Diy booking.Simple?

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

I have always booked our holidays with Virgin in the past.The whole works,flights,hotel,car,tickets,everything.I am now planning our next Megatrip(3wks min)and am wondering how easy it is to do it all myself through the internet.Is it a viable option to book the flights to Orlando and then take the chance of getting a room,car tickets when we get there?I am thinking of October time(maybe 2006)and staying at ASM which we love so much that it feels like home.Or should i book it all before we go to be on the safe side?Is it a lot cheaper going diy?With Virgin we have paid about £4-4500 for thre wks in the past,although this does include flights,car+insurance package,hotel,5park flextickets for universal,disney tickets.We are myself DW and DD(14).Any experiences you could share would help me a lot in my preparations.
:thanks:

[Lisa1976]

We saved around £1,000 booking it all separately and I don't think now I would book a package again. It does take a lot of looking around, researching but the end result is well worth it. Our December trip just gone was 3 and a half weeks (which included our wedding too) we organised everything ourselves and even went down to Clearwater for a few days. I would definately book everything before you go, we did see a few hotels on international drive advertising rooms when we were there but that is something I wouldnt want to leave to chance, could you imagine getting there and there were no rooms. Car Hire wise, we booked this separately through Airline Networks, they worked out the cheapest and we were able to pick up and drop off at different locations. With the flights make sure you do a lot of searching around, we booked our Virgin flights through United Airlines and it was over £200 cheaper than booking direct with Virgin.

Hope this has helped, feel free to ask any questions.

Lisa

[happymealUK]

I've spent the past month going through this dilema too!! In the end I ended up with a range of holidays & prices from face to face visits to travel agent shops, over the phone and researching it myself on the net - Yes, my head did explode a few times during :lol: :lol:

The result : I booked it all myself online apart from one hotel which I booked over the phone. And Im now 100% happy that i did that!! :D

It worked out cheaper, we've got upgraded rooms and all the different bits n bobs that we wanted - So we're happy bunnies :D

I guess it depends what you want to do?? If you're staying at one hotel for the full 3 weeks, then maybe use a travel agent and get everything 'under one roof' so to speak. But if (like me) your going to 4 different hotels, different parks and want room upgrades etc... then it might be better to book it yourself - Then you DEFINATELY know you're getting what you asked for :)

Hope this helps :hehe:

[uscwest]

I definitely WOULD NOT wait until I got there to try and get a room. For starters, while October is certainly not the busiest month there is no guarantee that you will be able to get the resort you want. Secondly, even if you did you would get the walkup rate which is considerably more expensive than booking in advance.

[Vikki]

I am in the same situation as you, apart from we're thinking of August 2006 for 3 weeks. We are seriously considering DIYing. How about we go through the planning together? Might be easier with 2 sets of people trying to figure it all out :D

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

Sounds like a good idea.My friend has done it a couple of times,but i hav'nt had the bottle to do it myself yet :afraid:
I'm all for saving money,especially if i can get a longer holiday out of it :wink:
ASM will be our first choice as it feels like home to us.Lets hope we can get a good deal :thumbs:

[Vikki]

Ok, you're on. Looks like we want the same things out of our holiday (apart from the dates). Lets hope for a good deal :D

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

I'll start by checking car rental companies over next few days to see what i can get.How many in your party so i know what sort of car to check for? :drive:

[Vikki]

Ok, it's just DH and I. We won't be wanting a car for the whole time, the middle 10 day or so probably, we did this last time and got the car from the Dolphin resort, was great, no need to drive to or from the airport. How many in your party?

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

Myself,DW,andDD.I will hoefully get some answers soon.

[Vikki]

I notice from your siggy you like All Star Movies then :D

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

We love it,the last two times we have been in the Toy Story area on the Woody side.DD says,why can't she be part of a normal family,but what is normal? :shrug: We can't help being Disney mad,maybe its because we are just kids at heart.

[Meezers]

If I might suggest....MickeyMac did a great job on our rooms for Nov-Dec UOG meet! We wound up with like $54 a night for Pop! If she does your rooms...she or Cinderella...both work for same company...that is one less thing you have to worry about..plus...she keeps up with the discounts and gets them if possible!

