Here at MouseMisers, our goal is to save you money on your Disney vacation. A trip to Disney World can be expensive, so any savings you can find will be helpful. Whether you are staying at a value or deluxe resort, as long as you are spending less than the next guy, your vacation will be just that much better.
Each Summer, Disney releases rates and packages for the following year. Those rates are then what everyone pays, unless you get a discount of some sort, which are also released by Disney. If Disney had their way, everyone would pay the rack rates. However, there are times during the year when the parks and resorts are not anywhere near full, so discounts are released in an attempt to increase resort stays and park visitors.
While there is no way you are guaranteed a discount on your Disney vacation, there are some ways to give yourself a good chance at getting a significant discount.
- Travel during an off-peak time. If you want to go over Christmas week, Easter week or during the summer, when the resorts and parks are full, Disney has no incentive to release discounts, so they usually don’t.
- Plan early. Discounts are usually released months in advance and have expiration dates. Most of the time, if you miss the discount, it is gone, and never coming back. If a discount hasn’t been released yet for your dates, go ahead and book, you can always get the discount applied once it is released.
- Be Flexible. Disney often has black out dates during off peak times, depending on estimated crowds. If there is a big event during the week you are planning on being there, the parks and resorts will be crowded, even if you are traveling during a historically slow time. Even if you plan well, you may be blindsided and your travel dates may fall within a blackout period. If you are a bit flexible, you can move your dates or hotel when discounts are released.
- Know what dates Disney has released discounts for in past years. While there is no guarantee that what happened last year will be repeated this year, you at least have some sort of guide of what to expect.
Below are links to calendars for 2007 and 2008. The blue highlighted dates indicated dates where Disney offered discounts, so if you checked into your Walt Disney World resort on a date that is blue, you could have gotten a discount, depending on how well you did on the first three items above.
2007 Walt Disney World Discount Dates
2008 Walt Disney World Discount Dates - Check back with MouseMisers on a regular basis. We will keep you updated on all discounts available to Walt Disney World. The best way to do that is to subscribe to our RSS feed, so that you will be notified immediately of any new discounts.
Obviously, there are some times during the year where you won’t be able to get a discount, no matter what you do. Our suggestion during those times, if that is when you have to travel, is to book early to ensure that you get the resort/room type you want.
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