Perks of a package?

[JessNewt]

What is the benefit of booking your trip as a package versus booking items seperately?

 

[_auroraborealis_]

They give you mini golf vouchers.

 

[CMNJ]

Depending on the deals avail you could save money by bundling. If there is a chance you might cancel and never go you also might lose less money. If you buy tickets separately to make fast passes at 60 days then have to cancel your trip for what ever reason you are stuck with those tickets. They don't expire but I imagine for some having $1000-$2000 tied up in tickets if you don't know when/if you can go would be a real hardship. If you have a package with tickets you can make fast passes at 60 days but cancel up until 30 days prior without penalty and you can cancel up until 2 days prior with only a $200 penalty. Also if you are booking an expensive room (deluxe or DVC villa) the initial deposit would be less with a package. They require 1st night's cost for room only reservation deposit but only $200 for a package. Since villas and deluxes usually run a lot more than that per night you would have to tie up more money initially (for some that might be significant).

ETA they also only send those new character luggage tags to package reservations not room only

 

[JessNewt]

Thank you! I booked a room reservation for 2017, but the package option is not yet available. I'm trying to decide if I want them to rebook it as a package when available, or just book everything separately. We aren't interested in a dining plan, but we are flying and would appreciate the luggage help.

 

[aaarcher86]

Thank you! I booked a room reservation for 2017, but the package option is not yet available. I'm trying to decide if I want them to rebook it as a package when available, or just book everything separately. We aren't interested in a dining plan, but we are flying and would appreciate the luggage help.

You get magical express and their tags regardless. You just need to stay on property.

The luggage tags mentioned above are souvenir tags.

 

[loves to dive]

It all depends on the math and your willingness to do the leg work. If you have enough time, you can wait for Disney to release room discounts, go to one of the discount hotel sites like Orbitz and get the discount plus a discount on top of that if they are running a special. You can go to one of the discount ticket sites like undercover tourist or parksavers and sometimes get great deals on the tickets. If luggage tags are a deal breaker, you can get them just about everywhere, I think Walmart carries disney ones. You just have to do the math and do the leg work. I've rebooked my upcoming trip 3 times, all three times at the Dolphin because they keep coming up with lower prices. So far I've saved about $400 from my original booking price. I have an AP but my son doesn't, I got 7 day park hoppers from parksavers for the price of 4 day park hoppers. I got two nights at CBR for less than the Disney AP 30% off rate by going on Orbitz, using one of their discount codes and had some Orbitz bucks from my last time booking so those got taken off, I got the room for about $40 less per night than Disney was offering. I still check the Orbitz site about every 3 days to see if they have something for less than what I booked for those 2 nights since I have up to March 1 to cancel. I did have to pay up front for the Orbitz room and for the tickets, you don't have to do that with Disney and I didn't have to do that with Dolphin.

 

[Babsy]

I like to book everything separately. I know that I will be going to WDW nearly every year, so having an AP is a given and I am not worried about having it in advance. We get at least 2 trips out of each AP so it works well for us. The actual date that we are going, however, has to remain flexible for as long as possible so we book room only with discounts. That way we are able to cancel/change as late as 6 days prior with no penalty.

Also, we do not find any value in the dining plans offered. We have done the math and have not yet found any way where we even break even with the dining plan. (There are only two of us and we usually stay deluxe) WE simply pay OOP as we go. We eat what and where we like, often in buffets with characters and in the nicer table service restaurants. We still save money by paying OOP.

Those 'free' luggage tags aren't worth the extra money spent on a package that has to be paid in full 30 days before we arrive! Not for us, anyway. I simply buy great Disney luggage tags in the shopping centres near home. I have found some really cute ones for less than $5.00.

As another PP posted, you get the same DME and luggage 'help' with either a package or a room only reservation.

It all depends upon how you do things and what is important to you. We need flexibility until much closer to travel than thirty days and we don't mind a little effort to save $$$ on a trip. We wouldn't be able to go nearly as often otherwise.

 

[Juliet25]

I prefer to book separately. There's more flexibility that way. Plus we bought non expiring tickets several years ago. That said, our next trip is booked as a package as we did a bounce back with free dining.

 

[JessNewt]

Awesome! This is all really helpful! I had planned to keep the reservations separate, but read another thread discussing how to switch to a package. I'm glad to know keeping the items separate will be just as accommodating.

 

[ChasingLeslie]

Unless you want DDP or there is a package discount, it's usually cheaper to book separately.

 

[lustergirl]

I like to have everything together.