Holiday promotions? (Yes I know it's early)

[bubbles1812]

Hello WDWmagic forum! It's my first time posting though I've been a long time reader so bear with me. I am hopefully planning a trip with a friend of mine for early December 2012 (around the 10th) as a "hey we made it through another semester of medical school without going insane, lets celebrate!" trip and I have a few questions. I'm going to bold my actual questions and then if you want to read my intro my brief accounts of previous Disney trips, you can but as you can see it's long so I won't be offended if you don't...I just wanted to put it out there to explain why I love Disney and I know some people enjoy reading about other's Disney experiences

Obviously no promotions will be released for late in the year yet but could anyone give me an idea of what they have been like in the past? I talked to a person on Disney.com and she recommended booking now and then I *may* be able to modify my reservations once those deals are released...but that *may* made me kind of nervous that if I find something I might not be able to apply it by booking now. Anyone have any suggestions? And on that note, how early should I be getting tickets for the Candlelight Processional and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? I'm super excited about new Fantasyland hoping the beauty and the beast area and little mermaid ride will be open by that time but the "late 2012" Disney has on their website is certainly frustrating isnt it? :lol:

And since this is my first post...I little about my Disney experiences. My first trip to Disney was when I was 7 and my brothers were 5 and 3 (stayed at Dixie Landings when it was still called that). I can't honestly remember that much about the trip other than that my youngest brother was absolutely obsessed with Pirates of the Caribbean. Our last night of that trip we had a Pirates marathon where we raced to see how many times we could ride that sucker before closing (10x).

Second trip was over the week of my 10th bday (best bday ever!) and we stayed at the Poly. I got three free birthday cakes on my birthday and my dad took just me out that night to the MK. I got to choose the rides I wanted to ride, eat what I want, got a silly portrait done, and watch the fireworks...it's a really special memory that I share with my dad. My other fav memory from that trip was that we were walking along randomly (forget specifically where) and out of a door came Snow White and all 7 Dwarves! No one else had yet really noticed they were there so we got to take our time and get autographs and pictures before any lines started forming...and a picture with a 7 dwarves together.

Third trip, we stayed at Beach, when I was 13 (can't tell you how much I love that resort). Fav memory of that trip is going out with my mom autograph hunting...we met Jafar, Aladdin, and Jasmine (had never met a villian before so Jafar made my day). Also did Cinderella's Royal Table. I had never been up in the castle before so I was in heaven. The Godmother was even there! (or well right outside anyways)

4th trip was a mini one...parents felt guilty that the middle brother was on a 3 week choir tour of Europe (yeah, I was jealous too...) so mom booked a trip to the Hard Rock Hotel/Universal/Sea World. I do enjoy those parks but there was no way I was standing for us being that close to Disney without going. Youngest brother loves soccer so we went the ESPN club on the Boardwalk to watch the World Cup while I *magically* found my way over to Epcot. I also persuaded the parents to have us be in MK on the 4th of July (which would probably seem like a bad idea given the crowds...but we're pretty good when it comes to timing fastpasses and planning which rides to hit when. didnt have more than a 20 min wait the whole day )

5th trip (and last)...whereas most high school seniors chose to go to Mexico for senior trips, my best friend and I went to Disney (Port Orleans Riverside...aka Dixie Landings again). Was a really special trip/memory and Philharmagic became a new favorite...we just absolutely adore that attraction. Everest had just opened so we saw the Yeti in A mode too. We rode that ride 5x in a row. I also met Aurora (the last princess I hadn't met)...she wasn't yet common in the parks so I was super excited. Yes I was 17 and I totally know it's just an actor but it's still special to me to meet the characters (my fav all time character greet besides the 7 dwarves was meeting Darkwing Duck, Launchpad McQuack, and Roger Rabbit...all three were together and it was very random).

Ok...that was really long winded and maybe there was a better place for introductions but I couldn't find it and I wanted to share some of why I love Disney. Anyways, I'm super excited to (hopefully) begin planning a new trip and get back to that magical place

 

[luv]

Hello WDWmagic forum! It's my first time posting though I've been a long time reader so bear with me. I am hopefully planning a trip with a friend of mine for early December 2012 (around the 10th) as a "hey we made it through another semester of medical school without going insane, lets celebrate!" trip and I have a few questions. I'm going to bold my actual questions and then if you want to read my intro my brief accounts of previous Disney trips, you can but as you can see it's long so I won't be offended if you don't...I just wanted to put it out there to explain why I love Disney and I know some people enjoy reading about other's Disney experiences

Obviously no promotions will be released for late in the year yet but could anyone give me an idea of what they have been like in the past? I talked to a person on Disney.com and she recommended booking now and then I *may* be able to modify my reservations once those deals are released...but that *may* made me kind of nervous that if I find something I might not be able to apply it by booking now. Anyone have any suggestions? And on that note, how early should I be getting tickets for the Candlelight Processional and Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party? I'm super excited about new Fantasyland hoping the beauty and the beast area and little mermaid ride will be open by that time but the "late 2012" Disney has on their website is certainly frustrating isnt it? :lol:

since you're talking MVMCP and CP, I'm assuming this holiday is Christmas, which is a very busy and expensive time to go, at least right around the date itself. Earlier in the month is cheaper and less busy.

