To book now or not? That is the question

[nngrendel]

Ok. Wife gave me the green light on a Adult Only visit. :sohappy:
I want to visit sometime after Labor day as the rates are good and I hear the crowds are low. September will also be our 3rd wedding anniversary so I am pretty much set on September 2012.

I want to actually have time to dine out quite a bit more than we have in the past as we will not have our kids. I have priced online arrival on a Sunday and stay until an Friday. Seems a lot cheaper if I skip the Saturday. With a dining plan its an additional $500. Correct me if I am wrong this does not include alcohol beverages, appetizers, or tips. So investing in the dining plan were we have at least one table service a night we would incur additional charges. I know we would possibly just have something simple for breakfast that we could bring with us and have in room. So the only thing we really are concerned with is Lunch and Dinner. Instead of investing $500 for the dining plan would it be worth wile to invest in $500 in gift cards. Which I could use for everything. I wouldn't be limited and just use the gift cards for food. This way I could budget. This is of course if they do not come out with the free dining for September 2012 which I haven't seen yet. Which brings me to my second question and topic...

Would it be wise to just wait to book in hope of a free dining package for September 2012 or should I go ahead and book now and and invest in the gift cards for our meals and if the free dining comes up add it then? Either way I do think I want to invest in gift cards to pay for extras while at the park. That way we can budget everything we spend there and save up for it. Seems when I save cash we always find another use for it.

Anyway I will wait for the wealth of info to be posted here. Any tips on saving $$ on dining or ways others have found useful to budget and save for their trips would be awesome. The main thing I want to do it have at least one nice sit down meal a day. Doesn't have to be signature but I really want to visit the World Showcase a lot this visit and experience dining we haven't been able to try before. Along with visiting old favorites.

 

[pixiesteno]

You could always get it booked now and pay a bit each month or payday. Do your savings on the gift cards (but check for expiration issues) during the year. Then when it gets closer if they come out with free dining or a nice room discount you could re-book and transfer your payments to the new ressie and have the credit applied to the free dining/discounted plan. What I have found they do, when I had trips booked with our AP discount is I called and the CMs just applied the discount right to our existing reservation. Just my thoughts

 

[becanya]

Book it now. Regardless of what package comes out later you can apply it to your existing reservation. We just did this with a Hilton Head reservation. I had completely paid off the reservation, but then we bought an AP and there was a 30% off discount for AP holders the week we were in Hilton Head. Called and they applied the discount to our reservation then refunded us the $205 difference. They will even check for you to see which available discount is the best and apply the best one (only one discount can be applied to your reservation). So one year we had booked under free dining. A 40% off room only discount came up for the same time. I called and they crunched the numbers for our trip and told us which discount would save the most money. They then changed the discount on our trip to the 40% off to give us the best discount.

Therefore, as soon as I know when I want to go I immediately book. The discounts may or may not come up later, but we can always apply them when they do!

 

[nngrendel]

Thanks. That's what I was feeling was to just go ahead and book. Just didn't know how hard it is to get the discounts applied after the fact.

I am considering not getting the Dining Plan right now unless they come out with free dining. I think I would rather check on expiration dates on the gift cards and pay for our dining that way. Again unless they come out with free dining.

I am just finding it hard to think that between my wife and I that we would spend more than $500 for food that week. Now if the dining plan allowed alcohol and tips I might think differently. Not that Im a lush or anything. I just know how expensive drinks can be.

Seems a lot has been shaved off the Dining plan and it doesn't seem that much of a value anymore. Since we live in GA bringing a cooler with Breakfast items and snacks isn't that big of a deal. Disappointed to see how little you get for your "Snack" part of the dining plan. Also does not include appetizers. Maybe its different for me as I can bring more food with me as I am driving.

 

[becanya]

Ok, here's the only complication with what you propose. If you book a reservation that is room only and tickets, with no dining plan, you would have to cancel that reservation then do a whole new reservation that includes the free dining plan if free dining becomes available. Still an option, but a little more hassle.

Here's the other thing I was thinking from your original post. If you eat a meal at a nice sit-down restaurant, for the two of you it could easily spend $100 each day for that meal alone. For example, if we go to Kona Cafe, which is a nice sit-down but not signature, we would spend $83.00 getting an appetizer to share, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. That doesn't include any drinks. If you also eat one quick-service meal each day you are looking at $100-125 per day on those two meals with no snacks for two adults. Since you are staying 5 nights (Sun-Thurs) it seems like the meal plan would be just as good a deal as paying with gift cards. Maybe not...just seems like it to me.

