Too early to book?

[Hippie]

My wife and her parents and our the kids are going to WDW in December 2012 and staying at Pop Culture. Is it too early to book? Meaning is there a cancellation charge? Why should I book now? Should we just book through Disney as we only need hotel and tickets?

 

[Sandi]

There is no charge to cancel a "room only" reservation provided it is cancelled more than 5 days before arrival (maybe it is 6 days). You will pay a deposit that is equal to one night's stay for each room reserved.

If you have a "package" reservation, you will pay a $200 deposit and must pay the whole package off 45 days prior to arrival. A package will include a room and tickets. It may also include dining. You can cancel up to 45 days prior to arrival. Within 45 days, you lose the deposit.

I always like to have a WDW reservation booked because I have something to look forward to. Even if it's several months away. It does tie up some money though. Also, if you want a discounted room rate, you'll have to continue watching and then modify your reservation (you may even have to cancel and rebook to get a discount in certain situations).

Pop Century is a great resort. DD17 and I are headed there for Spring Break and we've stayed there several times. I think your group would need two rooms. If desired, there are connecting rooms and that should be requested when you make the reservations. WDW won't guaranty connecting rooms, but, with one exception, we've always gotten them when requested.

 

[nkereina]

You can book over a year in advance - I think it's something like up to 400 days out. The good thing about booking sooner rather than later is that you have your choice of resort and room categories. The longer you wait, room categories sell out and resorts might not be available any longer. If a promotion comes out after you book, you can still call to add that promotion on.

As PP said, you can book a package with a $200 deposit at time of booking. You can cancel up to 45 days before you leave with no penalty and a full refund of your $200. Or, you can book a room only reservation with Disney - I'm not sure of this cancellation policy and I think you have to pay for one night's stay up front, but don't quote me on that. You can then purchase your tickets through a discounted ticket seller like Undercover Tourist. They'll be slightly cheaper than Disney, depending how many days you want. If you want dining though or if free dining comes out as a promotion, you'd have to book a package with tickets through Disney.

 

[cancersucks]

I am a bargin hunter/couponer/ always do my research to find the best deal BUT when we do Disney, I ALWAYS book through them. If you book a package, it is the $200 deposit as pp said. You can pay as little or as often as you would like after that. There is a full refund if you cancel 45 days before your arrival date. Booking with Disney is easy becuase it is one stop shopping. One number for questions, concerns, changes, ect. As I am sure you have read on here, if you go through disney, always ask if there is a pin code attached to your name for a discount. If not, call back in a few days and ask again. Keep your ears open for discounts throughtout the year. They only allot a certian amount of rooms for that discount, so if you are already booked, you just call and have them apply it to your total. We even book air thought Disney. We fly air tran, and the last two times we went the EXACT same flight was cheaper through Disney than AirTran/Expedia/orbitz ect. Be aware though that if booking air through Disney at the same time as your package, you must pay the flight porition in full when you book it.

Bottom line is that if there is ever a question or descrepency (sp?) in your reservation, you have one company to call, and they can help you easily while you are there. I like the ease of it. Plus- No other company tells me to have a "magical day" when we hang up.

Oh, and if you do a room only ressie the deposit is equil to one night stay... and depending on where you stay could be close to or more than the $200 deposit for a package. A cm recently told me that if you change to a package later they actually cancel your ressies and start over, to book the package. Not a big deal at all, but for the price of the deposits it might be easier (and even less $ up front) to just book the package to start with and not have to worry about it KWIM?

 

[cancersucks]

I am a bargin hunter/couponer/ always do my research to find the best deal BUT when we do Disney, I ALWAYS book through them. If you book a package, it is the $200 deposit as pp said. You can pay as little or as often as you would like after that. There is a full refund if you cancel 45 days before your arrival date. Booking with Disney is easy becuase it is one stop shopping. One number for questions, concerns, changes, ect. As I am sure you have read on here, if you go through disney, always ask if there is a pin code attached to your name for a discount. If not, call back in a few days and ask again. Keep your ears open for discounts throughtout the year. They only allot a certian amount of rooms for that discount, so if you are already booked, you just call and have them apply it to your total. We even book air thought Disney. We fly air tran, and the last two times we went the EXACT same flight was cheaper through Disney than AirTran/Expedia/orbitz ect. Be aware though that if booking air through Disney at the same time as your package, you must pay the flight porition in full when you book it.

Bottom line is that if there is ever a question or descrepency (sp?) in your reservation, you have one company to call, and they can help you easily while you are there. I like the ease of it. Plus- No other company tells me to have a "magical day" when we hang up.