The best travel deal you ever paid for?

[AndreaDM]

30 years ago or thereabout when American Airlines first started flying to Paris, AA offered a package that included air and hotel for a week in Paris for $199 a person. Needless to say we signed up ASAP. Great trip.
we’ve also done several Gate One trips and I’ve always found their trips very affordable specially to India snd also Viet Nam.

We used Gate 1 to go to Germany & France a few years ago, it was a great deal! It wasn't a guided tour, but if I ever were to take a guided tour I wouldn't hesitate to book with them. The advertised package had the airfare out of NYC, but they were able to fly us out of our small airport in Ohio for like an extra $30 pp.

 

[Darcy03231]

7 day cruise for 2 out of Galveston, airfare, hotel, and shuttle for a total of $1,327. Booked it 2 weeks before we left.

 

[melissalovesfigment]

Not exactly an advertised travel deal. We had booked a trip to Glacier NP last summer (peak Covid time). We had 10 nights in Hilton chain hotels booked that averaged $120 a night. Most weren't open at the time and we were given the option for our money back or a voucher to use at any standard room in any Hilton in the world. We used the 10 nights at the Grand Wailea (a Waldorf Astoria resort) in Maui in February. Hubby is a Hilton diamond member, so we were upgraded to the club level with free breakfast, drinks and appetizers in the evenings, etc plus a $40 a day credit that we used for lunch. We basically paid $120 a night for a $850 a night room. That will probably never happen again.

 

[HeatherC]

Probably a Skyauction deal in Orlando. We were traveling to Disney with extended family and I found a deal at Orange Lake resort for a 2 bedroom villa for $199 for the week. Three families booked them and we were able to have 16 people stay for a week for $600. We had a blast and the resort was beautiful.

 

[HeatherC]

Probably a Skyauction deal in Orlando. We were traveling to Disney with extended family and I found a deal at Orange Lake resort for a 2 bedroom villa for $199 for the week. Three families booked them and we were able to have 16 people stay for a week for $600. We had a blast and the resort was beautiful.

When Allegiant air was starting up, we flew to/from Massachusetts-Orlando a few times for $39 pp roundtrip...that was a good deal. We've found lots of deals over the years on airfare-even if it meant driving a little farther to get the deals.

were able to score a couple trips on Southwest to Orlando for $49 from Providence many years ago too. Miss those days!

 

[snappy]

I found a a room at the Hilton Bonnet Creek in Orlando on Priceline when trolling kayak one summer about 4 years ago. All rooms were listed for the price of the resort fee. Naturally I booked 2 of the best suites, one for my husband and myself and another for our adult daughter and her friend who were traveling with us. I think the suite we were in was more than 2,000 square feet. I had trouble keeping track of our stuff in that room. It really was too large

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I thought our $116 r/t airfare from ORD (Chicago O'Hare) to NYC for 2012 spring break was a deal, but you all put me to shame.

 

[808blessing]

A few years ago I got a $9 a day Orlando rental car. Plus taxes and fees. Rented for a week for about $100.

 

[fofinia]

January 2002- Post 9/11 Our first Annual Pass rate trip. Booked All Stars for $45 a night. My sister booked Grand Floridian for about $125. I really wanted to stay there. But even the CM on the phone was like-"You can't beat $45!"

Also 5 days before Xmas break in 2013. Found Bonnet Creek 2 bedroom on Ebay for $400 opening bid with no bids. For the entire 7 days of Xmas break. I bid it and won! Called my sister and said "Hey you free next week?" We drove to her house and picked her and the kids up and that was our "Surprise Disney Trip" No plans, no expectations. Super fun!

 

[fabfemmeboy]

Our first Disney trip. $10 airfare because it was JetBlue's 10th birthday, so for two of us roundtrip it was $40. Single-day free park tickets from the Give-a-day/Get-a-day promotion. And I had a free Hotels.com night so we paid one night for All-Stars and got one free. So the total trip was about $130 plus food. Oh, and the $20 to take the megabus to get to New York so we could take the $10 flight down to Florida! All of it booked with a day's notice because I'd just had a trial postponed after working like 3 70-hour weeks in a row.

My god were we broke at the time!

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Last year we traveled a couple of times to Florida for $11 each way from Milwaukee to Orlando.

I was spoiled last year with super cheap flights, I'm really going to miss them we flew from Dallas to Fort Lauderdale for $18 each way and to Orlando for $49rt on American.
Now I'm checking and they are 199 RT still a good deal but not when you have to pay for 4 people.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Back in the day of Airtran, they regularly had $25 direct flights from Canton-Akron, Ohio to NYC. We'd fly out early Sat. morning and back Sunday eve. only getting a room for one night but having 2 full days in the city. I had friends would would even fly out in the morning and back the same evening to see a matinee.

When Airtran first started flying out of Atlantic City, we got a similar deal. I think maybe $29 each way. We did the same Sat am departure, returning Sun evening and sent our kids to the shore with my parents. We stayed the one night at the Hilton Grand Vacation Club Tuscany. Dh thought I was crazy to stay for one night until we actually got there and relaxed by the pool with a waterfall. Sooooo relaxing. We had a peaceful, uninterrupted dinner, walked around DS (then it was DTD) then flew home.

