Will Disney find me the cheapest?

[Adora]

Hey All,

So I’m looking to book my room now for summer 2020 . I of course would have to call to reserve because it’s not online yet.

Since we are going for 10 nights and have the Canadian dollar conversion our plan was to just book the cheapest 11 day range. My plan was to try em all on the website.

So the question is

1) if I call Disney would they honestly tell me when the cheapest 11 day span is?

2) Are all reservations able to be cancelled without penalty?

3) Should I just wait and book when it comes online? (Anyone know when August 2020 will be up?)

Thanks!

 

[BrianL]

Hi. The Disney phone CM's are very friendly and if you ask for the least expensive option they will absolutely tell you what that is. They will run up several different scenarios so you can compare. The cheapest is definitely going to be an All-Star or maybe Pop Century unless you are looking for something specifically different. They will be happy to guide you. I'm not familiar with the cancellation policies and such exactly, but I know it differs between a package or room-only reservation. I hope that helps. Have fun planning your trip!

 

[Babsy]

HI! Also, from Canada! So I understand the woes of the CDN dollar, unfortunately. Adding an extra ~35% to an already expensive trip is painful!

1. they will check and give you the best that they can find. Be aware that the CM's will only be able to give you general pricing, as next years' prices aren't available to anyone yet, AFAIK. When prices and more specifics become available for next year, you will be able to book online. I THINK that will likely be sometime in June, so not too long from now. I am waiting until then to book our Jan/Feb trip.
2. Cancellation penalties differ based on if you book a package or a resort only reservation with tickets separate. Room only has a one night deposit requirement, but can be cancelled until 5 days prior to arrival. Balance payment due on arrival for RO. Packages only require $200 deposit but must be paid in full about 30 days prior, I think. Also cancellations only until ~ 30 days, IIRC. We don't book packages, so don't take that as exact, it may be changed since I last looked at this option. Someone else will be able to give you exact times on the package regulations. But you get the idea - PKG's more restrictive than room only. The one benefit to packages for cancellations is that you are able to cancel tickets as well this way. Tickets bought separately are generally non refundable, I believe.
3. If there is a specific room category/resort that you want then I would book early. You can always change the reservation if needed long after the more precise pricing becomes available. Lots of resorts sell out of certain room categories long in advance. The good news is that August is one of the least busy times of year to go to WDW. Otherwise, you can wait to see exactly how much each resort will be. That is my plan, but we go often and are pretty flexible. Plus, I change resorts so often the the first resort that I book is rarely where we end up! LOL!

Good luck!

 

[Adora]

Thanks to all so far. I realize I should give extra thoughts lol.
We are looking at a moderate resort. So not looking for the cheapest hotel as much as cheapest time to get the resort we want.
We will be doing room only (I have non-expiry ticket from previous trip). Unless it turns cheaper, I would keep the previous ticket.

 

[SteveH]

IMHO you are better off working with a non-Disney employed, Disney smart travel agent to guide you through all of this. This site is sponsored and the owners owns Dreams Unlimited Travel, but there are other Disney experts agents too. But when you talk with one you need to ask how often they go to Disney themselves, if they are not into Disney they are just an agent not a Disney knowledgeable agent.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Hey All,

So I’m looking to book my room now for summer 2020 . I of course would have to call to reserve because it’s not online yet.

Since we are going for 10 nights and have the Canadian dollar conversion our plan was to just book the cheapest 11 day range. My plan was to try em all on the website.

So the question is

1) if I call Disney would they honestly tell me when the cheapest 11 day span is?

2) Are all reservations able to be cancelled without penalty?

3) Should I just wait and book when it comes online? (Anyone know when August 2020 will be up?)

Thanks!

Thanks to all so far. I realize I should give extra thoughts lol.
We are looking at a moderate resort. So not looking for the cheapest hotel as much as cheapest time to get the resort we want.
We will be doing room only (I have non-expiry ticket from previous trip). Unless it turns cheaper, I would keep the previous ticket.

