5 Best Packages On Disney World Vacation

For vacationers, a trip to Disney World is always enticing, but now more than ever, people are clamoring for Disney's vacation packages. Compared to past rates, which were criticized for actually being higher than the cost of buying components of a package individually, today's vacation deals are not only convenient - but economical too.



There are several different vacation packages to choose from for 2006. The 2006 Magic Your Way Vacation Package is the most affordable and it includes accommodations at the Disney Resort, the Magic Your Way Base Ticket (which grants entrance to one theme park per day and can be upgradeable to a "park hopper" ticket as well), and a Magic Plus option or with an extra cost, a No Expiration option.



Likewise, if you (or your travel agent) books a package online, a Disney Photopass will accompany it, and is essentially a voucher for a 5" x 7" photo of you and your fellow vacationers, snapped by a professional photographer. Other goodies that you can qualify for online include a meal voucher for Planet Hollywood Dining and Merchandize. The voucher can be exchanged for an entr้e and non-alcoholic beverage from a select menu.



Another vacation deal is the 2006 Magic Your Way Package Plus Dining and it includes accommodations to Disney owned and operated hotels and the opportunity to experience several unique dining locations across the Walt Disney World Resort. Every day, at participating Walt Disney World restaurants, you can receive one table service meal with an appetizer, entr้e, dessert, and non-alcoholic beverage, one counter service meal with entr้e, dessert and non-alcoholic beverage, and one snack (ice cream, popcorn, medium soft drinks, etc).



Disney's Magic Your Way Premium Package is a fancier, deluxe package and includes just about everything: hotel accommodations, breakfast, lunch, dinner, and unlimited access to golf, miniature golf, water sports and other recreations. Also, purchasers of this package are admitted to Cirque du Soleil's exciting La Nouba, and various park tours and the like. As well, children from four to twelve years old can participate in selected resorts at the Disney Children Activity Center.



The grandest package of all is Disney's Magic Your Way Platinum Package. In addition to the benefits of the premium package (like hotel stay, breakfast, lunch, dinner, recreation, and a ticket to Cirque du Soleil), you will also receive a spa treatment, extra recreational opportunities - including private golf lessons, a reserved seat to the exciting fireworks show Fantasmic!, unlimited childcare in the Child Activity Centers, a ride on the Fireworks Cruise, itinerary planning services, in-room child care, the Platinum Plan keepsake, and turndown service.



For groups of eight or more, there is a special package called Grand Gatherings. There are extraordinary benefits offered here that small groups simply can't take part in - special events can be booked, like the International Dinner and Illuminations Desert Reception, Safari Celebration Dinner, Good Morning Gathering, and Magical Fireworks Voyage.



Nevertheless, an important thing to know is that standard full-price Disney vacation packages presented by tour operators are convenient, but there are no "bargain" prices. More often, Disney World packages are to be purchased through Walt Disney Travel Company or the WDTC.






Disneyland Package Deals

Disneyland package deals make traveling simple. Many times Disneyland package deals are actually a good value for the money -- particularly the specially-priced seasonal package offers. When planning your Disneyland package deal, make your travel and hotel reservations as far in advance as possible.

There are many Disneyland package deals available whether online or through your tour agency but finding a cheap Disneyland package deal will need more research. There are a number of exciting Disneyland package deals to choose from, and while choosing the package of your choice, keep in mind the cost of each Disneyland package deal, your itinerary, and so on.

Packages

Packages usually save you money but check prices separately so you know: If you're saving, and If it may make sense to purchase separately. In addition to overall savings, packages may also offer things like 1 or 2 free nights at your hotel, gift cards, early entry to the park, free character breakfasts, autograph books, or other souvenirs. See the discounts that are listed for packages that include tickets, airfare, hotels, and special bonuses. Disneyland packages can be customized to fit your plans and budget.

Hotels

By negotiating special rates with hotels, attractions, and other travel partners, you get the best vacation possible at the lowest price possible. Many hotels include daily continental breakfast and complimentary transportation to the theme parks and many hotels are located on the tourist areas, close to where all the fun is. Besides the convenience, you'll find them to be competitive and to include amenities that will enhance your stay. If hotels aren't your cup of tea, then renting a home for a Disney Vacation can easily be worth the money.

Online

Check with your local travel agent and also be sure to check with online travel agents, as well as with Disney direct as they too offer packages. Also, you really have to dig around online to find out the restrictions and cancellation fees, etc. Once you've selected the vacation package that's right for you, you can Book or Price Your Disneyland® Vacation Online with the assistance of an Authorized Disney Travel Planner.

Services

If you yourself are not familiar with Disneyland and would prefer to contact someone with more knowledge, you can also avail of the services of Disney specialist agencies. Attractions, entertainment and services may vary and are subject to change without notice.

