How did you book your vacation?

[warriorboy648]

We used Dreams Unlimited. As incredibly complex planning a vacation to WDW is for the first time, this honestly has been the easiest vacation we have ever planned. Rhonda our DU travel agent is a cobra...she can do anything lol!

H, I booked our vacation at the Dolphin through Dreams Unlimited, but now my family wants the DDP and a bigger slide. I was able to get a great AAA price through Disney. Do you know if Dreams can get the same discounts or better?

Thanks

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

For our first trip in 2003 we used a TA, but every year since then we've been booking everything ourselves and haven't had any problems or glitches. It seems to get easier and easier each year and I find I thoroughly enjoy the trip planning and booking our airfare, hotel, car, ADRs and tickets.

Bonny

 

[Desnik]

For all our trips I always called CRO and booked everything myself. Now as a DVC'er I call MS. I never did a package, always found it cheaper to do it seperately usually with a code rate or AP rate.

 

[Kimi313]

I have always booked it myself and with the help of these boards it gets easier and easier. I first book the hotel room in advance so I can get an AAA discount on it (we are already AAA members), then we go every year so I get an AP and alternate one year we go in July and the next year in June and if they offer an AP discount I apply that. Ap discounts use to be common in June and July but not last year but I still save money on my ticket by going 2 times in a one year period (July and then June). I will still be crossing my fingers for an AP discount so starting in late Feb I will visit these boards every morning and Mousesavers.com sight to see if Ap's are out that day, I do this religously. That way as soon as they come out I can get one for my hotel room before they run out! That's the room, as for the tickets I recommending signing up for the mousesavers.com newsletter that comes out once a month to find savings for tickets only offered thru the newsletter (I think I am okay for saying that aren't I). That is the cheapest place I have found tickets. Then I decide what table service restarants we want to have and I make ADR between 6 - 5 months before, I try to have them by no latter than 5 months. We live in Alabama so we always drive down ourselves so I don't have to worry about airline tickets. I have never had any problems booking a room or applying another discount to it, they are always so nice and accomadating. I have changed my park itenary before and have cancelled ADR's and made new ones and I have had no problems and there was never any confusion when we got there. I find it very, very enjoyable! After about a month back from one trip I am ready to start planning another. Also on these boards you learn new things everyday, the people here are great! I say have fun and start planning.

 

[Joe'sgirl]

I have booked differently for each of my trips. This last trip I booked the airfare and then I went thru Disney for the hotel, DDP and park tickets. A corporate discount exists for me thru work but it would not have saved me anything (it was a difference of $7 and I think I would lose that in shipping costs). I am a member of AAA and the package was actually higher thru them this time around. I have used AAA in the past. Typically I book the airfare myself. One year I did a package deal thru LastMinuteTravel.

 

[cybrkitn]

We booked directly with Disney via the phone. The airline was a little different for us. DH was going down for a conference, so his airfare was paid by the State of NY. We only had to pay for DS4 and myself.

There are advantages and disadvantages to doing what you had posted. If you want to get the DDP (Disney Dining Plan), you can only do it if you book the room and tickets together in a package. If you don't care to add the DDP, then it's worth doing things separate.

 

[pta-mom]

We used Dreams Unlimited last April to book our room, tickets & dining plan & will absolutely use them again!! They did a family itenary, all our dinner reservations, answered all our questions quickly & were an absolute blessing! Best of all, they cost us nothing...same as Disney's website booking!

For our flights, being in Canada, we just booked them over Expedia & got an excellent deal & are hoping for another great one this fall when we do DW again!

 

[Mischa]

When we (DH & I) were planning our vacation for last May, we knew we wanted to go to WDW (it was his first trip) to celebrate our anniversary. Not knowing about the DISboards at the time, I went online to disneyworld.com and did some research on what resort we wanted to stay at, then I called disney and booked a package deal (tickets, ddp, flights, ME, and resort). We were very happy!

Then we became DVC members (during that trip) and now I do everything on my own. I prefer doing it on my own now. Especially when I have the DISboards to ask questions.

 

[the john]

Disney.com

 

[elaine and the boys]

We book everything separately, which often will get us a better rate. We always go during peak times, so we're forever looking for a "better deal"!


This year, I was able to get the teachers' rate at the Dolphin (reserved the room back in the summer!), the park tickets were discounted from undercovertourist dot com (special Mousesaver discount), made my ADRs as early as allowed, and since we drive, no airlines to deal with.

 

[NEVERENOUGHWDW]

Over 40 trips and I always book myself either on the website or central reservations......They are very helpful on the phone so I think doing it yourself is a really good choice.