Taking advantage of later sale?

[Keyser]

I know that there are often sales on Disney resorts or packages that pop up in late March. Can someone tell me how this has worked if you already have a reservation? That is, would it be possible for me to make a reservation now, then if and when a sale comes out, change to the sale rate? Or, do I "lock in" the full rate when I make a reservation?

Thanks!

 

[supersnoop]

For packages, you can cancel and get your deposit back up to 45 days before arrival. For room-only reservations, you can cancel without penalty up to 5 days before arrival.

If a better deal comes out, just cancel and re-book.

 

[SGMCO]

The more people book with expectation of discounts the more Disney doesn't have to offer them.
If it looks like people will go without a discount, why would they have to offer one?
I've also read stories of people booking in advance and not being able to apply the discount,
they have to switch to a resort that the discount is offered, sometimes they are sold out, sometimes the resort is not the one you would like to stay at.

 

[lanejudy]

It may depend on the offer. Yes, you can call (they will not do it automatically) to inquire about applying a promotion to your current reservation. You may need to be willing to shift dates and/or change resorts/room type to get the discount offer. If you have a room-only reservation and wish to switch to a package, that will be a cancel (refund of deposit) and rebook (new deposit). In recent years, the number of rooms available for special offers has been rather limited, so having a current reservation does not necessarily guarantee you will managed to get a discounted offered later. It's worth a try, though.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Marionnette]

I know that there are often sales on Disney resorts or packages that pop up in late March. Can someone tell me how this has worked if you already have a reservation? That is, would it be possible for me to make a reservation now, then if and when a sale comes out, change to the sale rate? Or, do I "lock in" the full rate when I make a reservation?

Thanks!

You don't really "apply" the discount to your reservation. You have to call to have your reservation changed to one that includes a room that is available with the discount. That means that if you booked a room at, let's just say, POFQ (a princess room) and there are no princess rooms at POFQ under the offer code for all of your dates, then you will not be able to take advantage of the discount unless you change your room, resort, and/or dates of stay.

In a nutshell, there is absolutely NO ADVANTAGE TO BOOKING EARLY if your intention is to change that reservation to take advantage of a future discount.

However, if your vacation dates are set in stone, you have your heart set on a specific resort and/or you want a hard-to-get room at the specific resort, and you would pay the rack rate if you couldn't get a discount, then by all means book the room when you're ready and then hope a discount comes out that will save you a few bucks.

Like SGMCO said, the more people who book early at rack rate, the less incentive Disney has for offering discounts.