Expedia vs Disney site

[NYPrincess422]

I'm just curious - I typically book our vacation packages (hotel/air fare and car) through Expedia (2 adults and no children) and never through Disney. I find that I can get a better deal by doing this. I rarely see other people post about booking their packages through Expedia and I am just curious as to why not. I know that if you dont book through Disney then you can't add on Free Dining (if/when it comes out) but aside from that, what are the other advantages to booking directly?

TIA.

 

[vinotinto]

I'm just curious - I typically book our vacation packages (hotel/air fare and car) through Expedia (2 adults and no children) and never through Disney. I find that I can get a better deal by doing this. I rarely see other people post about booking their packages through Expedia and I am just curious as to why not. I know that if you dont book through Disney then you can't add on Free Dining (if/when it comes out) but aside from that, what are the other advantages to booking directly?

TIA.

The only advantage I can think of is cancellation penalty for the Disney components. I don't know what it is for Expedia, but for Disney it's quite flexible:
If it's room only, you can get your 1 night deposit back, until 5 days beofre check-in. If it's a room-tix package, your full amount is due 45 days out, and after that point the cancellation penalty is $200.

Obviously, air tickets are non-cancellable, but you can usually pay a change fee ($150/ticket) and change in fare and reapply them to a different date.

Since we drive and don't buy airfare, there's no advantage in going through expedia. Usually the advantage of expedia is the savings on air+hotel package.

 

[tinka-belle]

Disney is also flexible when changing dates or applying promos after you've booked. Not so much with 3rd party vendors.

 

[snykymom]

You can't call Disney directly to make changes, requests, modifications or anything else if you book through a third party.

 

[AJA]

For us it's the flexibility to cancel within 5 days.

 

[mickeynut1]

As others have said, you can't beat the flexibility for cancelling or changing dates. We usually book packages and even if you're less than 45 days prior to arrival and you see you have to cancel, you could always modify the reservation to a later date and not lose the $200 that would normally be charged for cancelling all together. Plus as the pp mentioned......you can't make changes directly through Disney, which a big factor for us because we've changed resorts, added days, etc. several times over the years and that's just not as easy to do through a 3rd party. Also, you can pay for your trip over time with Disney, unlike many places like Expedia, Orbitz, etc. that require the full amount to be paid at booking.

 

[toothfairy7]

Its all about customer service and Disney is the best. They informed me of a major flight change before the airlines did. They also rebooked me on another carrier in about 2 minutes. That being said, I had the unfortunate event of just trying to add a coupon to an existing Expedia reservation last year. After calling 4 times before I could find someone who actually spoke English, I then was on the phone for an hour getting the run around. Expedia is great prices, but if you have a problem you'll wish you never booked through them!!

 

[IhrkeFamily]

As a hotelier I avoid booking through OTA's (online travel agencies like Expedia, Travelocty) because you almost NEVER get a better deal. Most brands have what is called rate parity. That means that you can't have a lower rate on an OTA than on your own site. Since the OTA's charge the hotels a 28-32% commission the hotel definitely would rather have you call them. Plus they only have the Rack rate, but you may qualify for AAA, government, or AARP. Use the OTA to shop around and find a good hotel, but book directly. Usually it will be a better rate.

And I wholeheartedly agree about the cancel/change policy. Since it's prepaid you can't change once you arrive. If you shorten your stay or find another deal, you're stuck.

Disney applies their own standards so things may be different.