Do most people around here find it best to just go to www.disney.com and book your vacation directly through their website, or by going through a travel agent, or by making plans entirely on your own?
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Which is the best way to plan a DW vacation?
- Thread starter SilentRascal
- Start date
DanStat
Well-Known Member
AAA
Hello, SilentRascal!
I like to book through AAA. They take care of reservations, everything. Then before your trip, they send you an envelope with all of your stuff in it. Then, off to WDW!
This month at AAA is Disney month. You will get some good deals if you book now!
Hope this helps!
Hello, SilentRascal!
I like to book through AAA. They take care of reservations, everything. Then before your trip, they send you an envelope with all of your stuff in it. Then, off to WDW!
This month at AAA is Disney month. You will get some good deals if you book now!
Hope this helps!
Debbie
Well-Known Member
We have always made plans on our own. I haven't found the Disney.com to be any cheaper but I would search everything since websites have everything at your fingertips. If you have any questions you know you can ask here, as almost always someone has some type of first hand experience to guide you. Before websites I would have first called Disney Central and hung on the line for a while but now with dot coms, you can point and click and poof your going to DisneyWorld!
I'm sorry, I may be ignorant on some things. When you say the AAA, you mean what exactly? And, if by booking through Disney.com, can you still call right after you've made your plans and try to use a discount code on your room? Also, what kind of difference on hotel rooms or ticket prices are we talking about by signing up for the Disney Club (aka Magic Kingdom Club) beforehand?
DanStat
Well-Known Member
Disney Club
Disney Club discounts are around 10-20%. The Disney Club website (www.disneyclub.com) has some examples of the discounts you may receive. Membership is $39.00 a year. AAA is around $70, but if you travel alot, it is well worth it! When ever you get a flat, they send someone out to fix it...for free! We use it all the time!
~~DisneyPrep
Disney Club discounts are around 10-20%. The Disney Club website (www.disneyclub.com) has some examples of the discounts you may receive. Membership is $39.00 a year. AAA is around $70, but if you travel alot, it is well worth it! When ever you get a flat, they send someone out to fix it...for free! We use it all the time!
~~DisneyPrep
Pan
Member
Check out www.mousesavers.com. It's a great site if you're planning the trip yourself. Also grab Bob Sehlinger's The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disneyworld. It's got everything you need to know.
DLMAGICDARREN
New Member
I have found making plans on your own usually save the most. I am a member of Disney Club, but they never seem to help. They offer discounts at the resorts you can't afford, but no discounts at the ones you can, so it's still cheaper to ognore their beenfits usually.
Booking on line through any free travel site, will almost always equal any benefitds trip AAA offer.
When you book on your own, you seem to be able to spend the same, but have a lot more authority to do what you want. The official Disney site is of no use, please don't waste your time.
Booking on line through any free travel site, will almost always equal any benefitds trip AAA offer.
When you book on your own, you seem to be able to spend the same, but have a lot more authority to do what you want. The official Disney site is of no use, please don't waste your time.
Ariel
Member
I agree that planning it on your own is the best way to go. We went through a travel agency the first time we visited, simply because we were new to it all and wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything in our planning. The next year we planned it alone and ended up saving quite a bit of money. The problem with the "plans" some places give you is that they include things as part of a package (i.e. travel to and from the theme parks) that is automatically included should you stay at a Disney resort. If you're unsure as to exactly what you'll need to do, get a brochure and sample package plans from a travel agent and go from there. It'll give you a list of what you'll need to plan, and you can make a check list of your own. There really isn't much to it and you'll save yourself some money too.
I'm sure I packed the sunscreen!
In my experience, there is no simple answer. Of course www.mousesavers.com is a great place to start and they advise to do it all yourself. Generally, I think they are correct. The problem with www.disney.com is that they always want to sell you a "package" deal as does the Disney Vacation Club. I have checked and compared all the Disney offers for many years and have never found a deal that I couldn't get for less money by putting it together on my own. However, travel agents can sometimes come up with low price deals that you can't get elsewhere. I used Dreams Unlimited last year and got 2 rooms at the Grand Floridian for 50% off of the rack rate. Within 6 months I checked with Dreams Unlimited again to book another trip and their rates had gone through the roof. I was able to get a much lower rate on my own. So, I always check all the prices myself (airfare, room rates, tickets, etc.) and then check with a few travel agents to see if they can beat my price. Most of the time, they can't but once in awhile they come in lower. As with all shopping you have to do your homework. Discounts on tickets, room rates, etc. change rapidly from season to season so it's important to keep up to date on various deals. One of the great things about www.wdwmagic.com is that Steve keeps up to date on WDW events and many of the members (some are even CM's) know what's going on and are willing to share their information with those of us that ask. I think it's a good deal!
Also check this link as an example:
http://www.affordabledisney.com/merchandise.html
In my experience, there is no simple answer. Of course www.mousesavers.com is a great place to start and they advise to do it all yourself. Generally, I think they are correct. The problem with www.disney.com is that they always want to sell you a "package" deal as does the Disney Vacation Club. I have checked and compared all the Disney offers for many years and have never found a deal that I couldn't get for less money by putting it together on my own. However, travel agents can sometimes come up with low price deals that you can't get elsewhere. I used Dreams Unlimited last year and got 2 rooms at the Grand Floridian for 50% off of the rack rate. Within 6 months I checked with Dreams Unlimited again to book another trip and their rates had gone through the roof. I was able to get a much lower rate on my own. So, I always check all the prices myself (airfare, room rates, tickets, etc.) and then check with a few travel agents to see if they can beat my price. Most of the time, they can't but once in awhile they come in lower. As with all shopping you have to do your homework. Discounts on tickets, room rates, etc. change rapidly from season to season so it's important to keep up to date on various deals. One of the great things about www.wdwmagic.com is that Steve keeps up to date on WDW events and many of the members (some are even CM's) know what's going on and are willing to share their information with those of us that ask. I think it's a good deal!
Also check this link as an example:
http://www.affordabledisney.com/merchandise.html