Money Saving Tips for Next Year?

[brigadoon]

Having booked BA and Virgin package trips to Orlando previously, I’m convinced I can get better value for money by doing it myself. I’ve got cheap flights (see other post) and 5-day Disney passes (£145 each).
We plan to stay at Universal’s Royal Pacific and either the Caribe Royale or the Grand Cypress (a big pool and some landscaping being the priorities). Are any hotel booking sites better (cheaper/more reliable) than others? I see that Universal are doing cheap passes, but these aren’t valid next year yet, so hopefully they’ll continue. By combining these Universal passes with the free Sea World pass which comes with Discovery Cove tickets, I reckon that’s the cheapest way to go. Or is it? Car hire seems to be cheaper by going direct than through tour companies. Any tips for Sanford?

How do other people avoid paying over the odds? No holiday to Orlando is ever cheap, so I just want to make sure that none of my hard-earned is wasted.

 

[mkingdon]

Well here is how I did my first DIY (it has to be cheap or we can't go) holiday.

Booked a fly drive with TCD. They have had bad press, but I've never had a problem and used them many times.

2 adults and 2 kids 19th August £1500

That includes a basic car and pre-booked seats.

I took out the Nat West Car insurance for £75, and therefore avoided paying TCD £400 for the same thing.

2 bed villa at Cypress Pointe for 2 weeks (£550) through Hotel Kingdom

FITS tickets £630 for all of us.

Now we aren't doing Universal, and we'll buy a Sea World ticket over there if we want to go (we've all been lots of times so we're taking it easy this time and just doing WDW mainly, with lots of rest days)

Grand Total £2680

HTH

Craig

 

[Scottish Mouse]

Hi ya

I replied to your other post then spotted this. Can you tell me where you bought your tickets and how long they are valid for. I'm looking for 4 day hopper plus passes for use next July. Is it worth buying them now?

Feel a bit of a plank for talking about next years hols when a lot of people still haven taken this years (LOL)......

 

[brigadoon]

Thanks mkingdon, a person after my own heart. I'll bear all that in mind in my quest for maximum VFM. I tried TCD but their website wasn't working properly, so I went for Direct Travel at a price I was happy with. Every minute counts in the search for cheap flights, as you know.

Scottish Mouse, I got the tickets from www.orlando-ticket-deals.co.uk, and they don't have any date restrictions. I bought them now because the pound is high against the dollar and presumably that's reflected in the price. Also, with my luck, if I wait till next year the price will almost certainly rise. I've seen the same tickets £15 higher elsewhere, and it all adds up.

 

[Scottish Mouse]

Thanks, Brigadoon. I'll check that website out.

 

[brigadoon]

Latest update. I've just ordered Discovery Cove from the above site for £149, which seems to be the best I've seen. All I need now is Universal, but their offer won't come out until next year probably.

 

[Scottish Mouse]

Have you tried ticketmania for tickets? I notice they have good prices and have been recommended by others on this Board. I'm thinking of trying them as they offer 4 day Hopper Plus passes. Not found them anywhere else yet......

 

[brigadoon]

If you take a long-term view on tickets, then the 7-day pass would be better value, as you get two extra days over the 5-day for 1 days money and it never runs out, but then you're spending £100-odd more than you need to for the current year. One of my regrets is paying brochure prices for 10-day passes previously. I must have wasted hundreds on over-priced tickets on my last two trips, so I don't want to do it again.

 

[Scottish Mouse]

I agree about wasting money. Having read some of the posts on car insurance I wish I had never accepted the BA insurance but then its all done now and I'll live and learn for next time round.

As for tickets. I'm going to stick with the four days for this year and look at other hoppers for next time round. That'll be the year of my DIY trip (lol)