Help from Frequent Travelers?

[Tanner Petroff]

I don't travel much, but my wife and I want to take our kids to Disneyland this year. We're on a limited budget, so every dollar we can save counts.

I found this ebook that says you can get cheaper rates by booking directly from hotels instead of going through the big booking sites like Orbitz or Expedia. For reference, here's where I found it:

http://lp.hotelbydisneyland.com/10-reasons-to-book-direct-with-a-hotel-near-disneyland/

So my question is this - Is it true that this can get you a better deal? Or is this just a bunch of bull honkey, and in the end I'd really be better off doing what I was doing before?

 

[Geemo]

When you say this year.... Are you talking 2015? or 2016?

I find I get better rates when I do all my own planning and booking.
For a room the earlier you book the better the rate is often the case. So if you are planning a trip for 2016, book your room soon.
Many of the hotels in the DLR area do sell tickets, not sure of the price.


Geemo

 

[Tanner Petroff]

Thanks for the quick response, Geemo. I forget how far we are into the year, I should have thought about what I was saying before posting. But we are planning on 2016, no set dates, tentatively in February or March.

Sorry for being naive, but what do you mean when you say 'I do all my own planning and booking'?

 

[KalamityJane]

It depends. Right now, Orbitz has some killer rates on accessible rooms onsite that pair with the 15% discount, so I'd look at those for your dates in February. Honestly, each hotel has different ways to get good rates. Is there any specific hotel you were looking at?

 

[Tanner Petroff]

Is there any specific hotel you were looking at?

I haven't been looking at anything specific, but any suggestions on nice/affordable hotels would be very much appreciated.

 

[KalamityJane]

I haven't been looking at anything specific, but any suggestions on nice/affordable hotels would be very much appreciated.

Awesome, could you tell us how many in the party, young kids or older ones?, rough price per night you are looking for? Will you be wanting to swim or have free breakfast? They really range in price around Disneyland.

 

[sheetz]

There's some truth that you can sometimes get better deals by calling the hotels directly. When you book thru sites like Orbitz, Expedia, Priceline, etc the hotel only gets a fraction of what you pay. So if you call the hotel directly they might be willing to give you a better rate than what you might find elsewhere because you'd be cutting out the middle man.

 

[texasgingerbread]

Do you put everything on a credit card and then pay it off each month. We've found this is the easiest way to rack up travel dollars. Whether it be airfare, hotel, etc. If you want to do this I can steer you in the right direction. We open new cards every 3 months and never pay for airfare and usually get a few free nights each trip. Are you flying or driving?

 

[Tanner Petroff]

Awesome, could you tell us how many in the party, young kids or older ones?, rough price per night you are looking for? Will you be wanting to swim or have free breakfast? They really range in price around Disneyland.

Two kids, one is 5, the other is 8. Price per night - definitely under $200, but lower is better. Yes to swimming, don't mind on breakfast either way.

 

[Tanner Petroff]

Do you put everything on a credit card and then pay it off each month. We've found this is the easiest way to rack up travel dollars. Whether it be airfare, hotel, etc. If you want to do this I can steer you in the right direction. We open new cards every 3 months and never pay for airfare and usually get a few free nights each trip. Are you flying or driving?

We aren't doing anything like that right now. We haven't been big travelers the last few years, but now that our kids are getting a little older we want to start.

Does opening a new card every 3 months look weird on your credit report? I don't know much about that, but I think it would be good to look into - where should I start?

We are planning on driving. 10 hours isn't so bad, right?

 

[Geemo]

Sorry for being naive, but what do you mean when you say 'I do all my own planning and booking'?

We have been to DLR many many times. I'm familiar with the area and know where I will and will not stay.
Looking online at the various hotel websites I can usually find a room for around $100/night. The earlier I book the better the nightly rate.
If I'm staying off-site, I will stay at the Tropicana or Desert Inn & Suites. They're both an easy short walk to and from the parks.

Here are a couple of maps to show you what's around DLR
http://www.accommodationsneardisney.com/Disneyland/default.asp

Here's a thread of hotels and distance (Keep in mind it's from 2011)
http://www.disboards.com/threads/walking-distance-hotel-list-w-discussion-details-of-hotels.2796786/

Figment_jii puts a great deal of effort in to this thread. It will give you an idea of what's happening around DLR
http://www.disboards.com/threads/2016-calendar-of-events-school-breaks-and-dlr.3434866/

The Refurbishment List, of course ALL subject to change at Disney's whim.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland/plan.htm#rehab

You might need this thread for abbreviations used here.
http://www.disboards.com/threads/dlr-abbreviations-list.1520784/

I'm going to DLR with three of my grandkids in December, would you like me to bring back a few maps for you?
If you do, send me you mailing info in a private message.

I see you are a new member.



Geemo

 

[texasgingerbread]

We aren't doing anything like that right now. We haven't been big travelers the last few years, but now that our kids are getting a little older we want to start.

Does opening a new card every 3 months look weird on your credit report? I don't know much about that, but I think it would be good to look into - where should I start?

We are planning on driving. 10 hours isn't so bad, right?

Not if you have good credit. It's never affected my score I think that's a myth. Unless your score suffers maybe?

I would start with Chase Preferred. You can transfer those at Hyatt, British Airways (which puts you on American Airlines), Southwest, and many other things or just use it with them. Wait for the Southwest Visa to open up with the 50,000 bonus (right now it's 25,000) and wait for Marriott to do better (we got 80,000). If you live in a city that American has many flights out the British Airways Visa is fabulous because you get 50,000 points and it doesn't take as many points to use as AA and they still put you on an AA flight. Starwood (Westin, Sheraton) is good too. Just remember you want to open in your name and your partners name so you get double the bonus. Google thepointsguy and you can see him walk you thru everything. Good luck! PS - feel free to PM me.

 

[Belledisney]

We love to travel and I am all about finding a good deal with a good hotel.
My first thing is being flexible on dates saves me by far the most money.
I also found the cheapest for me is booking the hotel and flight together. I usually use jet blue vacations. I've stayed there at the Hojo hotel for a great deal ! The Hojo is a great hotel and so close to the park and very clean. Just a great hotel overall I think.
I also use bookit.com for a lot of vacations and they sometime have a lot of extra perks so I recommend them also.
Another thing if you book a jet blue package you still get a free checked bag which also saves a lot of money.
Also if you like to gamble more I use Hotwire for hotels only And usually have good luck. I usually will buy one night to see if it is a good hotel and then I will add more on after if I like it!

Sorry I just saw you were driving. I would stick with Hotwire or Priceline then!

 

[Tanner Petroff]

I see you are a new member.

Thanks!

It looks like I've got my work cut out for me. Thanks for all of those resources, I'm just looking over them now.

 

[sheetz]

Sorry I just saw you were driving. I would stick with Hotwire or Priceline then!

Priceline's Name Your Price service is only recommended if you have 1-2 people. You can sometimes specify bedding preferences with Priceline's Express Deals service, otherwise you should use Hotwire if you are traveling with 3-4 people. Note that both of these methods are non-refundable.

Another good option is LMTClub.com, which usually has free membership codes available.

 

[valiamo]

Welcome to the group!

You can also try a booking website like priceline.com, bookit.com or trivago. I use trivago a lot to get prices. I also then go to the hotel site and plug in the same dates. Put in your travel dates, get the booking site that has the best deals, and book in a price. Feb next year is in only 4 months, and most of the hotels are starting to book up. You also want to avoid spring break weeks, Presidents Day Valentines day... all of these add to the price of the hotels.