I can help with a few things because we just booked a 2-night package at the Fantasy Springs hotel for our trip in October! This is our second TDR trip, the first we followed the advice to skip a package because it was cheaper a la cart pricing. But the guaranteed access to Fantasy Springs and unlimited Premier access is a game changer. Combined with a historic exchange rate, it was hard to say no. A YOLO opportunity. If ever there was a “cheap” time to splurge, and you are paying in USD, it’s now.
Packages you do pay in full at booking. Which if you are checking the current exchange rate, can make the actual package price go up or down depending on the day you book. But the Japanese prices don’t fluctuate. As long as you cancel 21 days in advance you can get a full refund.
One annoying thing, is that the ride selections you choose are factored into the price. You are basically locking in a time and prepaying for the Premiere Access. But if you want to make a modification, the whole package is rebooked, and the old one refunded. So for us, I didn’t realize the Baymax attraction, which is new to us, is essentially Mater or Alien Saucers ride. We didn’t need that one, so tonight I swapped it for the generic ride (which we can use at Pooh). This caused our package price in yen to go down 1800. But because of the exchange rate between 2AM and 11PM changed, and for us its 456,000 yen being charged, it actually resulted in like a $20 price increase! So be mindful of what you select and limit changes… unless the dollar gets even stronger.
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