Attractions

With Disneyland® Park and Disney's California Adventure® Park full of attractions and excitement and the Downtown Disney® District for even more shopping and dining opportunities you'll have hours of family fun at this #1 vacation destination. Get your children involved in planning your Disneyland vacation package by giving them a part in the vacation planning such as choosing which attractions they would like to see and in what order they would like to see them. For example, at the Disneyland® Resort, a Disneyland ticket will allow to choose from 85 thrilling attractions, three eye popping parades and 21 spectacular shows.





Submitted by James Shankle. See How Easily You Can Have A Disney World Vacation For A Fraction Of What Others Pay.




Disney Credit Cards

You can turn your daily purchases into a fabulous Disney vacation. Bank One offers a new Visa Disney credit card that provides you and your family with great Disney rewards in exchange for making your everyday purchases using your travel credit card. You could turn your credit card debt into a fun-filled vacation or even valuable Disney merchandise. What could be better? Simply use your card at all the places you normally shop, including grocery stores, drug stores, and gas stations, and you can earn points that are redeemable for Disney vacations or theme parks. This is a travel credit card for the entire family.

How does it work?

When you buy products or services with your Disney credit card online or in person you automatically earn points, or Disney rewards that accumulate with each purchase. As you earn more and more points, you hit certain point goals that allow you to shop the Disney Store, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, the Disney catalog, or DisneyStore.com for merchandise like DVDs, Disney toys, or other fun Disney items like clothes and collectibles. But as a travel credit card, the Disney card also allows you to trade in your reward points for vacation packages to your favorite Disney theme park, including parking permits, admittance to the park, and discounts on Disney hotels and resorts.

Benefits

* The Disney credit card is a great way to put your credit card debt to work for you. As a travel credit card, the Disney offer makes your credit card balance an asset toward your future planning. In essence you receive a discount on everything you buy. But the discount does not come out of the purchase price of the products or services. Rather, it accumulates in a special reserve, your reward account, for your dream Disney vacation.

* When you wish to redeem your Disney reward dollars for a vacation, you can do so at any time. There are no blackout dates for vacation packages earned.

* A Platinum card comes with an array of specific benefits, all of which are included in the Disney Visa Platinum Card.

* There is no annual fee for the use of your Disney credit card. You can accumulate points, receive great deals on Disney merchandise, and plan for some fun-filled time with your family, all at no extra cost to you.

* The Disney Visa offers a very reasonable interest rate that will vary according to your credit rating.

* One of the best perks of the card is the trial period that Bank One offers where you are charged no interest for six months on several travel packages. This is very advantageous for people with credit card debt already accumulated on their card. They can purchase travel packages without having to add to their balance with interest charges. Instead, they can pay out the cost of the trip interest free.

* When you qualify for a Disney Visa card you will receive opportunities to save on Disney merchandise and travel packages, discounts only available to card members.

To apply for a Disney Visa card, call 1-888-878-7222.








The New Disney Credit Card

What if you could turn your daily purchases into some hands-on Disney magic? Well now you can! Bank One is now offering a new Visa Disney credit card that provides you and your family with Disney rewards each time you use the card. You could turn your credit card debt into a fun-filled vacation for you and your family. The credit card company, Bank One, has partnered with the Walt Disney Company to offer this family-fun card to everyone who qualifies. You will be asked to pass a standard credit check with a major credit bureau before qualifying for the Disney Visa card.



How does it work?



When you make a purchase with your Disney credit card at your local grocery store, mall, or online store, you automatically earn points, or Disney rewards. These reward points accumulate with each purchase. As you earn points, you can shop the Disney Store, Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World Resort, Disney Cruise Line, the Disney catalog, or DisneyStore.com for merchandise like DVD or Disney toys, vacation packages to your favorite Disney theme park, and other featured rewards, including travel and special passes.



Pros





The Disney credit card is a great way to put your credit card debt to good use. The credit card company is essentially giving you back some of what you spend.

There are no blackout dates for vacation packages earned with your Disney reward dollars.

Platinum card benefits

No annual fee

Reasonable interest rate

No interest for six months on several travel packages

Opportunities to save on Disney merchandise and travel packages



Cons





As you accumulate Disney rewards, you also accumulate credit card debt. Unless you are skilled at managing your finances, this type of incentive program could cause you more trouble than itย's worth.

The more you buy, the more rewards you get. But donย't forget that the more you buy, the more interest you pay as well. The credit card company isnย't offering this deal out of charity for their customers. They want to make some money.



Special features



The Disney credit card has a unique card design that will delight families: Mickey Mouse on a sparkling red background. The card can be used as a family card by any member to help contribute to future vacation plans or holiday gift times. Consider giving the card to younger members of the family as a starter card that can be used for expenses away from home. The rewards can be enjoyed by the student or by the whole family.



