Just booked a package through Disney.com...

[NY Disney fan]

I had about 5-6 quotes from people and was surprised no one could beat Disney's prices. I really wanted to support one of the travel agents. One agent quoted me a price $300 more than Disney for the exact same package! I was shocked.

Has anyone ever had problems with ressies directly from Disney?? This is my first time booking with them. Thanks!

 

[Matt'sMom]

Something definitely doesn't sound right about that. $300 more for the same package, through a TA vs Disney online? If I were you, I'd double and triple check that you booked exactly what you think you did.

Check the room/view specifics (certain rooms/views/buildings at some resorts will vary in cost from the 'standard' rooms)--not to mention the dates for arrival/departure and total number of nights for your stay--and make sure that they are correct. Check the # of days and the options (park hopper &/or 'plusses') that are included on your MYW tickets to insure that they are indeed what you wanted (and were these the same for all of the quotes--there could be a big difference if one quoted base tickets only, and another quoted for premiums). Also check to see if you booked and/or where quoted for the MYW package with or without the additional dining option. Finally, check to see which quotes did or did not include trip insurance and also all applicable taxes and gratuities.

The above are all potential reasons for the variations between what you booked via the online Disney site, and what you were quoted by the TA's. Particularly the taxes, since I believe that the Disney web site quotes you prices prior to taxes... where as most TA's will add those expenses in so as to be able to provide you with a quote which reflects your actual total costs. Usually, the Disney specialist TA's are very, very good at finding you the best deal possible... which is why I would question this situation.

Best wishes for a wonderful WDW vacation, no matter who you do end up booking through.

 

[NY Disney fan]

I swear, line by line, I was quoted for the exact same things. My res is as basic as you can get MYW basic/Pop Cen for 4 nights/insurance/airfare. No extras. No park hopping and no dining. 4 adults/2 kids.
TA = $3400/Disney= $3089. This is Disney's final total too. (Sept. rates)

 

[disneymac]

I had the same experience with the TA - I had already booked our trip thru Disney when I found this site & learned about all the ways/places to save! So naturally I had to get quotes from all of those places Every single one of them was more than Disney. I triple checked all those things mentioned above, but it's true. Maybe someone at Disney made a mistake!

 

[PrincessCyann]

I booked through Disney when we went in April, and everything was fine. We even got a lower rate on airfare than that which was shown on the Delta site, which was a plus.

For our next trip, I booked through AAA. First off, the agent insisted it was cheaper to get airfare seperately. I asked her to double check with Disney, because when I looked online myself it was $60 cheaper per ticket going through Disney. She finally did, and saw it was cheaper this time too. Maybe it is something like airfare costing less through Disney, like in my situation?

We booked our Sept. trip and our last minute anniversary trip through AAA--never again though, it's turning out to be such a hassle. I would rather book directly through Disney from now on.

 

[Chicago526]

It used to be that air through Disney was almost always more than getting it separate. Now a days (and I've heard this from other DISers) it seems that Disney has flexed some bargining muscle and has got some really great rates from the airlines. I don't blame the AAA agent at all, 6 months ago I would have said the same.

Is Disney undercuting the TA's? I hope not!

 

[poohj80]

When booking our DL package earlier this year, the AAA Disney specialist travel agent not only quoted us a price $500 more than Disney but also told us there were no free seats available with our frequent flyer miles (we found plenty to chose from).

 

[pamouselover]

This is very shocking! I found that I got very lucky with booking with a TA and not through Disney. Disney web site gave me a quote of $5,308.00 for six nights at All stars with hopper option and air fare. My TA got me the FREE DINING and six nights at allstar Music for $2136.32.
This package is with two adults and two children (Well really 3 adults as DS is consider an adult)
I would call just to confirm everything...to be safe!

 

[CheapMom]

The times- they are-a-changin'
Everything is so different this year it is like I have to re-learn all over again the cheapest way to go to WDW. Now you are saying Disney is giving out good quotes on airfare- that throws another monkey wrench into my bank of knowledge!!!

