reservations...resort or plane first???

[cwt580]

so hard to plan our stay. plane tix arent available for most airlines more than 6 months out. Disney still hasnt released pkg rates for 2013.....

4 adults only....wife and I...college daughter and her roomate. We are staying at WL(when pkgs get released)...


already got our timeoff approved from work and daughter graduates college 1 week before we go.


so worried about planning,costs etc and at less than a yr to go im getting restless to get it planned.


also i know wdw releases pkgs normally during end of july/begin of aug, should a make res first then get plane tix or just reserve plane tix through disney at that time? weird if disney can get reservations for airlines before the airlines even release dates. My biggest issue with disney resrvations for plane is seat assignments.

insight or your normal strategy would be appreciated.....

 

[loveadobie]

I usually buy my airline tickets separate from Disney package. I find I can shop around leaving from some different airports in the area, looking for the best deal.

 

[Disneymama5816]

As a TA, I would tell my clients this...make your Disney reservations and place the deposit ($200 totally refundable outside of 45 days) I would not have Disney do the air. If you try to cancel with them, you will have more penalties/restrictions than just booking it yourself. If you do decide to use them for air, you can get the confirmation code and do seating on your own via the net. You should have a fairly good idea what an inexpensive ticket costs. Keep watching the fares and when there is a deal (usually after the first of the year or after each of the big holidays) book it. Good Luck!

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I always book resort first, then plane. I do that because I'm usually trying to book using a GP discount or a PIN. Sometimes I have to adjust my arrival date to get the discount to work at the resort of my choice. While I normally fly SW to MCO, and therefore have no fees for changing my flights, it's still easier for me to get the resort ressie worked out first.

 

[DebbieB]

I usually do resort first, it's easier to change.

 

[Mariep26]

Similar to the pp, I do resort package first and then airfare. This allows me to adjust my dates to take advantage of any promotions. I always price out the airfare to see where I will be approximately but almost always book after. This last trip my goal was to pay for the majority of the airfare with miles so I was very conscious of the air portion of my trip very early on. For example, for our December trip, I booked in February with our TA and I just bought our airfare in June when it hit my strike price.

 

[vettegirl]

I always book resort then air. I track the airfare a few months out and normally get a very reasonable flight, you just have to be dedicated to checking it daily as airfare can change very quickly. Good Luck

 

[cwt580]

im worried about waiting for flights because of fares constantly rising and the availabilty of 4 seats on same flight. somewhat limited of where we can fly from.....


and we want a nonstop flight if not through disney......

 

[glenpreece]

9/10 I will book my air first then hotel The only exception to this was for my upcoming trip in Oct for my vday the dates were set in stone and we rented DVC points so I booked the rental first and then waited for a cheaper flight. I like to book my flight first so I can get it as cheap as possible then I'll pick my stay afterwards cause usually the deal is for my entire stay not just part of it.

 

[cwt580]

Do u book direct w carriers or use expedia etc.......

 

[dis_guy]

Like most here I book the resort first, then the airfare. Just be careful when checking out airfares. On one of our trips we saved on airfare by going 3 days earlier, so our week became 10 days and we actually saved a few hundred dollars in the process.

 

[tiawolfe]

We booked airfare for our February trip three weeks ago, and have yet to book anything at Disney. I couldn't believe that several of the major airlines beat Disney!

If you find a good deal on airfare, I wouldn't wait to book it. Our roundtrip tickets cost $225, which is more than we have ever paid. They are now well over $400!

I am HOPING that packages come out SOON- like tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!1

 

[Pakey]

Room first, then airfare. Even tho I come from a small airport on the west coast with limited choices, I still book hotel first.

I have frequent flier status with one airline so I always check that airline first. I will use expedia to price compare but then I book directly with the chosen airline.

 

[Mariep26]

Do u book direct w carriers or use expedia etc.......

I always book directly with the carriers. Usually do my research on Kayak.

 

[KatieKat]

I'm a last minute girl(sort of). Last minute being a 2 months out. Our dates are usually semi-flexible as long as I know the month we want to go, but we wait until the special offers come out to book both at the same time.

 

[cwt580]

okay we are watching flight prices.... if we come a day early and get a room only reservation for the first night, how can we link ME to both the room only(p/u at MCO) and pkg for remainder 6 days(return to MCO)????


cheaper to fly in the night before late like 9pm....

 

[cwt580]

okay ... busy day. we actually booked flights(plane over 1/2 booked already) and first night room only reservation(later arrival at MCO 7:45pm). i forgot to add ME p/u to res. can i do that online? or do i have to call back?


EDIT>>>called back and added ME p/u for arrival night.

 

[ppony]

Never mind, just saw that you booked air.

 

[jenrose66]

so hard to plan our stay. plane tix arent available for most airlines more than 6 months out. Disney still hasnt released pkg rates for 2013.....

4 adults only....wife and I...college daughter and her roomate. We are staying at WL(when pkgs get released)...


already got our timeoff approved from work and daughter graduates college 1 week before we go.


so worried about planning,costs etc and at less than a yr to go im getting restless to get it planned.


also i know wdw releases pkgs normally during end of july/begin of aug, should a make res first then get plane tix or just reserve plane tix through disney at that time? weird if disney can get reservations for airlines before the airlines even release dates. My biggest issue with disney resrvations for plane is seat assignments.

insight or your normal strategy would be appreciated.....

I usually have a ballpark idea of when I would like to go. I then book my airfare for the days that have the best price and then I book my Resort.

 

[cwt580]

thats what i wanted to do after thinking about it... why i booked airfare today....