Im New Here and Need Help Planning

[Micelf33]

I am new here and I am looking forward to all your advice.
We are from Manitoba and are planning on going to Disney this November.
We were thinking of going in Janurary, but apparantly it is too cold and some of the exhibits close.--this is what i have heard.
Is this true?
Also, am i better off to book the trip through an agent, through Disney or on my own.
I have looked into packages here, but all the flights to Orlando leave from Toronto and so i have to buy extra tickets to get there.
I am at a loss in figuring out how to plan this trip.
Any advice?

Thanks

 

[Chickkypoo]

Welcome to the board!

I'm from Regina, and I was in the same predicament last year. I know that Fun Sun Vacations offer packages from here in Regina, and I would imagine the would offer them from Manitoba as well. I found however that it was cheaper to book things separately.

When we went last year, we got an excellent deal on airfare thru Westjet, as we purchased when they first introduced their flights to the states, and had that big sale on. For next years trip, we're looking at flying out of the states, as even though it's a bit of a drive to a major airport there for us, the tickets are less than half the price. (It's almost $800/per person to fly from here). I'm not sure how far of a drive it is for you to Minneapolis, but it might be worth the drive to save on airfare. They have a few low cost carriers out of there. Suncountry www.suncountry.com is one. Right now thru them, in January you're looking at $225/person US. They also have a great deal with some of the hotels in the area that if you stay the night before your flight, you get free parking for the week. I also believe Southwest flies out of Minneapolis.

I'm not sure if you have CAA or not, but they may be able to help you with ticket and room reservations, though I found the agents here are not too knowledgeable about Disney. I reserved my room thru Disney at first with my CAA discount, but when they were offering a great package deal last year, I switched to the package. If you keep an eye on these boards, you'll find out when Disney is offering new packages, but it appears with the Anniversary Celebration going on right now, there may not be any deals for awhile.

It's up to you if you want to book a package deal thru a travel agent or not, but I find them overpriced, but some like the convenience. I also found it better to book airfare online, or directly with the airline, as Travel Agents, at least around here, tack on a fee somewhere around $50 per person to book it for you. I just feel it's extra money that's better off being spent at Disney

If you have anymore questions, don't be afraid to ask, you can also Private Message me if you like!

Have fun planning!

I am new here and I am looking forward to all your advice.
We are from Manitoba and are planning on going to Disney this November.
We were thinking of going in Janurary, but apparantly it is too cold and some of the exhibits close.--this is what i have heard.
Is this true?
Also, am i better off to book the trip through an agent, through Disney or on my own.
I have looked into packages here, but all the flights to Orlando leave from Toronto and so i have to buy extra tickets to get there.
I am at a loss in figuring out how to plan this trip.
Any advice?

Thanks

 

[hockey mom]

Hi and welcome to our world.

During the slower months you will always find something down for rehab so I don't really think that should be an issue. Jan. might be a bit colder than November and if you go late November you might be able to see the Christmas decorations.

Read these boards and price everything yourself. Right now decide on which month then choose your hotel room and book it. If you do have CAA ask for the discount. If a better discount comes out you can always try to switch. That is what I am doing.

If you go to "Mousesavers.com" and sign up for the monthly newsletter it usually has the best ticket prices through 2 very good companies that offer free shipping to Canada.

 

[grover]

Hi-Welcome to the disboards..I am also from Winnipeg
You are usually better off booking your airfare seperate from your package.
How long do you intend on going? Have you decided where you are staying?
We always go Oct/Nov and it is a fabulous time to go!
Let me know if you have any questions
Grover in Winnipeg

 

[grover]

Forgot to mention..we have done the drive to Minneapolis to get cheap airfare..hit the jackpot on delta once and our airfare was wayyyyyyyy under 1000.00 for 3 of us (in canadian funds!)..we are looking into this again for our next trip as isn't much of a drive to get there!
G in W

 

[ChisJo]

I have found that pricing everything yourself is always cheaper. For instance, I found a great rate on a hotel last year for $39/night. I found the same hotel with a package was about $79/night. Airfare usually goes on a set advertised price and always seems to be higher than any other airfare that I have booked. I have always been pretty lucky with airfare costs, but then again, I am persistant and check everyday.

If you know when you want to go, start checking around. Sign up for Mousesavers.com - honestly, I think Mary is the most knowledgeable person about WDW. Start searching for the room that you want. Are you looking to stay on site, or are you looking on offsite. Have you considered a car rental? Going to other parks - Universal, Sea World, etc.?

Buy your tickets beforehand for two reasons. You cannot get discounted Disney tickets at the gate, and this way, you don't have to wait to buy them, you already have them and that's another expense out of the way! I have used ticketmania.com many times and have been impressed each time. They have the best discounts that I have seen so far, but others have found great discounts too.

Look for codes for car rentals and hotel rooms. If you keep coming here, someone is bound to post them, with some exceptions.

Airfare from Edmonton is a killer too - I know what it's like to look for the first time and be sadly disappointed at the price. Start keeping your eye on the prices daily. They can all of the sudden dramatically drop $100's of dollars over night. Happened to me last year. One day the cost from Edmonton was $799, the next $399, after it had consistantly been around $799 for months.

Most of all, if you have any questions, we will be happy to help. Come on the boards at any time. No question is a stupid question (that's what I'm always told in my Nursing program....).

Good luck planning,
Jo

 

[StuartMI]

November is a nice time to go especially at the beginning. The Epcot Food & Wine festival is still running and you can sample stuff from around the world showcase lagoon. However, watch out you dont run into super-soap-weekend. That's just a bunch of over-excited females waiting to gawk at their afternoon TV stars -- that's just held at MGM though. I'm afraid I can't help with flights out of Canada but if you can get to MSP, Northwest air will fly direct and as you pointed out, Delta gives pretty good rates too. See if there are any charter airlines that run the MSP->MCO route - perhaps Spirit Air, or Allegiant Air or some such thing.

 

[Micelf33]

Thanks for all your advice.
We did decide that we want to stay on site at the Caribbean Lodge and that we want to go in November.
We have thought about driving to Minneapolis because we actually live right on the U.S border and Minneapolis is only about 5-6 hours away.
However, Winter driving scares me and with my luck we would have bad weather for driving or not make it at all.
Do you suggest that i just call Disney and book my room on my own and then start shopping for airfares.
I dont have a CAA membership, but I am willing to spend the money to join if it saves me money.
Also, do you recommend a car rental if you are staying on site.
I just thought that we can use Disney transportation since it is included with the resort.
However, does that take us to the other parks in disney too?

Thanks

Debbie