D.I.Y vs package - how easy is it ??

[princessjodiebo]

so we are planning another trip back to the magic in august 2013 and i am so excited and full of questions !!

after the flight we have decided that we would be quite happy to go indirect so we were considering putting a package together and doing a few nights in one accomodation and the bulk of it in another

exactly how easy is that to do ??

would we be better off renting points would you allow money to pay for dining or hope they still offer it free ??

do you book flights first or accomodation ?

i dont mind doing the searching if its going to pay off i just wonder if it is complicated adn something thats going to take time ??

to be honest i couldnt care less i have 2 years and will quite happily trawl the net for bargains was just wondering if you guys had any do's or dont's !

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

After doing 2 package holidays decided I was going to do DIY, did Florida last year and New York this year. Easy peasy. Booked flights first as had no flexibility with annual leave dates. Florida did 4 nights at Floridays (booked though Hotelopia as best price), 5 nights Tropical Shores in Sarasota and 5 nights at Hard Rock Hotel both through own sites. Car hire booked CarontheDrive direct, all went smoothly. So New York and just 1 hotel was a piece of cake! Also park tickets shopped around for best prices.

 

[littlelizzie]

I love doing DIY and it's easy, book flights first as soon as they come avaliable (as we have found they have gone up and up since first booking) then decide where you want to stay, (we have done a villa on both occasions as these offer us everything we want privacy, own pool, space and own bedrooms)
We love eating off site and in our villa so have never looked into dining plans.
Hope this helps a little

 

[starrysky]

We have done DIY the last two years. We book our accom/park tickets through disney which we normally do first.

Then we look at flights, if we book accom far enough out then the flights are not available at that point.

Never had a problem and have always found for us it to be cheaper. We never use a hire car as we tend to stay onsite.

 

[2Tiggies]

We have done DIY the last two years. We book our accom/park tickets through disney which we normally do first.

Then we look at flights, if we book accom far enough out then the flights are not available at that point.

Never had a problem and have always found for us it to be cheaper. We never use a hire car as we tend to stay onsite.

This is exactly what I did for this year's trip. Flights weren't released at the time I booked the accommodation/dining/ticket package but I got a good deal on them and knew that if need be, the amendment fee would be nominal, should it turn out to be a better deal to change dates for the sake of flights.

There's more than one right way to do it, so as long as you are comfortable, know your options and are happy with the prices, you're probably doing something right.

 

[Pegasus928]

We have only ever done it DIY and have found it to be easy and painless on each occasion.
We are in the villa camp as opposed to staying onsite, so have never had the need to look into DDP and the like, but everything else about it such as the car hire, flights etc went without a hitch.
As you know you are in the best place for asking questions and getting tons of advice, so ask away

 

[Rohais]

We're doing our first DIY trip for September 2012 at the moment and sorted/will sort accommodation first. Though, if flights pop up and are cheaper a day earlier etc then we're willing to go a day earlier, stay a day later

We've booked hotel/tickets/dining through Disney for 14 nights, will book flights when they're released after deciding whether to add extra nights on elsewhere. Finding it really simple and enjoying the flexibility..and savings

Oh, if you're planning on renting DVC points, they don't offer free dining...you'd have to pay for it...just something to bear in mind re costings

 

[crabbie1]

I have done both ways but this year as doing cruise booked that before anything 4 weeks later booked part accomodation and flights with Complete Orlando then DVC rental last.
I have been working in community with district nurses and a patients relative said he was staying at all starts music in may next year and felt he had had a bargain with virgin holidays as thomsons wanted a lot more. I havent checked what the prices are DIY for them but he had 3 children one only 2 years old so no ticket cost for them.The others were 12 and 9. He had the new ticket which includes seaworld universal etc . He has paid £8400 I advised him of some ways to bring his costs down for next time. Luckily I dont have to go back there as he said he would probably cry

 

[princessjodiebo]

I have done both ways but this year as doing cruise booked that before anything 4 weeks later booked part accomodation and flights with Complete Orlando then DVC rental last.
I have been working in community with district nurses and a patients relative said he was staying at all starts music in may next year and felt he had had a bargain with virgin holidays as thomsons wanted a lot more. I havent checked what the prices are DIY for them but he had 3 children one only 2 years old so no ticket cost for them.The others were 12 and 9. He had the new ticket which includes seaworld universal etc . He has paid £8400 I advised him of some ways to bring his costs down for next time. Luckily I dont have to go back there as he said he would probably cry

wowzer !!!

I know we said if we went back we would go for 2 weeks but maybe go to universal for 2 days and seaworld for 1 as we wont have to have full days at the parks if we are staying onsite plus a few things we did this time like the startours ride re opening we wont do in august

i think i would be tempted to book accomodation first to get the offers dining etc then as 2 tiggies said the amendment fee would be minimal if i needed to change

i cant believe that price he got quoted tho !!

we got 2 weeks onsite with a 13yr old and a 9 yr old and upgraded to ddp and only paid £5000 with virgin !

even then we could have got it cheaper lol

his holiday was more than ours plus spending money and my holiday wardrobe

 

[crabbie1]

wowzer !!!

