Where to go for best deal on WDW package?

[julee22]

We are planning to go to WDW this fall or winter. This will be our first time going. I have just started to research what would be the best for our family. Have DD who is 6, DS#1 who is 3 and DS#2 who is 4 month. First place I went of course was to the WDW website. Do most people book their trip through that site or are there other sources that's better?

Julia

[JTsMom]

Believe it or not, it's not a simple answer- there's a lot of factors.

First, check out the following sites:
mousesavers.com
disboards.com (specifically, there is a subcategory of the resorts board called Codes and Rates)

Those will teach you a lot of what you need to know.

Having said that, here's a little summary of some of the main points.

1. Disney has seasons. You may have already figured that out from their website. Which season you choose helps determine the cost. Value is the least expensive, and also has some of the best weather (Dec/Jan) and lowest crowds.

2. Decide if you want to stay on/off property. They each have their perks. If you want to do a Disney package w/dining (at that depends on several things), you have to stay on property.

3. Assuming you want to stay on property, there are several possible discounts you could get.

-Some come from Disney to certain lucky individuals- those are called PIN codes. To have a chance at them, sign up for the planning DVD, the website, any email lists, etc.

-Some are general public codes. These are codes Disney puts out that anyone can use. There are only so many of them, so you have to stay on top of them. That's where mousesavers.com is very helpful. Some examples of recent genral public codes: Free Dining were 40% off your resort stay. Both saved the people that used them a TON of money.

-If nothing else, you can go through AAA. That will generally save you about 15% off a value or deluxe room, and 20% off a moderate. If you book through AAA, you can use the discount, and still buy a package. If you use a AAA discount through Disney, you can NOT get a package, so you have to buy the components separately.

One other way to save is to buy each component separately, at different places, but that only works if you don't want dining. You'd pay for your meals OOP, book your room with whatever discount you could get, through whoever had the best rate, and get your tickets through undercover tourist- check out mousesavers for info on that.

Another option is to call a Disney specialist travel agent- you can find recs on disboards.

HTH! I know it'ss a lot of info.

[julee22]

Thanks for your reply, JTsMom. Your info will give me a good start.