Probability of discounts? Confused...

[lunalibre]

I'm planning our first WDW trip with the kids. We want to go in early June 2007, and stay at CSR on the DP for 9 nights. Is there any chance we can do this for less than the rack rate? I gave DH the initial estimate, and he turned a little green. Yeesh, he KNEW WDW wasn't cheap!

Anyway, I know my family, and I really think this resort/plan will work best for us. If it helps, we have AAA.

If we end up paying rack rates, well, so be it. I'll try to save on air fare.

I'm also confused on the best way to try to use discounts that come out after we book. If I book a package after the 2007 rates come out, then a discount appears, do I have to cancel and rebook? Has anyone ever "lost" their original resort by cancelling then the space filling up before the rebooking was complete? (Yes, I'm paranoid.) Am I gonna have fewer headaches if I use a TA from Dreams Unlimited/Small World Vacations? It sounds like they keep an eye on discounts for you too. I'm just used to being my own TA, but then we haven't taken any "big" vacations where a TA would be helpful in a long time. I'm not necessarily looking for the absolute best possible deal, but I would like to know that I'm paying an appropriate price.

Thanks for any advice.

 

[BrerMama]

I'm pretty sure that there haven't been many discounts in June the past few years (other than AP and FL resident). We did get a discount in June 2004 (kids were free), but with the new "summer" season at Values and Moderates, I'm guessing we won't see many discounts at those places during that season. If you have AAA and are wanting a package, you can book through one of their TAs, and get a discount on the room part of your package (but still add tickets and dining). If you just want to do a room only reservation, you can book that directly with Disney and then get that room discounted when the rates comes out. Using DU or Small World is nice because they will watch for the discounts for you, but they can't get a AAA discount on packages for you. Your best bet may be to look for a AAA travel agent who is also Disney savvy (there are several recommended on this board), and she can both book your package and get the discount and look for further discounts.