Vacation packages--which one to buy?

[djkreiter]

My family of 4 will be traveling to Disney in May 2002. Our children are 5 and 7 years old. While my husband has been to Disney years ago, this is the first trip for the kids and I so we want to make this an unbelievable experience. We are booked at the Grand Floridian with the Resort Magic Package. This package includes the Ultimate Park Hopper ticket and a Disney Character breakfast. I am considering upgrading to the Deluxe Magic package which also includes 3 meals a day, VIP fireworks viewings at both the Magic Kingdom and Epcot, VIP parade viewing at Animal Kingdom and unlimited resort recreation(boating etc). The package is approximately $3000 more for our 7 night/8 day trip. Is the extra expense worth it if we are planning on eating all meals at Disney anyway? What does the VIP viewings really get you.....thanks in advace for your help.

 

[B3LM]

First, welcome to the DIS!

IMHO, the packages are really a waste of money. If you break it down, you will almost always find that you'll do better by purchasing everything separately. We did the Deluxe Magic package that includes 3 meals a day when I was a kid. (a long time ago) We'd never do it again. It's way too much food and you end up wasting so much time eating that you miss out on a lot at the parks. Honestly, we usually only eat two real meals per day (generally a quick, light breakfast in our room, 1 sit-down meal, and 1 counter service meal).

JMHO
Beth

 

[Trekker]

IMHO

It is very tough to get your moneys worth out of these packages. 3 full meals a day is really hard to do.

I'm a little confused - 8 night/7 day - usually there is one more day than night - not more nights than days.

If you are going to be spending more than 7 days at WDW it usually is more cost effective to purchase Annual Passes instead of UMP tickets or park hoppers.

With the AP you can usually get a fairly decent discount at the resorts.

There are severl different types of discounts available in May also.

$$ The Nuts and Bolts of Disney Discounts 101 $$

Don't forget you can find all the info about all the discounts right here on the DIS! Just follow the links to the DIScount codes....


Also – Dreams Unlimited is a great travel service associated with these message boards. They do nothing but arrange Disney vacations. All the employees are Disney nuts just like the rest of us and are experts on what Disney has to offer. They will help you get the best rates, PSs for dining, etc. Give them a try; request a quote, what have you got to lose?

 

[Toby'sFriend]

You are going to find that most of the people on these boards aren't big package fans.

I especially wouldn't recommend one of the "Meal Included" packages with children that young. You're going to find that they would much rather be in the parks playing than sitting at a table eating. And you have to eat ALOT to make those packages worthwhile.

check this site for some ideas -

mousesavers.com


edited to remove link to a commercial site

 

[JerseyJanice]

Another thing to consider--

If the weather is bad or anyone gets sick, you will lose that time (and $$$) on Ultimate Passes.

If you buy Park Hoppers, though, the days you don't use are good forever. So if you decide after 2 or 3 days that you're exhausted from running around the parks, you can save that day on your park hoppers for a future visit.

Disney resorts offer so much to see and do that you don't need to be in the parks every day to have a great vacation. In addition to the theme parks, you can go to Downtown Disney for shopping and dining, and the Boardwalk for dining and entertainment. There's no admission to either of these places.

Also, Fort Wilderness has a petting zoo and pony ride that are very nice to visit. You can spend part of a day there, go to the Wilderness Lodge for lunch, and spend the remainder of the day at your resort. The pools are fab at WDW resorts.

 

[Gorechick]

If you are going to ugrade I would suggest the discovery magic plan. It has more options than the resort magic but not as expensive as the deluxe. There is a comparison of packages feature on disney.com.

 

[JulesMom]

We went on a package our first trip--because I didn't know any better. We probably paid a few hundred dollars more.

Consider using Dreams Unlimited Travel. They can assist you with any plans you need and will get the lowest rate available to you.

 

[Babblin'Boo]

Unless you have hundreds of dollars to burn, don't buy any packages! The biggest advantage of booking on your own is that things get done your way, saving you hundreds (or thousands).

If you book your flight online, you get to pick your own seats, no need to have an agent pick them for you or even skip that step altogether waiting for you to handle the matter at the airline's counter on departure day. If you call CRO or the offsite hotel directly, you may take advantage of available discounts and even make sure your special requests get noticed.

