Package or air alone?

[MM27]

I posted this on the Transportation board as well, but I thought maybe someone here could offer some suggestions.

On previous trips to WDW, I've booked everything as a package through AAA. I was considering doing everything myself this year (April 2011) through the website or over the phone. Am I better off doing the package still or is it cheaper to do air alone?

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Southwest tickets are available at Newark Airport soon, but I'm going during spring break so I don't want to wait until the last minute to book air. I heard March '11 as a possible start for Southwest.

I really don't want to mess this up, but if I can do it cheaper on my own, I would like to. I'm planning for the family and there are some of us leaving from NJ and others leaving from NH (Manchester).

 

[golfgal]

It depends, sometimes you can find less expensive flights outside of a package and sometimes you can't. You just need to price them out and see which comes up as a better deal. Usually with a package you end up saving money on the hotel, not the flights (except Disney usually).

 

[mom2travel]

I posted this on the Transportation board as well, but I thought maybe someone here could offer some suggestions.

On previous trips to WDW, I've booked everything as a package through AAA. I was considering doing everything myself this year (April 2011) through the website or over the phone. Am I better off doing the package still or is it cheaper to do air alone?

I am keeping my fingers crossed that Southwest tickets are available at Newark Airport soon, but I'm going during spring break so I don't want to wait until the last minute to book air. I heard March '11 as a possible start for Southwest.

I really don't want to mess this up, but if I can do it cheaper on my own, I would like to. I'm planning for the family and there are some of us leaving from NJ and others leaving from NH (Manchester).

I have always found that purchasing airfare separately is cheaper (we fly Southwest). Are you close enough that you could purchase tickets from Philadelphia on Southwest and then change your flight to Newark if the Southwest schedule opens up?

 

[LuvOrlando]

I have only once gotten a better deal with a package than on my own. On of the biggest reason for this is that the packages force you to buy enough tickets for the entire stay whereas I don't like to do parks on travel days and like to add in Sea World and Universal. I usually get the cheapest flights out of Newark with Continental. JFK can be cheaper but it depends on where you are in NJ and how much travel time that would add ect.

Another thing to consider with the packages is that they are extremely inflexible if something goes wrong. If you do it all yourself you can cancel or modify your reservations with no money loss up until almost the day of your trip while packages are never this generous. I don't know how airfare is effected but I can't imagine tying it up int a package would make it easier to work with.

I generally prefer the flexibility of doing it myself and avoid packages altogether unless a super deal is included like free dining or free hopper options on the tickets ect.

 

[GeorgeG]

Before we moved here, we always booked our air seperately except for once. The advantage to booking seperately is that if the airfare goes down before you go a good travel agent will have you trade for the lower rate. Packages won't do that. Our rule of thumb was book the Disney vacation directly through Disney Central Reservations and air through our local travel agent.

 

[Bethenny]

It's probably better to book separately, but you just have to research and see. When we went to WDW last year, they had a special deal with AirTran and we saved quite a lot on airfare. So much that I really thought it was a mistake. But anytime I book a cruise, for example, their package airfare is very expensive.

 

[tlbwriter]

We booked air with our package the last time we went (not my choice) and one really frustrating thing was feeling like we had no control over our reservations. There were several flight changes/cancellations between making our reservation and actually taking the trip, and I was never able to work directly with the airline. I won't do that again.

 

[MM27]

Thanks everyone for your input. I don't expect low airfare since we are going over Spring Break (one of the negatives of teaching). We're still working out all the kinks, but I was talking with my sil yesterday and we (the NJ folks) might drive up to NH and all fly together out of Manchester. I know, it's strange to drive 6 1/2 hours to then fly to Florida, but I have a house there, so it won't be that bad. I think sil doesn't want to fly alone with my niece, as it's her first flight. And from what I've researched so far, it looks like they have some nice fares out of Manchester.

Sil asked me last night, "So what parks do they have there?" She thinks my niece will really like "the zoo one"