Planning question

[TammyLynn33]

how do you all pick what says to book 11 months out to match airfare pricing if it’s not out yet..

Would you then try to add nights on if it’s cheaper or

I just usually check air prices before I book hotels usually etc so this is throwing me a little

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

If there's a big difference then I sometimes look to add a day.

 

[drusba]

You cannot really tie when you will reserve DVC rooms to when the airfare is best. Airfare can go through significant variations as you head closer to the date of flying, e.g., what you might find at 11 months out can be more or less than what you mights find at 6 months out; also, for an airline like Southwest, you usually don't get the first taste of applicable airfares for a time period until well past 11 months out. Meanwhile, the problem you have with DVC is that a number of the types of rooms you may want often need to be reserved at 11 months out to assure getting them and usually no less than 7 months out for most other rooms. Thus, your room choices can be limited or non-existent if you wait to reserve a room until a time that you feel has the best airfares. You might be able to add a day or two to your room reservation after making it or change the arrival date by a day or two before buying airfare, but reality is you should not purchase DVC under the assumption that, after making a reservation at 11 months, you will necessarily later be able to change or add to any of the dates based on more favorable airfare rates.

 

[CarolMN]

We always book DVC before airfare. It's too risky to do do anything else if we want to stay at our home resort in late November or early December.

I know that usually, Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Saturdays are the least expensive days to fly between MSP & MCO. However, we have to time trips based on our schedules and also consider AP expiration dates. Sometimes, I book a day or two extra on the ends of the trip (if I don't have to borrow), so that I can drop nights if airfare is better.

All that said, I just do the best I can with airfare while seldom booking it more than a few months ahead. We do not travel over school holidays or other popular times (like Mothers' Day).

 

[Deb & Bill]

There are plenty of times when you cannot add more days, even at seven or eight months out. Especially if you are looking at studios.

 

[kniquy]

how do you all pick what says to book 11 months out to match airfare pricing if it’s not out yet..

Would you then try to add nights on if it’s cheaper or

I just usually check air prices before I book hotels usually etc so this is throwing me a little

I have typically found flights on Tuesday to be cheaper than other days.

If you happen to wait a find that flights are cheaper a day prior to what you have booked then you could try to find something onsite but at roughly 6 months out you might not find anything if it is a particularly busy time. Or you could book a moderate or value resort for one night, but then that extra cost might actually negate any flight savings. Sometimes you can find late night flights that are cheaper and just stay at the airport hotel.

You really just have to commit and do your best to shop around for your flights.

 

[BillPA]

Airfare is typically lowest Tue, and Wed, with Sat and Thur.next lowest. So plan your trip on those days. Avoid flying on Sun, Fri and Mon. Book a few extra days and modify as you get the airfare booked.