Code watch January 2017

[AFETA]

Since I'm the most impatient person on the face of the Earth and couldn't wait until Monday, I booked an agency exclusive deal at BC for January 7 - 14. Now that I've seen what the RO discounts are, I am SO happy I went with the agency! Much better deal since I'm an AP holder and don't need tickets.

I would have to agree with you! My best friend scored a great deal for January at Contemporary, way less than the room only or SPD offers with Disney. I think her agent said they had deals for POFQ too!

 

[NorthernGrl]

Not sure what you're planning on doing about tickets and/or dining BUT if you're thinking about adding the CDN discounted tickets i worked out a price for our kids (exact same dates BTW) and the SPD discount was a better deal ... AND Movies isn't included in the deal but POP is and if we'll be able to move them there it will be about $166 LESS .. lateral move to Music was less but they would rather be out of the AllStars due to the ProBall game (or whatever it's called)

We're going on Air MilesTickets. lol
So, no dining. Just rooms.

 

[momof2gr8kids]

Since I'm the most impatient person on the face of the Earth and couldn't wait until Monday, I booked an agency exclusive deal at BC for January 7 - 14. Now that I've seen what the RO discounts are, I am SO happy I went with the agency! Much better deal since I'm an AP holder and don't need tickets.

What was the% off for that time period? I booked a while ago the 7th to 11th at CSR through the agency as well, however that was before any agency exclusive deals were out. The discount then looked like 15%. Was waiting to see what Disney put out to compare before I email her back to switch.

 

[jennw75]

Help! I'm really torn. We're currently booked at the Poly, but since it doesn't have much of a discount I started shopping around. I found we can stay an extra night and save $2000 if we stay at POR. I've never stayed at a moderate resort before, will we be losing a lot of the convenience and food options by switching from Poly to POR? We're traveling with our two boys (4 and 6) and our nanny. Thanks!

 

[Disneytam]

Help! I'm really torn. We're currently booked at the Poly, but since it doesn't have much of a discount I started shopping around. I found we can stay an extra night and save $2000 if we stay at POR. I've never stayed at a moderate resort before, will we be losing a lot of the convenience and food options by switching from Poly to POR? We're traveling with our two boys (4 and 6) and our nanny. Thanks!

How many nights and how many rooms are you booking? I will admit to being a hotel snob of sorts and have never stayed at a Disney value resort but we have stayed at POR way back when it was called Dixie Landings. The grounds are really pretty but very spread out compared to the Deluxe resorts and you are a little isolated as far as food options go. Things have improved since we visited due to the huge expansion of Disney Springs and all the food options there are just a boat ride away. The rooms are much smaller and unless things have changed the beds are full size beds compared to the queen beds at the deluxe resorts. The big thing that I don't like about the moderate resorts are the motel feel of the rooms since there are no interior hallways and guests walk past your windows all the time.

All that said it's just personal preference but if you are used to more top of the line hotels off from Disney than I think you would be a bit disappointed in the moderate resorts at Disney.

 

[Limes96]

We love POR, and it is not that bad at all. One thing about it that is better than Polynesian are the quick service choices. Their food court is among the best on property and they don't have double beds, only queens. And then a few rooms have kings, which is a bookable category, unlike Polynesian. The landscaping is beautiful. Negatives are it's spread out (book preferred room to avoid long walks), and the transportation. The boat to Disney Springs though -very convenient!

 

[keahgirl8]

We love POR, and it is not that bad at all. One thing about it that is better than Polynesian are the quick service choices. Their food court is among the best on property and they don't have double beds, only queens. And then a few rooms have kings, which is a bookable category, unlike Polynesian. The landscaping is beautiful. Negatives are it's spread out (book preferred room to avoid long walks), and the transportation. The boat to Disney Springs though -very convenient!

Agreed. POR is my "vacation home." I love it there. I would switch to it in a heartbeat for $2000 in savings.

 

[Star Tourist]

Hello,
I probably missed a post on this thread, but I'm planning on making a room only res on Monday for Feb. Was going to do it myself, so is there a certain time in the morning that the discounts typically go up? And will we be able to book them right on the site when they come up, or do we need to call? I've heard it's hard to get through on the phones when new deals are posted.

Still contemplating getting a last second agent if that's possible if it will be a hassle.

Thanks!

 

[MegaSilver]

Not sure what you're planning on doing about tickets and/or dining BUT if you're thinking about adding the CDN discounted tickets i worked out a price for our kids (exact same dates BTW) and the SPD discount was a better deal ... AND Movies isn't included in the deal but POP is and if we'll be able to move them there it will be about $166 LESS .. lateral move to Music was less but they would rather be out of the AllStars due to the ProBall game (or whatever it's called)

I did similar math. We are a Canadian family of 2 adults and 2 children (6, 9) staying 7 nights at a moderate. We get the DDP as it does save us money (we do a lot of character meals).

Accounting for 25% off room and tickets, it came fairly close to 45% off dining plan. Depends on how you eat. It can work out better if you don't eat at a lot of character meals.

For us, we'll be up early Monday morning to book a SPD package. Setting alarm for 4:15, 6:00 and 7:00.

