Too early to book?

[Lorix2]

do you disney veterans think it is too early to book ASMu for October 2002? I really want to get the "ball rolling".

do you think packages are always better than buying everything separately? If I go thru DreamUnltd (who have excellent customer service BTW) for the ASMu in Oct. 2002 with the resort package it will be $2309. for us $ 2 kids....but the problem is, is that I don't want the ultimate park hopper ticket simply because we will not be using all of the admissions to every waterpark...we'll be touring MK, MGM, AK, etc...with a day each set aside for USF & SW...so I was thinking of going with a 4 or 5 day park hopper pass and booking the room separately myself. The savings turned out to be $700-800 without using the all out ultimate park hopper pass. I've been glued to this website for days trying to cost everything out - but haven't booked yet because I wasn't sure how to go about this....you all seem to know what to do and when....

help please!

 

[bmartin1]

I have found it is cheaper to avoid most package deals for the very same reasons you have already mentioned. Most of the packages I've seen the tickets are for length of stay which expire once your trip is over vs the park hopper which is good forever for any unused days.
You may also want to consider buying at least 1 annual pass for discount benefits. You only have to buy one to get discounts for everyone unless you plan on staying more than 7 days then annual would pay for itself for everyone. Especially if you are considering going back within the year. They do not start until the day you use it.
I am the same as you. In my opinion you can never start too early. But don't get locked into anything you can't change without penalty. You may also want to continue keeping your eyes peeled for discount offerings or codes before your arrival.

 

[koswalt]

NEVER!

You can always call back if you find a better rate/code/etc. and change the reservation.

 

[Lorix2]

Hi Bmartin & Koswalt,


A) so you think it's not too early to book the AMSu for October 2002?

B) I should call CRO myself to book?

c) get the passes on my own as well (using a DC gives you some percentage off of them, right?)

thank you all for you're input and anyone is most welcome to reply!

 

[Lorix2]

Koswalt - LOVE you're signature, how old was this little darling when they made this statement? LOL!

 

[KJMAX1]

It is definately not too early to book. We booked a year in advance for our honeymoon and it actually saved us money. We booked our honeymoon and a few months later the rates had changed, so we still got our old discounted rate. We also had bought an expensive package that included our meals, and one of the dinners was at Fultons. Even though Fultons decided to stop accepting the package deal they still honored our reservation and paid for the entire meal on the house...no kick back from Disney!! Our meal total came to almost 250.00 without alcoholic beverages!

Also, with the Annual Pass you can purchase I believe through AAA and get a discount. If Im not mistaken you can get up to a 20% hotel discount with just one pass. I would only suggest a package deal if you dont have enough time to plan, and you dont want the hassle. Also by booking in advance you can reserve online cheaper airline tickets when they come out. You can always keep calling back to CRO for a better deal, and can start planning your days. we are in the process of making a Ressie for Aug 2002. Its never too early to dream!

 

[Lorix2]

thank you KJMAX1 and congratulations on you're recent wedding! I think I will take everyone's advice and book now and keep an eye on the reservation to see if any discounts come up....thanks for you're input!

 

[KJMAX1]

Just to clarify, I found out if you stay during value season with the annual pass, you can save anywhere from 25 to 40%. The cost we figured for us to stay at a deluxe such as the Poly will only be a little bit more per night than the original cost of a moderate.

 

[Lorix2]

hi KJMAX1,

that's terrific, hope you're taking advantage of that....thank you again for you're input, much appreciated!