Not sure when their blackout dates are, but will call and try and find out for you. I arrive Thanksgiving weekend and had no trouble getting the AP rate for that time period. Another thought is to see if there is availability the day or two before. When I first made my reservation, I was going to do Caribbean Beach the first 5 nights, then do the Swan the other 5. When I called the Swan, the agent told me that the rate was not available for my initial check-in day, but there was availability the day before and I would be charged the AP rate for my entire stay. I eventually changed my reservation to the Swan for my entire stay, locking in the AP rate.