If you buy the tickets and passes on your own, you get the real thing! I know for a fact that AAA will charge you for booking your vacation and then send you off with vouchers for you to stand in all the lines as if you were buying the tickets in the first place anyway, to swap. Not worth it!

Neither Disney or the travel agency will itemize the cost of the trip for you. The flex features do not cost nearly as much as you'd come up with if you itemize them on your own, and don't even get me started with the "collectible pin"!

I booked two packages before I learned how I could do much better on my own. I have since been to WDW three times after that, and never missed anything in those packages. If I can do it, anyone else can!

 

[Dodie]

You'll quickly learn from reading these boards that Disney packages are rarely (if ever) the best deal.

Check into booking everything separately, including the purchase of tickets. Personally, I would never spend the extra money for the packages that include dining. Even with the cost of food around "the World," I have never understood how those programs are "worth it" to people.

 

[hoosll]

With the ages of your children, I would not recommend buying a pacakge - Ireally think they work better for adults who want a lot of sit down meals or families with older teens who like sit down meals and the recreational extras.

Put the money you would have spent on the package into travelers checks and spend those, you will come out ahead.

 

[renessa]

I think that people in general on all sites that have had a bad package deal in the past have a right to express their opinion on this, but there are some good deals on packages right now. I have read more and more good things about the discovery magic lately, and then CRO called to switch me from Pop Century to another resort....and offered me AKL Savanah for under $200/ night including tax (higher taxed county even). I priced out the UHP+ room, and found that my wishes were around $30 a piece...that's good. We were planning the passes for our honeymoon anyways, and we wanted to have nice meals- to slow us down (and cool off in July). I plan to write up a report after my trip. I know several others that plan to also. I will add the cost of the meals I used wishes on plus Cirque. I have researched so I know where to get good value for my $$$. I don't think I could eat 3 meals a day...so the deluxe plans would be a waist for me. The discovery still offers you VIP seating. I would check into the cost of childrens "wishes" versus the value (as I have no idea about the children's costs). Best of luck!!!

 

[Bob NC]

djkreiter, packages do have one thing going for them, convenience. If you're happy with the package and the price, by all means, go with it. We have done packages in the past, we even did the Grand Plan at the Poly. Even though it wasn't the most cost efficient way to go, we enjoyed being able to do things we may not have done if it meant pulling out the credit card all the time. With most package plans you really have to spend a lot of time concentrating on eating, lol, full sit down meals for EVERY meal.

Nowadays I enjoy doing the research and planning every facet of our vacations, it is just an extra added attraction that this also saves us money. If you like getting involved in everything and maybe saving a few dollars while paying for only what you want, then do the separate planning yourself. If you like the convenience of making one phone call, go wih the package.

 

[eeyore0062]

I am not a huge fan of the packages either. You will find, if you break it down, that you end up paying hundreds of dollars for that little extra "gift" that is usually offered with most of them.

Try mousesavers.com or this site to see if there are any discount codes for the time that you are planning to go.

You could also purchase the AP since you will be there more than 7 days, which could save you $100's of dollars on your resort rooms... only one person in your party would have to have one per each room reserved. However, you might want one for each of you, as it is cheaper than going with the 7 day hoppers, unless you plan on using the 4 days of water park/PI options...then go with the 7 day hopper plus for everyone else.

Or you could join the Disney Club which will offer you from 15-20% off of moderate accomodations or 10-15% off deluxe accomodations, depending on when you are planning to go. It can also be used to get discounts at some of the DTD stores, and some restaurants throughout WDW. It will also give you 10% off of purchases at the Disney Store, Disney Catalog, and Disney Online.

It is easy enough to make your reservations online or over the telephone... and you can make you PS the same way. With airlines and rental cars being so easy to book online now, you may as well do it yourself.

If you choose not to do it yourself, you can go through a travel agent, and still not get a package, though.

Have a great trip!

