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miss_sonja
11-14-2004, 12:06 PM
We love Disneyland trips and we'd like to go more often. We usually do packages, as it's so much easier than buying the parts separately (and when I priced things out on our last trip, there was no savings doing it separately). But...if we got annual passes, maybe that would change.

Anyway, I'd like to hear from people who go to Disneyland more than once a year and have to fly--how do you do it for less$$?

Thanks for any help! (fyi, there are 4 of us--me, DH, 5 yr old and 16 month old)
(Edited to add: we're in Seattle, WA!)

Wendi
11-14-2004, 12:20 PM
Depends on where you are. I'm in Northern California and take advantage of the often offered Southwest $39 flights.

sleepyjeff
11-14-2004, 01:08 PM
Amtrak usually has really good deals in the off season...........but it is only a good deal if you don't get a cabin. Amtrak seats are wider than Airline seats and have much more leg room. The seats go back much further too. Bring your own food to save even more money. 33 hours is a long time, but when one considers how early you have to arrive at the airport, layovers, etc. it really is not that much longer. Plus, you can stroll around the train without the worry of "turbulance" and stretch your legs as often as you like.

Also, you may look into combining train/plane. This way you could take advantage of a really good deal on an airline and a good deal on the train:

For example: Get a round trip ticket on an airline with a return trip a few months in the future. Then fly down, stay a few days and return by train. A few months later take the train down and return on the second half of that rt airline ticket.

:)

kohl
11-14-2004, 01:43 PM
I know what you mean about it taking almost as long to fly than drive.
Last year, my brother and his friend flew to Disneyland (We live in Northern CA) and we drove. He got there only an hour before us!

TrekkieDad
11-14-2004, 02:50 PM
I know what you mean about it taking almost as long to fly than drive.
Last year, my brother and his friend flew to Disneyland (We live in Northern CA) and we drove. He got there only an hour before us!
I can believe that. It's a six hour drive from my house to DL (maybe a little more), but it's an hour to the nearest airport, you gotta be there an hour before departure, an hour in the air, and an hour (at least) after landing before actually getting to DL from the airport. That's four hours at best. And you at the mercy of flight schedules. The two-hour advantage to flying isn't worth all the hassle.

In the car, we can leave when we're ready, pop in six CDs, change drivers now and then, and set the cruise control for most of the drive.

miss_sonja
11-14-2004, 02:58 PM
Unfortunately, for us driving would probably be a nightmare. It's 2250 miles round trip to DL from Seattle, and gas alone would cost about $170.00. Flying is much faster--only 2.5 hours in the air, 20 minutes to the airport, 30 minutes from airport to DL.

If we had more time available, driving might be fun. But just to go to DL, flying makes more sense for the weekend + a day type of trip.

kohl
11-14-2004, 03:01 PM
I know it doesn't seem right. We saw my brother on the freeway on the way to the airport. Once in Disneyland I asked what time he got to Disneyland and he said about an hour earlier. We have always driven and after him getting there only an hour before us I don't think it is worth the extra money for only 1 hour more. My kids have always been OK with the 6 hour drive.

kisroo
11-14-2004, 03:27 PM
We have 2 credit cards that give us frequent flyer miles, so that helps with the airfare for us. This upcoming trip, we had APs, a $50 companion ticket on Alaska Air, and a really good deal using our Entertainment card at the hotel. When you sign up for this type of credit card, you usually get some upfront perks, too. Like the $50 companion ticket we're using this time.

Using the credit cards for daily stuff like groceries, entertainment, eating out, etc... helps us rack up the miles faster (of course, we pay them off each month, so we aren't paying all the interest either!).

I also have a Disney visa which we are going to use for our March trip with the whole family. We can put it on there and take 6 months to pay it off, interest-free. As long as you pay it off prior to the 6 months, it's a good deal, IMO.

But, doing the ff miles, we haven't paid full airfare for a trip to DLR in the past 4 years (and we go an average of 1-2 times a yr from Oregon).

Oh, and APs also give you some good deals at the DL hotels if you can go during certain times.

Good luck and have a great time!
~kisroo:)

rentayenta
11-14-2004, 03:50 PM
I can believe that. It's a six hour drive from my house to DL (maybe a little more), but it's an hour to the nearest airport, you gotta be there an hour before departure, an hour in the air, and an hour (at least) after landing before actually getting to DL from the airport. That's four hours at best. And you at the mercy of flight schedules. The two-hour advantage to flying isn't worth all the hassle.

In the car, we can leave when we're ready, pop in six CDs, change drivers now and then, and set the cruise control for most of the drive.

