Special Rate Offer for DLR Hotels

[Sherry E]

hi,

can someone explain the "saved offer trick" to me? i assume i need to sign up somewhere. would love more info as we were thinking about GCH but just too expensive right now!

thanks so much.

mrm

Yes!

I would imagine that many people go onto the Disneyland website and just look at rates and dates, but they may not actually have an account on the site if they have never bought anything like tickets, etc.

So the first key is to create a "My Disneyland" account. Enter in your info and all that. This is your basic profile stuff for Disney park guests.

Make sure you are logged into your My Disneyland account. Then, go to the hotels section and plug in the dates you want at the hotel of your choice (for example, PPH, December 12-15, or GCH, November 28 - 30, etc.). Up will pop the current rack rates and your potential hotel offer.

After the initial sticker shock, click the tab at the bottom of the offer that says "Save Offer" or "Save This Offer" or "Save," or whatever variation of that. The offer will automatically save to your My Disneyland account. You can even check your account and be sure the offer saves.

Saving the offer is the other key thing to do. Don't book anything. Don't buy anything. Just save it and let it sit there.

What happens is the DLR system detects 'interest' in staying onsite, whether it's from a return visitor or a first-timer. When they see that you are not booking anything at those crazy rack rates - like over $500 for the GCH - they will most likely send you out an offer (e-mail or possible regular mail) with a better rate and a PIN code that is specifically for you. This is normally the case. Sometimes you may get the offer in a few days. Sometimes it may take longer.

Apparently the Saved Offers have a shelf life and they expire after a month or so. So if you have not gotten an offer after a month, go back on and Save something again.

Usually the offers that are sent out seem to include rates for all 3 hotels with that one PIN code. Occasionally they will send out rates for only one hotel. Sometimes you get the exact dates you want. Sometimes they give you a block of dates that are sort of close to your preferred dates.

I should point out that this Saved Offer trick does not always work for everyone. It seems like most people get a PIN code from it, but there are others who have saved offers and have not gotten a PIN.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Had a question about the pin codes does it allow you to book 1 room only or can you book 2 rooms under that price?

 

[Sherry E]

Had a question about the pin codes does it allow you to book 1 room only or can you book 2 rooms under that price?

You can book one or two rooms! Also, you are not forced to have to book a minimum of two nights, as with some reservations. You can use the PIN code to book one night only if you want, which I think is cool (some folks like to end their trips with one night onsite).

Also, these particular PIN's generated by the Saved Offers have expiration dates. For example, the dates in which my PIN rates will be effective are 10/16 - 10/31. I have to book my room before July 20 in order to claim the PIN, or it expires.

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Sherry-E, you are awesome thanks for the answers you have given me One more question if I did get a pin code and then the AP rate was better am I able to switch?

 

[maryrm]

Sherry-E,

thank you SOOOO much! i will let you all know how it goes!

thanks again,

mary

 

[mmlover74]

Sherry: I agree YOUR AWESOME. I had the same question, so i am glad it was answered. We are looking at going again to DL. Son wants to go to LL. Any tips there?

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry-E, you are awesome thanks for the answers you have given me One more question if I did get a pin code and then the AP rate was better am I able to switch?

Thank you - and you're very welcome! I hope it works out.

Yes, you should be able to switch to an AP offer (if a better rate comes along) with no trouble. It's only when DLR considers the booking some sort of 'package' (either with tickets or without tickets) that it can get kind of tricky to change reservations without a penalty. For room-only bookings like these PIN deals, it should be no problem to switch. I once switched from one discount to another discount back in 2008.

Last year I had one of these same PIN's for my December trip, and all the way up to mid-late November I was checking the AP hotel calendar for better rates...which never appeared. So my plan was to do the very same thing you are considering - keep the PIN code room booked and then jump ship at the sign of a better AP rate! But I stuck with the PIN code room because the AP prices were not good. Actually, the PIN rate for the PPH that I had ($163) was better than the previous PPH AP rate ($179) that I had used a couple of years prior.

Sherry-E,

thank you SOOOO much! i will let you all know how it goes!

thanks again,

mary

You're very welcome! Please do let us know what happens. You may get an offer in a few days, or it could be in a month. If the Saved offer expires in a month, just re-save it. As I said, most folks seem to have luck with this trick. There have been a few who have not gotten PIN's yet, but I am still holding out hope for them!

 

[maryrm]

hi all,

i just registered so keep fingers crossed - also, on the disney website, there was a "deal" for $199 for a 3 day hopper. is this a good price? we are a family of 4 w/a 9 & 4 y.o.

thanks,

mrm

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

I keep getting these emails but for some reason they keep sending them for the month of October. We are going the beginning of November, all of my saved offers are for November and every survey I have filled out I put down our November dates. I have no idea where they got the idea we are coming down in October

 

[Jenasweetemotion]

Thank you - and you're very welcome! I hope it works out.

Yes, you should be able to switch to an AP offer (if a better rate comes along) with no trouble. It's only when DLR considers the booking some sort of 'package' (either with tickets or without tickets) that it can get kind of tricky to change reservations without a penalty. For room-only bookings like these PIN deals, it should be no problem to switch. I once switched from one discount to another discount back in 2008.

