HELP! I'm not sure what to do!

[elaine and the boys]

Need advice, please. What should we do? We booked CSR for the Christmas holiday with 4 7-day MYW hopper passes. We've only put down the required $200 deposit, and aren't planning to pay the balance until we reach the 45 day mark before our stay begins. But with all the "code" talk, I feel like we shot ourselves in the foot (feet!!). No AAA rates apply for the holiday week, so we're talkin' rack rate. YUK! What would you do? Should we (can we??) cancel our tickets now without losing any deposit money and then be considered "room only", giving us perhaps a better opportunity to use a general code? Better yet, to allow us to rethink the idea of getting one AP and 3 MYW hopper passes later on, allowing us to use an AP code? Please advise. I'd rather not call until I have the facts...or do anything to jeopardize our current reservation. You guys and gals have been so great with all your advice. I'm trusting you to help me out once again.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

 

[mom2of2]

I would cancel and rebook room only, only because you may be able to get AAA or a general code, email code, postcard or if you do decide AP rate.
Also there are many ticket brokers that have MYW passes that are way cheaper then WDW so you can watch them for sales. Make sure you sign up for mousesavers.com for the newsletter to get exclusive deals.

That's JMHO

 

[zurgswife]

I think if you book a package there is a fee that is lost...double check on your refund before you cancel..

 

[mom2of2]

absolutely!!! I was just going to edit my post when I saw that zurgswife posted

 

[Lollipop Mom]

I can tell you what I recommend to clients looking to book that far in advance. I always recommend starting with a room only reservation in what ever category of resort they can afford. The reason being that it is very easy to convert a room only reservation into a pacakge but to go from package to room only, you must cancel and rebook. If a discount code comes out for room only, we can apply it to their reservation (I usually ask if they have an "upgrade wish" and a price point that they know they want to upgrade so if we book them at POR and they would really love to have WL, I can note that if WL is available for under $XXX then they want to upgrade and I'll do that automatically take care of it for them). If one doesn't come out and they decide they'd like to book a package so they can at least use the dining discount, I can convert that quickly with one phone call.

That said, if you are travelling for Christmas week and your arrival date is after 12/25, you are not likely to find any sort of discount (AAA, AP, Fla Res, general public code, email or postcard with a PIN) for arrivals from 12/26 to 1/1.

If you booked a package and are cancelling more than 45 days out, the only thing that would not be refunded is travel insurance if you had elected to purchase it. The rest of your deposit is refundable.

 

[elaine and the boys]

Excellent! We only booked room and park tickets...no insurance. And since we are definitely more than 45 days out, we should be able to rebook with no $$ lost. AND, our check in date is prior to Dec. 25, so if the last couple of years' code histories ring true this year, we may be able to get a code. Thanks for all the advice, folks! I think we'll make a little phone call to Mickey tonight!