Planning for Jan 2003

[monzmom]

Hi all! We (my sister & I) are planning a trip to WDW in January 2003 for a group of 18 (my parents, five sisters, four husbands, & 7 kids ranging in ages of 18 months to 6 years old). We've research the onsite resorts and decided we'd like to stay at the PO-R. I know the rates for 2003 aren't out yet. Is it too early to call to make the reservation for the five rooms we'll need? Any advice you can give would be appreciated! Thanks! DU

 

[SalandJeff]

Wow - sounds like a great trip. There are only so many rooms available at discounted rates (such as Disney Club rates) and once those are gone the higher priced rooms are left. So I'd call now. Also, you may have a better chance of getting the rooms all near each other. Explain your situation to the CM and see how they can help you out. You're not locked into the reservation (even though you'll need to make a refundable deposit). So if sometime during the year a discount rate comes along, you can make new ressies and cancel the old ones.

Don't know if you've stayed at POR before, but we love it there. Before joining DVC, that was where we stayed most frequently.

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[soccer mom]

Hi monzmom,

I would go ahead and book now. AAA rates come out in the summer, Disney Club rates in the fall and Annual Pass rates usually 2-3 months ahead. Also, check for code discounts. You can cancel or change at any time. Just keep an eye on the boards and www.mousesavers.com to see when the discounts become available. Call as soon as you see a discount that will help you out because only so many discounted rooms are made available. But keep in mind that even that sometimes changes as time goes on. You might call in September and they will tell you nothing is available and then call in October and something open ups.

Good luck and have a great time planning your trip!

 

[Emy'sMom]

...and I also have a Disney Club membership.

Say I call tomorrow and make my Jan 2003 reservation and give them my Disney Club membership. Since 2003 rates aren't out yet I assume they at least get my reservation in the system and use current rack rates (???).

Say I let my reservation stand and in November 2002 the Disney Club rates come out and I would get, let's say, a 20% discount off rack rate. Will WDTC automatically adjust my reservation to reflect the discount? Since I would have a reservation in the system that was made 9 months in advance would I have a good chance of getting one of the allocated discounted rooms? Is January "value season'?

Oh, and I've never gone in January before (usually October). Any pros/cons?

Thanks!
Debbie

 

[monzmom]

Thanks for all of your input. I need some clarification though...

I'm going to take your good advice and book the rooms. If in the future I find a discount code, can they apply the code to the existing reservation, or will I need to make new reservations and cancel the old ones? If that is the case, will they transfer the deposit to the new reservations, or will they require a new deposit and refund the deposit on the original reservation? Hopefully my ramblings makes sense to you guys. Thanks again and have a great evening!

 

[Ityldu]

I doubt very much that the DC discounts will be automatically applied once the DC rates come out. I would call and have that discount applied. Yes, they will use the same ressie and just change your rate.

Pro - January is great for getting around the crowds. As a matter-of-fact, when we went Jan. 2001, it was so empty we thought we were locked in Epcot after the closing. We actually missed seeing people. Then again, if I was going with a group of 18, it would be perfect.

Pro - Jan. is value season and there is usually great discounts. AP is usually the best discount out there. It's usually worth it to pay the extra money for an AP, even if you're only planning on being in the parks for a few days, because you'll save so much on the room. Often 40% or more. Last year I paid $40 extra for my AP over the 7-day park hopper and saved $150/night on a GF LV room. With an AP, I believe you can reserve up to 3 rooms, so you might need 2 people in your party to purchase an AP for the 5 rooms, but the savings on 5 rooms could be tremendous.

Con - It can be extremely cold. DH wouldn't let me bring my winter coat, b/c he didn't believe Disney could get that cold. Boy was he wrong. We spent the whole week looking for gloves and earmuffs - The mornings were in the 30's and the afternoons sometimes reached the mid-50's.

 

[ducklite]

Keep in mind that the Marathon is on 1/12/03, and it WILL cause minor disruptions before 10:00am that morning and will create heavier than usual crowds that weekend. Most Marathoners seem to arrive Friday night or Saturday morning, and leave on Monday. But for that period you're talking an extra 16,000 runners and most have at least one extra person with them.

Anne

 

[ShariB]

Have you thought about booking thru DreamsUnlimited right here on the DIS boards? They will keep a lookout for discounts for you(although I still watch myself too) and they have a great itinerary planning service. They will help you make PS's(which for a group of your size-if you want to do some things together-might be a challenge). I don't have tons of experience with them yet as I just booked and my vacation is in July but I know many on here have used them and I read of very positive experiences. BTW- I will be interested to follow your trip planning progress and trip reports afterwards. I am from a family of 5 girls and we keep trying to get a trip together with my parents and all of our families. Right now we are hoping all but one sis will be able to go in 2004. If all works out-even without one sis- we will have 22 and if we can convince her we will have 27! She and her family went with us back in 1997 and they feel if you've been once-why would you need to go back?! Can you die-hard Disney fans imagine that . Me neither!! Good luck with your plans.

 

[DisOrBust]

Just a reminder that MLK weekend can also be busy. This year some FL schools had off the Fri before and the Monday, it was a bit crazy!

 

[Emy'sMom]

....on January trips.

OK, so the marathon is Sunday, January 12. Does the marathon run in January compare at all, in terms of volume of people, with the Danskin marathon that takes place in September?

Th reason I ask - We went to WDW last October and visited the MK on Sunday (I think it was Oct 13) and got there right when it opened. The Danskin marathon was taking place (re-scheduled after events of 9/11) and runners were just finishing up.

The park was practically empty and we got to do alot. Of course as the day wore on the crowd picked up but it was nice to have those few peaceful hours.

For our next trip we *plan on arriving @ WDW Saturday, January 11 and just getting settled in at the resort. We'd do MK on Sunday, January 12. We'd check-out Saturday, January 18th.
(*We're also looking at the week of Jan 27th or Feb 10th).

How does the rest of the week look after the marathon is run?


Thanks!
Debbie

 

[Ityldu]

The marathon will have only a minor effect on the crowds, because a large majority are locals and just show up for the race. Since the crowds are so light in Jan. to start with, it will not be a problem. We were there in 2001 for the marathon and Fantasmic was still more then a 1/4 empty when they began. We got there the Sat. before the race and stayed the week after, just as you're planning and the crowds were so minimal, we actually missed that there weren't more people.