Help how to baook my trip first time Disneyland - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Hi
I would like some feedback on booking hotel and airline etc. for Disneyland CA
Myself & hubby, my son & wife and 2 grandkids 8 & 10 and my single daughter.
End of Sept. 2008 for 5 nights, we will get 2 rooms.
We are going to fly out of Vancouver to LAX airport.
Question is what is the best way to book all this and the most cost effective.
Travel agent with vacation packages?
Call airline and hotel directly on phone?
Book flight and hotel over the internet?
Please let me know what you all did and what are the benefits.
This is all of ours first trip to Disneyland.
Thanks in advance, will await your replies.
Personally, I do all my own booking via the internet. I look for deals, use Priceline, etc. I have found I can save $$ doing it myself, and personally find this to be cheaper than booking a package.
I normally research online through different ways. My favorite is through the Disney Travel Agency. They are always nice and then I take advantage of vacation planning at the resort. I know that it always works for me. I know I probably spend more money this way but they make your priority seating plans and everything.
Michele
__________________
Second Honeymoon! Grand California Hotel 9/11/2008-9/14/2008!
We've gotten the best deals booking a package through Costco.com and getawaytoday.com. A package can make your life easier the first time around too. I usually start with the Disneyland website, price it out, and go from there. You can save a substantial amount by booking a good neighbor hotel instead of one of the onsite hotels (and in some cases they're much closer to the parks). I also got a great deal once booking through an airline website on an a package that even included airfare.
As a DVC member, I use my points to stay on property at Disneyland and I usually book my flights online - it depends where we're flying in from. This time, we're going to be heading in from Chicago, so we're flying JetBlue, as they go into Long Beach. I try to avoid LAX and head for one of the smaller airports in LA when we go there.
I research every aspect of the trip, and book things seperately. I am type A about vacation planning, I have to have control. Here's what I've done for the trip coming up. I booked HOJO's by calling their in house reservations department and asked for the entertainment rate. They then told me the price and dates. I picked my dates based on this. I'm ordering my park hoppers through getawaytoday.com. They are a little cheaper than buying at the park and they come with two magic mornings. (Most PH's come with only one MM.) I am prepaying for character dining by purchasing vouchers at getawaytoday.com also. If I was flying, I would shop around and book myself. I would then book my shuttle or rental car myself also. I like being able to choose things myself, but understand the appeal of getting a package, and letting vacation planning book everything for you. It really depends on your style of vacation planning. Are you a major planner, or someone who likes to sit back, relax, and just go with the flow?
I either do all the booking myself or if I need help I have a wonderful local travel agent that helps me. Package deals are the way to go they do help save money.
You can also book your Disneyland package with AAA. I've found them to be quite efficient. And I know that you have AAA in Canada so that this could be a great way to let their travel professionals take care of everything. They also get access to hotels discounts.
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