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