Need help first trip to Disneyland bookings

Hi

I would like some feedback on booking hotel and airline etc. for Disneyland CA

Myself %26amp; hubby, my son %26amp; wife and 2 grandkids 8 %26amp; 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.

Need help first trip to Disneyland bookings

Hi, and hope your day is well.well, the best way to book will really depend on your preferences on things such as hotel choices, attractions, etc. If you want to book through an agency that specializes in disneyland, getaway today and small world vacations are two great ones and both have an internet presence. If you are a CAA member, there may be discounts available through certain hotel chains (hilton, sheraton, etc) and from disney hotels themselves. As for packages, those agencies as well as disneyland%26#39;s own site offers great money saving packages including theme park tickets, hotel, dining and souvenirs. Research well and please let us know if you need any more assistance. Good luck!

Need help first trip to Disneyland bookings

Hi there,

We are a family of 4 that is leaving for Disneyland this coming Thursday. We booked with escapes.ca- but you have to call them to book Disney packages (we always call them anyways). Escapes is a discount travel agent that buys up big blocks from the tour companies so can give you great deals. The tour group we got a package deal through was Fun Sun Vacations who do wholesale tours with Alaskan Airlines (right now there%26#39;s a kids fly free promotion, only 1 of our kids qualified though!). We are from Prince George, and they just started making these packages available from PG. We connect in Seattle and then to Orange County airport (SNA).

What our package included was: airfare, transfers to and from airport, hotel and park hopper tickets(5 day). For 5 nights, it ended up being just over $3000 CAD. You can also book online directly with Alaskan Airlines. I suggest you check that out and it will give you a rough idea on the cost. There are a number of hotels you can choose from, and the total cost of the package will depend on what hotel you choose. We booked at the Anaheim Fairfield Inn, so we%26#39;ll let you know how it was when we get back.

Our family travels quite often and find that, on the whole, packages can prove to be more expensive in the long run than booking things separately, HOWEVER, keep in mind that when buying a package you are also paying for the convenience and a package will most likely include things that you will not get elsewhere (like phone calls from Mickey%26#39;s friends to wake you in the morning). So, it%26#39;s all a matter of what you want and how much time you can devote to planning.

What you CAN do is to develop a relationship with a travel agent and let him/her know what you%26#39;re looking for - there are some agents that have been to Disney and are ';experts'; and this can be greater benefit to you. Also, dDo some research online and join every hotel chain%26#39;s rewards program. You will then get specials by email - just be sure to use a hotmail account or something like that so you%26#39;re not clogging up your regular email inbox.

I usually run the whole gamut of things because for me planning is just as fun as the vacation itself - check out www.expedia.ca for hotel prices and suggestions and be sure to check Trip Advisor%26#39;s reviews on each individual hotel. You can also check www.redtag.ca for airfares. Last year, I drove down to Disneyland from Manitoba because it ended up being cheaper to drive and pay hotels than to pay 3 airfares (Winnipeg is on less travelled routes so ends up being pricier) - my girls also travel well, too, so that%26#39;s a consideration. Not everyone is nuts like me, though, and for larger groups, it%26#39;s not always feasible.

have fun planning!

Hi There! Our family just took a recent trip to Dland along with grandparents. I highly recommend renting a house for your trip. This beat a hotel hands down and was very competitive with hotel prices. check out www.vrbo.com. If you are interested, I will tell you which one we stayed at. Also, look into the Southern California City Pass to get into all your attractions. It includes a 3 day park hopper to Disney, Sea World, Universal Studios, and a choice of the San Diego Zoo or San Diego Wild Animal Park. The Animal park was fantastic. This is much cheaper than buying tickets at each place. Costco usually carries the passes at their stores, but if not at your local Costco you can get them through www.Costco.com. I believe they sell them cheaper than other places and I didn%26#39;t pay any shipping to get them online. Regarding flights, my parents flew Vancouver right into Orange, CA and avoided the LA traffic nightmare completely. They really loved that. Vancouver is beautiful! I grew up in Surrey and miss the area very much =(

You asked which of these was the most cost effective:

Travel agent with vacation packages?

Call airline and hotel directly on phone?

Book flight and hotel over the internet?

The answer is: ';There is no way to know';. Deals come and go by the minute through all of these methods. If it were me, I%26#39;d try everything and see which comes out the least expensive.

Keep in mind, however, that ';Disney Brand'; hotels are not intended to be inexpensive. Take a look at the hotel rankings for Anaheim here on Trip Advisor. These are listed in order of preference (the first in the list is most preferred and so on):

Link and scroll down for the RECOMMENDED hotels.

tripadvisor.com/Hotels-g29092-Anaheim_Califo…

Don%26#39;t overlook flying into SNA (John Wayne Airport) in nearby Santa Ana, California. (It%26#39;s closer but the flights are often more expensive than those flying into LAX, but not ALWAYS!).

Good luck!