Walt Disney World With Kids (Fodor's, 2012) - Fodor's [7]
Package trips can have drawbacks. Like buying a fully loaded car off a dealer’s lot, you may find yourself paying for options you don’t want and don’t need. Unless you’re certain you’ll use most of the features contained in the package, you’ll probably end up losing money on the deal. At the other end of the spectrum are deeply discounted packages that place you in run-down or out-of-the-way hotels.
Money-Saving Tips
AAA and travel agents can provide genuine bargains, especially if you don’t need to stay on Disney property.
For deals online, check out www.expedia.com, www.hotels.com, www.smallworldvacations.com, or www.vacationoutlet.com.
If you’re calling to book your room, whether on-site or off-site, always ask, “Are there any discounts or special offers available?” Sometimes you’ll learn about deals over the phone that aren’t listed on the resort Web site.
Airline Packages
If you’re flying, check out the airline’s own packages, which include airfare, theme-park tickets for Disney and other Orlando attractions, and lodging at either on-site or off-site hotels. Again there’s a huge range of amenities—you can have valet parking and bottles of champagne if you’re willing to pay for them. And again the packages can be fine-tuned to meet your needs.
Cruise Packages
Some of the most popular Disney packages are those that combine a cruise with a vacation in the parks. Check out www.disneycruise.com, call 800/951–3532, or contact your travel agent. See Chapter 13 for more information.
Money-Saving Tip
Don’t automatically assume that a package will save you big bucks. Unless you’re sure you’ll use every feature—or almost every feature—that the package includes, you may end up losing money on the deal. Run the numbers.
Disney Package Vacations
By far the most popular packages are those offered by Disney itself. The basic Magic Your Way package includes a hotel room on Disney property and theme-park tickets. You can choose any resort in any price range as well as the ticket options that suit your family’s needs. Magic Your Way allows you to customize your package to the nth degree, fine-tuning the time of year, length of stay, resort, type of ticket, and type of dining. The good news is, it gives you lots of options. The bad news is … it gives you lots of options.
So how do you know what to choose? Let’s start with tickets. The rule of thumb is, if your kids are young or this is your first trip to Disney World, you’ll probably be spending most of your time in the four major theme parks, so choose a package with base tickets. If your kids are 8 and up, consider upgrading to the Park Hopper Pass since it gives you the flexibility to move from one park to another in the course of the day. The more expensive premium and platinum options are really only helpful for families who’ve been to Disney World before and want to explore beyond the basic parks and those whose kids are old enough to enjoy the water parks, sporting options, tours, and Cirque du Soleil. For most families, the base ticket or the base ticket with the Park Hopper Pass works fine.
How does the ticket type affect the cost of the trip? Let’s take a mythical family of four and walk them through the process. If they’re traveling during the off-season, let’s say in October, a five-night package at a value resort with base tickets will cost them approximately $1,400. Pretty reasonable, huh? If they add the Park Hopper option to their tickets, the price will rise to $1,600.
The resort category—from value to moderate to deluxe to deluxe villa—and the season also affect the price of a package. (Chapter 2 outlines the pluses and minuses of each on-site resort; for now, you just need to consider how much this choice affects costs.) So, let’s go back to our mythical family of four who can get five nights at a value resort for $1,400. In peak season that same package will cost them approximately $1,700. Still pretty reasonable.