Experienced travelers, please advise

[Pungodingy]

Is the cost of booking flight/room/tickets much different if you book them all individually vs booking a package deal?

 

[MariDisney]

Is the cost of booking flight/room/tickets much different if you book them all individually vs booking a package deal?

IME it just depends. Before booking I always try various combinations and then go with the one that's the least expensive. For this upcoming trip we booked the package through Disney to get the free dining, but did rental car and flights separately. Othertimes I've done everything separate with no package, other times booked everything through Disney. We make about 20 phone calls with various combinations before settling. Sometimes later with a good rate code we even call back to apply that for a better deal. LOL. I'm not much help, huh?

 

[tink_n_pooh]

In my experience I have almost always been able to get a better deal by booking everything on it's own. I also book directly through the companies webpage for the best prices (Continental for airline tickets, wyndham for hotels, etc.). Although I am always hearing great things about 'discount' sites like orbitz, travelocity, etc. I have always been able to get a better deal directly through the company which I want to use. I will admit that I often use the big companies to search for what is in the area and check reviews but I rarely use them to book. Lots of hotels have best rate guarantees for their own websites so if you find a better rate somewhere else just call them and they will beat it. I'm pretty sure that Wyndham hotels have this feature. Also, sign up for any free 'frequent flyer/stayer' type of programs for all the extras.

If you are looking for specific info on WDW and packages, that is sometimes a different story. With the free dining I would say go for a package, try booking through AAA if you have it. If you have AAA or an AP you can get some pretty good room only rates sometimes but I don't know if it beats the free dining.

Good luck

 

[Chicago526]

The answer is: Maybe.

It all depends on where you are going. I find packages to Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean tend to be cheaper than booking everything seperatly (but not always) and places like Vegas and Orlando, it's usually best to book everything individualy (but again, not always). Europe is a mixed bag, sometimes packages are best, sometimes not.

The only way to know for sure is to price the package, and then price the componants individualy. But make sure you are comparing apples to apples. If a package price includes hotel taxes and breakfast daily, but booking it separatly doesn't include taxes and breakfast, make sure to add that in to your individual total, so you get a true comparison to the package deal. Also, package prices tend to be per person (in fact they are 99% of the time) so make sure your looking at the total package price vs. the total of the individual componants added up.

For example, a package to Hawaii is $1800 per person, includes air, 7 nights hotel, a 1 week car rental, all taxes, and breakfast daily. There are two people traveling, so your total is $3600

To price the individual componants, you price the air at $900 per person with tax, the hotel is $150 per ROOM, per night, plus tax on the hotel room is and additional $25 per night, for a total of $175 per room per night. But, breakfast isn't included, so you budget $25 for that, bringing your total to $200 per room/per night, $1400 total for the week. The car rental is $400 with taxes.

So, thats:

Air $900 + $900 = $1800
Hotel $150 + $25 + $25 x 7 nights = $1400
Car $400
------------
Grand total $3600

In this example, the package and the individual componants are the same. My point is, that you need to make sure your adding in the totals and comparing the costs correctly.

Good luck with your vacation search!

 

[disneysteve]

I agree with the others. The answer really depends on where you are going.

For Florida (Disney), it is much cheaper usually to book everything seperately. For cruises, I have always gotten cheaper airfare on my own than what the cruise line was offering.

One of my employees just booked a honeymoon trip to Hawaii and got a tremendous deal on a package, way cheaper than she could get the individual components on her own.

One thing to watch out for on packages: They often include extras that you won't use, but are paying for anyway. So they look cheap when you add up everything that is included, but if you don't use it all, it isn't such a bargain. For example, a package might include admission to various local attractions. That's great, but if you don't use all the tickets, it might have been cheaper to just pay as you go.

 

[keishashadow]

I've always been able to beat the packages offered thru WDW, expedia, etc., especially using AAA room only discounts.

think it depends on when & where you're traveling as well as how much time you're willing to invest in getting a "deal". Esp w/rental cars, they can fluctuate hourly.

 

[klfrech]

Love this thread! I am currently planning a trip to Hawaii (Maui and the Big Island for next summer) for 3 of us. I've always done Disney on my own and just thought that was the best way to do Hawaii. Apparently not. I'd love to hear from those of you who have booked packages to Hawaii, what travel agent or agency did you use and how far in advance did you book?