Reservation Prices changing daily..

[Hog]

Hello all, I am a frequent reader of intercot, first time poster. Usually I am able to find an answer to most of my questions from others posts but not this time.

Anyways, I have been checking Disney.com reservations for about a month since we decided to take my daughter on a surprise trip in October for her 5th birthday. And we are going for 7 nights 8 days with Park Hopper and Staying at Pop Century with QS Dining Plan. The thing is I want to book our trip soon but it seems everytime I check the prices they go up or down by about $100-$125 every time I check. So my question is does anyone have any suggestions on when would be the cheapest time to book or anything like that, I don't want to book then find out later I could have saved $100. Thanks in advance for anyones help!

[crazygoalie39]

I would suggest booking through Magical Journeys. Book now and if a better price comes along they'll get it for you.

[Hog]

Does Magical Journeys allow you to get the DDP and Magical Express Shuttle, I was under the impression that you could only get DDP through disney. Also do they package flight in as well? I was under the impression that if you package everything together it was at a discount

[MOJoe]

That's really wierd. Disney doesn't change prices daily like airlines do. Maybe your input varied slightly, ie, different dates, ages or rooms. In any case, people here swear by Magical Journeys. They quote the best prices available, and if you get a pin code or some other discount comes along, they can apply it to your existing reservation. They also take care of your flight info, so you can use Magical Express. DDP too. Just like any full service travel agent, only better, since they specialize in Disney related vacations.
Sure, you could do this on your own. But even a veteran Disney vacationer doesn't always have access to the discounts available to a knowledgeable travel agent.

[Strmchsr]

They also take care of your flight info, so you can use Magical Express. DDP too.

:welcome: to intercot!!

MJ does not book flights, but they do everything else, include DME. And, yes, they are awesome. Wendy's been booking my trips for 7 years now. Wouldn't do it any other way. There is generally not a discount for booking your flight in with the rest of the package. The best way to do flights is get on the individual airline websites that fly out of your local airport and compare prices. Everything else do through MJ!

You especially want to go ahead and book soon so that you can take advantage of the 180+10 day ADR window.

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Another vote for Magical Journeys...

[Hog]

Thank you so much for all of your help. But i forgot one other part of my reasoning behind booking with disney.com. They allow you to pay for some now and not the rest until 45 days before your trip, which I need to allow me to save for the rest of the trip. Does Magical Journeys allow you to do this?

[ftwildernesskid]

Yes they do. They require a down payment at the time of booking. The balance must be paid 45 days prior to arrival.

[Strmchsr]

The other nice thing about MJ - they don't cost you anything to use. They receive their commission from Disney. Then you're dealing with the same person every time you have a question and even over multiple trips. With Wendy being the only person I've used to book a Disney trip over the last 7 years we pretty much count her as family. :mickey:

Dealing with MJ you lose absolutely nothing. There is nothing that can be done through Disney's website that MJ can't do for you.

[Momto2Princesses&1Pirate]

Another vote for MJ. I am typically a type A person who has to be in control of every aspect of planning. The first time I used MJ I was skeptical......but not anymore. As soon as a new discount comes out it is applied and you receive an email to let you know how much you saved. For our upcoming trip we started out with one discount, then switched to a better deal and finally ended up with a PIN code. Debbie has been very good and quick to price out different options and discounts. I can't imagine ever NOT using them now. :mickey:

[biodtl]

I can't imagine a single con to using MJ - it's all pros.

I always booked myself until I learned about MJ from Intercot. After having Wendy book our last trip, I will never, ever book without her/them.

[NJGIRL]

Welcome to INTERCOT :welcome:

[faline]

Working with Magical Journeys is an excellent option! Their folks are knowledgeable, patient, and well versed on all things Disney. I've had them price different resorts for me and then completely changed my mind - no problem! Also, if a discount comes along for which you qualify, they will automatically update your reservation with the discount.

[LisaP]

Magical Journeys is WONDERFUL. They are authorized Disney travel agents ... so they can do anything that Disney offers.

If a better deal comes along, your agent will automatically apply the discount to your reservation ... and you get an e-mail! I was the happy recipient of one of those e-mails last month :D

I have used Denise for our past two trips and have also recommended her to family and friends.

Doesn't cost you a thing, and they could not be more helpful or accomodating! :thumbsup:

[MariMouse]

Another vote for MJ! It is so easy and we have worked with Melissa for several years now. I always feel I am getting the best deal. Let them take care of you!

[BrerGnat]

Definitely use MJ. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.

Disney's flight booking is rarely the cheapest option. You do not get any sort of discount by booking a package deal. Using MJ is just like booking through Disney, but with MUCH less hassle/worry on your part. They can do it all! And, yes, you will be able to book the dining plan and the DME buses.

What I think might be happening for you is that when you go to the price quote page, it might give you a "Preferred Room" sometimes, and a "Standard Room" other times. Also, they might be changing up the ticket types. The Disney site does not tend to default on the cheapest room type, unless that is all that is available. The difference in price between a Standard and Preferrred room at the values would account for the difference you are seeing. Check the "room type" carefully, as well as the number of days on the park pass, and the options chosen

Disney's policy when booking packages is that a $200 deposit is due upon booking, and the remainder is due in full 45 days prior to the trip. Magical Journeys follows Disney's requirements on this.