We currently have a ton of SWA points and a companion pass plus lots of unexpiring water park passes so I'd like to do a few weekends like that this summer except that now we’re like 15 years older and dh feels it's too rushed for a weekend. He will see the light. Again.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

January 2002- Post 9/11 Our first Annual Pass rate trip. Booked All Stars for $45 a night. My sister booked Grand Floridian for about $125. I really wanted to stay there. But even the CM on the phone was like-"You can't beat $45!"

Also 5 days before Xmas break in 2013. Found Bonnet Creek 2 bedroom on Ebay for $400 opening bid with no bids. For the entire 7 days of Xmas break. I bid it and won! Called my sister and said "Hey you free next week?" We drove to her house and picked her and the kids up and that was our "Surprise Disney Trip" No plans, no expectations. Super fun!

We got the All Stars Sports for $49/nt for Nov/Dec 2001. It was so empty in MK that we could ride Splash Mountain a second time without having to get out of our boat because no one else was waiting in line.
Too bad, it was our first onsite stay and we were so clueless; we only stayed 5 nights. RT flights from Philly were only $112.

One would think that the great prices were due to lower travel demand post 9-11 but the truth is we got a post card in the mail with the offer over Labor Day weekend. We had plans to visit Hershey park the next weekend and I wanted to wait to see how ds21, then not even 1.5 yrs old, would handle being in a hotel. So after the HP visit, I decided to book the Disney trip. Back then you could put flights on hold so I did that on 9.10.01 and went into work on 9.11 hoping to get approval for the time off.
The rest is history.

Back in 2005-7ish, before Harry Potter came to USO, they offered APs at "buy 1 year, get the 2nd year free"
We jumped on that!

 

[Heather07438]

We wanted to take a trip to WDW before the crowds stay crazy again for the 50th and beyond. In late January I found a DVC rental at Boardwalk $144/nt for Sept including all taxes, fees and free resort parking. Coming in early Sunday and leaving early Saturday for $720 POP would’ve cost us more with the parking fee. It doesn’t have the flexibility of a cash stay but the trade off works for us.

 

[808blessing]

We wanted to take a trip to WDW before the crowds stay crazy again for the 50th and beyond. In late January I found a DVC rental at Boardwalk $144/nt for Sept including all taxes, fees and free resort parking. Coming in early Sunday and leaving early Saturday for $720 POP would’ve cost us more with the parking fee. It doesn’t have the flexibility of a cash stay but the trade off works for us.

Nice! That reminds me of how I eventually bought my DVC in the first place. I got 4 nights Thanksgiving weekend, island view at Aulani for $180 a night total. Last minute rental. First time renting last year. Sheesh, can’t believe I almost forgot that one. Got me calculating how to do it again and again reliably so I bought a DVC contract.

 

[stout]

2005 trip from Chicago to Florence Italy. Booked through Alitalia Airlines. $499 per person. That included: flights, transfers to hotel, hotel for 5 nights, breakfast each morning, and a full day tour with lunch.

 

[808blessing]

That is amazing!!!! ^ I also went up to add the year of all my deals. I think that’s pretty critical.

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Hmm ... I've been lucky to have several, though maybe not as good as a few of these posted.

Around 2001/2002 had a valid AP and saw a good airfare rate - So I had a week at WDW staying at All Star for $49/night after flying for $75 R/T.

Back when the room price at WDW was set based on the day you check in we had a trip planned over Christmas. At that time early/mid December was Value season, Christmas was Premier. So, I booked our vacation to start on 12/19, drove down with all the luggage and the wife and daughter flew down (no luggage needed) on the 21st. Stayed at AKL over Christmas and New Years for $109/night , and I calculated I saved $1,200 simply by extending the trip 2 days.

Last - cruising the web one night and saw a Marriot deal. Book three nights at one of their timeshare style resorts in Orlando. Booked it for the three nights and upgraded to 2 bedroom for a total of $750. It was the add-on that made it so nice - Dolphin Swim Tickets to Discovery Cove, which included a week's admission to Seaworld. The D.C. tickets alone were worth the room cost.

 

[SweetPeasMom2]

My daughter cheers. The program she started in always had their National competition the 1st full weekend in Jan. So many weekends this was actually New Years weekend. The hotel the comp was at is Rosen Shingle. Our group rate for our room was like $140 per night (still a deal since they are well over $200 normally). Well they had a deal leading up to New Years on booking.com for $75 per night. There was a computer glitch that had that rate through our stay. Several of us jumped on it. They honored it but quickly fixed the issue.

There was a really good deal several years ago for AK lodge. I don't remember the details exactly but I do remember it would have been like $1200 for close to a week stay for room, dining and PH for my family of 4. Still kicking myself that I didn't push DH harder on that one.

 

[Marionnette]

Does anyone remember the $11/night room glitch at Disney in 2005? It lasted for about 5 days before it was fixed but Disney honored the price. There were people staying Christmas thru New Years for just over $100 when taxes were factored in.