Question on using Orbitz

[WINTER]

Is there a downside to using Orbitz?

 

[JohnDaleswife]

Possible $25 cancel fee.

 

[TJA]

I've booked Disney trips with Orbitz a fair amount of times. My only downsides are:

> the (new) $25 cancel fee. This fee makes it inconvenient to change dates or any other aspect of your trip. When booking directly through Disney, it's so easy to just make reservation changes right online in MDE.

> Having to call Orbitz after booking to get a Disney confirmation # to link to MDE account. Not a big deal at all, just a minor inconvenience. People here on the DIS are saying if we wait 5 or so days that we'll get the Disney confirmation # automatically via email, but I only waited 3 days. Will try to be patient next time!

Otherwise, I don't hesitate to use Orbitz when the savings are significant. I've never had any problems.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Also, be aware that you cannot book a package.

 

[AngiTN]

And you must pay in full at the time of booking

 

[Wood Nymph]

We've used Orbitz twice and didn't have any problems with our reservation. The only downside for us was not being able to make any changes to our reservation at the last minute when I found out about major construction at our resort just a few days before we arrived. If I had booked the trip through Disney or a travel agent then I could have been able to call them to change the reservation. But with an Orbitz reservation my only option would have been to cancel and rebook at rack rate.

 

[tgarre06]

I've used Orbitz/CheapTickets twice. We saved hundreds with a promo code, so it was worth it to us. However, I disliked not be able to add the dining plan. We did a trip with 8 family members, and not being able to add the dining plan was a bigger pain than I thought. I was constantly budgeting food money for all of us the whole trip.

 

[fla4fun]

You can often save a significant amount of money, especially if they are matching a general public discount Disney is offering and then you can apply a code on top. But if you are the type of person who likes to make a lot of changes to your reservation, it's not going to be a good fit for you. I'm the type of person who usually doesn't make any changes at all once I get to the point where I'm booking the room. If the savings is very minimal, I will typically book with Disney, but when you start talking about saving in the hundreds (which can happen if your stay is deluxe or a long one) then it's a no-brainer for me.

There are also some times that either the resort or my dates don't line up with any Disney special offer. This happens to me a lot in early December. So if I can find a 20% off code for a resort that Disney isn't discounting at all, that's a no-brainer for me as well.

 

[WINTER]

Having to call Orbitz after booking to get a Disney confirmation # to link to MDE account. Not a big deal at all, just a minor inconvenience. People here on the DIS are saying if we wait 5 or so days that we'll get the Disney confirmation # automatically via email, but I only waited 3 days. Will try to be patient next time!

I have called Orbitz and talked to 2 different people who are clueless on the conf. # to connect my MDE acct.

 

[tgarre06]

I have called Orbitz and talked to 2 different people who are clueless on the conf. # to connect my MDE acct.

Tell them you need the Disney hotel confirmation number, not the Orbitz confirmation number. If they don't know what you're talking to about, ask them to call disney and request the information you need. They will put you on hold and call Disney direct. Hang in there!

 

[AngiTN]

I always had good luck with their online chat. Maybe try that?

 

[WINTER]

Tell them you need the Disney hotel confirmation number, not the Orbitz confirmation number. If they don't know what you're talking to about, ask them to call disney and request the information you need. They will put you on hold and call Disney direct. Hang in there!

Finally! I don't know why I couldn't have called Disney in the first place. But by going through Orbitz I did save $109.04.

 

[tgarre06]

Finally! I don't know why I couldn't have called Disney in the first place. But by going through Orbitz I did save $109.04.

Glad it worked!