booking everything separately....??

[cindycviper]

Hi, I have gotten many quotes for a whole package deal. Last year we stayed at Beach Club for 12 nights and went on a package which included Ultimate Park Hoppers. I have been doiing some research and found that it may be cheaper for us just to purchase Season Passes. We are planning on staying 13 nights in July. Has anyone else done this??? I always book my airfare separately and could book my room directly thru Disney....??? I am wondering if this would be cheaper since I could avoid paying insurance etc.... Also, does anyone know if I would possibly qualify for an Annual Pass rate if I am going to be purchasing them for this trip anyhow? Dont' know if they will give me a deal if I don't actually have an AP number yet. ( I know Disneyland Hotel will, as I have done that before...not sure if Disney World is different.) Any information would be great. Thanks.

 

[sherry8253]

Hi Cindy - You can book a room with an AP rate without having bought the AP as long as you have an activated AP when you check in. I think that an AP would makes sense with a 13 day trip especially if you go into the parks most of the days. Hope you have a great trip. If you are going to go again next year, you can even plan your trip before your AP expires and get two trips out of it which is what we do.

 

[las3888]

I agree...if you are going for 13 days, AP is probably worth it for the park entrance alone, let alone the discount codes at the resorts that might be available for when you go.

In our travels, we have found that it is rare to find a package that is cheaper than booking things separately.

Good luck!

 

[hannahryan]

Per mousesavers.com: For a surprising number of people, an Annual Pass is the most economical choice. Generally speaking, if you will be going into the Walt Disney World theme parks for more than 8 days in a year, an Annual Pass is well worth considering. An Annual Pass is good for 366 days. If you buy one on April 8, 2004, it will be valid through April 8, 2005! (Yes, you get an extra day, except in Leap Years.) So if you take an annual vacation to Walt Disney World, just make it a little earlier the second year, and you can use the previous year's pass. For instance, if you bought and activated your pass on April 8 and vacationed April 8-14 this year, come back next year from April 2-8 and your passes will still be valid. Bingo - "free" admission on your second vacation! When you consider the substantial (up to 45% off) hotel discounts and discounts on entertainment that are often available to Annual Passholders, you may find it's worthwhile to purchase at least one Annual Pass for someone in your party.

I would skip a package deal. You can book the room now, but you'll have to wait for the AP codes. Summer codes may not be available until April. Check mousesavers.com daily and when you see a code, call Disney right away so they can apply it to your reservation. You don't need to buy your annual pass until right before you leave. I purchased mine from Disney over the phone the day before we left. They gave me a confirmation # and I picked them up at guest relations at the MK.

Have fun planning!

 

[tcfdick]

I did this same thing last year. I booked everything separately, bought PAP's through the Disney website, and then got PAP's activated after I arrived at WDW. I got my room at the AP rate and it saved me hundreds! The reason I bought a PAP is because we love to go to the water parks and Disney Quest. It definitely pays for us to spend the extra money. If you aren't big water park goers, I would get AP's because it will save you money. Hope this helps.

 

[drp4video]

I wish I would have gotten an AP in August last year when we went. We ended up taking a spur of the moment trip down for New Years. We willprobably go back again in AUgust next year, and had I been thinking, I could have gone before the expiration, and had three trips on an AP.