Last year I had one of these same PIN's for my December trip, and all the way up to mid-late November I was checking the AP hotel calendar for better rates...which never appeared. So my plan was to do the very same

We lucked out with the AP last year we went during Nov-Dec and for 2 days on the AP Calendar it had the PPH for $149 it quickly went away which then forced the other 2 rooms I need be at a more expensive AP rate but with 1 room we got a good deal.
We have encountered the problem of changing the rates when they considered the first reservation a package, so that is why I was curious what they considered the pin code to be.

 

[DisSarahK]

So, the PIN codes come in the mail? Like, snail mail, mail? Wow. Did the offer come relatively soon after saving the offer, or was it quite some time between? I am insanely curious! Total newbie!

Yes, mine was a tri-fold mailer. It came roughly 3 weeks after I first saved my offer for my September trip.

 

[geekypeach]

Awesome! Thank you so much.

 

[Sherry E]

Awesome! Thank you so much.

geekypeach - These particular PIN's are more often sent out via e-mail, it seems, from Disney Destinations. The Subject line will say something about "Photos" (of the resort you chose to save), which can be misleading at first glance. There are only a few folks that I have read comments from - DisSarahK and alphie1991 included - who have mentioned getting these offers through regular mail (and, again, I'm only talking about this specific Saved Offers-generated PIN code, and not other PIN's during the year that may be different).

There's no telling why DLR chooses to send some of them out via regular mail (esepcailly if you have all of your contact info in your My Disneyland account), but more likely than not your offer will come in an e-mail, if you get one. Also, as I was explaining yesterday, sometimes the e-mail offers show up in just a few days after saving the offer, and sometimes it may take a month. I would imagine the snail mail offers take longer, like in DisSarahK's case.

 

[Sherry E]

Sherry: I agree YOUR AWESOME. I had the same question, so i am glad it was answered. We are looking at going again to DL. Son wants to go to LL. Any tips there?

mmlover74 -

Thank you so much! That's sweet of you to say. (I didn't see your post from yesterday until today.)

I wish I could help with LL tips - I know absolutely nothing about LL!

I hope you're able to get a nifty PIN code from this Saved Offers deal - either by PIN or by e-mail! Just remember to look for e-mails from Disney Destinations that say something about "Photos" in the Subject line, and that would be the one with the PIN code, if they send you one.

hi all,

i just registered so keep fingers crossed - also, on the disney website, there was a "deal" for $199 for a 3 day hopper. is this a good price? we are a family of 4 w/a 9 & 4 y.o.

thanks,

mrm

Mary -

Which hotel (and dates) did you choose for your Saved Offer? I find that sometimes if you choose one hotel, DLR will send out an offer for that one hotel only. But more recently, and more often than not, they have been sending out offers for all 3 hotels in one PIN, even if you only choose one hotel.

I will cross my fingers for you that a nice PIN code offer comes your way very soon!

I think the $199 Hopper for 3 days is a good deal. It's the one that expires on October 1, correct? It's certainly better than what the price would be without that discount, so it's worth getting!

I keep getting these emails but for some reason they keep sending them for the month of October. We are going the beginning of November, all of my saved offers are for November and every survey I have filled out I put down our November dates. I have no idea where they got the idea we are coming down in October

MrsJackSparrow4Life -

It is odd how they keep sending you offers for the wrong month! And it's not like you are choosing November over Thanksgiving weekend, which would be a different story. You're choosing early November, which is a relatively non-busy time at the parks!

It's especially odd because other people have been getting these offers and they extend all the way up to mid-December, usually covering a couple of blocks of time in November too!

Last year I was very lucky in that I got one of these Saved Offers PIN codes that covered the exact dates I wanted in December. This year I only have a limited window of time in which I can use the new PIN and that is October 16 - October 31, and those are not the dates I plugged in at all. But other folks are getting PIN's that have weeks in October, November and December on them! I wonder if it's all just a totally random, computer-generated 'decision' they make about who to send which offers to? (Of course "totally random decision" is bordering on being an oxymoronic phrase!)

I'm glad I got any kind of PIN at all this time around. Once I used the PIN they sent me last year, I was afraid it would be a one-time only trick and that I wouldn't get another one by Saving an Offer. So even though I will have to go a bit later in October than I wanted to for HalloweenTime, at least I got another PIN!

We lucked out with the AP last year we went during Nov-Dec and for 2 days on the AP Calendar it had the PPH for $149 it quickly went away which then forced the other 2 rooms I need be at a more expensive AP rate but with 1 room we got a good deal.
We have encountered the problem of changing the rates when they considered the first reservation a package, so that is why I was curious what they considered the pin code to be.

