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?

 

[heapster411]

Never rack rate, always use bounceback. Free dining does nothing for us, because the DW and myself never eat enough to make it worth it.

 

[DimpledDevil18]

We book rack rate and then cross our fingers and pray for a discount. Unfortunately, trips to Disney are every few years for us and we don't have the luxury of being able to wait for if/when the discounts roll out to book our trips. My Mom works for the school system, so we can't really go while school is in session. We use the Southern states going back to school earlier than us and shoot for the mid- end of Aug. If a promotion is released that fits in with our dates we just rebook and consider ourselves blessed.

 

[Joeamc]

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?

I've had to do it. One year we went on the Disney cruise and at the last minute decided to stay in WDW for a few days before the cruise. Even though I'm DVC at bay lake, either there was nothing available or I had no more points left that year (can't remember) so I paid full rack rate at the Poly. It was a little annoying but it was nice to stay somewhere I never stayed before. But definitely hurt a little. lol

 

[Tony the Tigger]

Never pay rack, usually don’t book until the discounts come out.

However, we want to go the first week of September, so when I get around to it, I’m going to check availability, book what we think is likely to be discounted, and then apply that discount when it comes out, or cancel and stay offsite (or try orbitz, etc.)

 

[Janir]

I would avoid paying full price by doing whatever I could, short of staying off site. I would make taking a free dining offer as my last choice as it doesn't pay off that well for us, and usually there is some other room discount alternative package available at eh same time. But having DVC now, I pretty much can ignore all that.

 

[DfromATX]

We book according to when we want to go. For what it's worth, if you book and then later see a special that you qualify for, Disney will honor it. One year they were giving gift cards and we saw the ad after we had already booked. We had 2 value rooms and got two $300 gift cards!

 

[Dave B]

Never pay rack, usually don’t book until the discounts come out.

However, we want to go the first week of September, so when I get around to it, I’m going to check availability, book what we think is likely to be discounted, and then apply that discount when it comes out, or cancel and stay offsite (or try orbitz, etc.)

I think the Sept discounts have come and gone

 

[monothingie]

I think the Sept discounts have come and gone

There is increasing chatter on social media stating that September through November bookings are dead and that if nothing is done, it will make an already bad year worse. A specific TA with a heavy social media presence from another site is openly expecting offers to drop as soon as this week.

@Kingdom Konsultant any rumblings or insight that you’ve heard?

 

[mdcpr]

We booked rack rate in March for Thanksgiving. I have a feeling I'll be stuck with it.

 

[Tony the Tigger]

I think the Sept discounts have come and gone

I haven’t seen any (at least not for AP’s or FL res.) They all end 8/29.

 

[MAYNARDS99]

Yes when free dining was upgrading rooms. Went from a value to a one bedroom at Saratoga Springs.

 

[ninjaprincesst]

For us it is when we can go, usually we hit the free dining, but with SWGE no such luck, but with my wor, my daughters school, and our whole family in agreement that we will never go in the summer again, we go when we can, if we can get a discount great, but if we can't we just have to deal.

 

[DarthVader]

Sometimes you don't have a choice. I book my vacations so far in advance the rack rate is the only rate and then when the discounts are announced I'll try to snag them but I've lost out. The last disney vacation, I paid full rack because there were no rooms left for the discounts. Do I cancel my disney vacation then? No, that doesn't make sense. I now budget my vacations so that I expect to pay full rack price and then if I get a price reduction that's a bonus. I'm not counting on it

 

[StarshipDisney]

Sometimes you don't have a choice. I book my vacations so far in advance the rack rate is the only rate and then when the discounts are announced I'll try to snag them but I've lost out. The last disney vacation, I paid full rack because there were no rooms left for the discounts. Do I cancel my disney vacation then? No, that doesn't make sense. I now budget my vacations so that I expect to pay full rack price and then if I get a price reduction that's a bonus. I'm not counting on it

Agreed...same here. I just made my reservation for Contemporary Resort in September 2020. Of course, what choice did I have bit to book at full rack rate for a Magic Kingdom view room. No deal would ever be offered that far in advance but major issues like planning leave at work require that we always plan our vacation dates well in advance. So I am not about to wait, make necessary plans, and then see if I can get a better deal later on...and do not think the Contemporary Tower never fills up.

So, for us, making our reservations well in advance is the only option. But it does give me time to plan the trip in detail, get ADRs, get Fastpasses, and maybe schedule a couple tours ASAP. If nothing else...I plan to enjoy the money I spend there.

A later deal, free dining plan, etc. would be nice. But for a Magic Kingdom view room at the Contemporary....don't count on it!