What would you do? Need help deciding.

[jalmgiven]

As of right now there are no deals on the Disney website for Canadians for the month of April, which is when I’m planning on going. Costco Canada has finally come out with package deals. So now it is whether or not to book with Costco or full price straight thru Disney?

The disadvantage of booking thru Disney instead of Costco is that it will cost me an extra $300 Cdn plus another $150 Cdn in foreign exchange credit card fees.
The advantage to Disney is I have up to 30 days before I travel to get my money back if I have to cancel. Plus, if a better deal comes out, I can modify my reservation.

The advantage to Costco is that savings of $450 plus the 2% cash back I get for booking thru them. The disadvantage is 55% is nonrefundable as soon as I book. Which is the cost of the tickets. Costco said I could maybe get that back from Disney but not guaranteed.

We are not planning on canceling but both our dads are in their mid 80's so one never knows what could happen, though both are in good health.

What would you Disney experts do?

Also on a side note, I have heard of ones booking thru Disney and then transferring their reservation to Costco, but I don't understand why one wouldn't just book with Costco to start with. Any info on explaining this to me is also appreciated.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

First of all keep in mind that you do not actually lose that 55% (price of tickets). You do not get your money back but the tickets remain in your account for future use. Of course you will need to pay the difference in said future if the price goes up due to increases or time of travel.

Personally I would book with Disney and consider that extra $450 (I know the exchange is a killer) as insurance. Put down your $200 deposit and the balance does not need to be paid before 30 days of travel. Worst case scenario if you have to cancel less than 30 days before travel you would lose that $200 deposit and you would also lose money on your refund due to exchange rates. A way around this is to just change the date on your vacation for a future date and you just pay the difference if the price is higher. Disney is very good at working with you when emergencies arise.

 

[hdrolfe]

I prefer to book through Disney, but I also purchase gift cards to at least save the foreign exchange credit card fees. Doesn't help with the exchange rate much. I also like not having to pay it all up front, I prefer to pay over time and watch the exchange rate, and be able to cancel (for a package) up to 30 days before, or move the trip out myself or whatever may need to happen (apply discounts). I don't like relying on the travel agents unless I'm getting a really good deal.

 

[Silvermist999]

I’m by no means an expert, but want to share what works for us. When booking a room only reservation directly through Disney, I will get a full refund of my deposit if I need to cancel, up to 5 days before check-in. We avoid doing packages for this reason. In addition to having to cancel our March 2020 trip, we also had to cancel our trip earlier this year, and we got a full refund both times.

 

[jalmgiven]

First of all keep in mind that you do not actually lose that 55% (price of tickets). You do not get your money back but the tickets remain in your account for future use. Of course you will need to pay the difference in said future if the price goes up due to increases or time of travel.

Personally I would book with Disney and consider that extra $450 (I know the exchange is a killer) as insurance. Put down your $200 deposit and the balance does not need to be paid before 30 days of travel. Worst case scenario if you have to cancel less than 30 days before travel you would lose that $200 deposit and you would also lose money on your refund due to exchange rates. A way around this is to just change the date on your vacation for a future date and you just pay the difference if the price is higher. Disney is very good at working with you when emergencies arise.

Actually, the representative I spoke to on the phone when I asked her about using the tickets another time, said no I couldn't as they were limited to the week I chose. So, when you go to book your tickets, it now says:
Dates for Admission: 03/14/2023 - 03/23/2023
7 Day WALT DISNEY WORLD® Theme Park Base Ticket
The Walt Disney World® Theme Park tickets included in the selected vacation package cannot be redeemed outside of the dates for admission. Dates for admission can be customized before you finalize your booking.

So, they must have changed the rules for tickets.

Thanks for your imput.

 

[jalmgiven]

I prefer to book through Disney, but I also purchase gift cards to at least save the foreign exchange credit card fees. Doesn't help with the exchange rate much. I also like not having to pay it all up front, I prefer to pay over time and watch the exchange rate, and be able to cancel (for a package) up to 30 days before, or move the trip out myself or whatever may need to happen (apply discounts). I don't like relying on the travel agents unless I'm getting a really good deal.

Do you buy Disney gift cards, or do you get those Mastercard/Visa ones?

 

[jalmgiven]

I’m by no means an expert, but want to share what works for us. When booking a room only reservation directly through Disney, I will get a full refund of my deposit if I need to cancel, up to 5 days before check-in. We avoid doing packages for this reason. In addition to having to cancel our March 2020 trip, we also had to cancel our trip earlier this year, and we got a full refund both times.

Thanks, for the input.

