Best way to book?

[JacquieUK]

Opinions please -

I'm looking to book up for next summer, does it work out cheaper to book online, or better to go through a travel agent.

Obviously money is tight and I don't mind booking it online myself.

I know that if you book through a travel agent you are covered by ABTA(?) is this important and what does it cover exactly?

Thanks in advance!

[heathercobbett]

Always, always book your self for American holidays.

That way it is all under your control and you can choose each element to get EXACTLY what you want.

Villa, car hire, theme park tickets and flights can be done through the links at the top of the page.

Have fun planning

[JacquieUK]

Hi Heather!
Is that because it is cheaper to do so? Or so that you get exactly what you want?
We have been before, so we know the hotel we want already,would we be better to book that ourselves?
Just worried about the ABTA thingy???
Thanks

[CERICROWLEY]

ABTA only supports you if you booked the flight and residence as a holiday package. and you can bet your bottom dollar that they charge extra than if you booked them seperately. They are ultimately the end agent. so basically adding on their fees etc.

If you book your flights with a credit card you will still be protected under your credit card rules over £100. Residences depends on what you are looking for. If you have set you mind on Hotels then you are better off talking to them, we don't comment on hotels, as we provide assistance and help with vacation homes.

As you can see there are more than enough to choose from with vacation/holiday homes on here, and all homes are verified by the owners, at least if you have any questions, you are dealing with the person that owns the house and knows every nook and granny of the place.

[Jill]

Holidays booked through a travel agent can come with 'free car hire' but they forget to tell you about the 'add ons' which we found ended up being very expensive the first time we travelled to America - car hire booked from the above link is 'what you see is what you get' with no additional costs and great back up if you have a problem.

Park tickets booked from the above link will give you a huge selection to chose from at competitive prices.

Ceri has already mentioned the advantages of booking a villa direct with an owner as they know the place inside out whereas a travel agent booking a villa will not know if eg a bedroom has Disney bedding, how far is the nearest petrol station etc.

[JacquieUK]

Thanks Ceri and Jill
That is exactly what I wanted to know!
I was just worrying about the cover I would be missing from ABTA. But for what you say that does not sound like it should be a worry.

We went to Florida 3 years ago and stayed at the Bahama Bay Resort and loved it.
I presume it would probably be cheaper to book direct with them?

Sorry to be a pest, but obviously just wanting to get the best value for my money!!

Thanks

[Jill]

No problem at all and you are not being a pest. As mentioned if you book your flights using a credit card then if anything happened and the airline went out of business then provided you have paid for the flights using a credit card then you can claim the flight cost back from the card company. This rule does not apply if you have paid for the flights using a debit card. When it comes to booking a villa then this site is an excellent place to look as we all have to prove every 6 months that we still own the villa we are advertising and the owners of this site are very good at policing the policy.

[FraserLynn]

Jacquie,

Just one word of balance, you are asking people whose business is based around online booking which is best.... I am sure if you asked the question on a forum promoting ABTA backed travel agents you would get all the reason why that was the best way to go.

I have no business interest here, but have always booked the parts of my holiday myself. I have never found that this is particularly cheaper, but it does give you control about where you end up. If it is the cheapest option you are looking for then there are often some good deals to be had with packages.

Everything that I have booked through this website (Villas, Cars and Tickets) has happened very smoothly and professionally.

[Budboy]

Personally I always book the componant parts of a visit to Orlando individually. For our trip this Xmas packages for 4 were coming out in excess of £4000 compared to booking Flights/Car/Vllia direct at just on £3100.

If you want any pointers feel free to DM

[Homer]

Hi Jacquie

I have just been through costing the same thin

Holiday with Virgin Best western (la quinta) + 7 Seater platinum package worked out at £3810

Booking direct seperat Flights, Villa from here and 7 seater from this site £3180

Saving of over £600

For me it's a no brainer

Just get decent travel insurance

My two penneth

Vince

[Homer]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Father
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Homer
Hi Jacquie

I have just been through costing the same thin

Holiday with Virgin Best western (la quinta) + 7 Seater platinum package worked out at £3810

Booking direct seperat Flights, Villa from here and 7 seater from this site £3180

Saving of over £600

For me it's a no brainer

Just get decent travel insurance

My two penneth

Vince
[/quote]

But which villa did you use for this comparison and why did you choose it? I'm not sure it's helpful comparing apples to oranges like that.

Surely the real no brainer would be to price the package then price the individual components of the same package, Then you can compare apples with apples.

Also, I'm not sure it's sound reasoning to question ABTA (or ATOL) protection. Clearly the OP is aware of the support it provides, if not the exact cover offered. The travel and holiday industry is probably more vulnerable than most even now that we are coming out of recession. This financial protection can provide a real safety net for families planning a vacation.

If you decide to book flights and hotel separately hence foregoing the ABTA (or ATOL) protection, do use a credit card to pay for the flights (as already suggested) as you won't ultimately lose your money if the carrier goes bust.

If you are booking the hotel direct, do your homework and read the small print. I know that in many states of the USA, it's standard practice to give credit card details to the hotel so that they can make the reservation. Usually they do not charge anything to the card until you actually check in. If you later find you can get another hotel (or even the same hotel) cheaper, you can usually cancel the reservation without penalty. Can't go wrong really.

If you don't deal with the hotel direct but use one of the booking agency sites instead, pay attention to the terms and conditions so that you know where you stand in the event of having to change plans, hotels going bust, etc.

You may wish to consider a villa rather than a hotel. If so, shop around and make sure you get exactly what you need. There are many beautiful villas around Orlando and some are reasonably priced. Obviously you will be best placed to figure out your family's needs.

Should you decide on the package deal through a travel agent, presumably what will be covered in terms of protection, is the whole package.

If you decide to book everything separately, you may wish to consider hiring a car from this site. They use all the major suppliers at the Orlando airports and the prices and service are excellent.

Finally, if you have your heart set on staying at a hotel rather than a villa, this thread has probably been posted on the wrong category. I think this is for people planning a villa holiday. No big deal really I know but there are other, more suitable areas for your question. That's not any kind of rebuke btw, just a heads-up in case you come looking for more answers and can't find your thread because it has been moved.

Whatever you decide, have a great holiday.
[/quote]

For info

I was using a 3 bed villa and based on a average of the 5 currently on my shortlist.

[Andrena]

Although there are many excellent hotels, they are certainly not, in my opinion as good for a family as a villa, now as a villa owner you may think that of course I would say that, but we have done both and now would not consider a hotel.

However when booking a villa do be sure that you choose one which is verified like those on the Orlando Villas website. This means that the villa does exist, and always remember the cheapest may not always be the best. Do your homework.