Ocala room discount

[tmli]

If I have a reservation with disney that has been confirmed and prepaid 21 days ahead.(assuming a DC reservation), can I change that reservation if I find a better deal at the Ocala visitor center when I'm driving thru. Will they transfer my payment to the new reservation and have time to get everything in order in the hour and a half it will take me to arrive at the resort.
We will be going in Jan03, has anyone ever gotten a good deal this way?

 

[tmli]

Anybody any advice?

 

[eeyorefanatic]

I have stopped at Ocala twice and once they had no rooms at all and the second time they only had discount on the delux resorts (between $200-$300 a night)

This was in the summer (early jusne and late june) but I didn't think it was that great of a deal.

 

[DisOrBust]

Someone had posted or maybe I saw it on Mousesavers that they called Ocala and was told they have not had any WDW rooms since the first of the year. The were wondering if WDW would even be releasing rooms to them at all anymore..
We went in Jan 02 and had an awesome AP rate.

 

[epcotitis]

We did change a reservation here once and they made a quick call to the resort to transfer funds. We switched from BC to YC because of a savings of $30 per night. That was a few visits ago though and the last time we stopped they did not have discounts either.

 

[Bstanley]

In the past I have had a Magic Kingdom Club reservation at a moderate, stopped in Ocala and upgraded to a Deluxe and had the one-day deposit applied to my deluxe bill without penalty. They do everything while you are standing there.

I haven't done it since the Disney Club came into existence so I don't know if there are new 'rules'.

They don't allow you to switch just to get a lower rate at the same resort - the trick is to 'upgrade' (even if it doesn't actually cost you any money). If you had a rack-rate reservation at a moderate you can upgrade to a discounted deluxe rate - which might actually be for the same or less money. But if you have a reservation at a moderate already I don't think they are going to let you switch to another rate at Ocala.

We've stopped at the Ocala center 4-5 times and always managed to get a 20% - 45% discount on a deluxe. We always visit when it isn't busy so perhaps that's the trick. Jan 3 should probably be quiet enough to get you a discount.

It is my understanding that you cannot call Ocala and ask about room availability or rates - they simply won't give out any information - you have to stop in and walk up. On our trip last Nov/Dec we got a $134 a night standard room at the AKL through Ocala - and were upgraded to Savannah View when we got there

 

[Samsma]

If you have booked through a travel agent and not CRO can you still upgrade at Ocala if you have your res. # and all the pertinent info?

 

[Bstanley]

Sorry for the evasive answer, but curiously I had this situation actually happen last trip and it will depend on your travel agent.

Last Fall I had made my reservation using Expedia. When I stopped in Ocala and tried to upgrade from DxL to the AKL the Disney Reservations lady advised contacting Expedia before actually switching because Expedia might keep the first night deposit if I switched.

Fortunately we were staying the night right next door at the Best Western and I had a laptop with me because I was able to go over the hotel, check-in, connect to the internet, find a telephone number to call from the Expedia website, call it and get them to approve the change and then get back to the Info Center before the 6pm closing time and make the hotel 'switch'! It was a BIG pain in the posterior. From now on I'll go direct to CRO after checking availability on the 'Net...

So if your travel agent is ok with it, then Disney is ok with it.

 

[Samsma]

Another Question:

If I actually am in Ocala about 8 days before my stay at WDW would they be able to offer discounts that far in advance? Going on a Disney cruise and am planning to stay at WDW for a couple of days either before or after. Thanks.

 

[Bstanley]

It sounds as if the 'rules' may be changing at the Information Center, but as of last December they would only make a 'reservation' for 4 nights following the day you stopped in.

So if you stopped in on a Monday they would make a reservation for you that began that Monday evening through that Friday evening. This meshes with when the resorts are actually notified of upcoming arrivals.

 

[Samsma]

Thanks Bruce,

Makes sense I guess!

Samsma