Hotel + tickets package prices do not match hotel and ticket separate

[rkleinlein]

I was looking at prices for hotel and tickets and when I added both to my cart it was almost $30 more than buying tickets and hotel separately. Not a big deal but I was worried I had made some mistake in my selections so double checked everything: I made sure I added correctly, taxes were included, I was picking the exact rooms, etc. Then I called WDW reservations and had THEM price it as hotel and tickets together then hotel and tickets separately. They got the same result: $30 more to buy together in one transaction. Their first reaction, was "Huh. I've never seen that. I don't know why that happened." Then they said it might have something do to with different tax rates for different transaction amounts. It didn't sound convincing. I just wondered if anybody else has ever noticed this.

 

[sxeensweet]

That is very odd and has never happened that I know of to me or anyone else I know.

 

[MickeyMomV]

I just re-priced our trip in April both ways and it is $170 more to purchase separately.

Without any trip details it is hard to know for sure but it could be a variety of reason for the price difference. Different promotions run different weekend pricing and can give different amounts for Friday and Saturday nights. I'm not sure if tickets are taxed, if they are not, the package could give a greater discount to the tickets leaving the room a little higher this would cause the pretax price to be the same but the post tax price could be a little higher. There are a couple of other possibilities but these are just examples.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

OP, are you looking at one of the All Star resorts by any chance? Most of Walt Disney World is in Orange Country, with a 6.5% sales tax. Osceola country (where the All Star resorts are located) has a 7% sales tax. If your package is purchased for an Osceola resort, the ticket component would be taxed at the higher Osceola sales tax rate.

 

[rkleinlein]

It was four nights at Port Orleans French Quarter $931.52 tax included. 4 day base ticket (2 adults, 2 kids) $1,256.72 tax included. Those prices added together equal $2,188.24. The price for a package of that hotel plus those tickets, according to the website and confirmed by a Disney reservation agent, is $2,215.14. A difference of $26.90. Not a big deal, but still. And MickeyMomV found a $170 difference in her vacation. That IS a big deal. And it's a VERY big deal with you multiply this by the millions of reservations that are made each year. Something's fishy. And whatever the reason (different sales taxes for different counties sounds more reasonable that the Disney reservation agent's hypothesis), guests should not have to go through the hassle of pricing everything both ways to see what the best deal is, and Disney agents reservation agents should certainly be able to explain this.

 

[ShareBDwithMickey]

It was four nights at Port Orleans French Quarter $931.52 tax included. 4 day base ticket (2 adults, 2 kids) $1,256.72 tax included. Those prices added together equal $2,188.24. The price for a package of that hotel plus those tickets, according to the website and confirmed by a Disney reservation agent, is $2,215.14. A difference of $26.90. Not a big deal, but still. And MickeyMomV found a $170 difference in her vacation. That IS a big deal. And it's a VERY big deal with you multiply this by the millions of reservations that are made each year. Something's fishy. And whatever the reason (different sales taxes for different counties sounds more reasonable that the Disney reservation agent's hypothesis), guests should not have to go through the hassle of pricing everything both ways to see what the best deal is, and Disney agents reservation agents should certainly be able to explain this.

I would humbly suggest that if you want the best value for money it is absolutely in your best interests to do the donkey work yourself to find out which of the various ways you can book your holiday works out cheapest for you. The only person with a vested interest in getting the best price here is you, certainly not the Disney agent. They aren't going ring you up & say theres now a better offer on which will save you money after you booked, although there are undoubtedly occasions when this might be the case thats down to you to monitor & manage, so why would you think they are going to try numerous different ways to make your booking as cheap as possible when you ring unless you direct them to? These guys are phone agents working a computer who plug in what you request & read back the answer the system provided they do not provide a sophisticated bespoke booking service. If you want that kind of service use someone like Kingdom Konsultants who have a vested interest in your future trade as their clients.

There is no way to confirm that you & the agent are looking at the same rooms or that the system hasn't been preset to look for a "better" room on what it perceives as a package deal hence the slight mark up in price. MickeyMomV found the package deal she had already booked was best for her by $170 which is what most people would suspect so no surprises there nor any reason to cry foul.

