Is it better to book a package or room/tickets separately?

[Spaceship|Earth]

I'd like to better understand the pros/cons of booking a package vs room only and buying tickets separately. I've normally booked the package, but when they released the 2023 spring discounts, rebooking only saved me about $100 instead of actually seeing the 20% discount on the reservation, presumably because park ticket prices went up from the time the package was originally booked. I'm thinking that maybe if I had booked room only that I would have saved more money?

Please let me know your opinions. I also realize the package gives you more time before you have to pay it whereas booking separately I believe you have to pay for tickets when you buy them and maybe also the room? Is there a "best practice" regarding taking advantage of discounts and such? Thanks!

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I also realize the package gives you more time before you have to pay it whereas booking separately I believe you have to pay for tickets when you buy them and maybe also the room?

No, you have it backwards. Booking room only is much more flexible.

When you book a package, you pay a $200 deposit and then you have to pay in full 30 days prior to check-in.

When you book room-only, you pay a deposit equal to the first night, but then you don't have to pay in full until you actually arrive. You can buy the tickets anywhere you'd like along that timeline.

Typically, which one is "better" depends on what promotions they're offering. Sometimes promotions will only be for rooms, and other times they'll only be for packages. There are pros and cons to booking it either way, but none of the pros and cons would outweigh a situation in which one method is offering a discount and another method isn't.

 

[NelleBelle]

Just remember that waiting too long to book tickets separately means you can't make park reservations until you have tickets. So depending on time of year and how late you book tickets might make it harder to book park reservations (in theory).

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I try to price things a few months out, before things like dining and park reservations are a pressing issue. So much hinges on the kinds of discounts being offered, but if it's a package discount vs. a room discount, I just price them both out and see which one puts me ahead. I usually buy my tickets through Undercover Tourist if I'm opting for a room discount, so that savings need to be factored into comparison figures since UT usually saves me $ (sometimes a lot). I will say that I prefer room only because I'm not having to turn $ over to Disney (outside of my deposit) before I'm ready to stay. It leaves things a lot more flexible if something comes up. I did have one or two trips where Disney did some odd math with packages and somehow their pricing figures were $0.35-1.35 less than my calculations. The CMs hand worked the math too and also couldn't figure out why the system was off, but just something to be aware of if you see a package amount that's a bit off from the math.

 

[MissViv]

If you know you are not going to cancel, then the room only makes more sense. I frequently have to cancel and rebook so I buy the package so I don't have to buy the tickets in advance. Thirty days out is OK because I usually know before then if I am going to cancel or not.

 

[Plowboy]

One other thing I haven't seen in this conversation so far is that by booking room only you are free to purchase park tickets at a discount through a third party. We have used Maple Leaf Tickets a number of times and been quite satisfied.

 

[NelleBelle]

When pricing my trip for this fall, I looked at the pricing for room-only with 3rd party tickets (we usually use UT or Tickets at Work) vs. the special dining gift card package. By staying at YC, we basically broke even with the room-only discount and 3rd party tickets. First time that's happened for us.