Different senario...what's the best way to buy tickets and many more questions

[Applemomma]

As I mentioned in a different post my family (2dd's, hubby and myself) will be driving to Disney next September. We (at this point) are planning on staying at an AllStar and I will be going to the Parks with the dd's buy ourselves while DH goes to his conference (off-site). The girls and I want at least 6 day passes but DH will probably only need 2-3 days.

Can we book the room for four for the whole time but get different tickets through Disney Packages?

Is it cheaper if you book the hotel/tickets together through Disney rather then purchasing seperatly?

What or where is the best place (cheapest) for Canadians to buy tickets?

If we buy a CAA membership is it honoured as AAA in the States with hotel discounts?

I'm sorry if I've asked too many questions, especially if they've already been asked a million times.

 

[SandraC]

I like CAA discounts. 15% off resort rooms and good ticket prices. S

 

[riu girl]

If you are going down in September you MAY be entitled tot he free dining package. It has been avialable for the last two years during this time frame. You might want to do a search for free dining on DIS for for info.

This year for the free dining period (mid-Aug to end of Sept check-in dates) it became available on April 1. If interested in going this route, keep a close eye on the disney resort discount board early next spring. The discount package means that you have to pay rack fate for the room plus each member of the party has to buy at least a one day disney ticket. I don't know if that would mean that you could buy more days for you and your DDs then your DH. Perhaps someone else will chime in on this???

But, IMHO, if I was planning on going to Disney during that time frame, that is what I would aim for (free dining, rack rate for the value resort room and a minimum one day ticket per person.). If by chance you all had to buy the same amount of days, I think it would be worth it to get your DH the same ticket as the rest of you, in order to get free dining.

And yes, CAA is honoured at Disney. I was at Pop Century earlier this year during value season and my CAA memebrship entitled me to a 20% discount (value season, value type resort). Keep in mind, if you are only buying a CAA membership for Disney room discounts, you can purchase an a la carte memebrship (no auto benefits) for $31.80 (in Ontario anyway, don't know if this type of memebrship is available in all provinces). If you buy during certain times of the year you do not have to pay the CAA enrollment fee on top of this ($12). Thats what I did last year for our POP reservation. But if you do decide to do free dining (IF offered again for next year, you will have to pay rack rate, and therefore, a CAA membership would not be necessary).

Have fun planning

 

[Applemomma]

Thanks for your thoughts....I'm really hoping for that free dining plan!! Though I read on here somewhere too that there's a possibility of them having a deal the first of Feb for free Park Hopper and Water Park upgrades...they probably won't combine them.....oh the agony of waiting!!!!!!!

 

[kelsco99]

Another thing to consider if you want to go with the package is purchase 2 or 3 day tickets for everyone and the upgrade only yours and the kids.

When I went in September last year, my roomie (a Floridian) upgraded her 7 day hopper to a Seasonal Annual Pass. It had to be done at Guest Service in the parks.

This would work especially well for you if you get in on that free dining plan!

 

[Applemomma]

Thanks, after hours of debate (the nine month wait is going to be murder!) I've decided to try and wait it out and see if the free DDP is going to be available. Then I'll book the room with tickets for the dd's and myself for 6 days with water park and 1 day for Dh. When we get there I may end up upgrading the last part of the week for the park hopper if we want to spend the last day going to a few favorites. Is it possible to "over research" your vacation?

 

[hematite153]

I doubt many people on the DIS would say you are over researching. Is that really possible?

Given that the free dining package is not guaranteed, you could always make a reservation now and then change it when a better offer becomes available. This way the wait might be less interminable.

As for CAA discounts, they are quite good--better than the current free waterparks and more discount (given the duration of your stay)--but not nearly as good as free dining for a family of 4. Just remember to say 'triple-A' when booking, checking-in, etc. (You'll find the AAA logo on the back of your CAA card.)

If you have time for a longer stay you may also want to know that the current ticket prices are set up for 6 days in the parks. After that it costs roughly $2/day to extend to 7-10 days.

Enjoy your trip! Plus, remember that the 9 months just gives you lots of time to anticipate the fun.

 

[kelsco99]

Thanks, after hours of debate (the nine month wait is going to be murder!) I've decided to try and wait it out and see if the free DDP is going to be available. Then I'll book the room with tickets for the dd's and myself for 6 days with water park and 1 day for Dh. When we get there I may end up upgrading the last part of the week for the park hopper if we want to spend the last day going to a few favorites. Is it possible to "over research" your vacation?

I might misunderstand what you're saying - if so just ignore the following advice

If the DDP is offered for free and you book that package, you will have to book the same tickets for everyone. In that case, at least 1 day tickets for everyone is required. But if you get 6 day for yourself during the booking process, you will also need to get that for your DH. Upgrades to invdividual tickets can only be done once you are there and have tickets in hand.

Just in case you don't know: Upgrading to the Park Hopper Option later in the week would cost the same as it does at the beginning of your vacation. It is a set fee no matter how many days you have on the ticket.

Have fun planning! You have lots of time to figure everything out

 

[Applemomma]

Okay, so if I understand you right if the free DDP does become available what I would have to do when I call to book is to book the room for four with one MYW ticket each and hten when we get there buy dd's and I five more days? Would the DDP still apply for all 6 days we're at the resort? And I thought the Park Hooper was $7 a day per ticket, thinking htat if we hit day 5 and I wanted to upgrade day 6 to a park hopper I could. I think I'm confusing myself........

 

[hematite153]

Okay, so if I understand you right if the free DDP does become available what I would have to do when I call to book is to book the room for four with one MYW ticket each and hten when we get there buy dd's and I five more days?

Yes.

Would the DDP still apply for all 6 days we're at the resort?

Yes. The DDP is attached to the number of nights on your resort reservation, but your ticket purchase is less constrained.

And I thought the Park Hooper was $7 a day per ticket, thinking htat if we hit day 5 and I wanted to upgrade day 6 to a park hopper I could. I think I'm confusing myself........

The park hopper is a fixed price for every ticket, regardless of how many days the ticket is for. In other words, it is really not worth it for a single day ticket but when spread over a longer ticket costs less per day.

You can upgrade to a park hopper at the end of your vacation but you will pay as much to have 1 day of hopping at the end as you would have paid to hop throughout the whole vacation. So, you should really decide on the first day if you will want to hop at any point and upgrade your tickets accordingly.