 

[ottawamom]

My two cents. Book a room only reservation through Dinsey. Reason noted above. Then purchase your tickets through Undercover Tourist. They will refund 95% of your purchase price up to one year (after purchase date). This combination should minimize your risk. Something to look into anyway. (if the name of the ticket company gets *** PM me and I'll give it to you)

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Actually, the representative I spoke to on the phone when I asked her about using the tickets another time, said no I couldn't as they were limited to the week I chose. So, when you go to book your tickets, it now says:
Dates for Admission: 03/14/2023 - 03/23/2023
7 Day WALT DISNEY WORLD® Theme Park Base Ticket
The Walt Disney World® Theme Park tickets included in the selected vacation package cannot be redeemed outside of the dates for admission. Dates for admission can be customized before you finalize your booking.

So, they must have changed the rules for tickets.

Thanks for your imput.

Correct in that the tickets are only good for the dates purchased. You would not be able to use said tickets after 03/23/2023. However, the Value (the amount you paid) of any unused Disney World ticket is never lost. Once you link your ticket to your MDE account Disney knows if it has/has not been used. The value of a wholly unused ticket (you must not have scanned in even for 1 of 7 days) remains and can be used in the future to offset the price of new tickets. This is true for all Disney park tickets irregardless of where they were purchased from. Of course in the future you would have to buy your tickets directly through Disney in order to apply the credit.

As a previous poster said you could do room-only through Disney and purchase tickets through Undercover Tourist which are 95% refundable for a year. Your savings would not be anywhere near $450 cdn. though. Good luck with your decision.

 

[jalmgiven]

My two cents. Book a room only reservation through Dinsey. Reason noted above. Then purchase your tickets through Undercover Tourist. They will refund 95% of your purchase price up to one year (after purchase date). This combination should minimize your risk. Something to look into anyway. (if the name of the ticket company gets *** PM me and I'll give it to you)

Correct in that the tickets are only good for the dates purchased. You would not be able to use said tickets after 03/23/2023. However, the Value (the amount you paid) of any unused Disney World ticket is never lost. Once you link your ticket to your MDE account Disney knows if it has/has not been used. The value of a wholly unused ticket (you must not have scanned in even for 1 of 7 days) remains and can be used in the future to offset the price of new tickets. This is true for all Disney park tickets irregardless of where they were purchased from. Of course in the future you would have to buy your tickets directly through Disney in order to apply the credit.

As a previous poster said you could do room-only through Disney and purchase tickets through Undercover Tourist which are 95% refundable for a year. Your savings would not be anywhere near $450 cdn. though. Good luck with your decision.

Thanks guys. Good to know as that is certainly not what the Costco representative told me. I have used Undercover Tourist before when I rented DVC points, so I know that it is easy to use if I choose to go that route. Thanks for the great info!

 

[hdrolfe]

Do you buy Disney gift cards, or do you get those Mastercard/Visa ones?

Disney gift cards.

And I do agree with booking a room only as well. The benefit to getting tickets in the package is that the price won't go up in the package. You can get around that by buying tickets now of course.

And another option for tickets is https://www.attractiontickets.com/en They are 7 or 14 days, park hoppers plus and include memory maker. You can pay in GBP or EUR, obviously can't use Disney giftcards, but depending on what currency is doing better it can be a lot cheaper than other options. And they are e-delivered now I believe, and you can also pay a small additional amount to get them refundable. Just another option any way.

 

[jalmgiven]

Disney gift cards.

And I do agree with booking a room only as well. The benefit to getting tickets in the package is that the price won't go up in the package. You can get around that by buying tickets now of course.

And another option for tickets is https://www.attractiontickets.com/en They are 7 or 14 days, park hoppers plus and include memory maker. You can pay in GBP or EUR, obviously can't use Disney giftcards, but depending on what currency is doing better it can be a lot cheaper than other options. And they are e-delivered now I believe, and you can also pay a small additional amount to get them refundable. Just another option any way.

Thanks!

 

[abbyandangel]

Disney gift cards.

And I do agree with booking a room only as well. The benefit to getting tickets in the package is that the price won't go up in the package. You can get around that by buying tickets now of course.

And another option for tickets is https://www.attractiontickets.com/en They are 7 or 14 days, park hoppers plus and include memory maker. You can pay in GBP or EUR, obviously can't use Disney giftcards, but depending on what currency is doing better it can be a lot cheaper than other options. And they are e-delivered now I believe, and you can also pay a small additional amount to get them refundable. Just another option any way.

What has been your experience using attractiontickets ? Any difficulty purchasing the tickets or adding them in MDE? Does Disney have a problem with us purchasing the UK tickets? We need to get DAS. I would not want Disney to take issue with our purchase and refuse the DAS.