Does everyone who goes in March really pay rack rate?

[BrerGnat]

So, I just found out I get to go to WDW in March on a "girls trip" with my sister and best friend. :thumbsup:

Unfortunately for us, our travel dates are NOT flexible. :( We are stuck in Peak season.

Are we doomed to pay rack rate?

Is there any hope for a discount?

Do people really pay these prices in March? It's insane!!!

I'm contemplating staying at the Swan, where I can get a AAA discounted room for $216/night, which sounds darn good to me, compared to $500/night for the Epcot deluxes...and it's even cheaper than what a MODERATE would cost for 3 adults! That's crazy.

[Ian]

Here's what I'd do. Pick a resort and then book through Magical Journeys. As discounts become available, they'll find them for you and automatically apply them to your reservation.

Odds are excellent that, with the way things are shaping up economically for next year, Disney will have some deep discounts available.

[BrerGnat]

Yeah, that's what I think too, but the truth is, even with "deep discounts" (i.e. 40% off room only) it's still pretty steep pricing. I really wish Disney would do away with their pricing matrix and just make the prices standard year round across the board, and then apply discounts as needed to fill in when they have less than desired occupancy. It drives me crazy to have to hold my breath waiting on discounts. I like to have my trips planned out and know what I am going to be paying. I mean, it's crazy that I could theoretically book my dining already, but I don't even know where I'm going to be staying!

Plus, it's hard to justify putting a one night's deposit down when that one night is over $500...

[princessgirls]

The prices in March are steep. We are paying almost $1,000 more for a Magic your way with dining for March staying at the Pop, as opposed for the same package staying at a Moderate in August of 2007. It's a signifigant increase, and mostly because of it's peak timing.

Good Luck with the discounts.

I'm of course hoping for one too.
Julie:mickey:

[anneb]

Go with the Swan. It's a very nice hotel in a great location. You can't do better (or even nearly as well) on Disney property for that rate. The pool area is the best at Disney for adults - definitely a perk for a "girls" weekend. Grab that rate now!

[anneb]

By the way - the Dolphin and Swan are my favorite hotels at WDW. I just came back from as stay at the Dolphin last week. You can't go wrong there.

[goofy for pluto]

Does anyone really think that the Wilderness Lodge is worth $355-$520 per night,
or that the Yacht club is worth $455-$690, GF $715 per night?

This is during the week of March 09.
:eek:

[thumperbug]

The price is only worth it to you if you spend a lot of time at the resort and utilize what they have to offer and money is not an issue.

If the room is just a place to sleep and shower....then I would have to go with....not really. But don't get me wrong...I love everything Disney...but some of the costs for rooms is just insane.

[TheRustyScupper]

1) March is a really busy month.
2) Expect few discounts.
3) Your best odds of discounts are
. . . AAA membership discounts
. . . Annual Passholder's discounts
. . . Florida Resident discounts (if you qualify)
4) For others, expect rack rate.

[BrerGnat]

Is the first week of March REALLY that busy? I mean, really? I've been in March before. I was there the LAST week of March, into the first week of April back in 2003, and honestly, it was pretty dead. I can't see how the front end of March (when we are planning to go) can be expected to be THAT busy, when Easter next year is not until April 12, and *most* school holiday breaks tend to be around Easter.

I can see how Disney can justify calling Easter week (and perhaps the two weeks before and after it) "Peak season", but to begin Peak Season on February 15 is just ridiculous to me. Besides President's day, what else happens at the end of February/beginning of March to justify those rates?

And, to answer the post above, NO, I don't think the rack rates during Peak season are "worth it". I have stayed at a few Disney resorts, and I would NEVER pay Peak season rack rates, which, honestly, are just a joke at this point. When I can stay at the Swan/Dolphin for half the cost, why wouldn't I?

I just started this post to ask if most people really do pay rack rate, or if Disney discounts rooms during peak season. Sounds like discounts are possible, but not likely? But maybe? I mean, the truth is, I'd only be eligible for AAA, and what's that going to give me? 15-20%...maybe? Not worth it, sorry. This time, sounds like I'll be taking my money to the good folks over at Starwood hotels...

I've been wanting to try the Swan anyway, so now's as good a time as any, right? I won't have the kids with me, so us grown ups can handle losing the "Disney themeing". I mean, it'll be right outside our door anyway, so it's not a huge loss.

[pixiesmimi]

We have been in March before (and Easter week to boot) and stayed at the ASMovies. It wasn't too bad on the prices. We have started going in August lately because of the discounts but we didn't find it that bad in March and the crowds were not terrible either.

[MarkC]

A lot of the March discounts tend to occur the farther away from Easter break you are. As to the original question-- if you are trying to save a dollar and are not really picky, we stayed at the All Star Sports in March 2007 and got along fine. They are a little small but the food court was good and transportation was excellent. It depends on whether you want to be pampered on vacation or just hit the parks hard. It's an individual decision but I think it's worth looking in to. You didn't state your ages but if you're not going to be spending much time in the room or at the pool, I would certainly save the money on the room and spend it on yourselves in other areas, i.e. food, shopping, whatever you wish. Good luck. Mark

[offwego]

Some of it is do to different school break time periods. In Canada at least reading week for universities is in feb. and for highschool and lower spring break happens in march. (when in march varies across the country) But when we have gone we have gotten a discount unless one counts part of this last weekend.