I know we said if we went back we would go for 2 weeks but maybe go to universal for 2 days and seaworld for 1 as we wont have to have full days at the parks if we are staying onsite plus a few things we did this time like the startours ride re opening we wont do in august

i think i would be tempted to book accomodation first to get the offers dining etc then as 2 tiggies said the amendment fee would be minimal if i needed to change

i cant believe that price he got quoted tho !!

we got 2 weeks onsite with a 13yr old and a 9 yr old and upgraded to ddp and only paid £5000 with virgin !



even then we could have got it cheaper lol

his holiday was more than ours plus spending money and my holiday wardrobe

I know I nearly dropped the syringe I was about to stick in the patientVH do occassionally hv offers but getting fewer. I think they saw him coming

 

[princessjodiebo]

well my mum is a travel agent and it was only because we got a friends and family discount plus she sweetalked the virgin rep to giving us a bit cheaper ( they discounted the flight supplements and chucked in the v room for free ) i know when i looked a few weeks later the same holiday was over £7000 !!!

d.i.y all the way next time me thinks !

 

[All Star Paul]

We booked packages originally but for the last 4 or 5 times we have done DIY and you can save quite a bit of money, at the very minimum you can customise the holiday to meet your needs. Couple of tips/watchouts;

Package deals (including Disney and Virgin) come out before flights, for example we are looking at WDW for August 2012 and we can book a package with Virgin or a flydrive now but you cannot just book a flight right now. Same for booking through Disney, we can book a complete package or just accomodation and tickets but none of the scheduled airlines have released their flights yet. I think you can book flights 11 or 12 months in advance, so we are going to book our accomodation and tickets via Disney (and get free dining) now and then book our flights in September.

When you book the flights you need to pay in full, so in our case we will pay a deposit to Disney and then we will pay for the flights in September and then pay the balance to Disney next year. Just something to think about when planning your money, as the flights can be half the cost of the holiday and booking early tends to get you best prices but you will need to have that money available and be out of pocket for nearly a year.

Another benefit is you can save money by going indirect or via another aiport; for us we can fly from either Gatwick or Heathrow and I would not mind 1 change in the US if it saved enough money, also it could pay to look at Tampa as well as Orlando.

I have also looked at the US Disney website but never been able find a deal that was attractive enough mainly due to some of the deals we get in the UK from Disney but it is worth looking at, especially if you are going at time when free dining is not on offer.

 

[princessjodiebo]

i think the plan was to start saving after christmas then put a deposit down for the accomodation and tickets with disney or complete orlando and then keep saving and book the flights when they come out next september !

it seems like a lifetime away but we have plenty of birthdays anniversarys and christmas's to keep us distracted

plus it gives me even more time to do research !!

even toying with doing a 3 night cruise as well but not sure how that works regarding transfers etc.............................. oooh its the most exciting minefield ever

 

[starrysky]

This is exactly what I did for this year's trip. Flights weren't released at the time I booked the accommodation/dining/ticket package but I got a good deal on them and knew that if need be, the amendment fee would be nominal, should it turn out to be a better deal to change dates for the sake of flights.

There's more than one right way to do it, so as long as you are comfortable, know your options and are happy with the prices, you're probably doing something right.

We just hate to miss out on the deals that disney offer, last year we left it too late and could not POFQ and so this years was booked in plenty of time to try OKW.

I know people book through other agencies but I just feel personally more comfortable booking direct to the company rather than through a vendor, after all those people did not get tickets when the agencies went bust last year.

 

[2Tiggies]

We just hate to miss out on the deals that disney offer, last year we left it too late and could not POFQ and so this years was booked in plenty of time to try OKW.

I know people book through other agencies but I just feel personally more comfortable booking direct to the company rather than through a vendor, after all those people did not get tickets when the agencies went bust last year.

I think you and I have a very similar approach to booking too. I remember looking last year around Easter for our October 2010 dates (I had booked 18 months out for last year's trip) and there was nothing available for POFQ. If you recall, it was a surprise trip for my DD and she had been asking for some time if we could do POFQ. I am so glad I booked when I did. I would rather pay a bit more if it comes to that and know that I have what I want. But with that said, booking early definitely offers the best deals at the moment - at least most of the time.

 

[starrysky]

I think you and I have a very similar approach to booking too. I remember looking last year around Easter for our October 2010 dates (I had booked 18 months out for last year's trip) and there was nothing available for POFQ. If you recall, it was a surprise trip for my DD and she had been asking for some time if we could do POFQ. I am so glad I booked when I did. I would rather pay a bit more if it comes to that and know that I have what I want. But with that said, booking early definitely offers the best deals at the moment - at least most of the time.

Yes I remember when you booked. I was not disappointed in POR it just was not POFQ. This year due to all the good reviews we are doing OKW and having said we would never do the DDP after liking the flexible QSP we are doing the DDP But makes a difference having been enough times now to know how much more we can plan in and how much park time we are willing to give up for meals.

Yes we got our flights for less than we paid last year but had we been able to book when they first came out it would have been MUCH less. But hey you live and learn.