Fly drive and booking direct advise please

[Tony Bush]

We are hoping to go the last two weeks of August '06. Our previous trips have been package holidays, twice with Virgin and once with First Choice. Have no complaints at all. This time however we really do need to tighten our belts.
I'm wondering if we book a fly-drive and a hotel direct would it come out much cheaper?
We are a family of two adults and two children 15 & 13. Want to stay in Disney All Stars. The package option costs @ £4,200 with Virgin.

Any advise and help would be appreciated.

 

[Tarzan]

Virgin's current price for flydrive incl. insurance is £3030. The hotel will cost you a maximum of £680, but I'd imagine there will be some kind of deal that will save you money on the room. Virgin are not the cheapest, of course, so you could probably get a better price on the fly drive too. Even at these prices though, you are already saving at least £490 . That's quite a bit

 

[Queenie]

Right. These prices are based on your family travelling on Sat 5th - 19th Aug 2006. With Expedia you can pick any All Star hotel for the same price, with TCD I only saw Movies as an option.

TCD with All Star Standard Room: £3208
TCD with All Star Preferred Room: £3292
TCD Flydrive with All Star Standard Room through Expedia: £3469.86
TCD Flydrive with All Star Preferred Room through Expedia: £3578.78

I was bored!

 

[Celestine]

With regards to accomodation, you really do need to compare Disney direct (US), Disney direct (UK), US TA & UK TA price/night if you fly drive as dependong on time of year etc. each has worked out cheapest! (Who said it would ever be easy!). We've always fly drived with Virgin or flown direct with Virgin & again you need to shop around, but sometimes the convenience & knowledge that you're booked is worth the extra few quid.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Also, fly drive ois expensive, as instead of renting the car, you pay for the car rental with each person and they put you into the smallest car suitable for the amount going.
Book the flight and the car hire seperatly.

 

[Amyrlin]

I always do flydrive, and I choose my car at set prices to make sure I get what I want. I have found it much cheaper to book hotels seperatly.

 

[Tony Bush]

Ok, thanks. What are the best sites for me to look up flights and hotels? Expedia only go up to mid August. Just getting worried that I may be leaving it a bit late. Also would I qualify as a frequent virgin if i did a fly drive? It would be our third time with Virgin, but last two times was a package deal? Sorry for all the questions

 

[Amyrlin]

If you want to do it the easiest way then TCD for a fly drive, that way you can choose the car. Virgin also let you choose. Then find the hotels you want and book direct.

If you book any of the universal hoetls they give you front of the line access to most rides, and if you are a member of the AA, you can get a discout (with AAA, the American equivolent).

The disney.com (or disney.co.uk) site gives details of the hotels at WDW. If you are goinf for some time it may be worth waiting to buy the tickets until close to the time of going as if you get an annual pass there may be some discounts. The annual pass is only a little more than the special 14 day tickerts we can get over here for UK visitors. This will also let you buy membership to the 'disney dining experience', whch costs $50, but then gives you 20% off of nearly all table service meals in disney, and soon pays for itself. Otherwise, there is a thead under the orlanndo and attactiosn subject that discusess hotels.

If you want to book seperatly then BA currently have a sale which may be worth looking at as ticket proces into Orlando are about £299 on a lot of dates, but don't forget the American airlines, as they will sometimes have lower prices.

Also, you may find an annual travel policy cheaper, or the same proce as one for two weeks if you shop around.

 

[mark&sue]

Tony

Do let us know how you get on. Good luck



Susan