Travel Agents - Unbelievably expensive

[crim1978]

So does anyone actually pay travel agents prices?

We have priced up our trip by ringing the hotel (Holiday Inn) and booking the tunnel ourselves. And will but APs on arrival.

Six nights in november for 4 adults and 3 kids - 2 adjoining hotel rooms totals just under £700 and tunnel £125 for the car, so £825 all in plus passes.

I was stuck in town for half an hour the other day with nothing to do and went to pick up a christmas brochure when the lady asks me if I want a price. I think OK I've got time to kill why not.

The exact same package £2000!!!

How can they justify it? Who pays those prices?

Anyway, more spending money available!!

Roll on

 

[poppie123]

I completely agree with you.
When i was looking to book i found that Thomas Cook Signature, Cresta and Ledger was sooooooooo expensive. Thomas Cook was probably the most expensive out of the lot.
I booked through First Choice who themselves then book through Disney direct,( it was the exactly the same price as disney quoted). Going with Thomas Cook it would have cost me £400 more.

It's just a shame i didn't know about this site because it seems alot of people make their own arrangements. If i had of booked rooms through Expedia, traveled via Eurostar or Easyjet and got Annual passes, i could have saved about £150.

Still i know for next time.

 

[giuly09]

I am in Italy and i organized and booked our holiday by myself.
I saved about 500 euros: we payed 1700 and the TA asked for *at least* 2200 but could had been more!!!!

 

[cantwait!!!!!!!!!!!!]

This is my first post so hi
I wish I could find the good savings you all seem to. Im trying to book the explorers hotel for 3 nights plus eurostar and passes (3 nights ) and whichever way I do it through a travel agent or booking it all individually it ends up the same price. Do you think its because its the Easter holidays ? We have to go then as Im a teacher.

 

[thelittlemermaid83]

I went through the TA, first choice who book thr disney direct and i book eurostar seperatly. It was a lot cheaper then booking the whole package thro disney directly or at any other travel agent.

 

[kevankiki]

Does it have to be the Explorers cantwait? I think the Holiday Inn works out cheaper, you book directly via their web site, or the Kyriad is still cheaper than the Explorers I think. All these hotels, and the Dream Castle which is usually more, are all on the same site and served by the same shuttle.

If you collect Tesco vouchers and convert them to air miles then you can use these to book the Eurostar too, you would need quite a few though, so probably not practical for this trip. Changing at Lille can sometimes bring the cost down too, adds an hour to the journey though.

Welcome to the DIS!

 

[giuly09]

This is my first post so hi
I wish I could find the good savings you all seem to. Im trying to book the explorers hotel for 3 nights plus eurostar and passes (3 nights ) and whichever way I do it through a travel agent or booking it all individually it ends up the same price. Do you think its because its the Easter holidays ? We have to go then as Im a teacher.

Welcome here

I wonder if it could be because you say you try to book the Explorer and the passes separately.
If you go via the DLPR site you will be able to book the hotel AND the passes togheter and save money i think. It could be worth trying anyway

 

[cantwait!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Thanks for the replies
We fancied the explorers because of the cabin bit you can book with bunk beds in for the kids. I always find it a nightmare getting them to sleep when we are all together. Then we either have to read with the lights low or go to sleep, I fancied a bit of privacy to watch tv, have a glass of wine etc.
Ive tried disney direct and when you add eurostar on its the same price, I dont think Ive tried first choice so I wil try them
Ive read loads of the threads and found them really helpful so thanks all of you !

 

[kevankiki]

Ive tried disney direct and when you add eurostar on its the same price, I dont think Ive tried first choice so I wil try them
Ive read loads of the threads and found them really helpful so thanks all of you !

Is this booking Eurostar as part of the booking? Disney Direct quoted us £100 more than we are paying for Eurostar, so it's cheaper to book Eurostar direct with Eurostar I think. Then just book the hotel and tickets through Disney Direct

 

[Cyrano]

Hi cantwait!!!!!!!!!!!! and welcome to DLP DIS board
We are a friendly bunch here so please join in on any other thread or if you have a number of questions then just start a new thread for each

If you have not had a look yet, DLP posting rules are here, DIS posting guidelines can be found here and details regarding help on signatures here

 

[jillrobinson]

Before last year's trip I priced up options from lots of tour operators including Disney Direct and First Choice came out cheapest, it's worth taking into account the prices charged for character breakfasts and Buffalo Bill's especially because I found there was quite a significant difference in the charges for the additional extras, which affected the overall price.

We've been with Leger 3 times, first time pre DIS I didn't even think to check around, just realised it was cheaper than we'd previously paid to Thomson, and twice because I've used my Tesco Clubcard deals to pay for the hol.

 

[**TINKS**]

we have always booked with first choice whom booked everything directly with cresta holidays and we have paid around £1200 each time ... but that is including direct flights from edinburgh which can bump the price up a tad ...

 

[Ware Bears]

We were quoted over £2000 for our first trip (can't remember who with) and Disney wanted over £1900 so we that's when we ended up going DIY and saved mega££££. But packages can work out cheaper as I found when working figures out for DH's work colleague, and also for my brother-in-law. I think it depends on when you are going, who is in your party and where you want to stay. I think the only answer is to numbercrunch each time.

 

[Ware Bears]

Hi cantwait!!!!!!!!!!!!, welcome to the DIS!

If you look at the Hotel sticky at the top of the page there is a link to a thread with all the websites that DISers have booked offsite hotels through.

Have you priced up the Holiday Inn? Although they don't offer the separate cabin room like the Explorers, their bunk beds have a curtain round which would afford you some degree of privacy.

 

[crazygunuk]

for the past 3 years we have always booked through Thomson, who booked us through Thomas Cook Signature cheaper than the Thomas Cook staff could

price wise I thought they were pretty cheap...2 adults + 3yr old son - £606 for self drive 4 nights/5 days at Montana room, Sequoia Lodge. Price includes Eurotunnel (but not our petrol of course!)

Oh, and going in last week of November!!

Do you all think booking direct with Disney would have been cheaper?

 

[Ware Bears]

Not necessarily. My brother-in-law found it cheaper to go through a travel agent rather than direct with Disney, although I don't know who the travel agent booked him with.

I always think if you're happy with the price you've paid then that's all that matters.

 

[Orion33]

I would love to set up a company doing holidays to dlp but like the TA's you have to make money and it seems so mean stuffing commission on top when i would want to make the holidays as cheap as possible!!!