Do you book far in advance? If so what's the benefit?

[Guest]

Originally Posted by sha9

You’re looking at 2 different deals though. Normally we book free dining where the room rate is rack rate. This year we decided late we were going so missed free dining and got the free nights offer. Yes it’s cheaper but now we have to pay for food.

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Yes exactly. Swings and roundabouts

[duchy]

This thread reminded me of my travel agent days and people popping in and getting late availability prices for May and June then coming in again much later and being dismayed the Same priced deals weren't available for early August .

It really is a different world when you are restricted to school holidays.
It's nothing new though.

[pokerbanter]

Originally Posted by razorsharp192

Obviously cost is a factor, but I said I book late to get cheaper deals, as I find I can get the same holiday cheaper by booking later i.e. not a cheap hotel/holiday, it's the same holiday just less expensive.

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But... You are only getting (a perceived) cheaper hotel based on whats left. You now dont have the same choice as some rooms/hotels will have no availability on some rooms.

For example this year when I booked, AKL was around £1600 each but booking it now for the same time next year is £2800 each.

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Is this based on 2 people sharing for 2 weeks?

Lets say it is as an example. You are basing your figures & thoughts that everyone is a couple... its not. The room cost is fixed, so a room for a couple is more cost "per person" than a family of 4 in the same room. There so many families going so lets take your example & compare it to a family of 2 adults 2 children.


Your cost booking late = £3200 or £1600pp

Family cost booking early = £5600 or £1400pp

Plus the family of 4 have a $200 gift card and free dining for all which probably has a value of a couple of thousand.

See? Booking early can be much much better value for some.

[duchy]

As a couple I see little value in free dining and we are better off using free nights or renting DVC points however we'd also choose to eat off property more without free dining .
This is based on deluxe though , personally I think the "value" resorts offer very poor value and I'd prefer to stay off site. Now some of the non Disney hotels will be getting some of the Disney benefits too, that's another factor that makes the values (for someone like me who will have a car anyway and no kids to accomadate on our couple trips) , even poorer value.
Add in split stay as we usually do and the variations and checks and balances increase. (And the options for a cheap deal with my exact preference of hotels diminishes as most packages aren't that flexible).

This year although I DIY'd as we had a longer more complex combination and a bigger party (three generations) the same thing applied. We wouldn't have got the same value on any package.

The OP is happy with single stay and not fixated on one area and is happy with a standard duration so fits the "deal" criteria but hopefully we may have opened his eyes to some other possibilities if he ever gets tired of one stay per trip

[razorsharp192]

Originally Posted by pokerbanter

But... You are only getting (a perceived) cheaper hotel based on whats left. You now dont have the same choice as some rooms/hotels will have no availability on some rooms.





Is this based on 2 people sharing for 2 weeks?

Lets say it is as an example. You are basing your figures & thoughts that everyone is a couple... its not. The room cost is fixed, so a room for a couple is more cost "per person" than a family of 4 in the same room. There so many families going so lets take your example & compare it to a family of 2 adults 2 children.


Your cost booking late = £3200 or £1600pp

Family cost booking early = £5600 or £1400pp

Plus the family of 4 have a $200 gift card and free dining for all which probably has a value of a couple of thousand.

See? Booking early can be much much better value for some.

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Are those prices for booking early inc flights? (as the £1600 I quoted is the hotel and flights).

Looking again for next year, but AKL is £2300 currently (hotel and flights) so will be waiting until closer to the time to book when it goes cheaper as there's no incentive to book now. Yes there's only 2 of us

[Sew109]

Originally Posted by razorsharp192

Are those prices for booking early inc flights? (as the £1600 I quoted is the hotel and flights).

Looking again for next year, but AKL is £2300 currently (hotel and flights) so will be waiting until closer to the time to book when it goes cheaper. Yes there's only 2 of us

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Some people book before flights are released or the day they are released I would never do this but I understand why they do, once they are booked they know it’s done they are going and they are getting value from this. I hope that they know that by doing this they are most likely pay8ng over the odds for the flights as long as they understand this it’s cool.

I think most people on here know that they are paying over the odds on flights at least booking too far in advance say “book your flights and don’t look at prices again”.

I tended to book accom in advance and where possible fully refundable but flights I only book when I get the price I want, I set a price I will pay and if I get the flights for that price it gets booked whether 10 months out or 2 weeks if I don’t get the price I want we don’t go simple.

I work for myself so I probably have more freedom than most for my holiday dates I know thatb8n some offices if you don’t book your holiday a year in advance you don’t get the dates you want and I could,not live like that but I guess some people could not live knowing that if they dint generate enough business they dint have that months mortgage payment.

[Friday'sChild]

We do like to book in advance for two reasons, firstly the free dining which for a family of 4 saves quite a lot of money and secondly we like to have time to save in between trips, I know we could still put it away and book later but guaranteed unless something is firmly booked the money would go elsewhere

[sha9]

Originally Posted by razorsharp192

Are those prices for booking early inc flights? (as the £1600 I quoted is the hotel and flights).

Looking again for next year, but AKL is £2300 currently (hotel and flights) so will be waiting until closer to the time to book when it goes cheaper as there's no incentive to book now. Yes there's only 2 of us

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You’re looking at a full price AKL without any offers though. If you want the cheapest holiday then wait and see if there’s a free nights offer. The incentive to book early was free dining which is an offer that suits some and not others. The risk you take is that there may not be another offer.

[Sew109]

Originally Posted by Friday'sChild

We do like to book in advance for two reasons, firstly the free dining which for a family of 4 saves quite a lot of money and secondly we like to have time to save in between trips, I know we could still put it away and book later but guaranteed unless something is firmly booked the money would go elsewhere

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Do you book it all a long time out or just the accom ?

[tinytots]

Two words- School holidays! We left it to the last minute( a few months before) one year and couldn’t get direct flights that we wanted and ended up holidaying in Skiathos🤣