The cost of the hotel will depend on when you are going. If you want a room for Christmas week, book it now.

So much of this depends on your dates. When are you going? The tenth? You may get a decent price on the room.

If you buy the MVMCP tickets early, you run the risk of attending on a cold and rainy night. If you wait, you run the risk of a sell-out. Me, I'd wait. But this is a decision you have to make.

I hope the new stuff is ready for you!

 

[Nemo14]

I'd leave it in the hands of any of our Kingdom Konsultants. Let them book it for you now (no additional cost to you), and if a discount or other promotion comes up, they'll make the changes for you.

danielle@kingdomkonsultant.com
denise@kingdomkonsultant.com
elizabeth@kingdomkonsultant.com
gloria@kingdomkonsultant.com
heather@kingdomkonsultant.com
heatherk@kingdomkonsultant.com
jenell@kingdomkonsultant.com
jessica@kingdomkonsultant.com
marie@kingdomkonsultant.com
missy@kingdomkonsultant.com
pam@kingdomkonsultant.com
richard@kingdomkonsultant.com
tammy@kingdomkonsultant.com

 

[bubbles1812]

since you're talking MVMCP and CP, I'm assuming this holiday is Christmas, which is a very busy and expensive time to go, at least right around the date itself. Earlier in the month is cheaper and less busy.

The cost of the hotel will depend on when you are going. If you want a room for Christmas week, book it now.

So much of this depends on your dates. When are you going? The tenth? You may get a decent price on the room.

If you buy the MVMCP tickets early, you run the risk of attending on a cold and rainy night. If you wait, you run the risk of a sell-out. Me, I'd wait. But this is a decision you have to make.

I hope the new stuff is ready for you!

I'm really hoping that too! I'm hoping late 2012 means November and not the very end of December. Our dates will be Dec 9th or 10th thru the 17th. We thought early december was best to come in because we knew right at christmas was the most expensive (and crowded) time. And for rooms we are probably doing a value resort though if we could find a good deal, we'd consider upping to a moderate

 

[dreamfinder]

You can see historical data on when discounts became available for what days here -> http://www.mousesavers.com/historicalwdwdiscounts.html.

As far as amounts, it will vary greatly. May be anywhere from 10-40% or nothing at all. The discounts have been getting much more granular lately. 10% for preferred view, 20% for standard view etc. Or even something like All Star Sports and Movies have discounts, but nothing at Music. Random things like that.

As as the "may be able to apply the discount", it's not that you won't be able to use it just because you book now, but rather that your particular room type may be excluded. So if you booked say a preferred room at POFQ, if POFQ preferred rooms are at their desired occupancy levels, then they have no need to offer any discounts. They may offer them for a standard room however. Or, all of POFQ may be blacked out for the time you want. In which case you would have to change your reservation to say POR to take advantage of the discount.

I view it as what are you looking for in your resort? Are you dead set on a particular resort and room style? Then book it now and don't wait for any discounts. Just be prepared to possibly pay rack rate (Or use AAA discount if you have it). If you are just looking to say get the best price for a moderate, and don't care which one or room type, then you should have no problems applying a discount if you don't mind changing locations.

The CM just didn't want to say "Yes you can apply the discount" and then not have there be any discounts for your chosen room.

As far as the CP goes, I'd book it fairly early if you want one of the more popular restaurants, or a dining time that accommodates you. Otherwise you could end up having to do like a 3 PM "lunch" in Morocco (love the food, wouldn't want to eat at 3). MVMCP, you tend to be able to wait til much closer. Unfortunately they don't publish any sort of % sold info, so it's a gamble. However, earlier in the month tends to be ok, later dates tend to sell out. If you are going to be there when there are multiple parties during your trip, you can wait a bit, and then jump if one happens to sell out.

 

[bubbles1812]

I view it as what are you looking for in your resort? Are you dead set on a particular resort and room style? Then book it now and don't wait for any discounts. Just be prepared to possibly pay rack rate (Or use AAA discount if you have it). If you are just looking to say get the best price for a moderate, and don't care which one or room type, then you should have no problems applying a discount if you don't mind changing locations.