[BrerGnat]

As to the original question-- if you are trying to save a dollar and are not really picky, we stayed at the All Star Sports in March 2007 and got along fine. It depends on whether you want to be pampered on vacation or just hit the parks hard. It's an individual decision but I think it's worth looking in to. You didn't state your ages but if you're not going to be spending much time in the room or at the pool, I would certainly save the money on the room and spend it on yourselves in other areas, i.e. food, shopping, whatever you wish. Good luck. Mark

Well, Mark, you bring up excellent points.

1. We are picky. Self admitted "hotel snobs" we are. :blush: But, for good reason. This trip is a present to me from my DH, who has been deployed to Iraq since February of this year (he's still there). I have been home with my two toddler sons (one of whom has special needs) and this vacation is a MUCH needed break for me, and yes, I want to be pampered a bit. I do NOT want to stay in a value hotel this time. We'll have to be sharing a bed (since there's three adults) and I do NOT want to share a double bed with my sister for a week...we need queen sized beds at least, hence the need for deluxe accommodations.

2. We ARE also trying to "save a dollar". The truth is, if it was up to me, I'd not worry about the money. As mentioned above, this trip could cost a million dollars for all I care...I NEED IT! It's that important. But, I am traveling with two others who are not rolling in $$$, and I have to be considerate of their financial situation, and neither of them can afford to throw down a crazy amount of money on the hotel, and in the interest of fairness, we need to keep it affordable for all. We can all agree on, like $250/night for a room. We can all ALSO agree on NOT $500/night for a room. We draw the line somewhere.

3. We'll probably spend a good amount of time in the room/using the hotel's facilities, so we want to stay somewhere that has a gym, nice pool, good restaurants nearby, a spa, proximity to the parks, more than just bus transportation, etc.

I just made our reservation at the Swan. Got a rate of $216/night for a week in March.

Unless Disney pulls some magic out of their Mickey Ear hat, and offers something that can match that, at a deluxe, we'll be spending our hotel dollars with another company this time around.

[Ian]

It drives me crazy to have to hold my breath waiting on discounts.Well ... in reality what you should do is a book into whatever hotel you can afford at rack rate. If that's Pop, then it's Pop. You can always upgrade later.


Does anyone really think that the Wilderness Lodge is worth $355-$520 per night,
or that the Yacht club is worth $455-$690, GF $715 per night?No. Those rates are absolutely ridiculous for a Disney hotel and I would never, ever pay that much a night to stay in one. And I'm a hotel snob!!

This is exactly why we joined DVC. We get deluxe accomodations every time we stay and we don't have to worry about all these
"will there or won't there be a discount" headaches.

[wendy*darling]

This is exactly why we joined DVC. We get deluxe accomodations every time we stay and we don't have to worry about all these
"will there or won't there be a discount" headaches.

:ditto: What he said!
The nightly rates for hotel rooms now are outrageous. I don't even want to think about it. (I love my DVC! :cloud9:)

I have had only one experience at the Swan. It was less than stellar, but it was New Year's Eve and they were packed solid. I have heard many favorable opinions. I will say the pools and the gym were excellent. And the proximity to Epcot and DHS can't be beat.
Consider requesting a rollaway bed- and then no one has to share a bed. We did that for my then 17 yr old son- it was very comfortable for him.

You still get to use Disney Transportation. Just no Magical Express, charging back to the room or Dining Plan.
I think you will be fine at the Swan.

[VWL Mom]

This is exactly why we joined DVC. We get deluxe accomodations every time we stay and we don't have to worry about all these
"will there or won't there be a discount" headaches.:exactly:

I was actually looking at the WL 2009 rates the other night and was floored. The've pretty much doubled since they opened in 1994 and will probably keep going up. So glad we finally bit the bullet and bought in.

[BrerGnat]

Hey, I'd buy into DVC in a second if I had a spare $16K sitting around. Unfortunately, I don't. And, in reality, the numbers just don't work in our favor for our family (yet). Maybe in the future, after we actually brave taking our kids there for the first time.

For now, it's just me and the girls, every 2 years or so. I'm not spending nearly enough money on Disney trips to come CLOSE to justifying a DVC purchase.

[FiggyFan]

:exactly:

I was actually looking at the WL 2009 rates the other night and was floored. The've pretty much doubled since they opened in 1994 and will probably keep going up. So glad we finally bit the bullet and bought in.

Actually, doubling in 15 years works out to a bit less than a 5% increase per year. That is not really out of line. And yes, it makes me glad we joined DVC also.

[Iluvpooh]

:mad:We stayed at the Swan a few years ago and I liked it very much. It was a spur of the moment vacation and every "Disney" resort was full. I qualified for a nurses discount and I think they have a teacher discount as well. You may want to check and see if they offer a military discount too. It couldn't hurt.

BTW-I have never paid rack rate for a room at WDW and I would change travel dates before I did. I was so mad at the new policy to not carry over rates from check in to the new season, that I moved my dates back 2 days to keep from having to pay peak season rates the second week in Feb.:mad: It ticked me off that out of a 6 night stay that 4 of them were booked at value and 2 of them were peak. The difference per night was ridiculous. I felt pretty bad for the poor girl I talked too, because I let her have it.

[BrerGnat]

:mad:We stayed at the Swan a few years ago and I liked it very much. It was a spur of the moment vacation and every "Disney" resort was full. I qualified for a nurses discount and I think they have a teacher discount as well. You may want to check and see if they offer a military discount too. It couldn't hurt.



They do offer a Government/Military discount, but actually, the AAA discount is better. Plus, the military discount does not extend to military spouses/dependents, and DH is the one in the military, not me, so I'd not qualify for the discount without him with me. He is not going with us. He's staying home to spend some quality bonding time with the kids. This is MY time off. ;)