WDW Newbie

[kroy2004]

What is the best and cheapest way to book your WDW vacations? Do you go through travel agents, online sites like expedia or did you go through the disney site itself?

This is the first time trip for my husband and myself (never been past Virginia) and we really want to get the most bang for our buck as this will be the last trip before we expand our family to 4 (we have a 2 year old who will be staying with his grammy).

I have the dates picked out (September 6th-September 13th), would like to fly out of Bangor (we live in eastern Canada) and want to stay at the Pop Century resort. So what next?

Everyone seems so wonderful and helpful on this site but reading other threads, I seem to be confusing myself . Should I wait for deals to book? Should I at least book my airfare? Is the DDP worth it for two adults? Should I bother trying for the Free DDP? Thank you all for you help!!

 

[tiggerfan1]

Welcome to the DIS boards!! Yay! Your first trip to WDW! How exciting!

A lot of people like to book their trips through a travel agency, but when I booked my family's last trip to WDW, I decided to book our trip "a la carte". You'll probably get better answers about travel agencies and trip packages if you post your question on the Theme Park Attractions and Strategies board. If you're sure that you want to go during the dates that you mentioned, you should definitely book your airfare first. (Well, maybe it's a little early. How about next month? ) You should check WDW's official website (disneyworld.com) and mousesavers.com for special WDW deals. (Sign up for the free Mousesavers newsletter!) If you haven't already done so, you should get a good guide book to help you with your planning ( I really like the Unofficial Guide to WDW). In my opinion, it helps you to be more organized as you plan.

I think that the Pop Century resort is a great choice for a Disney value hotel. A lot of the other DISers really seem to love that resort. On our recent trip, my family and I stayed at an off-site hotel that offered a free deluxe breakfast. It was really a great deal, but we missed out on getting the perks of staying on Disney property.

Unfortunately, I can't answer your DDP question. I suggest posting your question on the Disney Dining Plan board. You'll probably get a lot of great feedback there. I hope this helps! Happy trip planning!

 

[lovetoscrap]

to the DIS! You have come to the right place


Deciding between booking yourself and using a travel agent to get the best deals is really a matter of how much time you want to devote to staying on top of any discounts and trying to arrange changes.

If you like to have the control of doing it all yourself and you have the time to monitor the websites like this one daily, particularly in the mornings, to make sure you know as soon as a discount is available. They you need to call and try to have it applied to your reservation. It isn't difficult, but it can be time consuming. You also will have to do the math and try to figure out if you are better off with a package or booking it all seperate. It often depends on the deal. You can do the research here at our www.wdwinfo.com site, on mousesavers.com and you also might want to check out our Codes and Rates forum: http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=93

The last few years Disney has offered their Dining Plan for free during the time period you are thinking about. That would make a package worth it, over booking a room and tickets seperately.

If you feel overwhelmed or just really would rather let somone else do the research and work I recommend a travel agent--and make sure it is one that specializes in Disney or they probably won't get you the best deals or know when discounts are coming out. It is no additional cost to you, the TA gets paid by Disney so you would still pay the same. Dreams Unlimited is an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and the specialize in Disney. They are also this board's sponsor and have many happy customers here. From their website:

. . . between the time you book with Dreams, and the time you depart on your vacation, we are constantly looking for any special offers or discounts that were not available when you first made your reservation. If you're eligible for a lower rate, we'll have it applied.

You can always contact them for a quote and talk to them about how they can help you. Here is their website: http://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/


I have booked my last few trips myself but am reaching the point that I think the next time I will use a TA. I just have to much to do to keep up with if a discount has come out and I like the idea of having it applied automatically.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Forgot something!

If you know when you want to go, and where you want to stay then you should go ahead and book your room now, or as soon as you can. That way you have your choice booked. Then if a discount code comes out you can call Disney (if you are doing it yourself) and have them appy it to lower your rate. It is possible that it won't be available for where you are booked, so you may have to be willing to switch resorts if you want the discount.

Same if you use a TA. Book as soon as you can and let them keep track of applying any discounts.

If Free Dining is announced then the resorts will get filled up.

 

[Rylee]

What is the best and cheapest way to book your WDW vacations? Do you go through travel agents, online sites like expedia or did you go through the disney site itself?

This is the first time trip for my husband and myself (never been past Virginia) and we really want to get the most bang for our buck as this will be the last trip before we expand our family to 4 (we have a 2 year old who will be staying with his grammy).

I have the dates picked out (September 6th-September 13th), would like to fly out of Bangor (we live in eastern Canada) and want to stay at the Pop Century resort. So what next?

Everyone seems so wonderful and helpful on this site but reading other threads, I seem to be confusing myself . Should I wait for deals to book? Should I at least book my airfare? Is the DDP worth it for two adults? Should I bother trying for the Free DDP? Thank you all for you help!!

Hi,

For the past couple of years, the dates you have chosen, are when they have offered free dining, (who knows if it will be offered this year) so I would, at least, go ahead and make a room reservation, you can always convert it to a package later, but at least you have the room.

We love the DP! I couldn't stand to eat Counter Service (CS) all week, it's a nice break in the day, and we love the different themes and atmosphere of our favorite Table Service (TS) restaurants. (I always scheduled one TS meal per day, even before the DP.) DH thinks it is a value for our family and likes having it paid for in advance. Go to "allears" and read a few menus and prices. Do you and your DH enjoy fine dining and relaxing at meal time or (some lavishly theme or just plain fun places) or are you content to grab it and go at CS locations? The DP is $37.99 per adult, $76. for 2 adults, times (X) the number of nights you are staying. Can you eat, as you would like to, for under $76. Even if you decide you don't want the DP, but do want to have/experience a few TS meals, you need to make Advance Dining Reservations (ADR) or you may not get into the TS restaurants... especially if free dining is offered when you are there.

I have always booked directly with Disney, over the phone. If you use an agency, be sure, as the previous poster (PP) said, to use someone who specializes in Disney vacations.

 

[byoung]

Welcome to the DIS!!!

 

[kroy2004]

Thank you everyone for your help! I have booked my flights and am now waiting to hear back from my TA to see whether she can get a better price or if I should just go through Disney. I have a feeling I will be going through Disney. I have another question about the DDP, I'll ask here but I'll post in the dining thread as well.

How do you spread out your meals? If I choose two attend to signature meals which will require 2x TS meals both times, how do I spread out the other meals for the week? Its so like me to be concerned about the food ?

Thanks DISer's!!!