Airfare from SFO/SJC - separate or package deal?

[94bruin]

We're planning a trip for mid-May (yay!) We're considering flying this time. I've gotten a few emails from airlines advertising $59 each way.

Do I bit on this price and just book my hotel, car & park tickets separately? Or should I try for some package deal on the whole shebang?

I really wish the 5 for 3 extended just a few more weeks into May. Argh!

 

[DizMe]

We're planning a trip for mid-May (yay!) We're considering flying this time. I've gotten a few emails from airlines advertising $59 each way.

Do I bit on this price and just book my hotel, car & park tickets separately? Or should I try for some package deal on the whole shebang?

I really wish the 5 for 3 extended just a few more weeks into May. Argh!

I always book separately. The packages generally cost me a lot more than just doing it myself. I like SW Ding fares and specials. I just got back from a trip that cost me $25 each way to fly from Sac to SNA. JetBlue is also very good and flies into LGB. Both of those airlines allow you to make changes with no penalty and even cancel (you get full credit for your flight). There are also no baggage fees.

ETA: I never get a car because I don't leave the resort and don't need one. If you don't plan to go outside the resort, take a shuttle or taxi and save some money. The rental fees for cars aren't too bad, but by the time you add on insurance and gas it is quite a bit more than taking a shuttle ($7 each way from SNA) or taxi (roughly $45 each way for your whole party).

 

[ter-moo]

It's almost ALWAYS better to book separately. Get your park tickets through a work discount program or through AresTravel.com. Book your hotel directly. And those plane tickets prices are good--grab 'em.

As far as rental cars go, we often get one, just because it CAN be cheaper than a shuttle from the airport to the hotel (depending on # of people and the length of time you'll be there) but you need to weigh all of that. If all you're doing is the parks, you really don't need one. Check rentalcodes.com and Mousesavers.com for good rental car codes and just keep trying. You can book one and cancel without a penalty, so grab a good price if you see one.

Good luck!!!

 

[94bruin]

I always book separately. The packages generally cost me a lot more than just doing it myself. I like SW Ding fares and specials. I just got back from a trip that cost me $25 each way to fly from Sac to SNA. JetBlue is also very good and flies into LGB. Both of those airlines allow you to make changes with no penalty and even cancel (you get full credit for your flight). There are also no baggage fees.

ETA: I never get a car because I don't leave the resort and don't need one. If you don't plan to go outside the resort, take a shuttle or taxi and save some money. The rental fees for cars aren't too bad, but by the time you add on insurance and gas it is quite a bit more than taking a shuttle ($7 each way from SNA) or taxi (roughly $45 each way for your whole party).

Wow - $25 each way! I'd love to have that fare!

We will definitely need a car. Well, really DH will the car since we're planning this trip around a conference he's attending in OC. Luckily for us, he thought that it would just be nicer/easier to stay onsite and have him be the one to commute.

 

[DizMe]

Wow - $25 each way! I'd love to have that fare!

We will definitely need a car. Well, really DH will the car since we're planning this trip around a conference he's attending in OC. Luckily for us, he thought that it would just be nicer/easier to stay onsite and have him be the one to commute.

They've done that twice this year, once for $35 and the other for $25. The Bay Area was the same price as Sac. Of course, you have to go during the time the fare applies, which in this last case was Dec-Feb with blackout dates for Christmas. It's a 72-hour sale and usually applies to about a 2-month time period for travel. I'm keeping my eyes open for the next one (I have an ap so it's a relatively cheap trip!).

Hey, your dh sounds very cool!!!!

I had good luck with Enterprise, but only when I called them directly. The online rates, even with codes, were not good for the time I needed a car. However, I got a great deal by calling and it was only about $50 for 3 days. BUT...there was this thing called ding insurance, which is optional but if you happen to get a ding from someone opening their door into yours (and those parking spaces at Hojo seem like a potential for such a thing), you have to pay up unless you have full coverage from your insurance provider. I have a fairly high deductible so it worried me. I have heard that credit cards cover some types of damage but I wasn't sure about that one so I paid the $7/day and passed on all of the other insurance options. Then we had to fill the tank which was another $35. By the time this was all added up, it was over $100 so about double what we would have paid for a taxi or shuttle. We had to have a car on that trip, though, so that was ok, just something I thought I'd mention about renting a car--the extra costs can bring the total up quite a bit, even if it's just putting gas in the tank.

 

[bumbershoot]

Since you know your dates, I would just play around with it a few different ways. See what is best with your exact stay; sometimes people do find it's worthwhile to do a package.

 

[94bruin]

They've done that twice this year, once for $35 and the other for $25. The Bay Area was the same price as Sac. Of course, you have to go during the time the fare applies, which in this last case was Dec-Feb with blackout dates for Christmas. It's a 72-hour sale and usually applies to about a 2-month time period for travel. I'm keeping my eyes open for the next one (I have an ap so it's a relatively cheap trip!).

Are you on their email mailing list? How did you find out?

 

[DizMe]

Are you on their email mailing list? How did you find out?

From the DISboard, of course! I am on their mailing list, but I read about it on this board before I ever saw the email . I also have DING, which is a quick download from the Southwest site and gives you special fares each day for various locations. The special fare is usually only available for purchase that same day and also has time restrictions, but I almost always find one that works for me. What's nice is that you can make a reservation and if a ding fare comes up, you can switch over to it and you get a credit for the difference. I usually wait and see if a ding fare comes up, then if it's getting too close to my trip I will make the reservation and keep watching. Ding has a little icon on the bottom toolbar and it shows you when a fare comes along (plus it makes a *ding* sound), so you can easily check it without having to go look for it.

ETA: Ding is usually about $10 off the cheapest fare each way. Not huge for one person, but it adds up for a family. I look at the $20 savings as 16 Mickey truffles