The How's, What's and When's of Walt Disney World Resorts

• Help! How do I choose where to stay?
• What are the current rates for _____ hotel?
• What discounts are available at _____ hotel?
• How far in advance are discounts released?
• What is "upsell", how do I do it?
• What amenities are provided by _____ hotel?

Help! How do I choose where to stay?

That's the difficult part, isn't it. Consider your price range, which park you want to spend the most time at, do you only want to ride buses, or would you like to have monorail and bus access? The good news is that it's hard to be disappointed with whatever you choose.

If you are looking for opinions from people who have stayed at a particular resort, check out rec.arts.disney.parks. You can also use dejanews dejanews to search rec.arts.disney.parks to read what people have already said.

The Walt Disney World Information Guide, an unofficial site maintained by Deb Wills, is an excellent place to read about the different hotels. She has a FAQ for each of them.

What are the current rates at ____ hotel?

The current base prices for WDW room rates are listed on disney.com. Click on the category, then the resort of interest, and then click on Room Rates. Currently rates for 1999 are listed. If you are interested in package rate, call the Central Reservation Office (CRO) at 1-407-W-DISNEY (407-934-7639).

What discounts are available at _____ hotel?

At different times throughout the year, Disney will over special rates at some or all of its hotels.

• Magic Kingdom Club: 10-20% off list rates for selected hotels, at selected time periods. You must have an Magic Kingdom Club card to qualify for a discount.

• Annual Passholder: 20-50% off list rates for selected hotels, at selected time periods. You do not need to have an Annual Pass when you book, but you must show an Annual Pass or an Annual Pass Voucher at check-in to receive the discount.

• Other Discounts: If hotel bookings are low, Disney will sometimes offer other discounts on selected hotels. For example in August/Early September of 1998, Disney offered an $84 rate at the moderate resorts. These discounts are open to whoever is lucky enough to hear about them.

How far in advance are discounts released

rec.arts.disney.parks is the best place to find out when discounts are released. But here are some general guidelines:

• Magic Kingdom Club: Initially rates are released in late summer/early fall. The hotels and dates available are extremely limited during the initial release. As WDW gauges how full their resorts will be, additional dates and hotels will become available.

• Annual Passholder: 1-4 months in advance.

• Other Discounts: 1-2 months in advance.

What is "upsell", how do I do it?

Upsell is a term used to describe what reservation people do, when what you want is booked and you aren't willing to pay more money. Here's an example: Let's say you want to stay on-site but you can only afford the All-Stars. You call and find out the All-Stars are booked, the reservation person may offer you a special rate at the moderates which is less than the list price for that hotel, but more than the cheaper hotel.

Getting an upsell can be tricky, since a lot people can be swayed into booking at a higher priced hotel. Be extremely nice, and be clear that there is a limit on what you can afford. "There isn't anywhere else on property, I can get a room for less than $100?" might work. Getting an upsell is easier in the value season, don't try to get one during the holidays.

What amenities are provided by _____ hotel?

There are several places on the internet to find this information. Here are two good starting points

• The Official Site: The official line on the WDW hotels.
• Walt Disney World Information Guide: Deb Wills site, with FAQ's for each of the WDW hotels.

If you can't find your answer on these sites, give the folks over in the rec.arts.disney.parks newsgroup a try.

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Page last updated Sept. 26,1999