That sounds like us TrekkieDad. Ours is about an 11 drive to DL. We choose to drive to Vegas (7 hours), stay over night, and then continue on. With 3 small kids flying is a PITA especially lugging 3 car seats and having to rent a car. I always feel sorry for the person seated next to us. For us, DL is only 6 Disney movies away ;)

derraj25
11-14-2004, 04:03 PM
Unfortunately, for us driving would probably be a nightmare. It's 2250 miles round trip to DL from Seattle, and gas alone would cost about $170.00. Flying is much faster--only 2.5 hours in the air, 20 minutes to the airport, 30 minutes from airport to DL.

If we had more time available, driving might be fun. But just to go to DL, flying makes more sense for the weekend + a day type of trip.


We live just south of Salem and we fly out of Eugene. Last June, we bought 4 RT tickets on United for $127 each. We leave in a few weeks. We usually don't buy packages becasue we feel that we are paying for stuff we don't use. So I comb Travelocity, Expedia, Alaskaair, and United's web sites for fares, and when they get this inexpensive (never seen them this cheap, that's why we bought them), we buy, book our hotel (Paradise Pier) thru our travel agent. Four RT flights (Eug - Orange County), four nights at Paradise Pier, and Park Tickets was less than $1000. Disney's web site has priced this over $1800, and Alaskaair.com was $2100.

Just my 2 cents worth ;)

d2

rentayenta
11-14-2004, 04:06 PM
That's a great deal!

derraj25
11-14-2004, 04:10 PM
That's a great deal!
We go 3-4 times a year because it is so inexpensive this way. You have to be patient, and look at fares weekly. And like this time, we had to book several months out to get the inexpensive fares, but well worth it. We are totally juiced too, we have never been there at Christmas time.

--d2

rentayenta
11-14-2004, 05:25 PM
d2, did you book your fares early and then wait for a room deal? Our room for 6 nights at the DLH with five 5 day hoppers and character breakfast was $1600- and we are driving. We will be there Dec 20-26 so our dates may be different.

derraj25
11-14-2004, 05:51 PM
I see a typo...it was less than $1300 for our trip not $1000. Now that we have that cleared up, :rolleyes: We always stay mid-week (this time Nov 30 - Dec 3), and to answer your question, yes we waited for a room deal. Paradise Pier at the time of booking was offering "Forth Night Free" so we aren't even paying for the premium night (Friday the 3rd) plus the cheapest days to fly are first thing Tue am & mid-day Sat. I just looked at my itinerary and my total package is $1277.93.

The only drawback is we have an hour layover in SF both ways.
--d2

rentayenta
11-14-2004, 06:18 PM
Even with your typo it's a great deal. $500 for airfare and $800 for the room and hoppers.

MommyTo3Boys1Girl
11-14-2004, 08:59 PM
Marry a pilot, fly for free. That is how I do it. hehe
Seriously, as Wendi suggested, if you watch Southwest especially, they have great fares, $39 each way, or the other airlines run specials a lot.
I also found, depending on the hotel, you can get a better deal if you call them directly, than their 800# for reservations, referring to your comment about not saving much by doing things individually.

rentayenta
11-15-2004, 05:54 AM
Marry a pilot, fly for free. That is how I do it. hehe


Too late but I did marry a hunky firefighter ;) I do get free smoke detectors however :rolleyes:

rargirl
11-15-2004, 07:26 AM
Sonja -
Before I was an AP holder, it was a better deal for me to purchase a WDT package. Once I got my AP, though, I no longer needed the free tickets and was able to save a LOT of money by purchasing airline tickets, rental car and hotel ala carte online. (Now I live in Anaheim.... so I don't even have to do that anymore).

For airfare, I usually went directly through the airline. You can also bid on tickets at Priceline since it doesn't really matter what airline you fly on. My best picks for airlines are:
Southwest and Delta (when I lived in Portland, OR)
Jet Blue (when I lived in SLC, UT, I flew on them to Long Beach several times for less than $50. I think they fly into Seattle, too!)
Here is a current United deal quoting $105 RT Seattle/LAX: http://www.united.com/page/article/0,6722,50076,00.html

Here are my favorite online travel sites for hotel and rental car:
expedia.com (usually the best deal)
travelocity.com
travelhero.com
hotwire.com

-Jane

Mommy2NicknMax
11-15-2004, 09:44 AM
We live near Seattle as well. Have you tried Alaska Air yet? They usually have some sales where if you're not picky about what day you leave or come back on, you can save a lot. Plus they run specials from time to time where kids fly free to Disneyland w/the purchase of an adult ticket. As for package deals, there's Getawaytoday.com. I've never used them but I know some people that have and say their deals are pretty good.

DISNEYloon
11-15-2004, 10:17 AM
I know what you mean about it taking almost as long to fly than drive.
Last year, my brother and his friend flew to Disneyland (We live in Northern CA) and we drove. He got there only an hour before us!


