PDA

View Full Version : Packages



LolaluvsBruno
01-02-2007, 07:54 PM
Thanks to everyone who answered my "Mothers Day" thread...
We really wanted to go that weekend (Sat-Tues) so now I think we will!

I also had a questions about packages,
Do you think they are really worth it? What I mean is...
Pros & Cons...
Is it better to make my own hotel reservations and buy tickets at the gate or somewhere like Costco.
or
Do you think it is better to buy into a package deal like Get away today.

I figured if anyone would know you guys would!

hlbtimes2
01-02-2007, 08:40 PM
Pros of booking a package: little perks ( things like toon town morning madness, coupon book, ps seating for shows in DCA, pins/ lanyards, lugage tags- AAA, WDT and Costco all include them), ease of booking everything at once, being able to make payment over time (WDT requires $200 deposit, not sure about the others). Some times its cheaper to book as a package.

Cons of booking a package: sometimes your options are limited, such as you cant book a party of 5 at the candy cane, but you can if you book direct with them.

Pros of booking everything seperate: Sometimes its cheaper to book everything seperate. Some times you have more options or can use special discounts/ air miles, etc.

Best thing to do is check around and see what you can find. Be sure you are comparing apples to apples (ie: same hotel, flight times that work for you, etc).

ktrm
01-02-2007, 09:46 PM
One thing that always scares me away from the packages is the cancellation policy. For AAA for instance, if you cancel your trip more than 30 days out its $100, less than 30 days out its $200, and less than 4 days out its a whopping 50% of the package price. If you book the candy cane inn yourself, however, if you have to cancel more than 1 day out, there is no charge. If you have to cancel less than 1 day out, they just charge you 1 night stay(about $100). So booking one way you pay $100 for cancelling more than 30 days out and the other way you pay $100 for cancelling less than 1 day out. The Holiday Inn Anaheim Resort is even better and has no cancellation fee up to 6:00pm of the day your supposed to check in. The tickets which have been bought separately don't expire until the end of the year (or the end of April if you are buying the "Everyone pays the kids price tickets).

Whenever I have done my math, I seem to do somewhat better booking things myself. Sometimes the packages contain goodies, that although nice, are not something I would normally get. The biggest savings that I have gotten is by doing the following 1. getting the tickets ahead of time either using AAA, the Disney store or WDTC and 2. getting the entertainment card rate on hotels. One note...I have never stayed at a Disneyland Resort Hotel(paradise pier, Disney hotel, or GCH) so maybe these packages are more competitive and I never have to fly to Disneyland. I have never really looked at Getawaytoday although people on this site seem to have had very good experiences with them.