Poll: When planning a trip, would you pay rack rate?

[monothingie]

Disney has conditioned many of us to plan our trips to correspond to their promotional discounts schedule. This year things have been kinda all over the place with SWGE hitting and has affected their traditional schedule with various promotions released at different times. Even with SWGE coming this fall there is still tremendous availability access all resort categories for September and October. This is traditionally a heavily discounted period, but so far nothing. With the extreme slowness occurring at The DLR because of SWGE, there is the possibility of previously unplanned discount packages dropping soon for WDW. Do these discounts (or lack thereof) affect your planning?

 

[xdan0920]

I like voting in polls!

 

[75disney]

Absolutely! We are waiting to see if any discounts will be offered for our December trip because otherwise we are priced out at rack rate.

 

[wendysue]

Absolutely! We are waiting to see if any discounts will be offered for our December trip because otherwise we are priced out at rack rate.

Hope you get your discount. For us, it isn't so much the room price..(although we will only book value when discounted) but the park tickets are now the issue. No way we can justify those. It's now been a year and a half since we could go, and if we do go back it will be for a room only discount to get the Disney feeling, but we will just go to Boardwalk and Dis Springs, mini golf, etc.

 

[Mickey5150]

I try my hardest to never pay full price but we go every year for Food and Wine and if I have to pay full price that is what I'm doing. Thankfully we are an All-Star family and not a Grand family, lol.

 

[Clamman73]

I usually get a room-only discount for a Value...however currently I’m booked for Pop in the fall at rack rate for a standard at about $125/night...when I do the same now it’s $150. (I booked it a few months ago).
Maybe this week coming up is when the fall discounts come out and I’ll see what’s available, but if the discount is calculated off the current rates then I might not even save hardly anything from the discounted price.
I need to add another night for when I get there but I might just stay off site or All Star at discount rate.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Book early at rack rate and hope that discounts or dining are offered that can be applied by the time we go.

 

[larryz]

Fortunately, Disney is very generous with their military discount.

Unfortunately, the last couple of times I've used it, the only rooms available to me were premium view rooms.

 

[Mr Ferret 75]

Rack rate as we don't get any room discounts.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I would and I have but that's always been its a last minute thing and we don't care if there is a discount or not.

When booking months in advance I always hold out for the discount.

 

[TheGuyThatMakesSwords]

To clarify?

"Book and Lurk". Book Rack, check for Discounts - when one opens? CALL. DW & I did this for YEARS, before we became DVC owners.
Exactly ONCE, in a 5 year, 10 trip string of visits? We had to go through the useless mechanics of....

1) Book NEW Vacation, same dates & Resort...
2) Cancel OLD Vacation, same dates & Resort...

On one phone call, in exactly that order.

 

[zero creativity]

We book rack and look for discounts.

 

[Stellajack]

Wow, I haven't been on the forums for over a year, but I did book two rooms for next March at the rack rate.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

We book rack rate and then look for discounts. If we wait until discounts come out, we might not get the resort we want, or the room type we want. At least booking at rack rate assures us a room in the resort we want.

 

[MissViv]

We are booked with rack rate but hoping for a discount or free dining but not holding our breath. They are offering a discount, 15%, now for star wars opening 8/29 but none for November as of yet.

 

[Much-Pixie-Dust]

Try to always book a room only discount, but we have added a day or two last minute on a couple of trips and paid rack rate.

 

[Ghostdog]

Book early at rack rate and hope that discounts or dining are offered that can be applied by the time we go.

Ditto

 

[correcaminos]

I'm DVC now, but prior I would book rack rates and then keep looking. Only once (our honeymoon of all times) did a discount not come through (but that was 2000 and discounts were far more rare then anyway).

 

[Nunu]

Not if I can help it!

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I've booked at rack rate. I usually book at a time when I expect to get a discount later.

I've never not had this happen, but I would generally be fine with rack rate as I choose travel dates that work for me and the location I want.

I would consider altering plans a bit if no discount were to emerge. Spend a couple of nights at a lower-tier resort, spend one less night at Disney and one more at Universal, etc.

The irony of all of this is, when everyone books at rack rates and hopes for a discount, there is less likelihood there will be discounts. Discounts and promotions are used to fill empty rooms. If everyone books at rack rate, Disney might not roll out any discounts.