Whats better value package holiday or diy holiday

Hi

Booked a package holiday to Orlando in July had a great time but didn%26#39;t think that it was value for money. Is it worth booking everything seperately. Had a look at disney value hotels and were quite cheap but flights are costing an absolute fortune.

Quite an organised person so was wanting to book next July%26#39;s holiday quite soon, is it worth my while waiting to nearer the time, will flights and hotels be any cheaper last minute?

Can%26#39;t change time of travel must be July because of scottish school holidays 2 kids 10 and 2

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks Ian

Whats better value package holiday or diy holiday

Hi Ian

I reckon it depends on when you are going, I find if you are restricted to school holidays then it%26#39;s best to book early and get what you want, all the best deals tend to be out of season when the kids are in school, typical heh.

Whats better value package holiday or diy holiday

As you%26#39;re based in Glasgow you may be interested in a new airline starting up to orlando from there at reasonable prices .

http://www.yourfloridaair.com/

can%26#39;t help with hotels always stay in a villa buit I am sure someone will be along soon that can.

Which is more important to you- getting exactly what you want or squeezing the last pittance out of your trip? Personally I would rather have exactly what I wanted which means booking early. I have also found that with a little research I can beat any package deal offered by booking myself. Most packages throw in extras that I find to be of minimal value but are the real money makers for the seller. The problem with airline flights, especially international flights, is that the price fluctuates on almost an hourly basis so tying the get the absolute best deal is almost impossible.

Have you tried leaving from London,you will be outside the English school holidays as most don%26#39;t finish untill near the end of July.I have planned many Holidays by DIY but if its a striaght forward two week holiday the price differance may be minimum.Try a web site like Expedia for a price and see if the travel agents can beat it.

It is difficult knowing what to do for the best. As someone said if you have definate dates it makes it a bit harder. The first time I went with Airtours and paid for package approx 拢800-900 that was just for me. That too me was a rip off once I got there as I expected a lot more for my money. Last year I decided to do it myself as did a DIY to NY and saved loads. I booked my %26#39;charter%26#39; flights 3 months b4 my holidday with travel agent %26#39;shopped around for best flight and found it same online as travel agent at that tme, and also brought my hotel through Dial a flight. There was 3 of us that went and even though we staye din a budget hotel on I drive only cost 拢360 per person towards the end of June. Same time I went with Airtous. So yes its cheaper but shop around and folks on here will always give you sites to check if you get stuck. It%26#39;s up to you what you want to do for the best. If you can afford to book now and pay more then fine. If not then shop for a DIY.

Hello

I%26#39;ve been to Florida 10 times and only did a package deal the first. I always prefer DIY - firstly you can shop around for the flights and sometimes you can grab a better deal with the scheduled flights outside peak times - for example just got a great deal with BA to Miami for 拢250 at Christmas! Next you can book far superior accomodation directly. Last summer we stayed at the Registry Resort 5* in Naples for 拢500 for 7 nights, and finished with 7 nights at the Sheraton Vistana for 拢600 for a 2 bed apartment that was absolutely fab - the flights came to 拢 1200 for the four of us with Opodo plus 拢200 for car hire for the fortnight incl CDW directly with Alamo so 拢2500 4 of us got a 5* holiday all the way. Plus if you book directly with the hotel you%26#39;ve got a bit of pulling power if they allocate you a naff room.

If you know where you want to go and which Hotel you wnat to stay in-Cost it both ways and see which come out the cheaper.

However sometimes the Hotel you choose may not be part of Package deal and therefore you wuld then have to consider the DIY option.

However just because you may have saved 拢500 with one Tour Operator over another doen%26#39;t gurantee you will be given a nice room or indeed have a better flight. Other factors therefore come into play. It%26#39;s the same if you go down the DIY route.

For example I won%26#39;t even consider flying anything else but BA or Virgin, so I try to work around those 2 Airlines for the Hotels I want stay at. If I can now get the accomodation I want with either of them of both, I will then take the cheaper price-So long as I am flying out with either of them-But that%26#39;s just me I%26#39;m afraid.

I went with Thomson on my first trip and they dumped me in a Days Inn in Altemonte. The flight over was jam packed so that we could hardly move. That was in 1990 and we paid 拢870 for 3 weeks plus a huge amount for a free car.

I have NEVER paid that much since. The reason is that we book it ourselves. The flight may be expensive but we book everything else and it comes out cheaper than any package I have seen in brochures.

However I have ususally been to the States in August and I always go for a month. I always stay in a condo or a %26#39;villa%26#39; with pool.

You pay money - you take choice.

Ian

Depending on exact dates of school holidays you may be able to get better value. If your schools finish on 30th June as ours does just take your 10 year old off school for one day and save yourself hundreds unless your the headmaster of course. Prices normally go up on 1st July - so a big difference in only one day.

BA direct and Virgin and also Royalties (if your with Royal Bank) will give you quotes but you need to decide when you want to go exactly and where. Disney Hotels IMO does not give the best value. Stayed at moderate one previously.

The good thing about Virgin and BA is that you can go for 10 days, 11 days or 25 days - it doesn%26#39;t matter. They fly everyday and you can do a bit of research online to see when is cheapest days to fly to help you decide.

With fuel at a premium flights will be more expensive.

Been to Florida many times and only once flown charter (that was last minute). Have been on BA holiday and Virgin Holiday packages as well as flight only and made my own arrangements. BA direct were very competitive on my last ring round and they tailor make the package you want.

Hope this helps