I went on a Value trip in January 2010, then that summer,I started fooling around on the WDW site looking at deluxes for September of 2011. I did not save any packages or anything. I got a PIN in my email that October for the Fall of 2011 for room only discounts, which was exactly what I needed.
My advice is to only make your plans AFTER you get your PIN or discount. If you nail yourself down to a date or time of year, then you get a PIN for another date, you will be aggravated.
I've received PIN codes in the Spring, Fall and Summer. There is a site that tells you when to expect news and PINs from WDW, is it allears or mousesavers,,,,anyone?