Should I book a September 2013 trip now or should I wait?

[Barbara C]

I'd really like to go ahead and make a reservation for Sept 2013 now - even though it's a long time away it would give me something to look forward to. But of course we don't know about free dining yet. If free dining ultimately is available for the days we will be there, will WDW amend my reservation for the lower price? If so, how does that work? Would I need to call them to amend the price or would they do it automatically?

Thanks so much for your input!

 

[lfigment99]

You would need to contact Disney to amend to a lower price or to add free dining should a better deal become available. It is very easy to make those changes on the phone with Disney; however, make sure you watch the websites to make sure that when something becomes available you quickly call them for changes. You sure wouldn't want to get shut out on a cheaper vacation or free dining if they have limited rooms or free dining packages available.

I have almost always booked about a year in advance knowing that I will need to call frequently to make changes for lower pricing free dining, additional rooms, etc. I kind of like making those phone calls because that means I have found a bargain.

 

[gtpoohbear]

I always book as soon as they open up reservations for the next year, and then add a discount later if one is offered.

I think it depends on how much you are relying on a discount. If you can't go without one, then it's not going to help to make your ressie early, in fact theoretically it could hurt the chances of a discount being offered, since more rooms have already been booked. (Realistically speaking, I know, what difference is ONE going to make, right??)But even if you already have a reservation when the discount is released, there is no guarantee that it will be available for the room and dates you have booked. So it doesn't really help to "save a spot".

But we always know that we are going regardless - I plan and budget based on rack rate, so if there is a discount that's just icing on the cake. And resorts do book up, sometimes quicker than you would think. A few weeks after we booked our April 2013 vacation, I realized I needed to change the dates to get cheaper airfare, and it was hard! Almost the entire month was booked solid unless I wanted to upgrade to a better view (which of course negated the effects of the cheaper airfare). I finally found something, but the dates weren't as ideal as I would have liked. Glad I didn't wait any longer to book or we might not have been going at all!

So I would say that if you think you can manage it without a promotion book now and know that you have your spot saved. If it's not a possibility anyway without it, then you might as well wait and see what's available when it's offered.

 

[Barbara C]

Thanks for the input - it is very much appreciated.

We would go on the trip either way, I just want to make sure we get the best price!! I think we'll book now and I'll just stalk this website in the event of additional discounts

Thanks again for taking the time to explain this to me!!

 

[mickeynut1]

We would go on the trip either way, I just want to make sure we get the best price!!

Since you're taking the trip regardless of whether or not a discount comes out, I'd go ahead and book now to make sure you get the resort you want . With that said, having a reservation in place does not guarantee a discount can be applied as there has to be availability at that particular resort under the promo in order to have it applied to your current reservation. If you aren't stuck on one resort, you may have to be flexible with your resort/room type in order to take advantage of a discount, so having a 2nd choice in mind might be a good idea. Good luck and happy planning .