How to book...

[BlsdMama]

We're going the first week of February. We didn't think we'd be able to swing this trip until the kiddos were bigger, but dh is getting a bonus in the first week of December, so we're going to splurge.

We're going in the off season. We have to fly. It's a 21 hour trip to WDW driving so we have to figure in flights. I found a package on Expedia for WL for six nights for $2681, and that does *not* include my tickets, but it does give me a $600 discount on my flight. The hotel is $239 per room.

So, here's the big question. Better to book now and pay with c.c. or better to wait? My guess is: better to wait and book everything seperately???? I'm guessing I can get a much better deal than that on resorts.

Someone educate me. We're also looking at five day passes w/ hopper and dining. The tickets are four days for the price of seven, but really, there isn't much savings there. My sil is a(n) AAA travel agent but really was only able to find about the same $$ package as I was on Expedia.

Educate me puh-lease. We have three kiddos and so a lot of the less expensive resorts are off limits for us, unfortunately.

 

[Rootskate]

You might be better off waiting and booking things seperately. If you book through Expedia you have to pay for the trip right away. If a better deal ended up coming out closer to your trip, you wouldn't be able to take advantage of it. As far as tickets go, have you looked into www.ticketmania.com? They sell discounted Disney tickets. Also, assuming you have AAA, you can book a room-only discount through them. For airfare, I would just keep checking the prices. Southwest Airlines often has really good prices but they haven't released their schedule for February yet. There is also www.flysong.com whom I have also had good luck with price-wise.

 

[sanibelover]

Sign up for the Mousesavers newsletter - comes out the 15th of every month and has ticket discounts in it.



www.mousesavers.com

Read all you can on the Mousesavers site. All the discounts will be posted. You are going at a slower time, so you can wait to book. Currently, the only discount would be AAA (not very good, but better than nothing), but historically there have been room only discounts at that time of year which can be significant.

http://www.mousesavers.com/faq.html#historical

Book airfare separately. Packages typically don't have the best airfare - just got Song from Hartford, CT to Orlando for $116.90 Roundtrip total.

Packages are also very unforgiving. You ahve to pay up front, etc. Keep reading the Disboards. You will get some great tips on the best deals to be had. Good luck.

 

[karriern]

But i like assigned seats, so, I go to Travelocity and book flight only. Put in flexible dates. Do not put exact dates in! The fare will come up higher every time. The dates for Jan/Feb are not out yet, but I have done this for the past two years and always gotten a good fare.

AAA tickets are cheaper on 7 days than even Ticket Mania with the mousesavers discount. Anything shorter than that, with the mousesavers discount, Ticket mania is the better deal. But you have to get the mousesavers newsletter to get the discount. AAA Tickets are only like $4 cheaper then reg ticket mania tickets.

You can get your room cheaper. If no general public code comes out, it would be worth your while to get AAA for the room discount.

Expedia's 7 for 4 is not a good deal. If you look at Disney tickets--they have a longer you stay--cheaper you pay deal.

 

[gigi1313]

the best advice i can give is to contact a travel agent that specializes in wdw... she will gently guide you thru the process and save you money along the way... i have enjoyed great service from lori at www.magicalmemoriestravel.com

good luck and ENJOY!

 

[EthansMom]

If you want the Dining included, you'll have to book a WDW package that includes the tix, room, and dining. If you want to go a la carte, then book the room yourself and purchase tix from a discounter like http://www.ticketmania.com and pay for dining as you go.

Regarding, having 5 people in one room: you can have 5 people in one room at Port Orleans Riverside. Also, if one of the kids will be under 3, you could have all 5 of you in any Moderate.

Book with the AAA discount to save money -- if you want the package with dining, you need to book directly with AAA to get the discount price, but if you want a room-only discount, you can book directly through CRO at 407-W-DISNEY.

Booking a la carte vs. package -- be careful because they have different cancellation policies.

For flights, look at discount airlines like Southwest, Delta Song, Jet Blue, AirTrans, etc. -- we were able to book 4 roundtrip tickets from Hartford, CT to Orlando for $710 -- direct non-stop flights in the middle of the day.

So, if you book POR at the AAA rate, you'll pay around $744 for 6 nights. Say, you get discount airfare for $1000. You'd save over $900 off the Expedia price.

5 day adult MYW w/Hopping is $228 per person and 5 day child (3-9) MYW w/Hopping is $191 per person (prices from Ticketmania).