[mickeefan]

Another vote for MJ. They are the greatest. Wendy has handled every trip for us for the last 8 years. We always know we are getting the best personal service and price there is. One year she even got us an additional discount just two weeks before our trip. She is more family than travel agent.

[disneymom15]

Definitely use MJ. Nothing to lose, everything to gain.



What I think might be happening for you is that when you go to the price quote page, it might give you a "Preferred Room" sometimes, and a "Standard Room" other times. Also, they might be changing up the ticket types. The Disney site does not tend to default on the cheapest room type, unless that is all that is available. The difference in price between a Standard and Preferrred room at the values would account for the difference you are seeing. Check the "room type" carefully, as well as the number of days on the park pass, and the options chosen



I was going to say the exact same thing.

[AllDisney]

Kathy at Magical Journeys has been doing our reservations for a long time now. I would NEVER go back to doing a WDW vacation without MJ & Kathy:thumbsup:

[Hog]

So after further investigation I have noticed that the price is always the same until I goto book the Flight. So it must be the flight that is changing the price so dramatically. Today when i checked the flight for 3 people increased by $250 from yesterday. So I will ask this, is there a certain day of the week that would be better to book the flight? I think I will use everyones suggestions and use Magical Journeys, thanks for the suggestion!!

[Strmchsr]

So I will ask this, is there a certain day of the week that would be better to book the flight?

Unfortunately, there seems to be no pattern to airline flight prices. What I would suggest is go directly to the airline websites that serve your local airport and check daily. As soon as you find an airfare you think you can live with, snag it. If Southwest is at your airport, sign up for their "Ding" application as it will have specials throughout the day. Airlines seem to be cutting back on discounts available at "third-party" websites (Disney included) so that people will go to their website. So, give that a shot. A little more time intensive, but it'll save you money.

[faline]

With oil prices, flight prices are going up but they can fluctuate quite a lot. If you can fly mid-week or during less traveled hours, they could potentially save you some money. Also, direct flights tend to cost more than flights with a layover.

With flights, you just need to be diligent. Get a sense of what they run and try out different days and times and airlines. There are some sites where you can compare flights among several airlines though they often do not include some of the popular, often lower cost airlines. You might try looking at a site like kayak. Go directly to carrier sites like Southwest or Jet Blue or whichever airlines fly from your local airport.

Keep checking prices and, as Chris said, when you see a price that's reasonable and you can live with, book it!

Good luck!

[mudpuppysmom]

I just send you a PM, but I will tell you that I checked SW this morning and flights were 162 each way.....I just checked now and they are mostly 84 each way (some flights are higher though.....124 and 162, but 84 for connecting flights). For you to drive vs flying it will just about even out I think.

Flight prices fluctuate with the wind.....you have to check check check! And flying in the middle of the week is less expensive than flying on weekends.....we leave Tuesday or Wednesday and come back Tuesday or Wednesday.

Oh, and another vote for using Magical Journeys!!!! Melissa is AWESOME!

[forever a child]

I don't know if this is a legit argument for your airline prices going up...but I now do this when I am pricing airline tickets and it makes sense...

This is copied from another site on airfare secrets.

"One important consideration when it comes to shopping for airline tickets on the Internet is to clear out the cookies in your computer system. Cookies are files that are stored on your computer to help identify what you viewed on a website. A site will recognize returning customers. Sometimes a person will return to an airline website and see the same deal she saw earlier instead of a potentially lower fare that would be displayed to someone who hadn't visited the site before. By deleting the cookies, the site has no idea whether you've seen the fare before or not."

Maybe it will help you...hope it works.:mickey:

[BrerGnat]

Wednesdays around 1pm Eastern Standard Time are the "insider secret" for securing that week's lowest airfare. Apparently, airlines begin a price war on Monday nights, and it takes until Wed afternoon for all the competing airlines to match up. So, that's your best bet for a low fare or a fare sale.

Whatever you do, don't buy airfare on Saturday or Sunday. Those are always the worst days, price wise, to book air travel.

[eeyorepoohfan]

So I will ask this, is there a certain day of the week that would be better to book the flight?

I have found that checking Tuesday night or anytime Wednesday have given me the best prices. We almost exclusively fly Southwest Airlines because they are the best price for our airport and destinations (and bags fly free!). The middle of the week seems the best time to book. Try not to travel on a Friday-Monday. In my experience, those tend to be higher cost days to travel (at least for our dates and destinations normally). We went to WDW in 2009 Thursday-Tuesday and got a great flight rate. Last year, to take advantage of the free dining, we had to travel Friday-Wednesday. But there wasn't a huge difference in the airfare cost for that trip since we booked out so early. I would check daily for a little while to see if you can see a pattern in the cost of the flights then you may see a good price or the best time to book. Happy planning and have a great trip!

[Disney-4-Me]

Ditto regarding Magical Journeys!

I planned our vacations for years. I am an A type personality and thought no one would do as well for us as I would. After seeing others' recommendations on Intercot, I decided to give them a try.

I wouldn't dream of planning my own trips now. Wendy does such a great job for us. She works hard at finding us the best discounts. I'd recommend having Wendy plan for you.:thumbsup: