Canadians... How do you book your Disney Vacation?

[deebee29]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering how you all book your disney vacations. Getting very close to booking mine, and just wondering, do you use a travel agent, book it yourself, another method?

Thanks!

[Cdn Gal]

My flights I go to bookit.com., or from the airline directly. For everything else I book directly- Disney- get pin codes etc. I have saved mega dollars by doing things myself rather than booking through a travel agent. :surfweb:

[spicemom]

I book everything myself:goodvibes

[Albertatraveler]

We are booking things our selfs. Now I just need to figure out how to get my self ahold of those pins everyone talks about. Any ideas?

[ash-n-brensmom]

We are booking things our selfs. Now I just need to figure out how to get my self ahold of those pins everyone talks about. Any ideas?

This year, knowing full well that we wouldn't be going until 2011, I ordered the 2010 planning dvd from Disney. Well, 2 pin codes later...we are going April 27-May 4 with free dining...

So, my advice would be to order the DVD and make sure you put in the time of year that you are thinking of traveling. Good luck:thumbsup2

[ado121]

we do everything ourselves. oh who am i kidding....i do it all and my husband drags the luggage from the bedroom to the car!

we use airmiles for our park tickets. i have a serious addiction to airmiles....an safeway is a great way to feed that addiction.:rotfl:

i always book directly with the airlines although i search kayak.com and some others for the best deals. and then skip the middle man and go right to the carrier. :rolleyes1

i make all ressies myself. car rentals, dining etc.:yay:

and i live on disboards!:banana:

although i am a major lurker!:laughing:

[I Run Long]

The first time we went, I used a Disney specialist travel agent - she was great, got us the free dining for us too. Now that I know what I am doing - we're renting points from a DVC owner and staying at BCV. I calculated the cost of booking through Disney or an agent (no price difference) to stay at the same place and even inputted free dining (though there is never a guarantee of that) and it was still much cheaper to rent points, pay for the DDP and purchase park tickets separately. I'm talking to the tune of $1800 cheaper! I even found a good flight direct through the airline's own website and secured a rate of Cdn$ 980 return for 4 out of Seattle. I had originally budgeted a worse case scenario of Cdn$ 1800 return. I'm a pretty happy camper! :banana:

[dis_guy]

i always book directly with the airlines although i search kayak.com and some others for the best deals. and then skip the middle man and go right to the carrier. :rolleyes1

I do the same thing with travelocity.ca.;)
I just prefer dealing directly with the airline if I have a problem.

Disney is always booked online unless we have a PIN or other special circumstance. Again, it's all about having control.:)

[Fundytrail]

We booked ourselves, we saved dollars by doing things ourselves rather than booking through a travel agent. I did price through a local travel agent and CAA travel first.

[Louiepipbgeeco]

Book it all myself. I love love love doing this:surfweb:Now that I have the DVC it is even more fun to play with possiblities that before I would have never paid out of pocket for.
Flights--I always start looking ASAP for the next March ( I always go March Break as I teach) Usually NWA now DELTA posted their flights as early as April for next March. If I see a good rate--I buy. Last year I had them booked and paid for in April. People at work laughed but come Jan. Feb. March when they all shopped around guess who paid quite a bit more.....
I also look to Cheaptickets etc for shopping around but then book directly with the airline.
If I need a place to stay before Disney--I use Sheraton points from my mastercard. So, those are "free nights"
Car rentals--some better deals if you prepay
I often check Mousesavers for info on any deals etc.
When I retire I would love to be a Disney specialized trip planner:rotfl:

[minnie56]

Welll I am a TA so I book with me!!;)

[declansdad]

We use Dream Come True Vacations. They are Disney specialists and are fantastic.

[Alderbrook]

We book direct with Disney & direct for flights. We used CAA once before the internet (LOL) but now we just do everything ourselves.

[goldwest]

I booked with small world vacations and booked flights myself using Kayak. I was happy with origanial prices (after pricing things myself) and then we got a further discount.

[YukiPhnx]

I booked my room with Mouse Fan Travel, but booked everything else myself (ie,flights and park tickets)

My agent from MFT also booked my dining for me. It was great not to have to do everything by myself and still having my way. My agent easily added my CAA discount onto my room-only reservation

Oh yes. I booked my flight with travelocity.ca and didn't have any problems at all. I should've booked with expedia.ca though. After I booked my flight, I checked their site, and noticed they had MUCH better flight times and also lower prices. I would recommend expedia.ca for sure.

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

i've done both. last year going with kids and never booking one on my own, i went with my a ta at sears. and she is wonderful, i've sent many clients her way. this trip, the week after we got back in october i got a pin code for 30-40% off the resorts. called disney and looked into the cr. it was wayyy too pricey at 411 a nite for club level. so he dug around and came up with wl for me with meals, 14 days, and 10 day hoppers 5100, no airfare.

so i put a hold and then a 200$ deposit on it and had til march to pay off. once i did that i signed it over to my ta. she had to deal with the stress for everything else. she booked all my dinings for me on her morning off and got them all. however i booked my flights online. one via continental.com and the other via travelocity.ca.

the good thing about disney, he compared resorts so i didnt break the bank. plus that was a sunday, my agents closed that day. i liked handing it off to her to book all the other stuff.

booking my airfare online was a little stressful, westjet had that seatsale before new years. and sure eenough i waited and it jumped up a fair bit. so i snagged my trip back then the trip down on two different days and sites. only thing, i find it hard not to go back and check the now prices...of coruse its dropped! lol

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

We used a Disney Specialist, Fairytale Dreams & Destinations. Best thing we could have done, in my opinion.

We made all the decisions, they did ALL the work. We didn't have the hassle of long distance phone calls to book our ADR's (and bless them, I changed my mind half a dozen times on the ADRs alone, meaning extra work on their end), they watched for and automatically applied for any promos that were released for our travel period, they provided maps and packing lists in advance of our trip, they set up all the necessary info with Magical Express once we had our flights decided.....they even left us a "welcome home" email and followed up with a phone call just a few days later to be sure the trip was as wonderful as we had hoped.

Being first time visitors, their knowledge was sooo valuable....there wasn't a question we were unable to get answered. They've stayed at every resort, done every ride, eaten at every restaurant, and are passionate about all things Disney. They're attentive, fun, and super-reliable. And all for the same price if you book direct and do all the leg work yourself!

If we ever make another trip, I wouldn't consider booking any other way. Leaving them to do all the grunt work left me more time for the Disboards! :rotfl:

[DaniB]

The first time we went, I used a Disney specialist travel agent - she was great, got us the free dining for us too. Now that I know what I am doing - we're renting points from a DVC owner and staying at BCV. I calculated the cost of booking through Disney or an agent (no price difference) to stay at the same place and even inputted free dining (though there is never a guarantee of that) and it was still much cheaper to rent points, pay for the DDP and purchase park tickets separately. I'm talking to the tune of $1800 cheaper! I even found a good flight direct through the airline's own website and secured a rate of Cdn$ 980 return for 4 out of Seattle. I had originally budgeted a worse case scenario of Cdn$ 1800 return. I'm a pretty happy camper! :banana:

That's so funny as it mirrors me - sort of.

This is our first trip and I used a DSTA as well (fairytales dreams & destinations). While I do love my experience with her, I just found out a couple of weeks ago about DVC and renting points. I have been crunching the numbers for next year and decided if we can go next year - to rent a villa at AKL from a DVC member!

And we have not even gone on our first trip yet :rotfl:

Edited to add that when I freaked over the airfare cost (almost as much as our trip!), our TA suggested flying out of Buffalo. Never having flown before that was wonderful piece of information after finding out the huge price difference!

[Tantor]

I book everything myself:goodvibes

yup me too

[SaraMc]

We used to book everything ourselves. But the last trip we used Dreams Unlimited and loved it. So next trip is with Dreams again. So much easier.

[sjsjbrook]

my next trip, ibooked the cruise through MEI as it is a group cruise (though she is ignoring my emails, when I have had questions)

So for the rest of my vacation - the land part I went through dreams. I am loving them. They got back to me right away when I emailed and I am very happy with the place (off-site) that I am staying at.


I haven't decided where to fly out of yet Toronto or Buffalo, so I haven't booked my flights yet.


We are researching our travel insurance as my husband has medical coverage through work so we just need the trip insurance part.

I have been doing the research before booking.


I am really looking forward to not having to make my own ADR's this time.

[dancin Disney style]

we do everything ourselves. oh who am i kidding....i do it all and my husband drags the luggage from the bedroom to the car!

we use airmiles for our park tickets. i have a serious addiction to airmiles....an safeway is a great way to feed that addiction.:rotfl:

i always book directly with the airlines although i search kayak.com and some others for the best deals. and then skip the middle man and go right to the carrier. :rolleyes1

i make all ressies myself. car rentals, dining etc.:yay:

and i live on disboards!:banana:


that me exactly.

[CdnCarrie]

Book it ourselves. We use Airmiles for flights and tickets.

[drag n' fly]

Do it all ourselves. There is no one in Calgary that I have found or heard of that could provide me better service than what I can do myself.:thumbsup2

[KTJAY]

I booked my room with Mouse Fan Travel, but booked everything else myself (ie,flights and park tickets)

My agent from MFT also booked my dining for me. It was great not to have to do everything by myself and still having my way. My agent easily added my CAA discount onto my room-only reservation

Oh yes. I booked my flight with travelocity.ca and didn't have any problems at all. I should've booked with expedia.ca though. After I booked my flight, I checked their site, and noticed they had MUCH better flight times and also lower prices. I would recommend expedia.ca for sure.

Do you know if Mouse Van Travel will charge for booking your flight? I have used them before but always booked my own flight. This time I will be traveling with my cousin and she wants the ta to book the flight.:confused3

[brava]

I will be going on my third Disney trip and I always book with CAA since they always secure the lowest possible rate. If you go with an agency that specializes in all things Disney, then you will get the quoted rate from Disney. You are paying extra for the trip planning. It's more exciting doing all the planning yourself. Arm yourself with a good guide on Disney, and you can decide which restaurants and shows/rides you want to attend.

There are good deals now going on. Disney Cruise line is also offering 25% off for Canadian residents for spring/summer sailings.

[declansdad]

I will be going on my third Disney trip and I always book with CAA since they always secure the lowest possible rate. If you go with an agency that specializes in all things Disney, then you will get the quoted rate from Disney. You are paying extra for the trip planning. It's more exciting doing all the planning yourself. Arm yourself with a good guide on Disney, and you can decide which restaurants and shows/rides you want to attend.

There are good deals now going on. Disney Cruise line is also offering 25% off for Canadian residents for spring/summer sailings.


CAA doesn't get you a better rate than anyone else. Also, you don't pay Disney specialist for the service they provide.

[minnie56]

Disney pricing is Disney pricing. They allow nobody to undercut anyone else!!!
CAA will get it no cheaper than another Agency and a Disney 'Specialist' and I am not sure what that is exactly....hmmm......charges no more than the next agent!:confused3

[minnie56]

Do you know if Mouse Van Travel will charge for booking your flight? I have used them before but always booked my own flight. This time I will be traveling with my cousin and she wants the ta to book the flight.:confused3

Unless the air is booked with Westjet..most agents charge a nominal fee for air as most Airlines pay nothing to an agency for the booking. Hope that helps..

[C&B Young]

Unless the air is booked with Westjet..most agents charge a nominal fee for air as most Airlines pay nothing to an agency for the booking. Hope that helps..

That's true. We've booked our last 2 trips through CAA, but handled the air ourselves. We've never booked the air at the same time as the trip either, as the flight prices fluctuate so much!

[YukiPhnx]

Do you know if Mouse Van Travel will charge for booking your flight? I have used them before but always booked my own flight. This time I will be traveling with my cousin and she wants the ta to book the flight.:confused3

I could ask my current TA and I'll get back to you on that.

[fan1080]

We booked all of our trips through our TA, including flights, at no additional cost compared to booking ourselves.

We always take care of the rest of the details on our own (dining reservations, tours, etc).

Booking with a TA gives you the added benefit of having them available to help if something were to go wrong, such as an airline bankruptcy, the need to book early return flights for a family emergency, etc. We get professional services/advice, for free.

I guess there must be some TA's that charge a fee for booking with them. Our TA doesn't. They are paid a finders fee for the bookings. The only time I wouldn't book with our TA is if I was renting DVC points. However, even then I would book other details with her if I could (ie. airfare, car rental, park tickets, etc).

I like taking care of the details, but if there are free professional services available, I'm going to take advantage of it.

[KTJAY]

I could ask my current TA and I'll get back to you on that.

Thanks! :goodvibes

[minnie56]

We booked all of our trips through our TA, including flights, at no additional cost compared to booking ourselves.

We always take care of the rest of the details on our own (dining reservations, tours, etc).

Booking with a TA gives you the added benefit of having them available to help if something were to go wrong, such as an airline bankruptcy, the need to book early return flights for a family emergency, etc. We get professional services/advice, for free.

I guess there must be some TA's that charge a fee for booking with them. Our TA doesn't. They are paid a finders fee for the bookings. The only time I wouldn't book with our TA is if I was renting DVC points. However, even then I would book other details with her if I could (ie. airfare, car rental, park tickets, etc).

I like taking care of the details, but if there are free professional services available, I'm going to take advantage of it.

Who pays the 'finders fee'? Airlines don't..
If a Client spends a good amount of money repeatedly a TA may opt not to assess a booking fee with the Agency Owner's approval, but most that I am aware of do charge a fee for air.

[mom4463]

We used a Disney Specialist, Fairytale Dreams & Destinations. Best thing we could have done, in my opinion.

We made all the decisions, they did ALL the work. We didn't have the hassle of long distance phone calls to book our ADR's (and bless them, I changed my mind half a dozen times on the ADRs alone, meaning extra work on their end), they watched for and automatically applied for any promos that were released for our travel period, they provided maps and packing lists in advance of our trip, they set up all the necessary info with Magical Express once we had our flights decided.....they even left us a "welcome home" email and followed up with a phone call just a few days later to be sure the trip was as wonderful as we had hoped.

Being first time visitors, their knowledge was sooo valuable....there wasn't a question we were unable to get answered. They've stayed at every resort, done every ride, eaten at every restaurant, and are passionate about all things Disney. They're attentive, fun, and super-reliable. And all for the same price if you book direct and do all the leg work yourself!

If we ever make another trip, I wouldn't consider booking any other way. Leaving them to do all the grunt work left me more time for the Disboards! :rotfl:

Ditto:thumbsup2

Our first trip to WDW was very last minute and we booked throught Maritime Travel. We booked our upcoming trip through Fairytale Dreams and Destinations and the knowledge and service from Fairytale Dreams has been wonderful!.:thumbsup2

We will now only book with Fairytale Dreams and Destinations.

[fan1080]

Who pays the 'finders fee'? Airlines don't..
If a Client spends a good amount of money repeatedly a TA may opt not to assess a booking fee with the Agency Owner's approval, but most that I am aware of do charge a fee for air.

We have never paid a fee to our TA for airfare. The price I pay her, has always been the same price shown on-line with any of the airlines we've flown (Airtran, Canjet, Transat). But, that's not to say that everything is the same price through her either. For our most recent trip, I booked the Hotel and Discovery Cove/Seaworld tickets myself. So it's prudent to state that one needs to check out the prices booking through a TA, or doing it yourself. If the price is the same, forgoing the services a TA would offer in time of need would not be a good idea, IMO.

For our last two trips I found a discount airfare on line. Our most recent trip, I called her right away when I found the deal and she placed a hold on them for me until the end of the day. We purchased, through her, for the exact price I found online. Last year's trip we purchased Airtran out of Portland. She booked it all online, Airtran's website, and paid for it using her corporate account. I then paid her by check. I sat with her through the whole process and watched her do it on her computer. If they don't get a fee for doing it, they lose alot of money when you factor it the use of their credit account, etc.

[YukiPhnx]

Ok, I asked my TA, Jan at Mouse Fan travel if she books flights and if she charges for it.

This is her response:

"I can book flights if they are with something else – cruise, Disney vacation, hotel, tour, vacation package, etc. I am unable to book flights alone. The airlines have made it very difficult for travel agents to work with them directly. However, many of our travel suppliers offer air as an add-on to other things.


So, if you need flights with something else, I can usually book them."

I'm going to assume that she won't charge you extra to book the flight cause she is actually booking a flight + (hotel, tickets, cruise, etc) package for you also. I hope this helps.

[minnie56]

We have never paid a fee to our TA for airfare. The price I pay her, has always been the same price shown on-line with any of the airlines we've flown (Airtran, Canjet, Transat). But, that's not to say that everything is the same price through her either. For our most recent trip, I booked the Hotel and Discovery Cove/Seaworld tickets myself. So it's prudent to state that one needs to check out the prices booking through a TA, or doing it yourself. If the price is the same, forgoing the services a TA would offer in time of need would not be a good idea, IMO.

For our last two trips I found a discount airfare on line. Our most recent trip, I called her right away when I found the deal and she placed a hold on them for me until the end of the day. We purchased, through her, for the exact price I found online. Last year's trip we purchased Airtran out of Portland. She booked it all online, Airtran's website, and paid for it using her corporate account. I then paid her by check. I sat with her through the whole process and watched her do it on her computer. If they don't get a fee for doing it, they lose alot of money when you factor it the use of their credit account, etc.



They are getting no fee with the airline. Especially a U.S carrier.
The days of Airlines paying commissions are long gone sadly...

[minnie56]

Ok, I asked my TA, Jan at Mouse Fan travel if she books flights and if she charges for it.

This is her response:

"I can book flights if they are with something else – cruise, Disney vacation, hotel, tour, vacation package, etc. I am unable to book flights alone. The airlines have made it very difficult for travel agents to work with them directly. However, many of our travel suppliers offer air as an add-on to other things.


So, if you need flights with something else, I can usually book them."

I'm going to assume that she won't charge you extra to book the flight cause she is actually booking a flight + (hotel, tickets, cruise, etc) package for you also. I hope this helps.

Not really sure 'why' she can't book a flight alone? Unless it's because there is no commission and therefore some agencies won't get into it.:confused3
Just make the job simpler?

[LuvMyEAR]

We have never booked a package and prefer to dstay off-site.

When I have the time, I like to book my own flights, directly with the airline. I go through vrbo.com (Vacation Rental By Owner) to get my vacation home rentals...WAY cheaper than using a TA or any vacation rental agency. We have never had a bad experience booking directly through the homeowners this way, while my DH and family lived a nightmare during Jan 2010 with a WestJet Vacation rental.

Please note: Customer service was top-notch with WestJet Airline but WestJet Vacation is another company and completely another story!!!!:sad2:

I get my Park Passes through CAA as I like that they can put them in my hand as I pay for them. There is no surcharge and they always give me a pass for the AAA parking lot. You still pay for the parking but this is a special lot, closer to MK, and saves the tram ride.

I have also used CAA to book my flights. Sometimes it is easier to give my TA the dates and let her watch for prices. She is very good at watching for the sales, putting a hold on the req'd number of seats and contacting me right away.

[schoonersky]

We have gone the last two summers, in August. Both years, I knew exactly what I wanted booked, how much it would cost, and contacted a recommended TA at CAA a few days before free dining was set to be released. I called her at 9am the morning it was released and she booked everything I wanted. We were booking two airfares on Aeroplan points and paying for two, so she took care of getting the flight options and booking them so we were all on the same flights - which I had no idea how to do. So that was great.

Last year, pretty much the same thing happened, except I had spent much time surfing flights and looking for a good deal. Found one out of Bangor and she called and booked it for us. Friends decided to go and they booked through her as well - and we turned it into a grand gathering.

In July - Disney upgraded a LOT of grand gatherings from POP to SSR. Our TA was away on vacation. And what I found out on here was that the people who got upgraded (there were a LOT of them), were people who had booked directly with Disney. :headache:

So, my lesson was learned - I do all the work anyway and tell her what to book, have booked all the ADRS and extras, etc., know more about Disney travel than almost anyone I know. Next time I will book direct with Disney.

[canabrits2]

I booked our last package directly through Disney's website. It was awsome. I picked the dates, the resort, the dining plan, ADRs, the magical express etc. Then I bought airtickets through Expedia for us all when I saw them go on sale.

This year, because I'm trying a cruise for the first time, I booked through Karen at Small World Vacations (http://www.SmallWorldVacations.com). Also got onboard credit. Karen is terrifically helpful and full of tips. :)

[trivial]

On our last trip, I booked flights, rented DVC points, ordered tickets, and booked the DCL cruise myself. I then transfered the DCL cruise to a TA. It all worked out very nicely.

If I wasn't renting DVC points, I would probably book it all through Dreams Unlimited Travel, except for flights (I fly the inexpensive carriers, and booking directly with the airlines seems to be the way to go). My reason for choosing Dreams Unlimited Travel is both their reputation, and also as a small way of thanking Pete and John for The DIS and their hard work. I could book it all myself, but I don't see the need... I like having an intermediary.