Priceline etc.

[REEREEG]

Is there any reason to avoid booking resort rooms through sites like Priceline instead of through Disney?

 

[LisaCM614]

Is there any reason to avoid booking resort rooms through sites like Priceline instead of through Disney?

Only one thing I can think of - You may have a minor hassle getting the Disney confirmation # in order to hook it up to MyDisneyExperience or to schedule Magical Express.
We had a split stay at the same resort where half of the stay was booked through orbitz and the remainder through Disney. There was no difference in the room we had - in fact we stayed in the same room the whole trip.

 

[MsThumper]

We've booked through Orbitz several times and had no problems. We have a trip next week and the first part was booked through Disney, then we decided to add on 2 more nights and they were not available through Disney, so we booked 2 nights through Orbitz.

In addition to what pp stated, you must pay the cost up front and make sure that you are aware of any cancellation penalties.

 

[REEREEG]

Thank you

 

[M1ckeyM0use]

Are booking through Priceline or Orbit cheaper then Disney prices? And can you apply any room rate discounts to the room if you book with someone other than Disney?

 

[MsThumper]

Are booking through Priceline or Orbit cheaper then Disney prices? And can you apply any room rate discounts to the room if you book with someone other than Disney?

Sometimes the 3rd party sites price will already reflect the discounted Disney price, but you can't just assume it does. In addition, sometimes they have an additional % off deal going that you can apply.

We were planning on staying at GF in February 2016. I initially booked through Disney and was quite disappointed that the best discount I could do through Disney was 15% off, but I booked it anyhow. A few days later, I found the same room type on Orbitz at the same rate I had booked with Disney, plus Orbitz had an additional 15% off that I was able to apply. I cancelled my reservation through Disney (at that time, there was no cancellation penalty) and booked with Orbitz.

A few weeks ago, we decided to extend our upcoming stay (we leave today, Yipee) by 2 nights. I wasn't able to get a room at AKL (where we are staying first) or any other resort on the Disney website, except for really expensive rooms, so I got on Orbitz. I was able to get 2 nights at about 35% off rack price at the Contemporary, because they had a deal for an additional 15% off.

 

[jmm57]

We booked with Hotels.com this year. Same price as direct, but had standard room availability at Contemporary that we couldn't find on site. Saved a ton due to that.

Ebates also had 4% off on Disney through hotels.com

Biggest drawback for us was not being able to add dining plan. I think we will actually save money without it by eating less, but I love the convienience and freedom to order whatever you want without looking at price.