What is the best way to make reservations at WDW and to get general info.

We want to book into Animal Kingdom in late January but have heard that there is a Marathon at WDW at that time.

Is there anyway to talk directly to a real person without going through three hours of questions (oK, slight overstatement) and just get questions answered??

Thanks

If you call Disney you will have to go through their rundown. The alternative is to use a Travel Agent. AAA is the official agency, but there are a lot of Disney-centric agencies out there such as MouseFanTravel.com and DreamsUnlimitedTravel.com.

Check Mousesavers.com for Disney's current offers.

When we went to Disney last spring, we made all of our reservations by calling the DIsney number and talking to a real person. I do not recall it being onerous at all. For a while I had Disney Dining on my cell speed dial as we kept changing our minds regarding restaurants and character meals and even that was super easy.

Good luck

Taitai

WE have used dreamsunlimited.com and have had great results.
Al;so check out
www.disboards.com

I agree with Taitai. I booked my Disney vacation through the Disney reservation agents and it was easy. They answered all of my questions. Dining reservations were also incredibly easy (although much was booked when we got around to calling). They were even great about marking down my child's food allergy in each reservation and arranging for a chef to come out to our table and walk us through the menu offerings.

The marathon this year is: Thursday, January 8 - Sunday, January 11, 2009.

My advice is to be a little flexible on your dates. This way you get what you want for a great price. For Example, I go up to Disney about four times a year, for a one night weekend trip. I usually have three weekends in mind when I call, just in case they are booked or he special discount is not active that weekend.

A few websites to look at are:
www.mousesavers.com - they usually have all of the latest discounts with the codes available right on the site.

www.wdwmagic.com - is a huge fan site that has lots of information.

A few things also to consider. Disney is having a sale that if you book your trip by 12/20/08 you get 7 nights for the price of 4. An amazing deal.

Thanks for all of the help. My next question is about the kennels at WDW..

Lucci

I want to share this..I phone Disney Res directly and was quoted prices that were higher than the 2009 prices posted..I also checked into the Club level at AK and was quoted $525 a night..this is during the week of January 19, 2009. I found that a bit shocking..I know that they have given some incentives but come on. I could check in the Ritz in Chicago and be treated like Oprah (well, maybe) for less than that!

Lucci

The Deluxe Resorts at Disney do carry deluxe prices if not the actual ambiance. We stayed at the AKL and really liked it (we have animal loving kids) but for the price it did provide a different experience than a similar amount of money would have gotten us at a Four Seasons or Aman Resort.

Luckily, with Disney you have lots of options....moderate resorts, value resorts and off-property. I am sure you will find something that works for you.

taitai