A Visit with a Disney Specialist: Part II

In this session, we continue our visit with Disney specialist* Sue Pisaturo of Small World Travel, and focus on the Walt Disney World Central Reservations Operations and the Walt Disney Travel Company.

She points out what you need to know when planning and booking your Walt Disney World vacation and also gives us a few more of her own special tips.

Liberty Square, viewed from Frontierland

Ever-changing policies

Those planning their Walt Disney World vacation for the first time experience may not be aware of the different policies in place because they feel overwhelmed with all the information available to them. These vacationers should look towards a Disney specialist to help them sort out everything they need to know.

The Disney specialist has experience in navigating and wading through all the ever-changing policies, helping save guests money and time. The Disney specialist is in daily contact with Walt Disney World Central Reservations and the Walt Disney Travel Company, and is aware of all up-to-the-minute policy changes between these two booking factions. It's the specialist's job to work for you, especially if you are not sure of any facet of trip planning.

Sue emphasizes that it is important to understand that policies change and any in place today may be different tomorrow.

Two Ways to Go

You can book your vacation through either Central Reservations or the Walt Disney Travel Company. Each has a set of policies regarding the booking of rooms, deposits, balance of payment and cancellations. Sue notes that it is important to know which one you are talking to when you call to discuss your reservation. Make sure you let the cast member on the phone know which of the two you wish to book with. Also, Disney Club members should let the cast member know this right away to make sure that your club discounts are made available to you.

Central Reservations

Most Walt Disney World veterans use Central Reservations to book their vacations because they usually know what they want and can easily take care of everything they need by working with Central Reservations.

Sue agrees that Central Reservations can be very helpful if you connect with the right person. When you call and begin your conversation be sure you are comfortable with the cast member on the line. If it is glaringly obvious that you are not communicating well with this person or not getting the level of service you need, you may want to politely end the conversation and call back later hoping to get a more responsive cast member.

When you make a reservation with Central Reservations, you must pay a deposit within 14 days of booking your room that is equal to one night's stay per room plus tax. If you are booking just a room, the balance is due on the day of your arrival.

You may cancel your reservation up to five days before your arrival date without losing your deposit.

Epcot's Fountain of Nations

All confirmation numbers generated by Central Reservations are 12 digits long. If your confirmation number is not 12 digits long, you may have an eight-digit number generated by the Walt Disney Travel Company.

Besides booking your room through Central Reservations, you can also book your admission media, priority seating for restaurants, character meals, and even shows like Hoop Dee Doo.

Central Reservations requires a minimum of one night for room reservation bookings. If you book a room with Central Reservations and later on you come across a code that you think may offer a better rate, call Central Reservations to see if you are eligible for such a reservation. It's worth a try to see if you can modify your reservation at a discount price.

Sue says to have the exact code ready, and to also understand the restrictions for that code. When you call, be sure to talk with the one you made your original booking with, whether it was Central Reservations or the Travel Company. Because converting a reservation can be a bit tricky, you may end up conferring with the Walt Disney Travel Company to take care of any conversion that you may be eligible to make.

The discount codes can best be described as a clearance sale put in place by the Walt Disney World marketing department, which usually generates them as a result of booking forecasts. If attendance appears to be low for a certain time period, then they release the codes as a promotion.

These codes are not always easy to find. The Mousesavers.com Web site is the best place to find the latest codes, and more importantly the restrictions that go with each of these codes.

Sue notes that Annual Passholder specials can be booked only through Central Reservations.

For those who are not Disney Club members but belong to the American Automobile Association (AAA), Sue points out that AAA discounts mirror the Disney Club discounts. However, AAA can book rooms but cannot secure length of stay or magic passes. Sue reminds us that the AAA packages can be booked only through AAA..

The Walt Disney Travel Company

The first thing Sue mentions when discussing the Walt Disney Travel Company is that this is by far the easiest and most convenient method of booking a Walt Disney World vacation for the inexperienced WDW traveler. "The Travel Company has the capability to do it all." Sue says. "It's like those Lunchables. The convenience is there, especially for those who don't want to spend a lot of time looking for discounts and such. It's the time budget versus the money budget argument. What's more important; time or money? Some people don't have the time or the know how to do reservations or reservation components like air, car, passes, and so on."

Since the Walt Disney Travel Company is a full-service travel division, it can also take car of your airfare, car rental, passes, trip insurance, and just about all components of your vacation. You might say it's the place to do your one-stop shopping for your vacation.