I understand that you feel aggrieved, however I'm just not sure why, if you've found a way to get your holiday cheaper use it, if you seriously can't get past the price difference write an email to management who may be able to explain the discrepancy, however as the unique set of circumstances will like as not be past, room availability at the time & potentially the specific offer, its entirely possible that they still won't be able to fully explain this.

 

[MySmallWorldof4]

Usually the package should be cheaper. You should check out Undercover Tourist. Go through the Mousesavers website to get a Mousesavers extra discount. They are offering purchase 4 days and get a 5th day free. We have used them before and they send you the tickets via email. You just attach the ticket numbers to your My Disney Experience and you are good.

 

[DisneyJoe]

I just re-priced our trip in April both ways and it is $170 more to purchase separately.

The OP has the package costing slightly more, you have the room and tickets separately costing more by $170.

If I had to bet, I would say that the room types are different on yours or are using different promotions.

When I have seen the package costing slightly more, it is usually due to the "magical extras" that you don't get when you purchase separately, ie. luggage tags, miniature golf, etc.

 

[MickeyMomV]

The OP has the package costing slightly more, you have the room and tickets separately costing more by $170.

If I had to bet, I would say that the room types are different on yours or are using different promotions.

When I have seen the package costing slightly more, it is usually due to the "magical extras" that you don't get when you purchase separately, ie. luggage tags, miniature golf, etc.

I figured hotel and dates would be different. Just offering another example of the discount working "correctly".

That is crazy if they are padding the package pricing to account for the "free" extra's. Other than the luggage tags and arcade voucher I don't think we have ever used anything in the magical extra's.

 

[Master Yoda]

I figured hotel and dates would be different. Just offering another example of the discount working "correctly".

That is crazy if they are padding the package pricing to account for the "free" extra's. Other than the luggage tags and arcade voucher I don't think we have ever used anything in the magical extra's.

As it was explained to me, it is not actually padding, but the way things are taxed.

What most people do not know is booking a room only goes through Disney, but a package is booked through the Disney Travel Company that technically buys rooms from Disney. This along with the addition of extras get taxed a little differently than a room only reservation. This will often result in a difference of a few bucks between a room only and a package reservation.

That being said, a difference of more than just a few bucks usually comes from a slight difference in the two reservations and/or an error in calculations. I have seen clients price tickets before tax, not notice that a room switched from standard to preferred or any one of a dozen other things that can affect price.

 

[rkleinlein]

Well I am embarrassed to say, even after insisting that I had double checked everything, that I made a mistake. But so did the first Disney reservation agent I talked to. When I did the hotel reservation I entered my kids ages, 7 and 10. Having just made hotel reservations for 2 adults and 2 children, when I priced tickets I selected 2 adult and 2 child tickets not realizing that a 10 year old is considered a child in a hotel but an adult in the parks. Yes, I know it says 9 and under next to child ticket. I was careless. Each time. When you add tickets to your hotel reservation you are only asked to select days, not the number of adult and child tickets--it chooses the correct number of adult and child tickets automatically. The $30 discrepancy is the difference between an adult and child 4 day ticket.

Sorry for wasting everybody's time.

I did, however, learn from another Disney reservation agent that when you purchase a package with hotel and tickets there will be a discrepancy of about $5 since they do charge for the extras and coupons. But, I was told, it's worth tacking tickets onto reservations, even with a $5 charge for extras you may not want, since then the whole package, including tickets, is refundable if you have to cancel. Tickets alone are non-refundable.

 

[wendysue]

Usually the package should be cheaper. You should check out Undercover Tourist. Go through the Mousesavers website to get a Mousesavers extra discount. They are offering purchase 4 days and get a 5th day free. We have used them before and they send you the tickets via email. You just attach the ticket numbers to your My Disney Experience and you are good.

I always get the room only discount and then purchase park tickets through Undercover Tourist. If I need a rental car, purchasing the park tickets through this site gets you a really nice discount on the car.