Booking hotel before flights?

[212456]

Hiyaa!

We're thinking of going away next July. Basically, we want free dining at POFQ but we aren't too happy about the flight prices. Since the free dining offer ends 30/11 would it be advisable to book the hotel just now and then see if the flight prices come down?

In the past i've found the prices do come down after December, or they did last year. And if they didn't come down we could just cancel the booking only losing out on the 50pp deposit.

Is there any problems in this plan? I suppose if the flights are a few days off of the initial booking that could change things, yeah? Basically just needing some advice to whether this is a good idea or not! TIA

 

[partypa]

We book our Resort Stay long before we book flights. We have found flight deals 45 days in advance ( or there abouts ) to be the best prices. You could always add a day or two, at the same Resort hopefully and with a nice summer discount, again hopefully. It will all be sorted out, I wouldn't worry too much

 

[ChipnDaleRule]

Predicting flight prices is like trying to nail jelly to the wall.
You may want to keep your options open as much as possible.Look at various airlines, look at indirect as well as direct.I got reduced fare alerts from www.netflights.comYou need to think about how you are prepared to travel, have a price in mind that your prepared to pay and as soon as you find it book it.Virgin usually have a sale on after Christmas.
I would not hesitate in booking your hotel now so you dont miss out on free dining.
Good Luck.

 

[2Tiggies]

Absolutely go for it. Book the hotel. I did mine first last year and booked flights and hotel the same day this year, but had intended booking the Disney package and then waiting for flights (flight sale changed that ) Free dining and an extra £100 per head for flights is still probably going to leave you better off than cheap (ish) flights and paying for all your food. And the amendment fee to change dates is nominal for the hotel. I actually phoned Disney last month to ask if I could book the room/ticket/dining package and then call back to change it later and whether I got to keep the free dining if I amended dates. They confimred that it is not a problem as long as those amended dates fall within the window for which free dining was offered.

 

[wayneg]

I always like to book flights first at the right price, as I have for next July but last year I booked the hotel first so I didn't miss out on free DDP(they did extend after I booked) Eventually I found reasonable flights, I just had to ring Disney.co.uk and add an extra night to the booking.
Hope you find some good prices I know a few are still waiting to book for next summer, I hope all the best deals haven't already gone.

 

[212456]

Thanks for the help everyone!

I feel much more confident about booking this first now. Now just hoping for some decent flight prices to appear!

 

[ben1993]

I booked our accom. months before our flights for the last trip, we rented DVC points so i had to secure that reservation asap and there's no way I'll pay more than £500 for a flight to Orlando. Ended up booking our VA flights for £390 when the sale came around in August.

If you can stay flexible enough to add or subtract a few days off the start or end of your trip then it's not such a gamble.

 

[chmurf]

I've booked my stay at POP 6 months in advance, with 14 days park tickets through wdtc UK
I booked my flight through a separate travel agent, which was cheaper

we'll fly continental from paris to orlando, via newark, and even booking 5 months in advance (flight only) it seems that many seats are already booked in the most affordable class

here's a basic rule : booking sooner means cheaper.
You may get last minute bargains, but that's like playing the lottery. You may not find a flight suiting your arrival dates at the hotel. And for some travel agencies, modifying the arrival date means cancellation, loss of deposit, and booking again, not being sure the rooms will still be avalaible.

We did the maths : when we booked our flight, it cost us 1400 euros (party of 3) for our round trip tickets.
15 days later, the very same trip, on the same dates, same flights, same travel agent would have cost us 1800 euros, and within 15 more days, the price went over the 2.000 euros mark. We don't even have the heart to check the price today, granted that seats are still available

so it's up to you to decide what kind of risks you wish to take

I personnaly chose to book early, from different travel agents to get the best prices, but I do that in a matter of hours, days at most, just to be on the safe side. Planning a trip leaves too many opportunities for problems, I like to have them minimized