Hi Caycie,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
The practice you describe, of booking a Walt Disney World Resort vacation now and then modifying your reservation if a better promotion is released later, is one I do frequently. If there are dates you know you wish to travel, definitely book now to secure the hotel you prefer. Then, if a special offer that works well for your travel party is released at some point in the future, call right away to make the change. (I have found that time is of the essence with those special offers. They typically only cover a limited number of Walt Disney World Resort hotel rooms. Once they're gone, they're gone.)
If you do
make your advance dining reservations 180 days in advance, which I highly recommend, those dining reservations will not be disrupted by the modifications you may make to your hotel or overall package. Again, I have done this many times without issue.
So, make your Walt Disney World Resort vacation plans now so you can call (407) WDW-DINE at your 180 day window to set up advance dining reservations to your heart's content. Then keep an eye on the
Special Offers at
www.disneyworld.com to see you if can stretch those vacation dollars even further.
I'll keep my fingers crossed that you find an amazing deal.
Wishing you many magical memories,
Jill