 

[nngrendel]

Ok, here's the only complication with what you propose. If you book a reservation that is room only and tickets, with no dining plan, you would have to cancel that reservation then do a whole new reservation that includes the free dining plan if free dining becomes available. Still an option, but a little more hassle.

Here's the other thing I was thinking from your original post. If you eat a meal at a nice sit-down restaurant, for the two of you it could easily spend $100 each day for that meal alone. For example, if we go to Kona Cafe, which is a nice sit-down but not signature, we would spend $83.00 getting an appetizer to share, 2 entrees, and 2 desserts. That doesn't include any drinks. If you also eat one quick-service meal each day you are looking at $100-125 per day on those two meals with no snacks for two adults. Since you are staying 5 nights (Sun-Thurs) it seems like the meal plan would be just as good a deal as paying with gift cards. Maybe not...just seems like it to me.

Thanks for that info. I am going to have to wrestle if I want the added extra hassle if free dining comes available. :veryconfu

Reason I was also thinking investing in gift cards is the extra perks from buying them like fuel incentives like from Kroger and also discounted pricing on $100 cards from Sams Club. Your idea on about how much I would be spending is about what I have estimated. Just as good as deal is what I thought too. Not a whole ton of savings just a lot easier.

Maybe I can get me a part time second job to fund our Disney get away and get the Deluxe Dining and come back home with an added 15 pounds of body fat? :ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

 

[becanya]

Thanks for that info. I am going to have to wrestle if I want the added extra hassle if free dining comes available. :veryconfu

Reason I was also thinking investing in gift cards is the extra perks from buying them like fuel incentives like from Kroger and also discounted pricing on $100 cards from Sams Club. Your idea on about how much I would be spending is about what I have estimated. Just as good as deal is what I thought too. Not a whole ton of savings just a lot easier.

Maybe I can get me a part time second job to fund our Disney get away and get the Deluxe Dining and come back home with an added 15 pounds of body fat? :ROFLOL::ROFLOL:

Hahaha! That's my plan! We always do deluxe dining and I have to diet in a major way before I go! But at least I know during those 10 days of pre-vacation starvation that I have Disney dining to look forward to!

 

[nngrendel]

Hahaha! That's my plan! We always do deluxe dining and I have to diet in a major way before I go! But at least I know during those 10 days of pre-vacation starvation that I have Disney dining to look forward to!

Yeah but I read on another thread that you passed your comprehensive exams. So therefore you really have to celebrate and what better way to do that than to splurge on food and drink while there. Maybe you can stop by city hall and see if they have a "I passed my comprehensive exams" button!
I believe that should be good for one complementary Tonga Toast.

 

[Little Lion Man]

Ok, here's the only complication with what you propose. If you book a reservation that is room only and tickets, with no dining plan, you would have to cancel that reservation then do a whole new reservation that includes the free dining plan if free dining becomes available. Still an option, but a little more hassle.

Im not so sure about that. My wife and I are travel agents and we have booked for groups before that had room and ticket only. Once the free dining came out we just called Disney Travel and told them to add it no problem.

I would book now and lock up a room, then add the extras later. Plus that time of the year is dead and they always have free dining.

 

[becanya]

Yeah but I read on another thread that you passed your comprehensive exams. So therefore you really have to celebrate and what better way to do that than to splurge on food and drink while there. Maybe you can stop by city hall and see if they have a "I passed my comprehensive exams" button!
I believe that should be good for one complementary Tonga Toast.

That will be my first order of business upon arriving at MK! :wave:

 

[CleveRocks]

Im not so sure about that. My wife and I are travel agents and we have booked for groups before that had room and ticket only. Once the free dining came out we just called Disney Travel and told them to add it no problem.

I would book now and lock up a room, then add the extras later. Plus that time of the year is dead and they always have free dining.

Wow.

This is what frightens me about so many travel agents. They just simply don't know the details about Disney travel.

