We are putting together a huge 5 week east coast trip
finishing with 2 weeks in Orlando and my head is swimming with all sorts of
information I want to confirm regarding a stay at WDW. My family are keen to do
a split stay this September but still not sure, leaning towards 4 nights BC
then 5 nights Poly.
I understand that FD or a R/O discount is a good possibility
for that time. Was wondering if I book just a R/O at BC through Disney for the
whole 9 nights now and wait till deals arrive, how easy is it to change to a
package with FD for first 4 nights and a discounted R/O booking at Poly for the
next 5? Can a package have more park days than nights of accommodation and if
so I assume we can continue to use those at the second stay? Would any ADRs we make
beforehand remain ours after any accommodation changes? Is it any better to
make a package booking now instead, and can R/O discounts be applied to
existing packages?
Sorry if these have been answered before or are perhaps more
obvious than I think but in my defence itās getting late here (16 hours ahead) and
between this and the rest of our trip thereās loads of information to sort
through!
HI @richardfromoz welcome to the forums. Donāt worry about asking questions thatās what weāre here for.
A few things about free dining. It will only apply to the nights you stay in the room you booked it for. In your example youād get 4 days of ādining creditsā that must be used by midnight of the day you check out from that resort. It does have to be part of a package. You might want to check with a local travel agent as the deals for travelers outside the U.S. are sometimes different. I know this is true for U.K. travelers. Free dining also means that you would have to book the room at the Rack Rate or most expensive per night option. Typically when booking a deluxe resort the savings from a Room Only offer will be greater than what you might save by having the dining plan, because they offer the biggest discounts 30-35% off at deluxe hotels which is a large amount when talking about Deluxe resorts. If you book a package now and a discount is released later you will be able to call Disney and have the promotion applied to your reservation as long as that resort has discounted rooms available. Each location is given a set number of rooms at the discounted rate.
If you purchase tickets as part of the package from your first stay you can get them for up to ten days which can be used during your second stay as well. Any tickets purchased this way will need to be used within 14 days of the first time you use the ticket. Again I know that U.K. travelers can purchase different types of tickets than those of us in the U.S. and that may apply for you as well.
Booking a room only reservation and then switching it to a room only discount that becomes available works the same way that the Free dining packages work. Once it is released if it is available at the resort you want they will be able to add the promotion to your reservation.
As for your ADRās once you are within 180 days you can make these and no matter what you do with your hotel bookings those will remain the same as they are not attached to your package. Anyone can book these regardless of whether or not they are staying on site.
Iām tagging @Quattro for you as she is also from your area and has a big trip coming up. She might be more aware of any information that is specific to booking a Disney trip from your area.
Thanks so much @Outer1 itās comforting to be able to ask these questions in a forum with such genuinely helpful members. Hmmm 35% may be a game changer as weād calculated using 30% being slightly ahead with FD at BC and behind at Poly but Iām still not convinced weād use all the credits. Iāve not seen any special deals for Australians specifically however a 14 day limit is no problem for us, it would be a continuous 9 nights within WDW, just would really love to try two different resorts given the (rather sad) reality that we may only get to WDW 1 to 3 times ever.
I really should be heading to bed though - the almost full moon is high in the clear night sky here - but Iām glad I caught your post before I did.
Welcome to the forums, youāll find so much helpful advice here! @Outer1 has given you lots to work with!
From an Aussie perspective I havenāt seen any deals to the likes of what the UK gets. Believe me Iāve looked and read all the little tiny fine print to try and find a loophole. It just seemed too risky.
Free Dining. Have you spent a lot of time in the US before? From everything Iāve read on here it is a lot of food. I know our family would struggle to eat three big meals a day. And also as WDW is at the end of the trip. You may find you are a bit āfoodiedā out. I know even with our two week trip to Disneyland in LA by the second week we were craving plainer, simpler meals. (and by we I mean mainly DH, and the kids, I could eat out every single meal and be happy)
Liner TAs - I booked my trip very early, long before I got to know any of the Liners and TAās on here.
If I had my time again (and I really hope I do) I would definitely use one of these awesome peeps- @DarthDopey , @999HappyHaunts or @DOLEWHIPDAD youāll find their details on the list above, or you can pm them on here with these links.
These people know their stuff. They know the ins and outs, the discounts etc etc. They are dedicated. Theyāll be on the phone at midnight or 7am to get you want you want. I donāt know any Australian TA that would ever put in the amount of time I know these peeps do.
Thanks @Quattro, regarding the deals thatās the conclusion we arrived at too. There is no way we could make use of the dining plan for the whole trip but for 4.5 days weād consider it. Itās been a decade since DW and I were in the US including Disneyland so weāre really looking forward to bringing the whole tribe. Weāre staying in NY, Philly, Lancaster PA, DC, Colonial Williamsburg, then Fort Lauderdale and finally Orlando via KSC Whew!
Will be interested in your take on US coffee (no offence meant here). A seasonal colleague from Boise who loves Melbourne coffee told me recently that US coffee has definitely improved - at least where he is.
Wow, sounds like an awesome trip!
Weāre going to drive through Fort Lauderdale on the way down to Miami.
I think the coffee has improved. Just donāt make any in a coffee pot. Thereās a nasty rumour they cook hot dogs in those. I kid you not. Thatās right isnāt everyone?
First trip to New York in 2010 it was horrendous, but since then weāve been to LA in 2013, NYC/MIami 2014 and itās been ok. Definitely drinkable. I tend to stick to Starbucks when Iām there (although would never drink it here) and always get a double shot, so you can taste it
Some of the the locals might be able to chime in on their take and recommendations. And tease me about Starbucksā¦
no problem.
Also, UOR - I think the spend more save more is the best deal iāve seen so far. (saw your other thread).
Not sure if youāve booked your accom in the other cities but take a good look at the Loews hotels and their membership programs. If you have a few stays you become eligible for upgrades and other perks. worth a look. Weāve stayed at their Hollywood Hotel previously and have booked The Regency in NYC for this trip as well as Portofino at UOR.
Ha. Not trying to scare. Just sharing my linerā¦ Education.
Coffee. Itās a Melbourne thing. We have a big cafe culture here so are spoilt for choice. Mind you thereās places here I wouldnāt order coffee from too. I have my favourites. They know me by name.
I donāt stress too much about coffee overseas though. there are plenty of other options.
Thatās right isnāt everyone?