[Vikki]

Have been in touch with Mickeymac and I think we will definately consider her, you should drop her a PM ALLTIGGEREDOUT.

And don't worry about your DD, at least you go with children, it's just DH and I when I go, we have no excuse :)

[Melfuzz]

I booked on expedia and got a very good deal. Its nice knowing you have done it and not have to worry about someone else messing it up.

I used www.tripadvisor.com when looking at hotel reviews to choose which would be best suited for me.

[jetboy]

I hope that when you are considering the room rates, you would keep in mind that with the length of your stay being longer than 7 days, an Annual Pass will break even on the cost of per day entrance to the Disney Parks, not to mention, the discount for the room usually falling in the area of 40% off rack rates.

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

How much do annual passes cost for Disney?Sounds like a good idea,i hadn't thought of that.Maybe a discount would be available for that length of stay.When we have been before,people are surprised when we say we are staying at ASM for so long.

[jetboy]

By just checking the WdisneyW website, I found a little ticket information for you. You can purchase a Magic Your Way ticket for $208 for 10 days. I believe you said you were staying for 3 weeks so I will use that as a base for the hotel cost. The Annual Pass cost $515. So for the same 10 days as in the Magic Your Way ticket, you are paying $30 more per visit to the theme parks. There are some additional rules about using the Magic Your Way tickets however. For example, there is an expiration date on the days for the 10 day allotment. It cost extra to have no expiration included. If you want to hop from park to park, that is extra as well. So I did a little math. Again, I'm assuming you are staying at the ASM for 21 days.

If I recall correctly, you wanted to go in October. If you start your stay by October 4th, the entire stay will be included in Value Season and save you a ton of money. If you wait and arrive the 5th of October or after, it will be Regular Season prices.

Now for the math: I will use Regular Season Rack Rates of $99 per night at ASM. 21 nights at perhaps, 30% off comes to a savings of $630.00. So while you may save in the short term with the Magic Your Way Ticket being $300 cheaper for a 10 admission pass, you will make up for it in the cost of the lodging. In addition, you need only purchase one Annual Pass per party to receive the discount at the hotels.

I hope this helps on your quest to save by doing the booking yourself. I always book myself and find that I save a lot of money doing things that way.

[Vikki]

Makes sense to me. I think we might take the option of buying one AP and one 21 day pass......... so we can get the room rate

[candyman]

couple of points to consider here

with a annual pass you get free car parking at WDW which at $8 a day soon adds up

also for booking accommodation when you arrive

when you fill in your visa waver on the plane you have to list the accommodation you will be staying in and if you have none booked i am told it creates a problem.

so i would suggest you book something in advance even if it is only a couple of days


also this time i went with virgin holidays and booked on line and they price matched any other deal i got so i decided to go with them because at least that way if there are any problems in resort you have someone to talk to
i had a problem this time the reps were useless but i phoned the UK office and they sorted it for me when i tried to sort it myself the villa management company did not want to know

i have done both ways diy and package
on the trip before last i started off doing a DIY one but the package with Thompson's worked out cheaper !

Steve

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

Thanks for the advice jetboy,it took me a while to work it out ,but it sure makes sense.It all seemed a bit confusing to start with because we have always booked with virgin,but with all your advice,its becoming clearer.

[triciacarole]

I've nearly always done DIY and find that not only is it cheaper but you have more control over what you want to do and you can "fine tune" things to your requirements. One area to be careful of is to check that the company you are booking your flight from has bonding such as an ATOL licence, it would be terrible if they went bust and you had to pay for your flight home.

[jetboy]

Just thought of an additional incentive for purchasing the Annual Pass. Annual Passholders are given the opportunity to purchase the Disney Dining Experience Card. This card usually only available to Florida residents normally runs $75, but with the Annual Pass, you can purchase it for $50 while living outside the state of Florida. The Dining Card is good for one year and affords you 20% off your meals at just about every restaurant in the resorts and themeparks, as well as snack shops, even Victoria and Alberts, excluding the Chef's Table. For a 21 day trip, I would imagine that would save you hundreds off the price of meals.

