Are you getting the best price on your Walt Disney World Vacation Package?

What's the best way to save on your next Walt Disney World Vacation package?  Let's dig into this hot topic.  Most people want to to know how to get the best price.  Here are my recommendations:

1. Book with a Travel Agent.  Your best bet is to book with an agent that is affiliated with an agency that is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.  These agents are going to be trained and experienced with Disney so that you are getting the best value.  They will be able to assist you with your vacation needs.  You'll have one person to contact to ask questions, make payments through, discuss problems, and more.  This agent should have a wealth of knowledge to share with you that will help you get the most out of your trip.  Often times these agents (myself included) include Discount Monitoring as part of their services.  So as soon as discounts are announced, we are checking to see if your reservation is eligible.  We are doing the work for you.  If you had booked on your own, it would be up to you to look up to see if your room was eligible - and often times this means you will be sitting on hold on the phone for several hours - just to see if there's a chance you could save some money.  When you book with an agent, they will sit on the phone for you, often times while you are still sleeping so you can wake up to an email that you saved some money on your vacation!  Woohoo!

2.  Carefully select your package components.  Walt Disney World Vacation packages are not one size fits all.  What's best for one family may not be the best for the next family.  Extra add-ons like Park Hopper or Park Hopper Plus, Memory Maker, Dining package, additional park days - those are all items that may add extra value to your package - or, take away from the value because you don't use it to it's full potential.  When you are working with me, we'll go through all of those options are select ones that are best for you.  It's important to me that your package is fitting your needs best - not whatever will increase the price. 

3.  If you are not a first timer, keep an eye out in the mail for Special Pin Code offers.  These brochures and flyers are sent to past Disney guests and they have codes unique to you - they cannot be taken by someone else to use.  One great thing - you can use this code to save for up to 3 rooms, so bring your whole family and they can all take advantage of your discount.  If you are currently at Disney and can't wait to start planning your next trip, there is usually a 'Bounce Back offer' available - meaning if you book your next trip before you leave Disney, there is a special savings available for you on select dates.

4.  Pay attention to when Disney releases their discounts.  It's impossible to predict the exact date Disney will release a discount, but we can look at history and see when they typically offer discounts.  We never know exactly what a discount will be, but they usually offer a Room discount and a Package discount.  You can't stack discounts, so it's best to check both offers to see which one works better for your package.  Historically, here's what we typically have:

• Winter to Early Spring discounts (January-March/April) - typically release late September
• Spring Discounts (April-June) - typically release early January
• Summer Discounts (May/June-August) - typically release in April
• Fall Discounts (late August-December) - typically release in July
• in 2019, we saw a limited run of Summer discounts available for booking in January.  This was not typical, but it follows the general rule that we never know exactly what Disney is going to book.
• please keep in mind, none of this information is set in stone - this just looks at what has been done in the past, but it in no way guarantees what the future will hold.

With regards to the Discounts that Disney Releases, keep an eye out for the dates that the discounts are available for booking.  If a discount is valid for booking through September 25th, it's a good idea to keep an eye out for discounts releasing shortly after.  

5.  Book a room with a rate you are comfortable paying.  Everyone wants a discount, and often you need to book before the discounts are released in order to be able to start planning your Dining reservations and more.  So when you make your initial booking, make sure that's within your budget.  That way, if a discount comes out and it drops your rate - you have some extra spending money - or, you can upgrade your room to an even better view, and still pay around the same amount.  Sometimes it means you pay a little more, but the added value is so much more!  I think one of the biggest mistakes is to book a room banking on the fact that a discount will come out and lower it by hundreds or thousands of dollars.  We can't predict what a discount will be, and it's not smart to get your heart set on something that just may never be within your price range.