Who do you book package holiday with?

[princessmiya]

We always book with Netflights, have never had an issue with them always had great prices and lot's of dfferent flight/accommodation options.

[Chilli-pepper]

I would defiantly look to do DIY if you can bear it, (I know many prefer to go through a TA). I am sure you could source it much cheaper.

Each to their own but £21k is eyewatering to me on a 3 week holiday, but maybe this is the norm and I am too out of the loop as always do DIY and stay in a villa.

[ClaireNJ]

Originally Posted by Disney17

I’ve wanted to try BA but can you do split stay on the website for a quote?

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I think you can do a hotel for part of your stay so you could book the Disney hotel separately or the Universal one & go direct
That price is unbelievable, especially as you’ll have to add on tickets food shopping etc
You’ll be up to 30K no problem

[Disney17]

we are gong without a car this time so need to be on a loop for transport and need a room that sleeps 4 but needs 1 double and either two singles or 2 double and a day bed for 16yr old. been told only beach club offer this

[cornishfrogboy]

I note that you have been many times before, but obviously don’t know what you have done in the past.

Is this with a London departure? How old are your children? How many rooms were you looking at in Universal?

I never book a single thing until flights are released onto the market, 355 with BA and 330 from your return date on search engines or other airlines. This would still apply if I was looking for a package. I am still 11 months from my vacation and in no rush what so ever. Why would I be in a rush? It is hardly as if things become sold out that early.

As 330 (or often 355 in my case) approaches, I am researching ever more heavily, in my case but not yours, into places I might visit, things I might do and various other options. I have no actual finalised plan until I have actually booked the flights. (I don’t even know where I am going, yet alone what I will do, but will stick to your scenario).

When the flights are there, then I would research DIY, as I will already have found the prices on the accommodations in advance. I would also have researched options on the various comparable accommodations.
With that DIY price in hand, I would then be looking at ALL of the TA’s to see if they could beat my own, best price.

I would have researched transfers from MCO, Tampa and Melbourne, factoring this into my DIY price.

The problem with what you are doing right now is that you are entrusting a company who know that they have no competition from elsewhere with your money.. and a full 8 months before you have to do anything at all. Any other potential competitors for your money will have to put in a price to you whilst having very little idea of what airline tickets will cost and therefore, they will leave themselves a very wide margin of error.. just in case.

WHAT WOULD I DO?.. AND MOST CERTAINLY DIY.

1. I would consider driving, but in the event that you are adamantly against, I will discount it.

2. 3 weeks is a long time and therefore I would most certainly be buying DC ultimates, either swim or non swim. Thus, BG would come into play. With this, Tampa would also come into play an arrival point. Tampa is traditionally a much better deal than MCO and therefore this would make me consider into Tampa and home from MCO.. that would mean with BA and bookable from 355 days from your return date. Having secured those tickets (or waited until other options come onto the table), I would start my planning.

My first option would be a yellow cab from Tampa to BG and straight out to the Hampton Inn, right next to BG. I would spend all that day and also the following day in BG. (I don’t know the age of your children), before getting a private hire to the Disney Beach Club if that is your wont. During that 2 weeks, I would also do a day or 2 in Seaworld and a day in Discovery Cove.

After 2 weeks, I would move for my week in Universal… but… I would get there really early on the first day and just do 2 nights Hard rock to hammer the rides on XPress pass before 5 nights in Saphire Falls, Cabana Bay or similar in order to save a great deal of money and take in the less XPress pass dominated features to be found.


I would price up
London- Tampa returning MCO - LHR.
A night in the Hampton at Busch
2 weeks at Beach Club
2 nights HRH
5 nights Cabana Bay
Disney 14 days
Universal 14s
Discovery Cove ultimates.
A transfer from Busch to Beach Club.

I would (at less than 330 days from my return flight), be inviting Ocean, Newells, TUI, Virgin, BA and any other that you can think of to come up with a better plan at a better price.

My ‘what I would do’ was just a method to throw a few thoughts into the mix. You can of course get to Busch from Orlando on the courtesy bus leaving from Seaworld. I simply put it in, in order to bring the generally cheaper Tampa Int into the equation and show a ‘plan b’.

Hoping this helps… but I would think long and hard about a car if it saves you enough by having one. Flexibility cannot be underestimated and in my illustration, I would book a car for just 3 days.. to get from Tampa Int to BG and then from BG to Beach Club. Every further day would cost you a hire fee and a parking fee. They add up.
Of course, Disney and Universal eating is very expensive compared with elsewhere. That can justify your holding a car for longer.. (or using Uber).

Hoping that this mishmash helps!

[Keegan]

Originally Posted by Disney17

I’ve wanted to try BA but can you do split stay on the website for a quote?

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Yes you can do a split stay through BA website

[staceyb]

Whoever is cheapest, we've used VH, BA, Pillinger World travel, charter travel. BA was cheapest this trip so using them. 21k sounds an awful lot IMO x

[loldis]

Originally Posted by Disney17

we are gong without a car this time so need to be on a loop for transport and need a room that sleeps 4 but needs 1 double and either two singles or 2 double and a day bed for 16yr old. been told only beach club offer this

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Not true. Most of the deluxe resorts offer this, and some of the moderates offer a pull down 5th sleeper that can accomodate a teen. There's also the suites at the values which should be much cheaper than a BC room and you'd get more space. To give you an example, a standard BC hotel room at rack rate starts at $522/night now. A newly renovated family suite at All Star Music that has three queen size beds (two are pull down, so you get a living room during the day plus a separate bedroom) with two bathrooms and a small kitchen is $310/night on the same dates. The BC location is nice, but I'd take more space and $200/night in my pocket for spending money any day.

However, I wouldn't book anything with Disney involved until the 2023 offers are released. You're paying full price for zero benefit at the moment. Where if you wait until the offer (probably April), you should get some perks included - most likely a gift card dining credits. It's not a huge amount, but better than nothing. And I wouldn't personally book flights until they're released, you're getting speculative prices at the moment which are generally higher as TAs don't want to risk losing money.

[Princess Ariel]

Originally Posted by Disney17

I’ve wanted to try BA but can you do split stay on the website for a quote?

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You can do a split stay on BA, you need to click flight and hotel and then custom trip and do it that way, you won’t be able to get August 2023 on BA for a while yet though I think it’s like 355 days in advance or something with BA.

[Nelly7]

Maybe worth trying Ever After Holidays part of Hays Travel.
We’ve booked a split stay with them for later this year.