Again, just a thought, I enjoy helping others save on their vacations.

[JuniorMickey]

Just remember that there is no promise of discounts with an AP

[candyman]

also for an purchases at the "world of disney" in DTD you get 10% discount with an AP
and you can get most things there

also 10% discount in planet hollywood

steve

[AlisonFromUK]

We've always gone with a package but this April we are going DIY. I have booked direct with the Grosvenor in DTD - ended up ringing a company advertising flights on teletext (cheapest flights.com). Chap there named Scott was so helpful I recommend him. He searched and searched for the best deal. In the end he could have slightly saved us on the hotel too but Id already booked it.



His email is

[AlisonFromUK]

oh i cant give his details. email me if you want them and I will pass them on. He was a genuine guy, not a slimey salesman

[jetboy]

With respect to Junior Mickey's post concerning not always being able to receive the AP rate with the purchase of an Annual Pass: Very True. I was unable to get an AP rate for this weekend due to a black out because of the Super Bowl I am told. However, you can call in advance and request the AP rate a couple months in advance of your trip. If the rate is not blacked out or already at capacity for that rate at that resort, you can book your stay with that rate without having to have the AP in hand. You must have the AP before you check in to your hotel that you are using the AP rate at. For example, when you get to Orlando and rent a car, stop first at the TTC and purchase an AP and then go to your hotel and check in. You can also purchase the AP online at WDisneyW.com, or if I'm not mistaken, at the Disney Store at the Orlando International Airport.

Again, it is true that there is not always the rate available, but if it comes down to a couple months ahead, and it makes more since to purchase the Magic Your Way tickets for all of you, rather than the Annual Pass for one of you, you would still have the time to make that informed decision and receive the passes.

[JuniorMickey]

From what I'm understanding, AP holders are going to see more and more blackout dates but not the disappearence of discounts. Discounts are used to fill rooms. I'm hearing that Disney's not having too much problem with that so there are less code rooms available. I've always been lucky, since I usually have two different chances for discounts, being a Florida Resident.

[candyman]

With respect to Junior Mickey's post concerning not always being able to receive the AP rate with the purchase of an Annual Pass: Very True. I was unable to get an AP rate for this weekend due to a black out because of the Super Bowl I am told. However, you can call in advance and request the AP rate a couple months in advance of your trip. If the rate is not blacked out or already at capacity for that rate at that resort, you can book your stay with that rate without having to have the AP in hand. You must have the AP before you check in to your hotel that you are using the AP rate at. For example, when you get to Orlando and rent a car, stop first at the TTC and purchase an AP and then go to your hotel and check in. You can also purchase the AP online at WDisneyW.com, or if I'm not mistaken, at the Disney Store at the Orlando International Airport.

Again, it is true that there is not always the rate available, but if it comes down to a couple months ahead, and it makes more since to purchase the Magic Your Way tickets for all of you, rather than the Annual Pass for one of you, you would still have the time to make that informed decision and receive the passes.



strange thing about this is we stayed at the GF in dec and booked a AP rate in concierge, great rate too, and never once did they ask to see our AP

Steve

[jetboy]

JuniorMickey, I rarely use the AP rate as I am an Airline Employee. We enjoy the resorts for 50% off. I will arrive Sunday the 6th of February and stay 3 nights in a Deluxe Concierge room at Beach Club resort and then two nights in the Grand Floridian Main Building Concierge for $1200 for all five nights. While that may seem like a lot, remember that the rate for this same stay is $2400 without any discounts. I say this for two reasons. One, I'm thrilled that I will be pampered at Disney for the next 5 days at such an outstanding rate, and two, to show that it is possible to have a wonderful time at WD for a discount, if you take the time to book it yourself. I would never receive this rate if I went through a travel agent.

[JuniorMickey]

Out of all my stays, I think I've booked under AP instead of Fl Resident once. :shrug: Seems like there are less people going after the resident rates

[ALLTIGGEREDOUT]

Thanks for all your tips,i'm logging them all down so that i can see what i am doing.Your experience will be very helpful.It must be so great for those of you who live so close to the place where magic lives. :)

[Vikki]

:iagree: