$100 gift card offer - wait to book?

[MissAnonD]

Hello All,

Quick question - The $100 gift card offer ends on 20th October. Should we book now or take a gamble and wait until after the offer ends to see if the price of the holiday drops once the offer is over?

Kinda regretting not booking whilst the offer was a $200 gift card....we were hoping that the holiday cost would drop once the gift card offer ends - but now I'm doubting myself!

Thanks

 

[micksn]

I haven't seen this happen in previous years. They sometimes do a discount (% off) but that would not include free dining. Free dining is usually a better deal.

 

[MissAnonD]

I haven't seen this happen in previous years. They sometimes do a discount (% off) but that would not include free dining. Free dining is usually a better deal.

Thanks for the response. I phoned disney when I got in from work and they said the same thing! Damn..should've booked with the $200 gift card!

But on the plus side I feel like i've done so much research since then that I'm brave enough to book the flights separately and wait for a cheap price on flights! I'm hoping we can get flights for 14th-28th October 2017 for £1200 max (2 adults) - doable?

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

For roughly the same dates this year for two adults we paid £1300 direct - that was booking the first day they were released. I believe if you wait for a sale or go indirect you'll get a better price ... I was just impatient!!

 

[MissAnonD]

For roughly the same dates this year for two adults we paid £1300 direct - that was booking the first day they were released. I believe if you wait for a sale or go indirect you'll get a better price ... I was just impatient!!

Yes, I've read a lot about whether to book on release day or wait for a sale. Still can't make up my mind! Ideally we'd like to book onto a Virgin return flight so we can get the latest flight back to Gatwick on the 28th October - I believe there's usually a flight at 19:50. But I know Virgin can be expensive if you don't book at the right time! I think I'll just book a price I'm happy with...and if we go over budget we'll just eat beans on toast for 11 months until we get there!

 

[Kevin Stringer]

We are going in October (5 adults) and I'll be holding out for £500 flights. I'm certain it can be done for this price indirect, but I reckon we might get lucky in a sale for direct. Of course, there's more chance if you avoid the half term period.

 

[OldSchoolReasons]

I'm also undecided whether to book on day of release or hold out - I'm going to see what the situation is on day of release and then maybe hold out until the January sales. We have similar dates to you (19th Oct - 4th Nov).

 

[Lucys dad]

Does anyone remember what month Disney UK usually release the room only discount deals ? Is it straight after the free dining offer ends ?

Thanks

 

[pickers1982]

Re flights I be flown virgin in October twice and both times planes were half full if that. Not sure if the drop prices nearer the time to fill it

 

[LanaBear-ox]

Thanks for the response. I phoned disney when I got in from work and they said the same thing! Damn..should've booked with the $200 gift card!

But on the plus side I feel like i've done so much research since then that I'm brave enough to book the flights separately and wait for a cheap price on flights! I'm hoping we can get flights for 14th-28th October 2017 for £1200 max (2 adults) - doable?

We are going 15th to 26th October 2017! I'm also hoping it won't be above £1200. I'd be willing to do a layover if I can't get a good price direct

 

[Jon84]

I think if anything the prices go up, the price seems to directly correlate to how full the resort is.

Virgin flights are best bought during a sale. You can often get K Class Premium seats for the price of a Eco Seat.

Their sales are usually around Sept, Dec/Jan, and May.

 

[Sencybil]

I wouldn't count on getting Virgin flights for those dates within your price constraints. The 28th Oct is peak peak demand for return to the UK. I tried to book for this year on day of release, and the return flights were never released at the lowest fare code. They were released a couple of days later at a much higher fare code. I assumed all the cheaper tickets were already reserved for Virgin Holidays?. We ended up booking flights to Miami instead (BA) partly because we had some points that we could use, and saved substantially on the Orlando price (about £1000 cheaper for 3). I think its unlikely that the return flight will be available "cheap" in a sale. Also many people either have a 2 week half term or take 2 weeks anyway, so the flight out will not be empty either. BA flights to Tampa were also ridiculously expensive for the dates in question.

If you're prepared to go indirect then you'll probably be fine within your constraint - but you will have to leave Orlando much earlier in the day. Or if you can travel back a couple of days later, it would make an enormous difference.

Sorry, don't want to be a downer, but its best to know....

Good luck!
Sencybil.

 

[Jon84]

I assumed all the cheaper tickets were already reserved for Virgin Holidays?

This is not the case, Virgin Holidays have a fixed class code within each class, and VA have lots of codes it can sell, some are less than what you get through VH. It's just down to timing and availability.

 

[MissAnonD]

Thanks for the help guys! I booked the hotel on Sunday direct with Disney - didn't want to risk losing out on the free dining and $100 gift card.

It seems there are varied opinions on when is best to book flights, and whether we can get them for our desired budget!

The 28th Oct is peak peak demand for return to the UK.

I hadn't considered that it would be the end of UK half term on the 28th! Thanks for the reminder. Might have to set my budget a bit higher in that case.

 

[MissAnonD]

This is not the case, Virgin Holidays have a fixed class code within each class, and VA have lots of codes it can sell, some are less than what you get through VH. It's just down to timing and availability.

I think I'll need to do some more research into flight codes - This is all a bit confusing to me!

So you think it is possible to get them around £1200 for 2 adults?

We can book 11 months out from return date, right? So would this make it the 28th November 2016 that I could book flights? Thanks

 

[Jon84]

Yep thats right, 11 months from return date.

From the extensive research my wife did on prices. The cheapest always tend to be on that date with Virgin.

However, with Thomas Cook now flying all refurbished A330s, it's worth keeping an eye on their prices, we booked before 11 months for June/July 2017, £1700 total for 2 premium tickets. Eco, would have been about £1200.

 

[MissAnonD]

Yep thats right, 11 months from return date.

From the extensive research my wife did on prices. The cheapest always tend to be on that date with Virgin.

However, with Thomas Cook now flying all refurbished A330s, it's worth keeping an eye on their prices, we booked before 11 months for June/July 2017, £1700 total for 2 premium tickets. Eco, would have been about £1200.

Thanks so much for you help! - What time in the morning are flights usually released? Considering booking that day off work just to make sure I get the best deal.

We're certainly not opposed to traveling with a different airline if we can get a good price! We went with Thomson this year and were really impressed with the plane (the only downside for us was traveling to/from Sanford). Thomas Cook seem good, so we'll keep an eye on their prices. I see their flights are already released for our dates, but currently around £150pp more than we would hope to pay

 

[Jon84]

Thanks so much for you help! - What time in the morning are flights usually released? Considering booking that day off work just to make sure I get the best deal.

We're certainly not opposed to traveling with a different airline if we can get a good price! We went with Thomson this year and were really impressed with the plane (the only downside for us was traveling to/from Sanford). Thomas Cook seem good, so we'll keep an eye on their prices. I see their flights are already released for our dates, but currently around £150pp more than we would hope to pay

You're welcome

I'm not sure what time the flights are released actually, might be worth a quick call