Which is the better deal-Package or not to Package our Vacation

[erinsmom]

I've priced out what I think our trip would be with rack rates. I know I can book a room only and wait for a discount code or rate. I know I can purchase tickets from another source and get a good deal. What about dining? Can I purchase that or add it to the tickets I get somewhere else? Or do I have to pay out of pocket? Should I just go with a package? We will travel during the regular season. When we go - It will be me, dh, DD(11) and DD(5). What do you think the best deal would be? I do like the fact that with a package your dining (or at least some of it is taken care of).

Help me decide or at least give me some pros and cons for each?

TIA

 

[srwarden1928]

I would NEVER package.

1. You may be able to get the room at a discount room only.
2. I know I can get tickets at a discount through AAA.
3. With a package you must cancel 45 days out; with room only you must cancel FIVE days out.
4. With a package you must PAY IN FULL 45 days out. NWIBH Im doing that. With room only you pay ONE NIGHT deposit and the rest when you check OUT.

 

[shocker]

Depends on your definition of "deal". I NEVER package either. I'm too much of a control freak and only want to pay for what I need and use. I want to say where and when I'll do EVERYTHING and not have it decided for me. On the other hand, my friend won't NOT package. I think some people like to make one call and have everything handed to them but that's not for me, I think you pay for the convenience and planning is 1/2 the fun for me.

 

[catho72]

I have purchased the package twice. The first time, we were able to get a discount (it saved us about $400) plus a free upgrade on our tickets (to water and more which was a $250 value). The second time, we booked with free dining. I feel we got a great deal both times.

I like the dining plan. I know it doesn't make sense for everyone but for our family of five, it's great. I know you can book dining with a room reservation thru Disney Travel and purchase your park tickets elsewhere.

Hope this helps in your decision making!

 

[Miniefan]

I have done it both ways. I have gotten Fl resident rates on the room and then bought tickets at AAA and then eaten on campus and off campus, and then I have done packages with room tickets and dining plan, the last time we went we actually spent more by booking the room/buying tickets/paying OOP than we did the last time we had the package with the dining plan. I liked the package with dining because I added the elements and chose the days we would be using the tickets and everything was sort of mapped out for us plus I liked the idea of everything for the vacation already being paid for before we arrived so the only $$ we had to spend was for souvenirs and fun stuff. I guess everyone is different and certain things work better for certain families.

Kim

 

[CanadianGuy]

I would NEVER package.

1. You may be able to get the room at a discount room only.
2. I know I can get tickets at a discount through AAA.
3. With a package you must cancel 45 days out; with room only you must cancel FIVE days out.
4. With a package you must PAY IN FULL 45 days out. NWIBH Im doing that. With room only you pay ONE NIGHT deposit and the rest when you check OUT.

One minor correction.. with room only item # 4 above.. ... you pay the balance when you check IN... and you pay the charges back to the room when you check out..

This thread is a better fit on the Resorts and Booking Board. As such, I'll move it there. Thanks,

Knxo

 

[Aliceacc]

I chose to book our package through AAA.

AAA members can get a discount ranging from 10-15% off the price of the accomodations. If you choose to book "room only" you can get the discount without going through AAA. But if you want the package (dining &/or tickets) along with the discount, you need to go through AAA.

I wanted that 15% off the price of our room. For us, that meant over $200 saved for the price of a $60 AAA registration fee. (And, by the way, we used the AAA roadside service during the year, so it paid for itself!)

And I wanted dining.

For my family of 5, dining adds on $140 per day-- for your family, it would be $130. For that money, I'm receiving 1 table service meal, 1 counter service meal and 1 snack per day. Could we eat for less money? Probably, if we stuck to mostly counter service. But I don't think we would save oodles of money.

And I LOVE table service meals while on vacation (anywhere, not just WDW.) I love the fact that it encourages us to really be a family, to sit and spend time together and talk about our day. Counter service meals seem to be all about eating so you can get to the next thing; table service meals seem to be about spending time together. Our lives are busy enough on a day to day basis-- I love the idea of stopping each day to enjoy each other. The fact that the DDP allows us to do this at the Coral Reef or LeCellier or Chef Mickeys without sweating the cost makes the DDP a bargain in my book.

(PS: After all my talking about the AAA discount, we were one of the lucky ones who received a 40% PIN in the mail. My AAA agent had no problem changing the package-- and even the resort-- to get us that 40% discount.)

 

[Peapicker]

This is the first year we are getting a package due to free dining. I have priced it out to what we usually spend (we go each year) and it does appear we will be saving some money. Even though we are paying rack rate for the room (AKL) once we deduct the costs of food if we were to pay out of pocket it looks like we will save about $200. We did have to buy 1 day park passes which we do not need (we are AP holders) however we will use them next year to upgrade to new AP's. The room rate is $225 however the free dining is worth $114 a day to us (3 x $38) and I know we always spend at least that much on food anyways (we always eat at least 1 sit down meal), so it would be like we are only paying $111 for the room per night. A 40% discount on the room would have been $135 per night and then we would have had to buy food out of pocket.

I guess it depends on where you stay and how many nights you stay. We are staying 8 nights.

 

[mickeynut1]

We always book everything as a package for several reasons......#1 - I like having everything paid for ahead of time....#2 - we LOVE the dining plan and can't go to Disney without it; and #3 - I've priced room and tickets separately vs. a package and it has always come out within pennies with no savings to purchasing everything separate . But it does depend on whether or not you can catch a deal such as a pin code. But I have read many threads where people have booked packages and then receive a 30% or 40% off code and have been able to apply it to their ressie (the room portion only, not tickets or dining). So there are ways to book packages but still save on the room. And if you want the dining plan, you have to buy atleast a 1 day park ticket (per person) in order to get the dining plan, even if you already have tickets that were purchased elsewhere. When it comes to booking vacations, it really comes down to personal preference on how you want to do it. Good luck and happy planning .

 

[erinsmom]

Thanks for all the replies. It's nice to see how others think about things. And it helps with the decision making.

We always book everything as a package for several reasons......#1 - I like having everything paid for ahead of time....#2 - we LOVE the dining plan and can't go to Disney without it; and #3 - I've priced room and tickets separately vs. a package and it has always come out within pennies with no savings to purchasing everything separate . But it does depend on whether or not you can catch a deal such as a pin code. But I have read many threads where people have booked packages and then receive a 30% or 40% off code and have been able to apply it to their ressie (the room portion only, not tickets or dining). So there are ways to book packages but still save on the room. And if you want the dining plan, you have to buy atleast a 1 day park ticket (per person) in order to get the dining plan, even if you already have tickets that were purchased elsewhere. When it comes to booking vacations, it really comes down to personal preference on how you want to do it. Good luck and happy planning .

I wasn't sure if we would need to purchase a ticket to get the dining or we could just add it on. So, thanks for that information. I think we really want the dining. And I do like having it all paid for before hand. Lots to think about.


I would still love to hear what other people think - how they go about choosing the best deal.