No idea where to start

[elstoleno]

Hi


We're pricing up Florida / WDW etc for next year, probably August, and I have no idea where to start!


How do you all book your trips/who with?
Is it better to book a package or separates?



Thanks

[Jovi_Lady]

We booked ours as a package with Ocean florida as it was all new to us and did not know where to start either... was much easier doing it like that for us.

Just shop around and see what comes up best for you and your family

[Mexy02]

Have you been before? Confident to do DIY ? Fly indirect.
Write down what you want ie villa, apartment , on site , flight direct or indirect , time of year ( busy or what's on can make a difference to price) , flights available as some routes not flying at certain times. What parks you def want to do.

We did package and got a decent price that was within on budget limit as I wanted help choosing as never been before and didn't want to be miles out spending ages just travelling to the parks .x

[cheekytink]

I have just had a similar conversation with a good friend, as she came to me "because I am obsessed"

There are a few questions you need to answer before you can really get any comparable quotes
1. Who is travelling? Any expended family? If a family with kids, then are you happy to share a hotel room together for the duration of your trip? If travelling with children aged between 3-9 it's often good to stay onsite and get Dining as that will cover expensive things like character dining, which small people (and some big people ) enjoy.
2. Do you want to stay on site at Disney or universal? If staying onsite you may get Disney dining included when you buy your tickets, and if booked before 1st July you would get $200 gift card. (you only have to book and pay reservation deposit to qualify for these offers, not the trip in whole)
OR
Would you prefer a villa with a bit more space and your own private pool?
We have done this option when we travelled with extended family as it allows everyone to chill together but also have enough space to be private.
3. Are you going to hire a car?
4. What sort of flights do you want- direct/indirect? (indirect usually cheaper but takes longer. Some have distinct advantages, such as Aer Lingus you clear US customs/immigration at Dublin! Therefore avoiding queues in orlando. Also economy/premium/upper ?
5. What is your realistic budget?

When you can answer these, then it all gets much easier to get quotes and compare prices.
HTH

[elstoleno]

Originally Posted by cheekytink

I have just had a similar conversation with a good friend, as she came to me "because I am obsessed"

There are a few questions you need to answer before you can really get any comparable quotes
1. Who is travelling? Any expended family? If a family with kids, then are you happy to share a hotel room together for the duration of your trip? If travelling with children aged between 3-9 it's often good to stay onsite and get Dining as that will cover expensive things like character dining, which small people (and some big people ) enjoy.
2. Do you want to stay on site at Disney or universal? If staying onsite you may get Disney dining included when you buy your tickets, and if booked before 1st July you would get $200 gift card. (you only have to book and pay reservation deposit to qualify for these offers, not the trip in whole)
OR
Would you prefer a villa with a bit more space and your own private pool?
We have done this option when we travelled with extended family as it allows everyone to chill together but also have enough space to be private.
3. Are you going to hire a car?
4. What sort of flights do you want- direct/indirect? (indirect usually cheaper but takes longer. Some have distinct advantages, such as Aer Lingus you clear US customs/immigration at Dublin! Therefore avoiding queues in orlando. Also economy/premium/upper ?
5. What is your realistic budget?

When you can answer these, then it all gets much easier to get quotes and compare prices.
HTH

See more...

Two adults and a 14 year old would be going, and as much as i'd prefer to stay on site at WDW, it seems the better option to stay on international drive to make it easier to get to the non disney parks too, as I don't really intend on driving.

Flight wise, as long as the stop overs arent massive indirect would be fine for us.
I'm off to Disneyland, CA in August and we're going indirect, but its only a 40min ish stop.

And budget wise, its not really been considered, its more of a price it up and save scenario.


Sorry for not giving numbered answers!
And thanks for taking the time to help ^_^

[Guest]

great advice from cheekytink

your answers wont change the advice you receive, you need to really consider the type of holiday you are after.

If you fancy diy, i would recommend kayak.com for flights and cars. it works out all your direct / indirect for you.

[Watergirl]

I'd say to start with flights. Have a look at a few flight comparison sites and see what you can get from where you want to fly.

I have never done a package, so don't know who is competitive, but I tend to book in the following order:

1) Flights first
2) Use sites like Trivago to compare hotels on idrive price wise and cross reference with Trip Advisor reviews
3) Ask here for opinions on shortlist of hotels
4) Book hotel
5) Book car, although not relevant for you
6) Plan itinerary, book park tickets, look at any specific tours we want to do, book hotel for night before flight

To give you an idea of price, although this is not August, we're planning on staying at Floridays (changing from Hilton Grand Vacations idrive) and it's costing around £1000 for 2 weeks and is around the middle of Universal and Disney (I think) with shuttle transport from hotel.

With hotels near idrive look for those that offer shuttle transport and also those that are on the itrolley route, or close to restaurants and a supermarket to get supplies.

Also have a think - do you want basic room or something a bit more luxurious?

[Watergirl]

Sorry, meant to add, once you've worked out DIY, you can then call some travel agents and see if there are any better deals.

[NicolaFred]

I leave it all up to someone else... Val Ramsey is fantastic. Id recommend her no end. Her username is Cinders Mum on here. She will book everything for you and act as your personal travel agent. She is fantastic.

Ps. please drive. lol

Telephone: 0845 058 7261 or email at: val.ramsay@travelcounsellors.com

[DIBBadmin]

This thread has been automatically closed as it has not been posted on in 365 days.