 

[emmabelle]

I just booked two nights at CSR because my DD might bring her BF and I would need two rooms. If he can't come then I'll change to one room in a deluxe. I ended up getting a std view for $164 a night, it looks like I got the Thursday night for 20% off and rack rate for Friday night. Anyways it was $369 for the two nights, per room, which wasn't bad.

We decided to do a cruise for the rest of the vacation because the rates were so high and my husband loves to cruise. At least I managed to work in two days in WDW.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

FYI to those who I've been chatting with for the past few weeks. I ultimately decided to go with the SPD deal BUT through the Mousecation travel agency as there is a $50 gift card offer if you book with them. That lessened the difference to about $225 and let's face it...all those meals are totally worth $225!

 

[pixarmom]

Help! I'm really torn. We're currently booked at the Poly, but since it doesn't have much of a discount I started shopping around. I found we can stay an extra night and save $2000 if we stay at POR. I've never stayed at a moderate resort before, will we be losing a lot of the convenience and food options by switching from Poly to POR? We're traveling with our two boys (4 and 6) and our nanny. Thanks!

We've stayed in all the deluxes, all mods except cabins and all values except movies. Our value and mod stays are almost always part of a split stay and usually because we end up arriving earlier than originally planned and don't want to spend a lot more. I mention this background to help you evaluate my advice! So I do think there is a significant difference between POR and Poly, particularly when traveling with kids.

1. The convenience of the monorail (both direct to Epcot from TTC and direct to MK) is hard to give up, especially with young kids. When staying mod or value, we never take an afternoon break because it just takes too much time to get to and fro the parks. At most deluxe resorts, we'll do a morning in a park, a break at the resort and then somewhere for dinner.

2. As for food, we far prefer something small like Captain Cook's, BC Marketplace or Roaring Forks over the food court environment. More limited selection at deluxe CS, but we feel like they offer a generally less hectic atmosphere.

3. The rooms at Poly and POR feel really different to us overall. As you know, you'll have much bigger rooms at Poly - larger bathroom, closet space, etc. But one of the biggest factors for me is the balcony. Even if we were assigned to a second floor room without a balcony at Poly, the sliding glass door to the outside is better for us than the configuration at mods and values. But we have always requested and received either a balcony or patio at Poly. Sitting out on the balcony in the morning or evening - or just for a few minutes during an afternoon break - makes it feel like we have so much more space!

If the Poly price isn't the best, maybe consider another deluxe. We booked BWI CL at a much better discount than what was available at Poly. While it doesn't have the proximity to MK, the quick walk to Epcot and DHS are great selling points for us. The rooms are more comparably sized and almost all have balconies or patios. We love the dining options in the Epcot area - so many TS restaurants and while the CS locations are set up a bit differently from the monorail resorts, we like the variety of options around Crescent Lake. I'd also suggest WL as an alternative, but not sure how you feel about construction.

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

Looks like no deals at midnight...maybe they'll be released before 7am...who knows?? Lol. Good luck everybody!

 

[Donald - my hero]

Discounts dropped around 4 am .... trying to figure out what to do now URGH, if i book a RO and then a package room opens up, how hard will it be to switch over???

 

[Motsy]

Discounts dropped around 4 am .... trying to figure out what to do now URGH, if i book a RO and then a package room opens up, how hard will it be to switch over???

I don't think it's too hard (though I've never had to do it myself). The best way to do it is go ahead and book the room deal and keep looking out for the package deal. When and if it becomes available book it online, and then call to cancel your other one and have it all cleaned up. You might not even have to call to cancel, but it seems like I remember hearing people having to when they've done something similar.

 

[xxDisneyDancerxx]

I'm very frustrated that its not the same deal as the disney visa cardholder deal like it was supposed to be. I am only planning on being there 3 nights so now my ENTIRE plan is messed up.

 

[pittsburghmom]

I'm very frustrated that its not the same deal as the disney visa cardholder deal like it was supposed to be. I am only planning on being there 3 nights so now my ENTIRE plan is messed up.

It is the same deal, just different availability than the Visa deal. Definitely frustrating when you see room categories/resorts available with the Disney Visa that are not available to the GP. Keep playing around over the next few weeks. Hopefully something opens up for you!

 

[xxDisneyDancerxx]

The SPD deal is now a 5 night minimum, we are only there 3. so I don't see how its the same. I tried the "kid size offer" just for the two of us and somehow we'd be paying more than we already are.

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

The SPD deal is now a 5 night minimum, we are only there 3. so I don't see how its the same. I tried the "kid size offer" just for the two of us and somehow we'd be paying more than we already are.

Would it be possible for you to apply for a Disney Visa online right now? When I applied several months ago I was approved immediately and if I remember correctly, was able to use it right away. (Even before the physical card arrived in the mail)

 

[disneygrl704]

The SPD deal is now a 5 night minimum, we are only there 3. so I don't see how its the same. I tried the "kid size offer" just for the two of us and somehow we'd be paying more than we already are.

No the SPD is a 3 night minimum. I was able to book 4 nights with the discount this morning. Are you sure you were pricing SPD or the Family Magic offer?