work out only as 4+1. mousesavers.com is a general good source about the out and ins of discounts, so perhaps you might want to check that out! Hope I could help to reduce the confusion!

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

Just my observation, last year, I found that the Dis'ers got the discount info posted here a few hours ahead of when it was posted on mousesavers.com. I think people wake up in the wee hours of the morning to start harrassing the CM's for the info...

That's why I'm addicted to the Dis!!!