There are as many ways to book a Walt Disney World vacation as there are people booking them (not really but there are lots of ways to do it). You can book your entire package right away, you can book room and tickets with no dining plan, you can book a Platinum plan with everything, etc. Here is how I do it and since I start planning far in advance, why I do it that way.
- You can make a “room only” reservation 499 days in advance of your planned check out date. It requires a 1 night’s room cost deposit to hold the reservation. One thing to be aware of, since you will be crossing years, the deposit as well as the initial estimate of your total room charge will be determined by charging the rack rate for the most expensive season of the year. You can convert it to your planned visit date rate once the rates for the year of your travel are released by making a call to Disney.
- This assures your room availability and is particularly important if you travel during a busy time of the year so the room will be there for you.
- You can add things such as tickets or the dining plan to your reservation at any point just about up until check in date with no additional charge (officially, Disney says there may be a charge for adding but there rarely is) .To be on the safe side make sure you make your plan changes prior to the 45 days before check in date. If you stay with room only you can cancel or modify up to 7 days prior to check in with no penalty (another reason for room only). As the travel date gets a bit closer I look at the available discounts (free dining, Passholder discounts, Buy 4 get 3 free, etc.) that Disney may or may not offer and make my decisions. When I’m confident I will get the most for my money and the available discounts fit our travel style I call and add the appropriate item.
- People wonder what happens if you commit to your reservation and Disney suddenly offers a better discount? All you have to do is call them and they will change your reservation to the new discount and if a refund is appropriate they will reverse the charge to your card. They are very happy to do this so don’t hesitate but make sure that the new discount actually is better. You can request these discount changes at any time.
- If you purchase a package initially, the rules are different as well as the time frames. Things can get very complicated. For this reason I recommend you use a Disney Specialist Travel Agent no matter how you book. I use one and it takes a lot of worry out of missing the best deal. There are a lot of good ones out there but my TA is one of the very best. There is normally no charge for their services but be sure to ask. Remember – Always Use A Disney Specialist!!!
Enjoy your visit to Walt Disney World!!
Ken
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