Vacation Package vs Room only - Sept 2021

[PixieT78]

Hi all!

So we are contemplating booking now for our planned Sept 2021 trip. What we would LIKE to do, is book Pop Century for Sept 10-17, then once booking opens for AK Lodge is book there for Sept 17-20. Then we'll be moving on to Universal. Our dates are basically set in stone, unless the trip doesn't happen at all.

I was just going to do a room only booking and deal with tickets later because we are only going if there is a vaccine/treatment for coronavirus and there are no travel restrictions/self-isolation requirements. So I knew we could get all our money back. However, I believe since there would be no tickets involved, we could not do any park reservations.

Now that said, I believe if we do a vacation package, we still can cancel prior to 30 days in advance, including both tickets and hotel reservation and be able to do the park reservations now (though I don't really feel like they will matter next September because if they are still in effect, we likely won't be going). So Question 1: is that correct?

Question 2: we will want 10 days worth of tickets. If I book just the POP package, that will only give me 8 days of tickets. Question 2: if I upgrade on site, am I paying the difference from the July 2020 price for 8 days and the September 2021 price for 10 days? Or would I just pay the difference between the Sept 2021 price for 8 and 10 day tickets?

We'd also be eligible if there were CDN resident tickets and of course I'd love to see room discounts as well so that's something I'm also trying to keep in mind.

I'm open to ideas as how best to do this!

TIA!

 

[Robo]

I believe if we do a vacation package, we still can cancel prior to 30 days in advance, including both tickets and hotel reservation and be able to do the park reservations now So Question 1: is that correct?
Question 2: we will want 10 days worth of tickets. If I book just the POP package, that will only give me 8 days of tickets.
Question 3: if I upgrade on site,
A. am I paying the difference from the July 2020 price for 8 days and the September 2021 price for 10 days?
B. Or would I just pay the difference between the Sept 2021 price for 8 and 10 day tickets?

1. Correct. (Although you might not be able to book your park reservations for awhile. And, you'll likely want to change them up before your trip, anyway.)
2. Unless there is some sort of "special deal," you can buy 10-day tickets if you like.
3. Likely A.

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Yes you need to have purchased tickets and linked them to your MDE acct in order to make park reservations.

 

[cjlong88]

I would get the package for two reasons.

(1) You will get the park tickets at the current pricing. Prices will likely go up between now and Sept 2021. And you only need to pay the $200 deposit, which you would already have to do if you booked room only. So you aren't paying any more up front. And you can still cancel 30 days in advance and receive a full refund.

(2) You can reserve your park days. We don't know if they are going to change the park pass reservation system by 2021 of if they will continue to use this system for visiting the parks by the time our trip arrives. It all depends on how this virus plays out. For me, reserving the parks now gives me peace of mind.

 

[ClapYourHands]

1) correct
2) you don't have to have your tickets match your length of stay. Even if your Pop stay works out to 8 days, you could book tickets for 1 day or 10 days - your choice. Think about how many people arrive too late or leave too early to go to the parks on their first or last days, and how many people have resort days during their stays.
3) When upgrading, you pay the difference between what you paid and what the tickets now cost. I have base tickets purchased before the last price increase. I can't upgrade to hoppers (if that were even possible now) or add a day without needing to bring my purchase up to current ticket prices.

Also to consider - if you purchase room only and tickets separately, your room will be refundable up to 5 days before check in, but your tickets will be non-refundable. You can always use their purchase price towards the purchase of new tickets in the future, but you can't get your money back. That might be fine with you, or you might not want that money tied up with Disney for an indeterminate amount of time until you can make your trip happen. Since you wrote that you won't want to go to Disney in 2021 if the current restrictions are still in place, a fully-refundable package probably makes the most sense for your situation.

 

[PixieT78]

I thought I would be able to purchase 10 day tickets but it only gives me up to 8 days (see screenshot). But I do like the idea of booking the package so that the tickets are refundable.

 

[Robo]

I thought I would be able to purchase 10 day tickets but it only gives me up to 8 days (see screenshot). But I do like the idea of booking the package so that the tickets are refundable.

If you buy a "package," it doesn't really matter that you can't currently buy 10-day tickets, as things will likely change in the very long interim until your actual trip dates, You would be able to upgrade the tickets (from home) at such time as ticket rules change.

 

[ExtraMagic]

I modified my September 2020 reservation to September 2021. I’m usually a package person but feel so uncertain that I went with room only. I’ll add tickets closer to any “decision day.” We are driving distance and go enough that we’re flexible if some park reservations are unavailable. I think in your situation, I’d probably go with a package and 8 day tickets, though. Easy to cancel and I am certain that Disney would help you add the two extra days to your ticket.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I would get the package for two reasons.

(1) You will get the park tickets at the current pricing. Prices will likely go up between now and Sept 2021. And you only need to pay the $200 deposit, which you would already have to do if you booked room only. So you aren't paying any more up front. And you can still cancel 30 days in advance and receive a full refund.

(2) You can reserve your park days. We don't know if they are going to change the park pass reservation system by 2021 of if they will continue to use this system for visiting the parks by the time our trip arrives. It all depends on how this virus plays out. For me, reserving the parks now gives me peace of mind.

You said what I was going to say.
Disney is super flexable you can add everything then take stuff away. We started out with hoppers, dining and water parks. I one by one dropped them before my 30 days out. ( on my 4/20 trip)

 

[starousse]

I would just book the room/ticket packag and know you're covered. Additionally, it's only $200 down as opposed to booking room only which is one night deposit and obviously more.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I would just book the room/ticket packag and know you're covered. Additionally, it's only $200 down as opposed to booking room only which is one night deposit and obviously more.

When we rebooked our march trip, I planned on buying tickets from a 3rd party. I made a quick decision to add the park tickets thinking I could remove them later if needed. Less than a month later Disney stopped all sales. I truly believe in book everything you want and you can make changes along the way.