At WDW, guests can book one of two different types of resort reservations: room-only, and package. If you booked, as you say, "room and ticket only," then that is, by Disney definition, a package. Changing one type of package to another type of package is easy and does NOT require cancelling a reservation and starting a new reservation. However, if a guest has a true "room-only" reservation, this reservation cannot simply be changed into a package ... as noted earlier, a completely new package reservation would need to be made (and a new deposit put down) and then the original room-only reservation needs to be cancelled (and any deposit and past payments would be refunded in the original form of payment ... they can't be applied towards the deposit or balance on the new package reservation).

As to your comment about locking up a room now and adding the extras later, this again demonstrates your unfortunate lack of knowledge about how Disney booking works. When Disney offers a promotion, it is not an across-the-board "sale" on all rooms. They offer the promotion only on a certain percentage of rooms; that is, once the occupancy rate for a specific date for a specific room category at a specific resort reaches a pre-determined occpancy rate, then that promotion is no longer available for that date/room/resort. This is a fluid situation, however ... as cancellations occur, the occupancy rate naturally varies, and therefore if the occupancy rate dips below that target rate then the promotion will be available until that occupancy rate goes back up over the target rate. In other words, if rooms are selling well enough on their own, Disney doesn't continue to offer them at a discounted price.

What that means is that just because "free dining" is announced does not mean that everyone who already has a reservation will automatically get free dining just for the asking. If you are a travel agent, you need to know this!

For example, let's say the target occupancy rate is 90% (and I'm just making this number up for the purpose of an example). Let's say you have a client who already has a reservation for a preferred location room at Caribbean Beach Resort for September 1 - 7. And let's say Free Dining is announced one day. I have no reservation whatsoever. I hear about free dining so I call up to reserve a room with the free dining package. And I get it, I get free dining. And let's say lots of other people call that day, so many that the occupancy rate for preferred location rooms at CBR on any day between September 1 - 7 goes over that magical 90%. And then later that day you contact Disney on your client's behalf to get them the free dining promo. You will be told that that promo is unavailable for your client. Disney might tell you that it IS available at, for example, another Moderate resort, or in a water view room at CBR or a standard room at CBR.

Please, PLEASE learn this.

It is because of your post that I have always urged people who like using a travel agent to use a travel agent who is a genuine Disney expert. Disney travel is booked differently than any other travel ... a one size fits all mentality just doesn't apply to Disney travel.

 

[Little Lion Man]

You my friend are a D-BAG and i hope the moderator posts what else i had to say.

 

[Little Lion Man]

Both my wife and I graduated from the Disney College of Knowledge. I know what I am talking about. Every situation is different of course. If he plans this far out, he obviously will check the first day the deal comes through and switch it. I was basing it on Room and Ticket packages.

 

[nngrendel]

I was basing it on Room and Ticket packages.

This is what I was planning on getting.

 

[Little Lion Man]

Yeah grendel, if you are planning on doing a package then go ahead a book it. Just watch for the deal to come through and call as soon as you can so availability doesnt run out. I hope i have helped to answer your question, kinda guy sidetracked from that Tool who was posting on here.

 

[eroyee]

Here's the best way to go...lol....Contact Kingdom Konsultants on this board and let them crunch numbers for you. They can also let you know if free dining comes along and they can change anything you need changed. And, best of all, it doesnt cost you a cent! :sohappy:

 

[CleveRocks]

You my friend are a D-BAG and i hope the moderator posts what else i had to say.

Was anything I posted incorrect?

 

[nngrendel]

Here's the best way to go...lol....Contact Kingdom Konsultants on this board and let them crunch numbers for you. They can also let you know if free dining comes along and they can change anything you need changed. And, best of all, it doesnt cost you a cent! :sohappy:

That has crossed my mind as well.

 

[Little Lion Man]

Was anything I posted incorrect?

Your implication that i didnt know what i was talking about was incorrect. I gave a short answer to the gentlemans question without trying to write a novel like you did.

 

[CleveRocks]

Your implication that i didnt know what i was talking about was incorrect. I gave a short answer to the gentlemans question without trying to write a novel like you did.

Thank you for your civil reply.

What I'm about to say is without sarcasm, without an "edge," so please read it as such ...

On a case-by-case basis, there are times when brevity can lead to misunderstanding.

Surely when you were educated by Disney, they gave you full explanations, not soundbites. Sometimes it helps people to know the full story so they can truly understand a process. And that's what I was trying to accomplish.

And from what you've been saying, I am now understanding that you do know what you're talking about, so I apologize for implying or stating otherwise. But please understand that your shorter-than-novel answer left everything open to interpretation.