Based on 2019 rack rates, CBR, the first 11 nights of August, are your best bet (though we are talking a very minimal increase after August 10 of this year). Again, that's based on current rates, barring any discounts that will be released and WDW changing pricing seasons next year. Personally, I would simply wait for 2020 rates to be released and then start playing around on the website. There is no reason to book it now as whatever you book will be adjusted to 2020 rates once they are released and, as mentioned, rates and seasons could change. With a room-only, you will need to put down a deposit equivalent to the cost of one night's stay plus tax (balance due at check-in). Your reservation will be fully refundable up to 5 days prior to check-in. If you decide on booking a package with room, tickets and/or dining, the deposit is $200, balance due 30 days prior to check-in, deposit is non-refundable between 30 - 2 days prior to check-in and package is completely non-refundable one day before. You can always change your package and room-only dates to avoid cancellation penalties.

This site will give you rack rates and seasons for all WDW resorts for 2019 to give you an idea of current seasonal pricing: https://www.mousesavers.com/2019-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/

 

[Adora]

Based on 2019 rack rates, CBR, the first 11 nights of August, are your best bet (though we are talking a very minimal increase after August 10 of this year). Again, that's based on current rates, barring any discounts that will be released and WDW changing pricing seasons next year. Personally, I would simply wait for 2020 rates to be released and then start playing around on the website. There is no reason to book it now as whatever you book will be adjusted to 2020 rates once they are released and, as mentioned, rates and seasons could change. With a room-only, you will need to put down a deposit equivalent to the cost of one night's stay plus tax (balance due at check-in). Your reservation will be fully refundable up to 5 days prior to check-in. If you decide on booking a package with room, tickets and/or dining, the deposit is $200, balance due 30 days prior to check-in, deposit is non-refundable between 30 - 2 days prior to check-in and package is completely non-refundable one day before. You can always change your package and room-only dates to avoid cancellation penalties.

This site will give you rack rates and seasons for all WDW resorts for 2019 to give you an idea of current seasonal pricing: https://www.mousesavers.com/2019-disney-world-room-rates-season-dates/

Thanks!! When would August 2020 open online? Any ideas?

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Thanks!! When would August 2020 open online? Any ideas?

WDW released 2019 rates on June 19, 2018, so I would keep an eye out around mid-June. If you keep an eye on these boards, I'm sure you will see an announcement.

 

[Starwind]

One thing you can do is explore the Aug 2019 rates at the resorts you are considering. While the rates may change, and it is possible the pattern of the rates across the month may change, it should give you a reasonable idea of what you MIGHT reasonably expect to see for Aug 2020.

Open your browser in incognito or private mode or flush your cookies -- this clears out any dates you have already been searching.

If you go here: https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/en_CA/resorts/#/moderate it lists all the moderate resorts.

Click on a specific resort and you will see the various room types available.

Under the price for each room type, it says "view rate calendar", click on that




Which brings up a pop-up window that shows you the rate calendar for the remainder of the year. Page through using the arrows until you get to the month you are interested in.



As you can see, it has the nightly rate for the room type you are checking.

This gives you an idea of which nights/weeks are cheapest, as well as which days are cheapest, and the pattern of the month. In this case, clearly more expensive most weekends, etc.

We used this method to price our upcoming stay, which we booked by phone at 499 days out. For our rooms, the prices actually ended up going down a little bit when the actual rates for 2019 came out. But for one of our resorts, the pattern of the rates across the month changed a fair bit from 2018 to 2019. It had minimal impact on us because of the dates we chose, but has we been traveling at another point in the month it could have quite different. The other resort had pretty much the same pattern as the previous year, just slight price changes.

So, you can do your own homework and be prepared when you make your call.

SW

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I would wait for rate release. The CMs can't really say if rate seasons shift or if CBR or CSR see bigger rate hikes due to new amenities. It is not data they are given.

 

[kaytieeldr]

This site will give you rack rates and seasons for all WDW resorts for 2019

This site we're using provides the same information https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/disney-rates.htm