Thank you for all that info! We aren't set on any particular resort, or at least any particular resort that would be in our price range. (My ideal vacation would be 1 week at the Poly and 1 week at the BC...sadly I don't have 10 grand to spend though :lol. If I had a choice between all the moderates I'd pick Port Orleans Riverside before the others, but again, wouldn't be a big deal to be somewhere else. I've never actually been to any of the Value Resorts so I don't have a preference...though that is probably something to look into on which people have liked better. Can you use the AAA discount and other discounts with it? I do have AAA but didn't consider that that could be applied as well as the discounts Disney offers. Also, we will most likely get standard rooms...most of the time I can't justify paying extra for a room I will spend not a lot of time in other than to sleep and shower. Unless say I was at the Poly...alas that will not happen this trip unless I win the lottery sometime between now and December.

 

[Jon_in_NC]

PIN Codes

Just a few days ago (May 24th actually) I received an email from Disney with a PIN code for Free Dining for the last part of the year, so this may be an indication Free Dining could be offered to the general public again this end-of-year time frame. Apparently Disney has truncated this offer to just 4-Night packages, so I'm not sure if it would be allowed to be used for longer trips. I'm glad I even received a PIN code, but I was really hoping for a room-only discount.

The details are as follows:

FREE Disney Dining
with the purchase of a non-discounted 4-Night/5-Day Magic Your Way room and ticket package at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

For arrivals most nights 9/30–10/4/12; 10/19–11/1/12; 11/9–11/15/12; 11/23–11/29/12; 12/10–12/13/12.
Book now through 7/28/12.

The number of packages available for this offer is limited. Minimum length-of-stay requirements may apply. Tickets are for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Offer excludes campsites and 3-bedroom villas, Disney's Art of Animation Resort suites included. All other suites excluded. Advance reservations required. Offer is nontransferable.

 

[bubbles1812]

Just a few days ago (May 24th actually) I received an email from Disney with a PIN code for Free Dining for the last part of the year, so this may be an indication Free Dining could be offered to the general public again this end-of-year time frame. Apparently Disney has truncated this offer to just 4-Night packages, so I'm not sure if it would be allowed to be used for longer trips. I'm glad I even received a PIN code, but I was really hoping for a room-only discount.

The details are as follows:

FREE Disney Dining
with the purchase of a non-discounted 4-Night/5-Day Magic Your Way room and ticket package at select Walt Disney World Resort hotels.

For arrivals most nights 9/30–10/4/12; 10/19–11/1/12; 11/9–11/15/12; 11/23–11/29/12; 12/10–12/13/12.
Book now through 7/28/12.

The number of packages available for this offer is limited. Minimum length-of-stay requirements may apply. Tickets are for one Theme Park per day and must be used within 14 days of first use. No group rates or other discounts apply. Offer excludes campsites and 3-bedroom villas, Disney's Art of Animation Resort suites included. All other suites excluded. Advance reservations required. Offer is nontransferable.

I saw that in the other thread Jon...I was really excited until I saw that it was only (at least at this time) for a 4 night/5 day package....that's not enough time at Disney for me, haha. Maybe my Kingdom Konsultant (I just put in a for a quote) will be able to pull some magic strings though I guess I understand Disney not wanting to have people have free dining for as long as we are planning to stay. Even getting half the trip with free dining would be great. I've never been on the dining plan before but for two people, it made sense to us to get on it. Disney provides plenty of food and we are all for bring snacks of our own into the parks as well.

 

[dreamfinder]

Can you use the AAA discount and other discounts with it? I do have AAA but didn't consider that that could be applied as well as the discounts Disney offers.

Discounts are not stackable. So you can book with the AAA discount through CRO now, to know that at the worst, you get the 10% off or so. And then if something better does come along, you can call back and ask the new discount applied instead. Or, if you do go with kingdom konsultants, they should do that for you.

 

[Eldon_Brasche]

The number of nights are usually a minimum. The basic requirements is that your check in period has to fall within the dates of the offer. For instance, if the offer is valid between 12/10 - 12/13, as long as you check in by the 13th you can get the free dining for your entire length of stay (up to whatever maximum limit they set).

 

[bubbles1812]

The number of nights are usually a minimum. The basic requirements is that your check in period has to fall within the dates of the offer. For instance, if the offer is valid between 12/10 - 12/13, as long as you check in by the 13th you can get the free dining for your entire length of stay (up to whatever maximum limit they set).

Oh ok, that's really good to know. I would love to have free dining for the trip...would probably allow me to upgrade to a moderate if I knew I had that and potentially a discount on rooms. I'm sure the Value resorts are great but at the same time, I like having a bit less people around.

And I know this is a very random question but when do the waterparks generally close each year? If one is even actually open in December? I thought one is typically open while the other is closed but I'm trying to decide if it's even worth it at all to get the Water and More thing. I could care less about golf or the ESPN complex. I havent been to Disney Quest since the early 2000s, havent missed it, and based on readings here, it sounds like its run down and badly in need of an update. But I do really love both the water parks...and thats of course assuming the days are even warm enough for a swim. I'm leaning on the side of if we really do want to go to whatever park (if any) is open, we'll just pay single day admission for it rather than paying extra each day for something I know we aren't going to really use.