The reward points are much more flexible that with other reward cards. You can use the points to gain entrance to a Disney theme park, access parking privileges, purchase merchandise online or at store locations or from the catalog. You can even use the points to purchase items inside the parks. With Disney Cruise Line, your options are limitless as you use your reward points to buy cruise tickets, entertainment, and the ultimate Disney experience.



To apply for a Disney Visa card, call 1-888-878-7222.






Vacation Packages - The Best in Travel Value!

Travel and the Economy

The other day I was surfing through classified advertising on the web. I was looking to answer three basic questions:

1. What will an average family or travel group expect to pay for a 5 day/4 night vacation? 2. What will they actually spend? 3. What value do they expect to receive from the experience?

At present, the news media drones on about the sad state of our economy and an out of control unemployment rate of 9.5% (in some parts of the country 15%) and how we are in for a least two more very grim years before our economy recovers. But, somehow the travel industry has not experienced the same downturn.

Travel Industry Growth

According to the latest Tourism Satellite Accounting (TSA) research, world travel and tourism generated close to $8 trillion in 2008, and is expected to rise to approximately $15 trillion over the next ten years while supporting 297 million jobs and 10.5% of global GDP by 2018 (travelindustrywire.com). For any industry this is stellar performance.

Of course the bottom line reason for this success is people still want to "get out of Dodge" and are willing to pay for it. "How much?" and "Why?" were two of the questions that took me to the classifieds.

Back To My Research

In my two-hour surf through the travel classifieds, I found several discount vacations in a major destination from $700 to $1000. The prices were for the hotel stay only. Food and travel were extra and could realistically be expected to double that price. So the price of this 5 day/4 night getaway could easily be between $2000 and $2500. But, then I came across something that was even more interesting and rooted in my third question.

At first read, the three questions seemed to be in order of priority. We would assume that a family or travel group would first come up with a budget and then plan a vacation. Let's find a place in a scenic location away from home. We can cook our own meals to save money. Our budget is based on what we can afford, now what can we get? And the second assumption is the vacation will realistically go over budget by an anticipated percentage. These are fair assumptions, but those assumptions go right out the window when seduced by the entertainment vacation.

An entertainment vacation is a destination vacation to any of the world famous destinations, i.e. theme parks, Las Vegas casinos, International cruises, and the like. Because most families believe the shared experience of going to Disney World is so much greater, they are willing to double, even triple the expense. The stay in a hotel and eat meals in restaurants, even drive a rental car if they flew to the destination. The entertainment vacation promises a lifetime memory that a mundane trip to the beach can't.

But wait... there's more!

A secondary discovery on my journey through the classified ads was the large listings of time share vacations for sale. The selling point of this type of vacation was individual ownership of a particular place and time in the year when you could get away. But, these listings were offering the timeshare for sometimes half of the original purchase price. The primary reason for selling was, "I am no longer using it." There is an apparent shift in vacation value... from being together to experiencing something entertaining together. That shift is the reason the travel industry is experiencing near exponential growth.

If an entertainment vacation could cost the same or less than that trip to the beach, would you do it? The answer to the question is obvious. Of course! If you could save 75% on an entertainment vacation, and 50% on the restaurant meals, would you book it? Again... of course! Because the vacation value of the shared experience is high and the cost is the same or maybe even a little lower.

The Travel and Vacation Package

Over the past fifteen years, several companies are now offering travel and vacation packages that combine the best of both worlds... high value experiences with low cost. These packages are different from a travel agency booking. The package offers a series of discount travel cards and certificates that allow you to book resorts, theme parks, cruises, hotels, campsites, restaurants, and more for 50%-75% off. These are not travel clubs with monthly or annual fees. These packages are offered for a one time price, usually less than the cost of a typical week long vacation. The package usually contains the equivalent of thirty or more vacations, including restaurant discounts, that never expire. Some of them are even transferable. Usually a package will include several bonus vacations that can be given away. Often hotel rooms and condo rentals can be had for the cost of the room tax. While some results may vary, with a travel package the charge for a $200 per night room could be as little as $25 a night... an incredible bargain.

Vacation and travel packages can be found on the internet, but be warned, what I've written about is not a package from a travel agency for a one time vacation. These packages come offered by an association of business people who have negotiated the package through several travel vendors. The business association is NOT a seller of travel and therefore is not licensed to sell travel. What is sold is travel and travel related discount packages that provide discounted access to many travel and travel related companies.

These vacation and travel packages are by far the best in travel value and the shared vacation experience.