 

[SueEllen]

That is very unusual indeed about the TA being more than Disney. Is is possible that they booked the air separatly from the reservation?

I know that we book reservations direclty with Disney for our clients, so their price is your price. Your quote should never be MORE than Disney is quoting you directly if you are booking the same exact things.

Sue Ellen

 

[DiszyDean]

When I booked our August trip back in April, I was also told to book my flights seperate from the actual Disney package...So, I booked the room/ticket package with Disney and started looking for cheap airfare elsewhere...For about a month all I saw was the price of flights going up and up....It was almost at $300 per person from Dallas-Fort Worth....So, out of curiousity and the only place I had yet to try was actually the Disney site where I had booked the rest of my package..When I called Disney and talked to them about the airfare, they had the exact flights I wanted for about $205 a person...almost $100 cheaper per person than I was able to find on any airline or online travel agency...Maybe I was just lucky, but there may be a trend developing...

 

[NY Disney fan]

Maybe a trend is developing. Just so everyone knows. The TA that booked the crazy $300+ quote was from a big chain Travel agency. The smaller Disney Authorized Travel Agents were booking $100-$150 more. My first choice was Dreams Unlimited, great quote but they couldn't accomodate my airfare needs. I couldn't deal with that headache. Not for a party of 6.

 

[disneybea1]

Well, I can really relate. I booked our vacation last year and we were a party of 10. We were flying from Hawaii and my sisters family from northern Calif. The Hawaii Part we were done with it , it was the Calif.- Orlando -WDW portion I was shopping for. You are right not one person could give me some sort of $$ amount that was even close to being the same. Some $500, some $300 I even had one $1000 difference. I finally just booked it though Disney {which I have done for years but had to get best rate for 10}. The airfare I did myself I went thru Contiential. They were the best times a.m. and the rate was great, just remember booking air online is alot cheaper then calling them. Well, that was a enough I will have to try to get my sister do all next year. But it was great even through the Hurricane we had. Aloha

 

[NY Disney fan]

That is very unusual indeed about the TA being more than Disney. Is is possible that they booked the air separatly from the reservation?
Sue Ellen

I checked my credit card this morning and the full amount has been charged $3089 for the whole shebang. (air/Pop Cen/tickets/insurance for 6 people) I'm still in shock.

 

[DW mouser]

I've had better luck booking my own through disney!! TA have always been more expensive, sorry to say.

 

[DISUNC]

This has always been the same experiece I have had. For years! Every year I get quotes from independant TA's & AAA! EVERY YEAR they always come in MUCH higher quotes then if I do it myself thru Disney Travel.

This year was slightly different, the AAA TA came in with the same price and told me I better hurry up & book...rooms were going fast! In fact so fast that my choice of Pop Century was already sold out....This was April and I booked for the end of July.

I booked my trip in May, myself through Disney Travel, and nooooooooo problems what-so-ever.

From my experience, AAA rate is precisely the same as Disney's rate as long as you also purchase the park tickets with your room!

 

[mom23boys]

Before we bought DVC I always booked our trips through Disney or Disney.com. They have always been cheaper than a TA.

My neighbor booked through Disney too, she said AAA was more expensive. This was when the free dining was going on.

 

[Matt'sMom]

Sounds like airfare is the variable that is making a big difference in price for some of you. Perhaps Disney is currently able to lock in lower fares, due to the volume of business--I'm assuming they probably book a lot more seats on flights into and out of the Orlando area than most other travel agencies.

We take the autotrain from VA to FL, instead of flying, as it is a better option for us personally. Our quotes from both AAA, and the TA that we eventually booked with, were all either equal to or slightly lower than the online Disney quotes for the same package (when including tax, etc.). And with our TA, we receive a lot of extra 'pixie dust' (such as having her take care of all our AR's, and quickly & painlessly updating our ressies as better deals were released).

Everyone's wants & needs for their vacation are different. If Disney can somehow offer you a more appealing over-all package deal, then go for it!