Orlando/Disneyworld Thread (Part 3)

sillysquirrel9

hi,

can anyone tell me when's the best time to book flight tickets to orlando if i'm flying end of sept? i'm hoping to fly VA as they fly direct from manchester. flight prices have gone up by about £50 from last night (it did come down by just about that much last week though so i can see it fluctuates) so i don't know if i should wait till closer to the time? i've read threads and some say 6 weeks to 2 weeks before and obviously booking last minute flights is another option as they can be much cheaper but i don't know if that's leaving it too late and economy seats get sold out (sorry! i'm a woman, if you haven't figured that out by now). are airlines likely to have sales later on in the year? the dates i'm looking at aren't peak times though..end of sept..

KarenG

sillysquirrel9 wrote: »

hi,

can anyone tell me when's the best time to book flight tickets to orlando if i'm flying end of sept? i'm hoping to fly VA as they fly direct from manchester. flight prices have gone up by about £50 from last night (it did come down by just about that much last week though so i can see it fluctuates) so i don't know if i should wait till closer to the time? i've read threads and some say 6 weeks to 2 weeks before and obviously booking last minute flights is another option as they can be much cheaper but i don't know if that's leaving it too late and economy seats get sold out (sorry! i'm a woman, if you haven't figured that out by now). are airlines likely to have sales later on in the year? the dates i'm looking at aren't peak times though..end of sept..

Generally, you can snag a bargain with the charters near the flight time, September. I've rarely, if ever, seen VA's prices reduce so close to the flight as six to two weeks. How much are they now? Have you flown with VA before, and do you have any miles therefore to slightly discount the price? Known as a miles plus money fare - 2000 miles knocks £30 or so off the price of economy. Would you consider indirect? Normally cheaper.

sillysquirrel9

charters.. is that thomascook then?

i just checked lastminute.com and flights departing 5/3 returning 14/3 for example is 457.95. have never flown with VA, so no miles sadly, but friends have booked all inclusive package with disney flying VA so thought i'd follow suit having already booked a hotel+park tickets package with disney.

sillysquirrel9

oh sorry. flights for VA are 659 atm

KarenG

sillysquirrel9 wrote: »

charters.. is that thomascook then?

i just checked lastminute.com and flights departing 5/3 returning 14/3 for example is 457.95. have never flown with VA, so no miles sadly, but friends have booked all inclusive package with disney flying VA so thought i'd follow suit having already booked a hotel+park tickets package with disney.

I guess Thomson too maybe? I'm not really up on charter knowledge as they never work for us.

sillysquirrel9 wrote: »

oh sorry. flights for VA are 659 atm

I would not pay that for September flights.

You could get hold of some miles by signing up to a VA credit card. You'd only need 2,000 per person (very easy to get 2,000).

sophieschoice

Can anyone recommend, from personal experience please, any good hotels in or near Clearwater. We are spending a couple of nights there at the end of our Florida trip.
Many thanks.

sillysquirrel9

KarenG wrote: »

I guess Thomson too maybe? I'm not really up on charter knowledge as they never work for us.



I would not pay that for September flights.

You could get hold of some miles by signing up to a VA credit card. You'd only need 2,000 per person (very easy to get 2,000).

i'm happy to book VA flights at 500++. are september flights likely to be around this? VA can be quite expensive i know but have been reading quite a few disney/orlando forums and it seems like this year's prices are crazily high compared to previous years. maybe i should wait a bit for prices to drop to below 600. will VA have another sale later on in the year or do they just do january/feb sales?

welnik

KarenG wrote: »

Sadly true!

Welnik, If you're getting four flights for just over £2k you're doing well! For my dates I'm looking at 50% more :eek:

I'm guessing you're flying out earlier in December than we are able to.

Anyway - the flights have only just been released so it may be worth hanging back a bit. What are your dates?

I'm looking at leaving xmas day as this knocks quite a bit off the price. I haven't really got the money to buy them at the moment and was thinking of shoving them on the credit card. The only thing is, if the prices do go down, I will be gutted. I've found flights with one stop for £490 each which isnt too bad but it is a pain having to do this and it would be so nice to fly direct.

I spoke to Virgin the other day and they said that there is usually a sale in August every year and I'm thinking that if I wait until then, I've got time to get the money together. The other option is the charter flights.

maemaesmummy

Not sure where the stop is but be aware of the weather in places like NY, DC and Chicago at that time of year and the distinct possibility of delays/cancellations

maemaesmummy

sophieschoice wrote: »

Can anyone recommend, from personal experience please, any good hotels in or near Clearwater. We are spending a couple of nights there at the end of our Florida trip.
Many thanks.

Have a look at Anna Maria Island for some great accomodation choices and so much nicer than Clearwater