Jenasweetemotion -

That awesome $149 rate you got for the 2 days must have vanished very quickly, indeed! That's the kind of AP rate that people came to expect for a long time because you used to see that kind of rate on the calendar for at least a couple of weeks out of every month, including holiday season. Even if it had been $179 for PPH, it would have been considered a good AP rate compared to what's on the Calendar most of the time now. Nowadays, we are lucky to see any great rates even within that basic range on the Hotel Calendar, especially during popular times like HalloweenTime or the holidays. Every single time I looked on that pesky calendar last year, leading up to my December PPH visit, there were no decent rates. I would have even been willing to switch my dates if a great rate had shown up! Nothing!

So if DLR rolls out the great rates which are available for only 2 days on the calendar, no wonder they disappear so fast and that I never see anything good. Those rates probably vanish right away! I guess you have to have the right timing and just happen to be checking the Calendar at the very moment those rates are posted! When that $149 popped up for you, it must have been grabbed by people in a hot minute!

 

[oumagic]

geekypeach - These particular PIN's are more often sent out via e-mail, it seems, from Disney Destinations. The Subject line will say something about "Photos" (of the resort you chose to save), which can be misleading at first glance. There are only a few folks that I have read comments from - DisSarahK and alphie1991 included - who have mentioned getting these offers through regular mail (and, again, I'm only talking about this specific Saved Offers-generated PIN code, and not other PIN's during the year that may be different).

There's no telling why DLR chooses to send some of them out via regular mail (esepcailly if you have all of your contact info in your My Disneyland account), but more likely than not your offer will come in an e-mail, if you get one. Also, as I was explaining yesterday, sometimes the e-mail offers show up in just a few days after saving the offer, and sometimes it may take a month. I would imagine the snail mail offers take longer, like in DisSarahK's case.

I have received two offers via email from Disney Destinations. One was after I did a saved offer. The other came to my mom because I booked their room last year on my account, so I would say that was a previous guest offer. The third offer I got was in the mail and came shortly after I requested a planning DVD. I have not received the DVD, so I am not sure if it was related to the request or not. When I requested the DVD, I used my wife's name.

 

[Sherry E]

I have received two offers via email from Disney Destinations. One was after I did a saved offer. The other came to my mom because I booked their room last year on my account, so I would say that was a previous guest offer. The third offer I got was in the mail and came shortly after I requested a planning DVD. I have not received the DVD, so I am not sure if it was related to the request or not. When I requested the DVD, I used my wife's name.

There are all kinds of other PIN codes and special offers that can go out during the year, pulled from different databases or triggered by different things, and some of those will be through regular mail. I've certainly gotten a ton of those over the years. Then eventually Disney started sending me more and more of their PIN offers through e-mail (which makes more sense, really), and fewer offers through regular mail.

These specific PIN code offers that are triggered by this Saved Offers trick seem to mostly be e-mail offers, based on all the comments I have read from people who have gotten them...like 80% of them, I'd say. I don't even know why Disney would bother sending out actual PIN codes in regular mail anymore, but they still do it from time to time, I suppose! I can see them sending out generic "special offers" that require no PIN codes to people through regular mail because if the mailer ends up with someone other than the recipient, anyone can use it for a discount.

But when the PIN codes are specifically attached in the DLR system to only the recipient and no one else can use them, sending them out in regular mail and running the risk of them not arriving at their intended destination is just asking for trouble! I'm sure many a PIN offer has been lost in the mail over the years and never used. Heck, I am shocked when half of my mail gets to me, based on the crazy mail delivery service my building has! Just to be sure the person for whom it's intended gets it, they should always send out PIN's through e-mail...but it sounds like they are still snail mailing some of them here and there!

 

[maryrm]

sherry-e,

thanks so much re: the $199 rate - i think i will take this!

i think i put in for the DLR &GCH...hopefully, i will get a response! i will keep you all posted.

thanks again,

mary

 

[Kauinohea]

I called DL Vacation planning this morning "just in case" I missed a PIN code that may have been sent to me, LOL! The person I spoke to was really sweet and said that it was really early for my December trip and that any Winter specials would probably be out in August. Still keeping my fingers crossed for a PIN

Got my park hopper tickets so am one step closer to our Christmas Vacation

 

[mrswh]

I do have a My Disneyland account, but have never saved anything to it. I had done several searches for dates in August at GCH, and received a PIN for PPH good August 1-31 ($290/night), as well as the same offers it sounds like everyone else got - $163 PPH, $186 DLH; $247 GCH, for 10/16/ - 11/19 and 11/27 - 12/17. I got it in the mail, not email.

Oh! I bet I know why I got it. I ordered a Disney Parks planning DVD, and in answering the questions said I was considering a trip to DLR in August. So maybe that's another trick to try . . . I just wish they had given me a good rate for GCH!

ETA: OK I just read this thread more carefully and see someone else already posted this info. Where is the embarrassed emoticon?

 

[kdubs]

Thanks everyone for the tip! I tried it out just yesterday and got the "Photo" email in my Inbox just now. We're actually looking to a book a trip from December 16 - December 21. I'll take the discount for the first two nights, but in the email it says that it's "valid for arrivals most nights 12/1/11 - 12/17-11." Do you think it's possible that it could be good for the whole stay? What's that they say about looking a gift horse in the mouth?