Rack Rate Booking Question

[gattra]

Hi All,

It’s been a very long time since we’ve been to Disney, and it seems like a ton has changed! We are excited to learn all the new tips and tricks! My question is about booking rack rates now for an August 2025 trip…

Is it smart to book the room we are hoping for, with the dining plan, at rack rate now. Then when discount offers come out(hopefully free dining) is it possible to get that added to our reservation with the discount applied?

 

[Mle8308]

Hi All,

It’s been a very long time since we’ve been to Disney, and it seems like a ton has changed! We are excited to learn all the new tips and tricks! My question is about booking rack rates now for an August 2025 trip…

Is it smart to book the room we are hoping for, with the dining plan, at rack rate now. Then when discount offers come out(hopefully free dining) is it possible to get that added to our reservation with the discount applied?

Sometimes. You may be able to apply the offer, however not all room types or resorts will always qualify. If all the rooms in a category are already booked, there is no reason to offer a discount to fill them. If you can be flexible on your room type or resort, you are more likely to be able to apply any future offers. Also, you should do the math, free dining isn't always the best deal because it can often require you to purchase things you may not use or need. For free dining, this year, the room was still rack rate and you had to buy multi day park hopper tickets to qualify for the offer. The number of snacks decreased to one and you can no longer use QS credits for snacks. Who knows if there will be future changes? For some it works, for others, it was not a savings. Disney will often also offer a flat our room discount only for that timeframe, that can be a better value.

 

[focusondisney]

Hi All,

It’s been a very long time since we’ve been to Disney, and it seems like a ton has changed! We are excited to learn all the new tips and tricks! My question is about booking rack rates now for an August 2025 trip…

Is it smart to book the room we are hoping for, with the dining plan, at rack rate now. Then when discount offers come out(hopefully free dining) is it possible to get that added to our reservation with the discount applied?

If there is a specific resort & room type you want to stay at no matter what, book it whenever you want. If you book a room or resort you can only stay at with a discount, there’s always a chance that room or resort won’t be available at a discount for your dates. As @Mle8308 said, discounts are offered to fill rooms. If a particular resort or room type is fully booked at rack rate, Disney has no reason to offer a discount for that room. If you really need a discount to go, it’s probably better to wait & see what’s offered for your dates. You do run the risk of your desired room getting fully booked by others while you wit tho. A lot of people book what they can afford & upgrade their resort or room if a discount comes out for their dates.

As for booking room only or a package, that only matters for applying you deposit if a new discount comes out. Having a package or room only booked doesn’t help you qualify for a discount later.

 

[vinotinto]

Like the PPs said, if your room type is available for a discount as if you are making a new resort reservation for that room and for those dates, you will be able to modify the reservation and select the discount. You cannot apply a discount to a reservation where the room is unavailable for a resort discount as a new reservation.

What we often see is that if a room type has been selling well for a particular date, it will not be available in the discounted room bucket. We often see rooms available at rack rate that are not available with a discount. By booking in advance, you are removing a room from inventory and adding a data point that indicates in their sophisticated revenue management algorithm that the room type in that resort doesn't need to be discounted. I would suggest booking in advance if you must have that particular room and type and are willing to pay rack rate. We often see guests who must stay at a particular resort with a particular view because it's a special occasion, etc., and book in advance to secure the room they must have.

Now, having said that, here in the south, kids go back to school in August (I'm in ATL and our metro area always goes back to school in early August), and it is the second hottest month alongside July. August is very low season and some of the best discounts and the widest availability of discounts in the past few years have been available in August. So, it's very likely that even if the particular room you pre-book is unavailable for a discount, another room at a comparable resort or another room at that resort may be available with a discount.

 

[Disneykingofkings]

i have found that if you use an ear marked travel agent, even if the discounted room that you have booked at rack does not appear in the discounts, the TA can flip it to the discounted rate with a friendly CM for you. Although I enjoy the booking process myself and sometimes find out about the discount release days before most, and usually book rack or discounted rate myself, I always transfer my ressie to my TA who is a longtime friend so she can get the commish. It has happened to me a couple of times.