60-Day FP Booking Window for Disney Springs Area Hotels; UPDATE: No Packages Needed!

[hiroMYhero]

Disney has confirmed that Disney Springs area hotel guests will have the 60-day FP Booking Window beginning January 10th, 2018. The released statement has been posted by wdwnt.com.
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/12/confi...60-day-booking-window-extra-magic-hours-2018/

Here is an excerpt:
“For 2018, we are also extending some benefits that are currently available to Disney Resort hotel Guests and Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel Guests. Each Guest, with a valid theme park admission, staying at one of the Disney Springs Resort Area hotels, which are designated Official WALT DISNEY WORLD hotels will be extended these benefits. The Disney Spring Resort Area hotels include: B Resort & Spa; Best Western Lake Buena Vista Resort; DoubleTree Guest Suites by Hilton Orlando; Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista Palace; Hilton Orlando Resort Lake Buena Vista; Holiday Inn Orlando; Wyndham Lake Buena Vista; and Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista.

Beginning Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2018, Guests at any of these Official WALT DISNEY WORLD hotels, with a valid theme park ticket, can take advantage of Extra Magic Hours benefit as each day, one of the four Walt Disney World Theme Parks opens early or extends later for Guests to enjoy select attractions.

Scheduled to begin Jan. 10, 2018, Walt Disney Travel Company packages are available for online bookings for the Disney Springs® Resort Area hotels. Also, scheduled to begin Jan. 10, 2018, Guests at these Official WALT DISNEY WORLD hotels, who have booked a package reservation for the hotel through a Walt Disney Travel Company package, will be able to link their hotel reservation on My Disney Experience, and with a linked, valid theme park ticket, these Guests can utilize a 60-day booking window for FastPass+ selections. These are benefits that are already available to Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel Guests.”

ETA (12/20 update)
Clarification from Disney to all Travel Agents:
“all guests at the designated hotels will be able to book fp at 60 days. It didn't matter if they booked through Disney or not.“

 

[SaintsManiac]

I hope they make it permanent.

 

[hamilkm]

So sounds like you have to book a package through Disney including tickets to get to book at 60 days. I bet these hotels won’t be that good of a deal when booking through Disney. I know when I went to Disneyland it was so much cheaper to book a good neighbor hotel not through Disney.

 

[sharonabe]

Okay DISSERs, those who have stayed at these properties, please, please report back here what, if any, impact this has on the prices at these hotels. Surely they are paying Disney something for this and that cost will be passed on to guests.

 

[Pete W.]

I hope they make it permanent.

Highly probable. It costs them nothing to hedge and say it's only for 2018, but it would be unusual to take the benefit away unless it has some sort of major, negative impact on the FP+ system. Of course it will mean even more competition at the 60 day mark for those highly-sought after FPs like FoP but clearly they know this.

 

[hiroMYhero]

So sounds like you have to book a package through Disney including tickets to get to book at 60 days. I bet these hotels won’t be that good of a deal when booking through Disney. I know when I went to Disneyland it was so much cheaper to book a good neighbor hotel not through Disney.

No; a package isn’t necessary. A room reservation plus linked tickets opens the 60-day booking window. Swan and Dolphin guests have this same perk with separately linked tickets.

That section in the announcement is not wiritten very well.

 

[Wubar]

Ah, so that's the "rub" - you have to book a package through Disney to get the 60 day window? I just checked on hotels.com, and you can get the best western for like $100 a night in early June. I was going to book it at that rate and get the 60 day window, even though my family should have APs by then, which of course only gets you a 30 day window. But if you have to book through Disney, that $100/night probably jumps to like $160...

Oops, posted at the same time as hiroMyhiro. So you don't have to book through Disney, just need linked tickets. I assume APs would work then to get the 60 days?

 

[sharonabe]

Ah, so that's the "rub" - you have to book a package through Disney to get the 60 day window? I just checked on hotels.com, and you can get the best western for like $100 a night in early June. I was going to book it at that rate and get the 60 day window, even though my family should have APs by then, which of course only gets you a 30 day window. But if you have to book through Disney, that $100/night probably jumps to like $160...

Oops, posted at the same time as hiroMyhiro. So you don't have to book through Disney, just need linked tickets. I assume APs would work then to get the 60 days?

Don't know why not. If you are at a Disney resort now with APs you get 60 days, right?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Ah, so that's the "rub" - you have to book a package through Disney to get the 60 day window? I just checked on hotels.com, and you can get the best western for like $100 a night in early June. I was going to book it at that rate and get the 60 day window, even though my family should have APs by then, which of course only gets you a 30 day window. But if you have to book through Disney, that $100/night probably jumps to like $160...

Swan and Dolphin guests don’t have to book through Disney. This announcement is not written very well. The last sentence of the announcement states it’s the same benefit as Swan/Dolphin.

And this isn’t a complete thought:

and with a linked, valid theme park ticket, these Guests can utilize a 60-day booking window for FastPass+ selections.

but this is what applies to a separately ticket.

 

[CAS239]

Sweeeeet. Best Western in Disney Springs is included. My favorite off site hotel just got better.

Able to pay less and stay at a better hotel than the Disney on site value hotels

 

[CAS239]

So my understanding of this..book on Jan 1st and then the 60 day window opens that day. So trip would be beginning of March.

And what about booking through 3rd party sites like Kayak, Trivago, etc.? Just enter in your confirmation number into MDE and it’ll automatically open up the 60 day window?

 

[JJ2017]

Of these hotels, are they all within walking distance to DS?

 

[Texans_loyal]

let's hope those hotels don't double in price out of nowhere.

 

[hiroMYhero]

So my understanding of this..book on Jan 1st and then the 60 day window opens that day. So trip would be beginning of March.

And what about booking through 3rd party sites like Kayak, Trivago, etc.? Just enter in your confirmation number into MDE and it’ll automatically open up the 60 day window?

January 1st is for EMH.

January 10th is when the 60-Day booking window begins.

 

[Gina Starr]

So I know this is going to start a debate but what's the benefit of staying on property now? Magical express? Slightly better transportation? I won't be staying elsewhere as POFQ is my second home but I can see others moving to offsite.

 

[sharonabe]

So I know this is going to start a debate but what's the benefit of staying on property now? Magical express? Slightly better transportation? I won't be staying elsewhere as POFQ is my second home but I can see others moving to offsite.

The ONLY thing onsite has now that these don't is transportation to the parks, and we all know how that's been going lately.....downhill fast!

 

[AquaDame]

We've preferred to rent a car even when staying on site honestly... I'm very tempted to change gears for next Dec now.

 

[hllb]

I'm kind of surprised they're getting the EMH too. I agree that this really lessens the attractiveness of staying on-site.

 

[scrapquitler]

Ah, so that's the "rub" - you have to book a package through Disney to get the 60 day window? I just checked on hotels.com, and you can get the best western for like $100 a night in early June. I was going to book it at that rate and get the 60 day window, even though my family should have APs by then, which of course only gets you a 30 day window. But if you have to book through Disney, that $100/night probably jumps to like $160...

Oops, posted at the same time as hiroMyhiro. So you don't have to book through Disney, just need linked tickets. I assume APs would work then to get the 60 days?

It doesn't say a package. It says "with valid theme park ticket".

 

[subtchr]

It doesn't say a package. It says "with valid theme park ticket".

It doesn't say you need a package for EMH. But for 60-day FP, it says, "Guests at these Official WALT DISNEY WORLD hotels, who have booked a package reservation for the hotel through a Walt Disney Travel Company package"...

Not withstanding the redundancy, is this not correct?

Interesting that Shades of Green guests just got 60-day FP as well...