Hi Rebecca!
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! As a really anxious planner myself, I am delighted to help a kindred planning spirit!
YES, definitely book now and keep checking the
Special Offers. Although not guaranteed, I have been able to call and get a newly released special offer applied to an existing reservation. It depends on the applicable dates, resorts, and available room categories of the special offer. If you are flexible with resort hotels, you may also be able to cancel the first reservation and book a new one with a special offer. Just check the
cancellation terms and conditions. We always book early for a few reasons, 1) It ensures that we reserve the room type we want at the resort we prefer and 2) We prefer to make our
advanced dining reservations 180 days prior to our trip. I also suggest that you ALWAYS compare prices between the vacation package with the special offer and without it.
We used to stay at Disney's Contemporary Resort only if we could get a standard view room in the Garden Wing because those rooms were typically more affordable AND we still had all of the great amenities of Disney's Contemporary resort including access to the
Resort Monorail. Booking early also allows us to make all of our advanced dining reservations at the restaurants we prefer for dining times that we love. For example, we always book a dining reservation at California Grill for a time that will allow us to view the
Happily Ever After fireworks during dinner.
Aside from assuring that we get the room category we prefer, booking early locks in a price because I have seen prices go up over time. I typically start checking prices a few months before I am ready to book so that I can get a sense of what the cost might be. Then, when a special offer does get released, I can assess how good of a deal it is for our family, especially because we usually book a
vacation package with the
resort hotel,
theme park tickets, and a
dining plan.
Rebecca, since you are visiting in late December, remember to check out the
Holidays at Walt Disney World Resort and
New Year's Eve at Walt Disney World Resort activities. One of our favorite traditions at that time of year is the Candlelight Processional. It reminds us of the beauty, peace, and love of the holiday season. We always book an
Epcot® International Festival of the Holidays - Candlelight Processional Dining Package to get access to a reserved seating area for the show and, when you arrive for the show, be sure to still line up early so that you have a better selection of seats in that reserved area!
Magic and Memories,
Donyell