Reservation timing?

[leebee]

I'm looking for recommendations/experience/advice here. We need a reservation, hopefully at CSR, for January 11th and 12th. I'd make it now but I am expecting Disney to drop a discount for that time frame, sometime in September (based on prior year discount timing). However, that's also Marathon weekend. Do you think Disney will drop a discount for that weekend? Would you make the reservation now and stalk it (is it easy to change a reservation if a discount drops?) or wait until September? Should I do this myself, or let my TA make the reservation/stalk the discount?

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I have not done this but from everything I've read on these boards, the advice is to make your reservation now and then try to change what you booked. I know that can be more of a hassle but the idea is that if it's a busy time, you risk not getting a room at all and you have to undo what you did. As always the discounts are limited to a certain number of rooms so if one does come out, you gotta be johnny on the spot and your room type may not qualify. It's always a lot of small print. But if you know you're going to go regardless of the discount, just book it. I would not rely on a travel agent to secure your discount. Just me but I only trust myself to save my $$.

 

[Skippyboo]

I would book now. You may not get a discount that covers your dates. For example, the AP discount for Oct-Dec was for Sun-Thurs stays.

 

[Dug720]

let my TA make the reservation/stalk the discount?

If you have a TA, why not use them? Mine is so amazing when it comes to new packages and discounts. In fact, most of the time before I've even had a chance to look on my own, she's emailed me already with one of these:

1 - I have applied the new discount/package to your existing reservation.
2 - Your specific room type is not available for the discount/package, but this type/these types are - would you want to move to those. (In most cases I've already had a conversation with her so she knows if a different room type gets it I am fine with moving, in which case it starts as 2 but shifts into 1.)
3 - There is nothing at your resort available, but I can move you to this other resort/these other resorts.
4 - You already have the better deal.

Literally no work on my part unless I need to get back to her with a resort change. So much easier.

 

[StarCruzer]

If you have a TA, why not use them? Mine is so amazing when it comes to new packages and discounts. In fact, most of the time before I've even had a chance to look on my own, she's emailed me already with one of these:

1 - I have applied the new discount/package to your existing reservation.
2 - Your specific room type is not available for the discount/package, but this type/these types are - would you want to move to those. (In most cases I've already had a conversation with her so she knows if a different room type gets it I am fine with moving, in which case it starts as 2 but shifts into 1.)
3 - There is nothing at your resort available, but I can move you to this other resort/these other resorts.
4 - You already have the better deal.

Literally no work on my part unless I need to get back to her with a resort change. So much easier.

A good TA will do this. I'm not one myself but I used one many years ago and they did this for us. A have a friend now who is a Disney Vacation Planner and she is VERY on top of discounts and always adds them to her clients' vacation packages.

It is of course possible to keep an eye of for discounts yourself too!

 

[jemtx]

If you use a TA remember that they “own” the reservation and you cannot make changes yourself. If you have a good TA that you trust, it shouldn’t be a problem, but it is so easy to use the app or online to search rates or makes changes yourself.

 

[gottalovepluto]

If you have a TA that looks for discounts when they drop, use them. The website can be a pain in the behind on those days. Since you “need” a reservation book whatever rack rate room you find acceptable through the TA. Tell them you are hoping discounts come out and if one does you want to switch to CSR.

 

[R&RsMom]

Over the years, my TAs have always been great about applying discounts to existing reservations. I would have your TA book the room now, especially if you want that specific resort and a specific room category. At least then you have the room, even if there’s no eventual discount.

 

[kylenne]

If you have a TA that looks for discounts when they drop, use them. The website can be a pain in the behind on those days. Since you “need” a reservation book whatever rack rate room you find acceptable through the TA. Tell them you are hoping discounts come out and if one does you want to switch to CSR.

Over the years, my TAs have always been great about applying discounts to existing reservations. I would have your TA book the room now, especially if you want that specific resort and a specific room category. At least then you have the room, even if there’s no eventual discount.

This. I woke up for work one morning to see an email from our TA saying AP discounts had been released and what we had originally booked as a resort view at GF next month she had changed to theme park view and saved us $700. She sent that email at 5am. That’s why a great TA is worth it even for a hyper planner.

 

[fla4fun]

I guess I had the opposite experience with a TA. The discount dropped and she dropped the ball. I am sitting watching room after room disappear and I can’t do anything about it. She finally got me a discount but I had to change resorts to get it. It left a bitter taste in my mouth for giving up control of my reservations. I haven’t used one since.

 

[Dug720]

I guess I had the opposite experience with a TA. The discount dropped and she dropped the ball. I am sitting watching room after room disappear and I can’t do anything about it. She finally got me a discount but I had to change resorts to get it. It left a bitter taste in my mouth for giving up control of my reservations. I haven’t used one since.

Honestly that's when I would have been contacting the owner of the agency. I know with the agency I use the agents are expected to be on when discounts and new packages drop - and if they're on an approved vacation or out due to an emergency to have assigned clients to other agents for that time. (I know because I've talked with her about working for her and until I'm going to have full-time availability it's a no-go.)

Alternatively you could have booked on your own as you were "watching room after room disappear" and then cancel the one your TA had made for you. And fired them in the process.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I guess I had the opposite experience with a TA. The discount dropped and she dropped the ball. I am sitting watching room after room disappear and I can’t do anything about it. She finally got me a discount but I had to change resorts to get it. It left a bitter taste in my mouth for giving up control of my reservations. I haven’t used one since.

Who did you use?

 

[fla4fun]

Who did you use?

It was a DU agent, many years ago. I would prefer not to name names. I know they have a lot to do when discounts are dropped and perhaps she was a popular agent with a lot of bookings to deal with. After all, someone has to be last in line. My mom was going through the roughest part of her cancer treatments so I thought using an agent would be less work for me and more time for her. I thought about canceling but I just kept thinking I would hear something any minute. If it had been a less stressful time in my personal life I probably would have. I wanted to mention it to show that not all experiences are the same. I learned that I personally prefer to handle my reservations myself.

If the OP wants to use a TA, I would suggest trying to get a referral for a good agent. I simply went with the random one I was assigned, and perhaps if I had asked beforehand I might have ended up with someone else. Or not . . .

 

[leebee]

OP here... update. I did some searching around and discovered that the dates I want are during Marathon Weekend, as mentioned above, and are bookended with BounceBack days. The days leading up to this weekend and immediately following are included in the BB time frame but the dates of marathon weekend are not, so I went ahead and booked the 2 nights at CSR. Given that it's marathon weekend and these days are specifically excluded from BB, I don't anticipate that Disney will include them in any possible discount offer on rooms this winter. I'll keep watching, of course, but I'm not going to plan on a discount being offered.