Booking Without a TA

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Hi there!

I am going to need a lot of help!

We have always booked package holidays before with Virgin, but after what happened to us this year will not be using them again (we arrived at the hotel to find out they had cancelled our booking ten days before, and so far have not even received an apology!). So, we are going to book it all ourselves next time. I am always reading about people getting discount codes for the Disney hotels, and "VIP" passes for car hire places to bypass lines etc - how do you go about getting all of these? I feel like an ameuteur!!!!

What airlines do you recommend?

Also when do most flights come out - is it 11 months before the flight? We are looking at December 2010.

Oh also - if anyone knows New York well. We are thinking of going to new York for a few days before Orlando, to see both places decorated for Christmas. Is NY one of those places it is cheaper to stay during weekends or weekdays?

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[jackieleanne]

Sorry to hear about what has happened.

Yes flights are 11 months out usually on release. Don't know about code offers but I think that the free ddp offer runs up until December for next year as well not to sure?

I think US Airways is a great choice as well as VA but may not be the choice you want after your problems with VH.

 

[Lizzybear]

We're doing New York this year and from what I can gather it's pretty much just expensive all the time You have business people in the week and tourists all the time, like London I guess! There are offers to be had but these are usually for last minute bookings or booking a 'secret' hotel on a site like Priceline in a certain star category. I think the key is to shop around... I knew which hotel I wanted based on reviews (Hampton Inn Madison Square Gardens) and the prices varied wildly on different websites, cheapest being booking.com who I have used before with no problems so I was happy to do so again
I've only used VA and Continental for transatlantic scheduled flights but I think the latter is a good one for you to consider, i've always found them very flexible and reasonably priced with regards to flying in and out of different airports (last year we did into San Fran out of Vegas, this year we're doing into New York out of Orlando) I've found Opodo is a bit cheaper than continental.com and you can get Quidco cashback too (ours has paid for our hotel for 2 nights in St Pete!)
Discount codes for Disney hotels can only be used on the American WDW website and at the moment (considering the exchange rate and deals) the UK site has been cheaper for many people even factoring in codes, us included! Do price up on both sites though, you just never know
It can be a little daunting with all the paperwork that is involved with booking 'DIY' but I think as long as you're organised: I like to have a folder with everything sorted in the order in which we'll need it, earliest stuff at the top, and also I do laminated itinerary cards (Bit sad perhaps but soo useful! ) with the reference numbers for things on them plus times.. For both the flight, car hire etc bookings but also ADRs and any activity/attraction tickets. I include other stuff aswell like addresses but those are more from a planning point of view than a booking DIY one

 

[Twilight Terror]

We're on our first DIY holiday because we bought into DVC last year (closing just before the considerable exchange drop, thankfully), and now have to figure out the rest for ourselves anyway! The best thing about DIY is you get to tailor everything to what you want, not just what your TA wants you to have!

There are different places to go/try, depending on your criteria. Do you want to stay at Disney, or off-site? Off-site opens up all the prospects of checking out private hire villas and stuff, or you can check the big chains like Quality Inn or Holiday Inn for I-Drive hotels. Hotels.com are normally pretty good at getting cheap hotel rooms (for my trip to Poland in March, they were cheaper than direct with the hotel!)

For doing Disney...
Will you be returning to WDW before your December 2010 trip? If so, check and see if there are any bounceback offers (return between X and Y and save 15% type things). If not, then you can try booking through the UK site, and maybe even through the US site. I know a few people have tried that.

Flights...
Depends on what you want. Do you want to fly charter or scheduled airline? Scheduled airlines are usually better places to deal with changes in flights and stuff, although every company has to have a policy in place; they are also the big companies, who you might feel more confident with. There is occasionally a difference in the size and space of seating, but not always.

Do you want to fly direct or in-direct - like fly into Miami and drive up? Or fly to somewhere like Philly and change for a connecting flight. This way is normally cheaper, but can be more hassle. You need to weigh up the amount you save, with the extra hassle that comes with it.

BA and VA are the two main scheduled airlines that fly direct. Check out the Glasgow/Manchester flights - might be closer/cheaper. There are plenty of other companies that fly that route, but they are less well known - I think Thomas Cook do, First Choice do. Continental fly the route, but they code share with VA, so it's basically a VA flight, so worth comparing the two, see who is cheaper!

And just because you had bad dealings with VH, don't rule out VA - they are not the same company. They are part of the Virgin umbrella, but still...

Flights are generally available 11 months in advance, so check regularly. I have been checking VA daily, if not more, in the hope that the Orlando fares for Sept come down (haven't been on offer since Feb, when we didn't know if we would be going or not! grr) But check out places like expedia.co.uk.

The downside to DIY-ing, is all the checking, double checking and comparing you have to do in order to get the best deal! But, it makes the whole thing that little bit more sweeter when you finally get everything you wanted!

 

[gemmybear83]

I always do DIY now as I much prefer the flexiblity - and of course the money saving

At the moment with the exchange rate the way it is if your wanting to stay on site the cheapest way is to book with disney uk and book flights seperate.

I am planning on getting married at WDW December 2010 - so will be looking out for deals too! I try to only book flights in flight sales (as I prefer direct flights) - they are usually in Jan and Summer (August?). In Jan I booked our Virgin flights for £295 return for this September and they are currently about £450 I'm not going to book flights at the 11 month mark unless they are a good price - £350 or less, if not I will wait for a sale or go indirect.

You can book WDW hotels on the disney uk site now for 2010 but I am going to hold on a few months to see if any offers come out for December (there is currently free DDP for December 2009).

 

[suzycute]

We book direct (we're DVC members) and, like gemmybear83, we wait for the BA and Virgin sales - these happen two or three times a year and we have got some great prices ie £318 with BA for October last year and £330 with them for this September (we booked in January). Depending on when you want to go, you can get some good deals. Fingers crossed for you!

 

[Pooh's-Honey-Pot]

Thanks a lot everyone - all really helpful!

Keep it coming if you have any more tips!