 

[MJames41]

As others have previously stated, packages are almost always not worth the price, especially with children. They are good for convenience (one of my goals in life is to get rich enough to be able to do the Grand Plan for 1 week at the Grand Floridian and 1 week at the Beach Club - talk about being pampered!). If cost is a factor, then packages (and the UMP) is usually not a good thing. You can get your money's worth out of packages, but it's a lot harder to do with kids (especially if all they want is a hamburger or hot dog). You have to work at it, eat at a lot of sitdown restaurants, and they allow you to be creative - to try things you might not otherwise have. I didn't fill out your poll because I don't know enough about you and your families habits - do you (and your kids) prefer Filet Mignon or Chicken Nuggets? or both? Will you be just going to the theme parks, or will you also be going to the water parks, DisneyQuest, Pleasure Island, etc.? Basically, it depends on what is most important - convenience or cost? If cost, then I would suggest not going with a package at all. If convenience, then I would suggest going with the Deluxe Magic. Whichever way you choose, I hope you have a great vacation and don't second guess yourself while you are there.

 

[mmcvay]

We used the Discovery Magic Plan for our November, 2001 trip. We loved the convenience but soon found out it was almost impossible to hold all that food! LOL Now you can spend your wishes on things other than food but we soon found out once again that we had plenty of Golf shirts, we didn't need more than 1 photo album, and the other things offered just didn't appeal to us or we didn't want to reserve time from our schedule for tours. We did have several meals that were well over $150.00, all were covered with our wishes. In order to "recoup" our investment we stuffed our selves for the first few days. We finally had to slow down and not leave happy plates. If you never had a plan, by all means try it once to see if it works for you. We've decided we just don't think we'll ever do a plan again. Whatever you decide to do, you'll have a magical time!

 

[Humpbacks1962]

Those packages are always a rip-off, benefiting Disney and who sells them.

Those of you thinking about purchasing a package, here's an FYI: Did you know that you'll be overcharged hundreds of dollars that, booking on your own and paying for everything they offer, you would not have to spend otherwise? OK, maybe you value the convenience, but, did you know you are contributing to your agent's and his family next vacation in Disney for free, at your expense? A couple of those packages put them onsite with most expenses paid... OUCH! I don't know how many wallets could bear to pay for those perks! Disney drains our wallet and still does not reward *us* that kindly!

Wanda

 

[Bob NC]

geez...Ya know....Some of us are fairly successful folks who don't need people running us into the ground for making vacation decisions. If I can afford to snap my fingers and purchase a package with one phone call, why should I have to listen to the rantings of people who obviously don't have the means to do as we do? If I am 'contributing to' my 'agent and his family's next vacation', that's fine with me. I also contribute to my dentists vacation, because I can't do my own dental work. I contribute to my mechanics vacation because I don't do my own car repairs. Just because you choose to plan your vacation in the way in which you do is no reason to demean the way other peope do.

Packages are not 'ALWAYS' a rip off. (Unless you are jealous that you can't afford them).

 

[lynr]

I prefer packages, because I like the idea of everything being paid for in advance. That being said, I spent the extra money last year and instead of the Deluxe Magic we went with the Grand Plan. In my opinion the extra money wasn't worth it. The Deluxe Magic covers everything we do. But my kids are teenagers and can take advantage of waterskiing, fishing, parasailing, cirque etc. They also eat a lot.
I'm not sure that anything other than Discover Magic would benefit you with your young children. Perhaps print out the different plan descriptions from the website and compare them to see which one, if any suits your needs.

 

[Humpbacks1962]

Dang Bob, that's got to be it! We are so "jealous" that we aren't willing to overpay hundreds of dollars in packages because, you know what, it is sweeter to know that I am capable enough to keep them in the pocket for *my* vacation instead!

I honestly believe some may be just too proud to admit that they may feel so insecure about handling a vacation on their own that would rather overpay someone else. But that is a subjective argument not related to the original poster's point, and irrelevant anyhow.

Oh, and my dentist and mechanic do not overcharge me hundreds of dollars in unitemized expenses, buddy. They'd be dealing with the State Attorney's Office of Consumer Protection for that. Add the license to such rip off to the list of perks, I guess!

Wanda

 

[Janet2k]

I have done packages before and really enjoyed their convenience. I have also done WDW without any packages, strictly paying as I go. I have had wonderful experiences that way, too. Will I do a package again in the future? You bet. Of course I will only purchase a package when it suits my family’s needs. Once I decide that it does, I will purchase it. If I decide that it doesn’t, I will pay as I go. Only you can decide what is right for your family.