We’re planning a January 2020 first-time trip to WDW for 5 adults and one 18 month old, and we’ve been trying to do our due diligence by combing The Unofficial Guide and reading the forums. So forgive me; I’m sure this question has come up before, but I can’t seem to locate it.
We’d like to get a 2 bedroom villa at Old Key West for 8 nights, and I know I can try to book a reservation up to 499 days in advance (with no rate guarantee) if I call rather than go online. If I do that, and I’m lucky enough to get reservations, will I forfeit any opportunity to take advantage of discounts that might be offered later by WDW? And am I understanding correctly that they just want a one-night deposit at this stage of the game?
Also, what are my chances of securing this type of reservation right now?
Thanks. Our heads are spinning trying to plan this trip.
I currently am holding 2 rooms at Pop for May 2020. I plan on switching them to packages when they come out in June/July. The early reservations are room only and will not prevent you from accessing discounts. You would have to call to cancel or change that reservation, rather than doing it online.
And yes, it is one night deposit.
On Len’s podcast I listened to today Jim Hill made reference to a large price increase coming to Pop and AoA soon. I don’t know if changing to a package changes room rate (if there was an increase) when reservation number stays the same.
Which podcast was it? Do you know the name of it or have a link?
I think it was in Episode 209 but not certain as I listened to a few this morning.
Ok, thank you. I;ll look into it.
I found what you are talking about. It is at about 8 minutes, 40 seconds into the podcast. The reason Jim stated was because the Gondola will become an amenity for these resorts.
I believe that increase was already included. It was $202 for one night. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a standard room for a value that high. I’m hoping for MVT to have good prices. Otherwise, I may look at Allstar movies since they are being renovated.
If you book directly through Disney you will be able to apply a discount later if they are available for your dates or room type.
Have you considered renting points for your stay? You will not be able to cancel, but if you are confident of your dates it would save you money.
Thanks for the help, everyone. We called direct and made room-only reservations for an OKW 2 bedroom villa for our target dates with no problem. So I guess the next step will be to keep an eye out for any reduced room rates that will be in effect at that time, and then call back. Or am I dreaming? 
Yes, keep an eye out for any discounts. Also, add your trip amd hotel (OKW) to the TouringPlans Dashboard to receive alerts from TP when discounts are released.