Questions, questions???

[wilma-bride]

For those of you who book package deals to Orlando, please tell me the following:

1. Which tour operator(s) you have used.
2. Rate them out of 10 (1 being lowest) for
a) flight
b) before and after sales service
c) value for money
3. Do you book well in advance or leave it fairly late before booking

For those who book independantly, could you please tell me:
1. Who you have booked flights with
2. Whether you stayed on/off site and who you booked with
3. Rate as per Q2. above
4. As Q3. above

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to decide how/when to book for next year

 

[gilld]

We have both booked a package and "done it all ourselves"

Package:
1 - Virgin Holidays
2a - 7
2b - 7
2c - 8
3 - We book as early as the brochures come out, and often do an advance registration!

Do it ourselves:
1 - Virgin Holidays F/D
2 - On site - booked direct with Disney
3 - Flights - 7, hotel value for money - 8, service before and after - 10
4 - Booked as early as possible, though have added extra nights a day or so before.

Hope that is what you're after!

 

[PigglyWiggly]

Hi

Ive travelled once with Travelcity Direct in 2001 and have booked with them again this year (only 5 weeks to go !!)

Ratings:

Flight 8 (was American Transair but they now have own fleet of Jumbos)
Service 8 - didnt have any problems booking or with any additions to booking
Value for money 10 - was definitely much cheaper than any other. This year we have saved about £600 booking with them compared to Virgin for the same hotel
This year we booked 12 weeks in advance

Hope this helps


2001 Travelodge Maingate East
2005 Best Western (was La Quinta Inn Lakeside)

 

[Frances999]

We did a package holiday with Virgin on our first trip. We paid a fortune, and (thanks to these boards) we have booked separately every time since.

Package:
1. Virgin Holidays
2 a) 9 (PE)
b) 8
c) 6
3. About one year in advance

DIY:
1. Expedia, Travelplanners, Direct with Virgin Atlantic
2. Onsite. Directly with CRO (Disney in Orlando) or Dreams Unlimited Travel.
3. Flights: 9 (PE), Hotel value for money: 9, Service before and after: 9
4. Usually less in advance. About 6-8 months out.

 

[wilma-bride]

Thanks for the replies so far. For those who have done both Package and DIY, do you think you saved money by doing it DIY? The other concern I have for DIY is that neither DH or I particularly want to drive while we are there (which is why we tend to stay at hotels with courtesy transport).

So, did you save money (and how much, if you don't mind saying)?
And, is it possible to arrange transport from airport to hotel and not have a car.

Aside from anything else, although I understand a car gives you a lot more freedom, doesn't it bump the price up again once you've paid for all the insurances etc?

 

[Frances999]

Thanks for the replies so far. For those who have done both Package and DIY, do you think you saved money by doing it DIY? The other concern I have for DIY is that neither DH or I particularly want to drive while we are there (which is why we tend to stay at hotels with courtesy transport).

So, did you save money (and how much, if you don't mind saying)?
And, is it possible to arrange transport from airport to hotel and not have a car.

Aside from anything else, although I understand a car gives you a lot more freedom, doesn't it bump the price up again once you've paid for all the insurances etc?

We definitely saved money booking DIY. However, this is probably because we stay in Disney resorts and use discount codes (such as an AP discount or AAA discount). If we were staying off-site then package may be just as cheap and easier. We usually save over £1,000 compared to Virgin's brochure prices.

If you stay in a Disney onsite resort, then you can make use of the new DME (Disney's Magical Express) service which offers complimentary transportation from Orlando International Airport to your Disney Resort (and back again). Then, you have free use of the excellent onsite Disney transportation from your resort to the parks/water parks etc. It can be done easily without a car.

As for the hire car bumping up the price, I have purchased holiday rental car insurance here in the UK from NatWest for £75. Then, I booked online in $USD for a rental car, and will decline all of their insurances when we arrive. The way the car rental companies make most of their money is from the over-priced insurance they offer.

HTH

 

[gilld]

We have actually found it more costly to DIY at times - it all depends. I agree about hiring the car elsewhere though, Virgin REALLY bump up the insurance price but we like the convenience of getting it all together and don't worry too much about the cost.

 

[Pigsty333]

You have to do your work. I have heard horror stories this past week from UK travelers, who thought that their tour companies had booked car, tickets to all parks, etc.

We met someone who went to Universal and was told that no tickets were purchased on their package so they had to pay to get in the park. We were at the Sandford Airport picking up a family member and we have two stories: Couple went to get their car - no car on their voucher but the insurance was charged. We found out that our niece was coming to Orlando and we spoke to her 3 weeks prior to arriving in Orlando and asked her to cancel the hotel. She was told that she could not do it. While at the airport we went to the tour company counter and they informed her that she could have done all this prior to leaving home, and since she did not cancel within 72 hrs., she would be penalized a night. However, they gave her a voucher saying that she opted not to take the hotel. Upon bringing it back home and showing it to her travel agent and basically arguing with them - they reimbursed her the total amount.

You need to check and double check your documents. Don't be araid to ask one hundred questions. That is why you pay your money, it is your vacation and your spending.

As a travel agent, I hate it when I see agents and companies taking advantage of guests. A stay inside Disney is not all that expensive, when you break it all down and compare.

Also, check Disney's UK site to get all kinds of updates and prices:

http://www.disney.co.uk

If you have questions, please don't hesitate to contact me and I will answer any questions to the best of my knowledge.