Orlando - package or book flights and accom separately?

[Metrobaby]

Just considering this as a possible holiday option for next year. Is it cheaper to go for a package booked through one place, or get flights and accomodation from different operators?

TIA

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We did all of ours through a company called Travel City Direct (they have a website) which worked out very reasonable this summer.

We paid approx £8000 for 6 adults and a 2 year old.

This included flights, 4 bed villa with pool, car hire (2 cars), all park tickets (10 days Disney hopper, 14 days Universal hopper, 1 day Sea World, 1 day Space Centre).

A vote here for booking separately. Book flights as early as you can (now if you are certain of your dates). If you have a rough idea of when you wish to travel and can be flexible within those perameters, even better. Try the ususal flight sights like Travelocity, Opodo.co.uk, Expedia, Bargainholidays.co.uk, Lastminute.com, Airlinenetwork.co.uk as well as Airlines' own sites (virginatlantic, BA.com - maybe American Airlines AA.com, Continental etc) Then the cheapest option for decent accommodation is to rent a villa direct from UK villa owners (there are loads - just do a variety of searches for "Florida villas direct from owners" or "villas near Disney rent direct" that sort of thing. Dependent upon your dates 4 bedroom villas with own pool can be rented from around £400 per week - or if there are only, say 4 or 5, of you travelling, rent a condo/apartment in a Community with a communal pool for maybe £60 per night.
If you want to stay in a hotel try hotelkingdom.com, hotels.com, lodging.com - or heaps of others. A decent hotel will be way more expensive than a villa but there are always motel type places (Best Western, Holiday Inn, Super8). Here's a good website for posting your Florida questions and for all sorts of research.

Hedghog - you're a star. Thanks for your link. I found it very helpful.

We're hoping to book a villa for the 4 of us.

I'd book as soon as you can, in any event, because the dollar is so weak, it's hard to imagine it going any lower! In that regard, you're better off booking with American tour operators or hotels directly, as they will be billing in dollars and not looking at whether they're making a good sterling profit.

we book every year seperetly and can defiantly say it is the best way to go. Flights were from Travel City Direct. This year we stayed in a family owend villa that was the best one we have been in yet and would recommend it to any one. booked over the internet www.platinumvillas.com the closest we have stayed to Disney. Have had villas from travel City Direct before but you end up 20 minuets away from the main attractions and restaurants are not all that clean.

Our villa was at Windsor Palms Resort , about 2 miles from Disney. Was approx £700 a week (may have been less) for a 4 bedroomed villa with private pool and double garage. We stayed for a fortnight though.

Hi,
Just flown in today after a blissful three weeks in hot hot Florida! I booked all our holiday myself, got Virgin flights a year ago, £2,600 INC CAR HIRE FOR 1 ADULTS AND 3 KIDS. £900 for 7 day park hopper, one day Seaworld(they give you a second one for free!) and one day at Kennedy Space Center. £900 for fab villa easy 10 min drive from WDW WITH POOL AND SPA BLISS, THEN £4OO FOR A HOUSE FOR 8 NIGHTS on Anna Maria Island which was paradise. Total £4,800 approx for 5 for 3 weeks, plus of course lots of spending money!

Whoops that should of course be 2 adults for flights. I am zonked!

Did you all enjoy yourselves then Triplet? :O

Fab, will write later tonight, computer died on us!

Fab, will write later tonight, computer died on us!

I did a lot of price comparisons between tour operators and buying each bit separately. I couldn't get it any cheaper than doing it with Virgin Holidays. Certainly cheaper than with a charter flight/holiday co like Thomas Cook, Airtours etc. Can strongly recommend Holiday Inn family suites (now called 'by Nickelodeon') with fridge, separate lounge area, separate bedrooms - fab. Seems a bit pricey in this year's Virgin Holidays brochure.

Hulababy see other thread TRIPLETS ARE BACK!