Disneyworld packages advice pick AAA or BJ's Club? (car rental, 2015)

[Pinkfriday]

Hello all!
I'm planning on taking a vacation in early January 2015. My dates are somewhat flexible as long as they are before the middle of the month. It will only be two adults without kids. We don't need a meal plan. I plan to visit all of the Disney parks since I haven't been there. Any experience with buying directly from Disneyworld or going thru a travel agency? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[annerk]

You'd have to price it all out and see which is the best deal for you.

Most of the people on this board are locals with no experience buying Disney packages.

[EditorJul]

Unless you really know your way around the Disney web site, it is easy to miss all of the deals that are out there when it comes to room rates. Florida resident rates aren't always immediately obvious, and if you have a Disney Visa, those rates can also be buried on the web site. Depending on the length of your stay, it may prove advantageous to purchase one annual pass for the room to get annual pass discounts, plus have the availability to purchase the Tables in Wonderland card. (Although you said that you're not planning to do a dining plan, the TiW card provides some discounts if you do plan to eat at all on property -- including discounts on things not covered by dining plans anyhow, such as alcoholic beverages.) There are also other discounted packages available with things like a AAA membership, although those discounts have been few and far between in recent years.

My advice would be to go with a travel agent. You don't have to pay a fee to use one, and a good TA will not only get you the best room rate, but will help with the rebooking process if the rate goes down, can arrange for dining reservations, and can even help you secure your FastPass+ selections. If you're not local, the TA can also help with things like the Magical Express free shuttle service to and from the airport.

The travel agency that I've used for years now is:
Mouse Fan Travel

If you do decide to do it yourself, you'll want to spend a decent amount of time looking at the lists of discounts available, and the best site for that is:
MouseSavers.com - Your source for Disney discounts, codes & deals!

And, one more shameless plug for a site that I write for, when looking at dates to visit, you might want to keep in mind the info on the TouringPlans Crowd Calendar.
Disney World Crowd Calendar 2014

The TouringPlans site and app both have amazing resources. I used their product for a few years before I made the leap to write for them.

Not sure what your budget is, nor whether pool access would be something you'd be interested in, but you might want to also keep in mind current refurbishment schedules, which is something a good TA would be able to help with. Right now, the Polynesian is in the middle of a massive renovation and isn't exactly the most ideal location to stay. The Beach Club will be starting its 20-month renovation sometime within the next month, so I'd personally stay away. You can get a good grasp of the different hotels, rates, and benefits of each here:
Disney World Hotels

So yes, lots to consider, but with a little leg work (or a really awesome TA), you'll be able to have a stress-free vacation. Enjoy, and see you real soon!

[GAtoFL]

Are you looking for just park tickets ie you already have a hotel in mind or do you want to stay at a disneyworld resort?

1. Just park tickets
I highly recommend undercovertourist.com for cheap reliable tickets.

2. Disneyworld resort package
I just go direct for mine. I explored the travel agent route but found it to be more complicated and never could save me any money.
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/sp...discount-room/
This is the deal they have right now. You can add park tickets to your room.
I stay away from the value resorts and tend to look at the moderate ones up as my budget allows.

[Hesky]

Personally I always buy park tickets through Disney World directly, and hotel reservations through Expedia (they have a section on their website where you can find Disney World resorts + airfare packages):

Walt Disney World® Resort: Park Tickets, Deals, and Events | Expedia

There isn't really such a thing as discounted Disney park tickets in my opinion, anything you find through third party vendors can be found through Disney World. The one big no no is buying used park tickets, or in general, tickets sold by individuals (for example, though Craigslist). The reason being that a) You have no way of telling if they have been used or not, and how many days are left on them; b) When you first use a ticket it becomes linked to your fingerprint; c) If the fingerprint machine doesn't let you use the ticket (because it doesn't recognize it) you'll need to show an ID (the tickets will have your name in them).

[GAtoFL]

Originally Posted by Hesky

There isn't really such a thing as discounted Disney park tickets in my opinion, anything you find through third party vendors can be found through Disney World.

That isnt true. Undercovertourist.com i mentioned before are a well known 3rd party ticket seller who always sell tickets at a slight discount to disneyworld. Safe and reliable.
Do be careful with many others though.

[scottinpdx]

I bought my ticket through the Disney Site. My wrist bands just arrived last week. AAA didn't seem to be any cheaper if I remember right. But I saved quite a bit booking my car rental through AAA.