Hey! I am starting to think about our family trip down in late August to enjoy the parks and then bring Shayna home from her summer ICP. I have a number of questions regarding the room discounts, packages, and restaurants... Free dining is now being offered in late August if you purchase a package. Do ICP's get the discount on packages, or just room reservations? Do ICPers get to use their meal discount just themselves, or if we are out as a family, do we get the discount on the total bill? Does anyone know what the meal discount is? Has anyone ever had a problem booking a room for friends or family while you're down there?
I don't recall being able to book packages such as Magic Your Way with Dining, but I could be mistaken. From memory, it was room only, but admittedly, I never looked into booking a package, so someone currently out there would be a better bet to have a look around on the portal. At meals, the discount is off the total bill - which for a family amounts to quite a nice reduction!! The meal discount last summer, and still at the moment as I understand, is 20%. However, an 18% gratuity is automatically added whenever you use a cast discount. So you're actual discount is 2% + not having to leave a tip. However, since the US have a culture of large tips, the saving is still in effect the same; 15%-20% is a fairly standard tip to give. I booked a room not for friends and family, but for friends and myself - that sounds incredibly pedantic, but it's not meant to be!! There are two rates: one for friends and family, and another, more discounted, rate for if the CM will be in the room with you: so if Shayna stays in the hotel with you, you save more. That said, it was a simple proces undertaken through the portal - but do note that the maximum booking period is (or at least was for bookings where the CM is in the room) seven days. If you want to stay for more than that, there's nothing stopping you booking, for example, two seven day packages, but in that case the Resort might require you to swap rooms half-way through. Hope that helps...feel free to PM me with any queries!!
Hi. My parents are coming to visit me but only a couple of weeks after i get there. Do you think that there will be enough time to book them rooms? and are there always rooms available? Louise
There are rooms available somewhere on property the vast majority of the time, but in peak times they can sell out. I booked a room about three days before I stayed in it, so two weeks should be ok; you just can't guarantee it! (Also a 'couple of weeks' after you get there seems very close to July 4th...if they're going to be there over July 4th, I'd say the chances of you booking a room significantly decrease!)
You'd have to weigh things up. To get the free Disney Dining Package, you must book a resort AND tickets. Since you're visiting a CM I guess you'll be using her main gate (Cps are still getting them for the 50th right?). This also kinda' makes me think it's not open to CMs but you never know. Just something to consider. :-\ July 4th is also blackout time. Pain for using maingates (you also might not even have it by then). :-\ Ona x
ICPs didn't get them for the 50th last year. And neither did CPs. But according to Lou, CPs are getting them this year. So I have no idea whether or not there'll be maingates for ICPs....
Hi. Thanks for your answers they would have left before the 4th july but do you think it will still be busy and difficult to book the week before.
It's a busy time in general, so difficult to say for sure. You'd probably get a room somewhere on property, but you certainly couldn't guarantee the particular resort, or the classification of resort (Value/Moderate/Deluxe), that you'd prefer. As I say, it's difficult to say for certain; these things can vary a lot.
Another question for you extremely knowledgeable people The Dining package, what does it include? Also if i'm booking a room and tickets i get the dining package for free ??? Thanks Mhairi
I have booked the Magic Your Way package at Pop with 1 base ticket for each of us and get free dining for the end of August! The way I crunched the numbers, it was more affordable to just book it myself than to have my daughter book with a 40 or 50% room discount. I'm planning on having her book us a room at the end of the week at a 50% discount for a couple of days - probably at a deluxe that we would otherwise never be able to afford! Now I'm just hoping that the information about free park passes is true (although we have old hoppers we would use if not...)