Hollywood Boulevard at the Studios

When using the Walt Disney Travel Company, you are required to give a $200 deposit within 10 days of your booking, and give your final payment 45 days before your arrival. After 45 days, you are assessed cancellation fees.

The Disney Club

Disney Club discounts are usually announced in the fall before the upcoming calendar year in which they apply. Currently, 2002 discounts are anywhere from 10% to 20% depending upon the type of resort and the time of year. Sue points out that there is usually a set limit of discounted rooms available, and that they can be sold out. The guideline here is that the early bird catches the discounted worm.

Disney Club bookings require a $100 deposit within 10 days of booking, with your final payment due 21 days prior to your arrival. You may cancel up to five days prior to your arrival without penalty.

If you are booking well in advance of the publishing of discount rates, Sue suggests you book as a Disney Club member, and then call back when you see discounts to check your eligibility for the discount.

Keep in mind that both the Disney Club and the Walt Disney Travel Company both require a booking minimum of three nights.

Tips from Sue

Of course I couldn't let our discussion end without asking Sue for a few more tips for our readers:

If more than two adults are staying in a room, there is a surcharge per person per night. This surcharge varies from resort to resort, but there is no surcharge in the Home Away from Home resorts. The exception is the Fort Wilderness Cabins.

If you are thinking about booking a lagoon view at the Polynesian resort why not book a concierge reservation? They are very close in price.

Wildlife Express at Harambe Station in Animal Kingdom

If your reservation straddles two different seasons, be aware that your first night's stay determines the rate for your entire stay. If you begin your stay during the high season and finish in the value season, your entire stay is booked at the high rate. The solution? Make two reservations to take advantage of the lower rate. Sue points out that you should inform the cast member that it's a continuing reservation so you have a better chance of not being moved to another room.

So What's the Deal with Travel Agents?

In my conversations with Sue, I found myself forming a greater respect and admiration for what travel agents, especially Disney specialists, do for their clients. Sue and other Disney Specialists I have talked to convince me that their greatest pleasure is helping people save both money and time when booking their WDW vacation.

Sue mentioned that one customer recently called her and stated, "Here is when I want to go, where to stay, and how long I want to stay."

He didn't care about the cost.

Sue did.

She went to work and saved her client quite a bit of money.

And that is what Disney specialists do best... help people's dreams come true. Not everyone has unlimited funds for a family trip to the land of talking mice. Not everyone has the time to research and navigate through the many discounts and codes and keep up on the goings and comings of these codes. That is the job of the Disney specialist.

To quote a phrase used many times, "What would Walt think of that?" I believe he would smile and say, "It's always fun to do the impossible!" Disney specialists help people make their dream vacations become possible.

Thanks to Sue Pisaturo for her time and expertise. I have asked Sue to return in a few months to talk about the questions you need to ask when you first talk to Central Reservations, the Walt Disney Travel Company, or your travel agent about your upcoming Walt Disney World vacation. It would be good to know not just what questions to ask, but also when to ask them, and how to ask them.

Next time: Special Dining Experiences

Class dismissed.

*The term, "Disney specialist," indicates a special knowledge level of the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, Disney Institute, and Disney Cruise Line. Not an agent, affiliate, or employee of Disney.

Photos on this page by Brian Bennett unless otherwise noted

Here's a list of the trip reports that Mike has written that are part of MousePlanet's archives!

Michael Scopa -- August 1999 -- Walt Disney World (CSR)

Michael J. Scopa -- July 1997 -- Walt Disney World (WL/CBR)

Mike Scopa -- July 1994 -- Walt Disney World (WL / CBR)

Also, don't miss Lani Teshima's column, "The Trip Planner" for more travel planning information!

Brian Bennett, author of MousePlanet's WDW Trip Planning Guide (and publisher of the Disney Trip Report Archive), writes:

The first Disney trip report that I ever read was a report by Mike Scopa that I downloaded from the America Online travel library in late 1994. The report was a detailed description of the Scopa family's trip to WDW in the summer of that year.

As soon as I was done reading it, I was hooked.

I picked my own brain and documented my own trips and the things I'd learned from my own experiences. Then, in 1995 I actually wrote a report as the trip unfolded. I took a laptop with me and spent some time in the evenings documenting what had happened that day. (I've repeated that process for my own reports ever since.)

In July 1996, I started my Disney trip planning Web site. Besides including my own reports, I asked for permission from the authors of several other reports and added them to the offering. Since then, the number of reports has expanded greatly. In 1997, I added an information summary for each report to make it easier to sort through the reports that are available.

I still 'blame' Mike for hooking me on this Disney habit.

Thanks Mike!

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