Package trip vs. individual reservations

[Summer84]

Through the Entertainment card we can get a room for $126 per night at the Swan & Dolphin Hotel. My spouse heard of some type of discount card that allows you free meals at different restaurants throughout Disney, mostly the sitdown ones.

I'm wondering if this would be a type of benefit that is only available if one books a vacation package. We wouldn't need a flight in our package because we're flying on vouchers from Delta that we got from vacation last year.

Is it better to book individual reservations or book a package?

Thanks.

 

[iwant2go2disney]

I personally have found that by booking my own reservations
I can save 300.00. When are you going? We are going March10
I can't wait.
Tammy

 

[Babblin'Boo]

You could argue it back and forth but the bottomline is, you save hundreds of dollars booking on your own. If you can afford to pay an agent at least $400 - $700 per package, then all the glory to you. But I'd rather spend that money on *my* vacation rather than send someone else on his.

Most of those codes and offers (especially Entertainment book rates) are available just as well if you call by yourself, saving yourself a ton. You have to show your Entertainment card at check up, however. Although Disney' club card offers Entertainment benefits elsewhere, it has blocked out those discounts for Orlando. You can just buy your local Entertainment book rather than Orlando's. And I believe you get free shipping from Entertainment.com this month as well.

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says...............................................There is not a package deal out there that you can't beat on your own. When we went to Hawaii we actually used an agent, because I found it hard to match the deep discounts they can put together. Just for fun I asked "why are the WDW packages so much more than what I can do it for?"(We had already been twice) She said, try this one they offer great deals!! We compared a 7 night, moderate, with air etc..., and the package was $3300, and I got $2350 in less than 30 minutes!! But I didn't get that darn fanny pack or the luggage tags, or the one special feature that was a free round of miniture golf. But I had $950 !

 

[Humpbacks1962]

Well, disneydad, if you compared the price of a package with onsite stay to the "deal" of a package that a travel agent put together keeping you offsite, it is like comparing apples and oranges.

Comparing like for like, you do end up overpaying hundreds of dollars in packages.

Wanda

 

[disneefamily]

Disnee Dad Says............................................... I do compare "like for like". I can take any offsite package they put together and beat it. I'll be the first to admit the savings wouldn't be $1000, maybe not even half that because the profit margins are smaller offsite. Here is the main problem with any prepackaged package. You go on X airline, rent Y car, and stay at Z hotel, because thats the package. When you do your own you fly on V airline since it cheaper, go ahead and rent the Y car cause there is a good deal, and you even stay at the Z hotel because you can get a better rate than the package! How many package people were able to tell their agent, but wait AllSTars can be had for $49., drop my package price by $250 for the week?

 

[Guy]

I'm another Disney Dad that has found the same thing. In fact, it's very simple to do some detective work on disney.com and price out variations and such and figure out prices for different parts of the package. For example, you can check three nights at any WDW resort, and then price the same thing with Ultimate Park Hopper tickets and figure out the package price for tickets. Taking into certain considerations, of course....same thing with Disney's prices on airfare. At times, I've actually seen fairly reasonable prices on airfares in a package (not so much reasonable compared to an airline like southwest.com, however, an airline that actually allows seat assignments ahead of time, which is worth a differential over southwest, in my opinion).

Here's my pet peeve, though...say you want to book a multi night stay at a WDW resort. For someone like me, flying in from out of town, I can't really be there that early the first morning. I get a half day or less at the theme parks. Same thing the morning that I leave...maybe I get a half day. However, in both cases the package has charged me for full-days at resorts. In fact, with the online reservations, you can't "unbundle" at all in hopes of saving paying for tickets on a day that you can't get to the parks (which might be the case if you have a very late flight coming in, or an early flight leaving).

On our very first trip to WDW, circa 5/95, my wife and I arrive very late to CBR. Around 11:40pm. In this case, when making the reservations, I had figured out that I needed to ask the reservations person for one day less on park tickets (six days of park ticketing for a 7-night stay). As the front desk guy handed us our package, and key cards, he said something like "and here's your cards, which are valid for park admissions starting right now." I asked him "for the next 20 minutes?" It was much trouble, but he reticketed us.

Lately, with two adults and two kids, those theme park tickets prices really add up for us, as they do for all families that go to theme parks. If one is really on a budget, staying at the All-Stars, for example, with package pricing, those theme park ticket prices can far outweigh the price of lodging.

So, I think it makes sense for the buyer to become educated...try pricing things out, asking questions and such, and don't automatically assume that package pricing is giving any sort of a break whatsoever. It most likely isn't.

Guy

 

[Humpbacks1962]

You know, it often pays to call CRO and try out different CMs too! I called for information about our Aug reservations and asked to please look up such and such codes, so we could afford to stay at AKL, savannah view. Three of them were unable to help me but this particular guy actually put forth an extra effort and pulled an offer that is hard to beat by offering us 6 days and LOS for two adults and a child, at $2,100!

I priced everything individually and when I realized the magnitude of the deal, you bet I returned the favor by sending the warmest praises to his manager, afterwards!

So, if even three or four CMs don't help much at CRO, it may pay to keep trying! make the calls close together and at different hours so your chances of getting different people go up.

Psst: I get the feeling it helped to tell him that this was a special occasion we were celebrating and for his warm assistance, I'd send an e-mail to guest communications, praising his efforts!

Wanda

 

[threeboysmom]

I just booked a package - Fall Fantasy - for this September. I *thought* I was getting a great deal, but I guess I should run it by you guys. I am paying $1650 for 5 nights at YC waterview room. This also includes length of stay (6 days?). There are currently no discounts out for YC for Sept., so rack rate is around $350 for waterview?? Multiply that out and you're already at $1750 with no park passes! Anyone know what last September's YC water room went for with a code? Maybe a similar code will come out?

Thanks!
Kimberly

 

[BonnieP]

threeboysmom-I also booked the Fall Fantasy for late August at the Boardwalk for 5 nights. The standard room rate would have been $320 (tax included) hence $1600, but my DH and I got room, ultimate park hoppers (6 days) and daily breakfast for $1755 (tax included). It was a better deal for us to go with the package at that time of year...
Bonnie

 

[Boots]

Can't help you any. Just noticed this was your first post and wanted to big you a big Welcome to the discussion Boards!!!