Is It Cheaper?

[SherylR]

Hello all!
I'm new to this whole Disney planning and hoping you can help!
Is it cheaper to book the package and flights through Disney or through a travel agent.
I've never done this before and want to get the most bang for my Canadian buck yet not get stranded somewhere!

Any suggestions are welcome!!

 

[SandraC]

WELCOME!

I prefer to book everything myself. I have used travel agents, however, I've never been pleased with the service or the deals.

Here are some first-timer suggestions.

1. Monitor www.mousesavers.com will help you with deals.

2. Consider getting CAA for the 15% off Disney resort rates and other great deals on tickets.

3. If flying, consider flying Southwest out of Buffalo. It is significantly cheaper and you don't need a passport until next year. I find I get great deals booking 100 days before my trip.

Blessings, Sandra

 

[mickeywho?]

We've booked our package - room, tickets, meal plan - through the disney site and then shopped around for our flights. I find Disney gives just as good a deal as everyone else - discounts are applied as sales come up if you call in . And having the flight as our own responsibility gives us flexibility to fly out of Toronto or Buffalo. We've saved more money overall this way. If you are more comfortable using an agent I would recommend CAA - they also give the best discount rate as disney and can help you shop around for a flight.
Good Luck!

 

[almacdonald]

I have never had a travel agent give me a cheaper quote than what i could find myself and for this reason I always book vacations on my own (just researching a vegas trip right now actually!) For our WDW trip we flew west jet (check daily for seat sales), got a 15% CAA discount on our hotel room and ordered our park passes online and picked then up at will call (saves a few bucks). Good luck!

 

[lisaviolet]

Hi,

We have a "Disney only" Canadian planning/booking service which includes booking all dining reservations as well (TICO registered). If you need any assistance just let me know. I agree with all the posts. You can do fine on your own. But if you would like the help.....

All the best,

Lisa

 

[LdnCpl]

We usually look after all the stuff ourselves although like a previous poster said, Disney is pretty competitive with the exception of the flights. We booked our flight out of Detroit it cost $522.00 for 4. Had they done it the cost would have been $1100.00 for 4 I think that's due to the fact that they will only book flights with their airline partners(AA, Alaska, Delta etc.) so that limits your options. Here's what we did if you want to compare.

Booked room only through Disney website
Bought tickets at undercover tourist(dot)com
Bought flight directly through Southwest Airlines

Went on to Disney site and punched it dates with everything above as if they were planning the whole thing and simply compared.

Hope this helps

 

[SherylR]

Wow! This place is awesome!
A little more information on our trip.

We're going the last week of September. What can I expect the weather to be like?

We're flying out of Detroit as it seems to be cheaper with Spirit. We used Spirit to fly to Myrtle Beach and were very happy with the service.
I haven't seen any round trip flights out of Toronto (I'm in London) that can match that price (89 each way).


We're leaning against NOT using the Magical Express and getting the towncar so that we can stop for some groceries (it's worth that extra expense to us). Has anyone used the towncar service? Do you use the Disney one or the one I have quoted from this website?

We're also leaning against not buying the meal plan as the reservations and working around them sound like hassle. My kids will be 9 and 11 when we go and are not interested in character meals. I want to be sure they get nutritional meals from the counter service but I'm not seeing a whole lot that isnt' deep fried or a gigantic turkey leg (who buys these things anyway? It's so bizarre to me!).

And when do I book this thing? I read somewhere about a free meal plan that *might* be offered when we go but that's a big "if". Is there a better time to buy than right now? How often do specials come up?

I will have about oh, one BILLION questions over the next few months I'm sure. Thank you for your patience!!

 

[SherylR]

I can't reply to your PM cause I haven't posted 6 posts yet! lol

 

[FayeW]

Wow! This place is awesome!
A little more information on our trip.

We're going the last week of September. What can I expect the weather to be like?

We're flying out of Detroit as it seems to be cheaper with Spirit. We used Spirit to fly to Myrtle Beach and were very happy with the service.
I haven't seen any round trip flights out of Toronto (I'm in London) that can match that price (89 each way).


We're leaning against NOT using the Magical Express and getting the towncar so that we can stop for some groceries (it's worth that extra expense to us). Has anyone used the towncar service? Do you use the Disney one or the one I have quoted from this website?

We're also leaning against not buying the meal plan as the reservations and working around them sound like hassle. My kids will be 9 and 11 when we go and are not interested in character meals. I want to be sure they get nutritional meals from the counter service but I'm not seeing a whole lot that isnt' deep fried or a gigantic turkey leg (who buys these things anyway? It's so bizarre to me!).

And when do I book this thing? I read somewhere about a free meal plan that *might* be offered when we go but that's a big "if". Is there a better time to buy than right now? How often do specials come up?

I will have about oh, one BILLION questions over the next few months I'm sure. Thank you for your patience!!

They have offered the free dining special for the past 2 yrs, and if it is offered again, it should be for your timeframe. I know that it was offered until sometime in October previously.

You don't have to go to the expense of renting a towncar service just to get groceries. There are a couple of grocery delivery services that will shop for you and deliver to your resort. You just send them a detailed list and they buy it. One is www.wegoshop.com, and something makes me think the other one is called garden grocer, but don't quote me.

Have fun!

 

[SherylR]

I saw included a 30 minute grocery stopover. We thought this was kind of handy seeing as we didn't want to use the Magical Express and wait for everyone else to be dropped off at their resorts and such.
Is it expensive to use the grocery delivery?

 

[FayeW]

I don't know for sure, since I didn't use it myself. I think it's a flat rate, but based on your total order. Something like $10-$15 for orders up to $100, but again, I'm not 100% sure. You might find more info on that on either the budget board, or one of the DVC boards (because those units have kitchen/ette, a lot of the members have groceries delivered). The info is probably on wegoshop's website.

ETA: I just checked on the website, it is $17 for orders up to $100 and $22 for $100-$200. Hope that helps!

 

[almacdonald]

We LOVED Magical Express. We were checking into our hotel like 45 minutes after we got to the ME counter. It was amazing, fantastic!!! They split the buses up so there are only a couple of hotels for each bus. We didn't have to worry about directions, tolls, traffic or anything and the FREE aspect was great and not having to haul your luggage around was really nice. How much luggage are you packing for 4 people? Will you have enough room in a town car for luggage, family AND groceries? I've never personally used a grocery delivery service but they sound pretty spiffy, check em out!

 

[drag n' fly]

We LOVED Magical Express. We were checking into our hotel like 45 minutes after we got to the ME counter. It was amazing, fantastic!!! They split the buses up so there are only a couple of hotels for each bus. We didn't have to worry about directions, tolls, traffic or anything and the FREE aspect was great and not having to haul your luggage around was really nice. How much luggage are you packing for 4 people? Will you have enough room in a town car for luggage, family AND groceries? I've never personally used a grocery delivery service but they sound pretty spiffy, check em out!

Quick question almacdonald. Have you used the express kiosk with the ME tags attached? BTW I was thinking of you today wondering if you got that WII ...too funny and sure enough you posted you did....congrats!

 

[Step]

It may not have been cheaper (never done anything but use a travel agent) but it was so worth the convenience to have someone else do all the calling and waiting on the phone. When our airline went belly up the TA had us rebooked for $300 cheaper within a day or so.

 

[almacdonald]

Quick question almacdonald. Have you used the express kiosk with the ME tags attached?

We flew West Jet through Toronto. There's nothing "express" about that airport. We put our ME tags on our bags before we handed them off in Toronto. If you were flying direct from Calgary you can put your tags on there no matter how you check in.

 

[SandraC]

Another option to consider is using ME instead of paying for a towncar and then cab it to a grocery store. It will be way cheaper than a towncar. S

 

[laura001]

I have always booked my own vacation and done quite well with it. BUT..............this time (our next trip) I wanted a little pampering and use a TA that is awesome.....she finds the same rate as I can get and will stay on top of it if a better deal comes up, she booked everything, ADR's etc., sent me a cute little package etc. I feel pampered!!!! The TA doesn't even live anywhere near me which is not a problem at all! If you want any info regarding that....PM me please.

As for a CAA agent....well, have yet to find one worth their salt (I am sure they are out there somewhere). The only way to get a CAA Package Discount is to book through them. To tell you the truth, I would just rather go without the discount than deal with someone that knows nothing and doesn't stay on top of it etc.

Good Luck! Have a great time planning. Oh, by the way, even if you use a TA you can still change your mind all the time (LOL) and they will do it for you. As a matter of fact, I had booked my own room etc., and then switched it to my new TA!!!!!!!

 

[RainbowsMist]

In the past I've always booked through at TA. That being said, for our first upcoming disney family vacation I've done all the researching, planning and booking. As well for my parents and niece that will be joining us.

I must say that yes it has been a lot of work, it's also been a LOT of fun, very rewarding (addicting ) and I've saved us a LOT of money!

 

[lisaviolet]

I don't know if this has been answered. Sorry if it has....

If you book for September and the "free dining" comes up and it is more than 45 days out Disney will simply cancel your reservation without any penalty. They will immediately rebook your reservation for the "free dining". If they have your same resort available of course.

"Free dining" has been a package where the room is at rack rate and all occupants have a least one day of park tickets. So you can't get a discount on the room or buy the passes separately from an outside company.

It can be a great deal at a Value resort. My mom and I did it in 2005. We bought one park ticket each (I had just joined DVC and bought an AP) and she was allowed to use my one park day (I asked permission and b/c one day isn't a repeat scan). So we stayed for five or six days, had two park days, free dining for a total of $500-$600 total!!!!

Just keep reading all these boards on DIS and the websites others listed and you will be fine.

Best of luck,

Lisa

 

[lisaviolet]

I can't reply to your PM cause I haven't posted 6 posts yet! lol

That's okay Sheryl. Boy, I didn't realize that rule. Whoops. I'm still learning on this board after all this time!!!! I'll send you another PM with another option.