Please help me understand AP room rate

[china mom]

Help! My husband usually does our trip planning but I am trying to figure this out.

We are Annual Passholders. I am holding in my hand a mailing sent to me from WDW saying "enjoy great rates this spring at select WDW resort hotels! Starting from $86 per night at All Star Music resort for stays most nights 3/9-6/14/2012."

Whe I call, they quote me rates of $105, $153 and $129 for nights between 6/11-6/19 (varies per night of the week)

The cast memeber said that the summer rates begin June 1. Is this bait and switch? Am I just not understanding?

 

[PHLtoMCO]

I got the same thing as an AP holder and was quoted the same! I ended up using a pin code instead which ended up being better than the AP rate.

 

[china mom]

Now I will really look like a dummy.... where do I get a PIN?

 

[fla4fun]

OK, here's the scoop, at least from my point of view.

There are a limited number of rooms at each resort for any promotion. Just pulling numbers out of the air, lets say resort X has 300 total rooms. They may only include 30 of those 300 rooms in the promotion. So once they are gone, you will be quoted rack rate unless you ask about a different promotion that might still have availablilty. Also, any dates outside the promotion will be at rack rate - so if the offer ends on the 14th and you are staying until the 19th, any night after the 14th will be higher. Weekend rates are often higher, and since weekends tend to sell out more quickly, you may look once and see all the dates discounted, and five minutes later the weekends will jump up to rack rate.

Over the past year, when looking at AP discounts online, it appears that they adjust the availability and rates just about every day - I am assuming based on how many rooms are booked at the resort at any one time. The first few days after a new discount is announced you can see this happening if you keep checking online. That's why it's so important to book ASAP when you see something you like.

Another newer thing they have been doing is the wording of the offers. It used to be a flat percentage for each level of resort - for example, 25% value, 30% moderate, 40% Deluxe or DVC. But now, they start with the advertised offer at one resort, but the discounts at other resorts can vary widely. The most recent GP summer offer had some deluxe resorts discounted as little as 5% and others as much as 25%. The only way to know was to look up the rack rates first, then look up the discounted rate, and figure the percentages. It's a lot more work than it used to be to figure out what offer is really the best deal.

I don't always book the AP offer. Sometimes I book the Florida Resident, AAA, or General Public offer, based on which is the best deal at the resort I want to stay in. I've even bought packages a couple times because the package (even with the minimum ticket purchase) was a better deal. I just saved the tickets to use later.

 

[mb187143]

From the passholder site:

Passholders, discover great rates this spring!

Passholders, make the most of your Pass and enjoy a fun family getaway at Walt Disney World Resort this spring! Discover great rates at select Disney Resort hotels for stays most nights now through June 14, 2012.


For example, stay in a standard room at Disney's All Star Music Resort most nights for the rates (per night + tax) and dates below:

Season: Late Spring (April 15-May 24, 2012)

Sunday-Thurs from $86/night
Friday-Saturday from $102/night

Season: Early Summer (June 1 - June 14, 2012)
Sunday- Thurs from $104
Friday-Saturday from $124


OP, your dates begin in the "early summer" range, and then extend beyond the promotion dates.