We live in Nor Cal and drive.......just for the reason's stated, by the time you get up, get everything together and have to be at the airport so long before the flight leaves, then arrive in OC, get your luggage, rent a car of get the shuttle, it's just as tiring as driving. We get up at 5am, on the road by 6am, stop and eat breakfast, arrive at our hotel by 1pm and are in the parks by 2pm! EASY CHEESEY!

mad4mky
11-15-2004, 10:56 AM
I live in Northern California as well.

Sometimes we drive...sometimes we fly. We were just there last month, and we flew. It was just easier for 2 of us to fly down.

If we go as a family of 5...we usually drive. The cost factor alone is what keeps us from flying.

It all depends on what flight deals we can get...how much time we have...and if my husband comes with us or not. :)

I do have to say though, that I do think flying saves time (but not money). We get up early, go to the San Jose Airport (sometimes its SFO...we live right in between both airports). We can get an early flight and be in the parks by 9 am. Plus, you are not nearly as tired as if you drove.
We don't rent a car, and usually catch a cab to our hotel...so there is no waiting factor there for us.

When we plan a trip, and we are driving, I have to figure in an 'extra' day just for travel. If we fly, we don't. :)

Pammer
11-15-2004, 11:39 AM
I have never done a package for either DL or WDW, simply because I've always been able to get a better deal booking everything separately. For example:

Transportation: We fly Southwest from Sacramento to Orange County, and get decent fares on a regular basis. We'd rather not spend 7-8 hours in a car (plus I would need additional vacation days because I would have to stop and visit my mother who lives halfway there...I would never hear the end of it otherwise! ;) ), and it's just me and my hubby to worry about.

Shuttle: The AirportBus and SuperShuttle offer pretty good deals, plus there are quite a few other options available (as previously discussed in other threads).

Lodging: As much as I would love to stay in a Disney hotel, we always stay right across the street from the pedestrian entrance off of Harbor Blvd. The cost difference is what helps us go multiple times per year! We often pay about $50-60 per night, and only have about a 5-minute walk to get to the parks. We only need a place to sleep and bathe, after all! Now, a $79 AP rate at Paradise Pier is very tempting (but often not available during our visits!). :)

Meals: We usually eat breakfast in our room. The motel offers a sparse Continental breakfast, and we take advantage of the microwave & fridge in our room as well. As for lunch & dinner, we rarely eat at the more expensive restaurants in the parks (i.e. Blue Bayou), hotels, or Downtown Disney. We usually just grab a bite to eat at the quicker establishments (gotta maximize our time seeing the attractions, ya know?), or off-property. Again, it's a cost issue for us.

Shopping: We prefer to shop at the Disney Character Warehouse Outlet to get the best deals. They're located about 3-4 miles north of DL off of Harbor, and we can take the OCTA to/from very easily ($2.50 for an all-day pass). However, I still buy a few things within the parks/DTD as well each visit.

Once we've purchased our annual passes, a 4-day trip will usually cost us about $800, which gives us the opportunity to visit more than once per year. So, economizing is good... :D

disneyhound
11-15-2004, 06:18 PM
We fly out of a small airport that is supported by only one air carrier. Therefore, most often we get the best deal from the airline that we have to fly. I have found that if you can book far enough out, say a few months, then it seems that the airline oftens give the best deal in a hotel/flight package.

Lots of folks talk about driving. I did a MapQuest.com direction route from my door to the Hotel we are staying at in January down at DL. The route is near 900 miles and some 13 1/2 hours, no stopping!

For me, time is the issue. We take the first flight out in the morning, 6:00AM and with a couple of plane changes later we are at John Wayne by 10:20AM.

We also do not check bags! We each carry the largest sized duffle type carry on and a small backpack. Then when we arrive in the DL area, we walk straight to a Shuttle Van.

We grab the latest flight we can on our last day at DL, about 3:50PM, we are home by 10:00PM.

If we were to drive, we would lose two days to driving, not to mention the stress and gas involved. I booked our trip in January back in July, and it was under $600 for airfair for 2 plus 4 nights in a superior good neighbor hotel.

The price is up by 50% today, I just checked, and the departure flight is no longer available. We would lose three hours on our last day if we booked today!

Shop, Shop, Shop...

mad4mky
11-15-2004, 06:25 PM
Shop, Shop, Shop...

Exactly!!

I booked a trip to Europe all through the internet. I got the bestest, cheapest...yet 'posh' deals you could imagine (course, booking a week or so after 9/11 didn't hurt!).

miss_sonja
11-16-2004, 08:24 PM
Thanks for the tips everyone!

I think the reason I couldn't get better deals on our last trip was because we were date-constrained. Some of our party had to go on certain dates, due to work, so little flexibility.

Seems like if you buy APs, and commit to going more than once a year, you'll start saving. Might want to do that before the littlest is old enough to have to pay:-)