William (Wink) Farrand sells vacation and travel packages from Coastal Vacations, a leader in the industry. You can visit his website at http://www.myvacationchoice.com and shop for some of the best bargains in the industry. If you love to travel but hate the cost, a travel package can offer more than 30 vacations for the price of one. If you have questions you can email him at wink@myvacationchoice.com or call 559-840-4014.




You Can Find Great Disney Travel Deals Online

One of the best ways of getting entertainment is Disney World. People always think about enjoyable moments and get total relief from their work. Now this is a great opportunity to enjoy because Cheap Disney World tickets are available. Everyone wants to get relief from their jobs and hard going life, to enjoy some of memorable moments with their families and friends. Finding Disney World tickets in online is a very easy task. Before booking tickets, keep in mind that, you should be able to manage the budget accordingly. Disney World so many offers and it mainly depends upon the cost. For example, lodging, park tickets, meals and also some different kinds of games. It is better to choose a vacation package which will be more beneficial. But blindly upgrading these packages doesn’t provide any advantage and most of the people do this. It is just wastage of money in terms of hundreds of dollars. If you buy a particular package, then you should be able to use all the facilities provided by them. Complying this will certainly give benefits with more entertainment. The area surrounding Disney World is very attractive and you can find very cheap qualitative food with great entertainment facilities. By observing many vacation deals in Disney World, you can plan the budget and get entertainment at affordable prices. This is a great advantage in the Disney World. Hence, anyone can prefer Disney World for entertainment. Gatorland is a home for thousands of crocodiles and alligators. It is very attractive and interesting place for kids to see and enjoy. They will conduct shows regularly and this plays major role in attracting tourists. You can book Gatorland tickets online and make beneficial. It is better to research about this place about the budget and then plan to book tickets. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are the major cartoon characters known globally. Hence the Disney World is creating entertainment with these characters and attracting lot of people. These shows are very popular. To make it easier for the people, Mickey’s Toontown Tickets are available in online and you can book anytime and plan to watch and enjoy these shows.



Buy online Gatorland Tickets and save big amount. Don't miss out the attractive deals on Disney World Tickets and Mickey's Toontown Tickets.




Travel Tips: Know Before You Go Disney Travel

Are Disney travel package deals worth the money?
Disney Packages can be overpriced during the busy season, but during the off-peak periods, your travel agent can get great discounts on packages at WDW hotels. They include hotel, all meals, and theme park tickets - for about the same price as an offsite hotel room without all the extras. Packages also include free perks like Character Breakfasts, and a choice of nice restaurants.

Avoiding long lines
Crowds are inevitable during the busy season at Walt Disney World (WDW), but there are tricks that will help. Guests at WDW hotels get early admission to the theme parks. Be sure to double check opening time upon arrival, because Disney fluctuates opening times during the year, often with little notice. Usually the park staff will actually let you in up to half an hour before the 'stated' opening time, to avoid bottlenecks. Suppose official opening is 10 am for the public and 9 am for WDW hotel guests. If you're there at 8:30 am you'll get in. Take advantage of this quirk to maximize your fun!

Which Disney World character meals are the best?
The character meals at the 'Ohana at the Polynesian Resort and Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary resort include parades of Characters and children singing and waving napkins, and other mayhem. They are the most fun.

How can you save money at Disney hotels?

More money-saving tips from FAQ Farmers:
• Book the "room only" during peak period. Although off-peak Disney packages are frequently a good deal, during the busy season the package price is frequently more than purchasing each item separately. This is because Disney frequently discounts passes, meals, etc. Deposit and cancellation fees are higher with packages, too.

• Use discount codes to get reduced prices. Some are for special groups like residents of Florida or Annual Pass holders, but others are available for anyone. Disney uses discount codes to unload rooms at reduced rates during slower periods. Normally they are not available until 2-6 months prior to arrival.

• Be flexible. If you insist on the Grand Floridian Hotel during peak season, you will pay a fortune for it. If you aren't fussy about which Disney hotel you use, you'll save up to 40%.

Does Disney World allow pets?
Pets aren't allowed inside any of the parks. But, leaving your pet in a hot car in the Florida sun (even with a window cracked) can be fatal.

More Disney Travel Tips

- Some hotels and travel agents offer discounts to nurses, teachers and government workers, as well as AAA, AARP and Entertainment Book members.

- Make sure to purchase your tickets before you get to the park, so you don't have to stand in line when you get there.

- Read your tickets and passes and make sure you understand what you are paying for. Remember, too, that some rides have certain height requirements for children.

- Walking the parks may be fine for the grown-ups, but you may want to either bring your own stroller or rent one for your child.

- If you have a child who is too small for a particular ride, take advantage of the Disney "Baby Swap" option. All you need to do is tell the attendant. When you reach the front of the line, one parent will be able to ride while the other parent holds the child. When the ride is over, you switch. That way, neither parent has to sit out.

- The weather can be unpredictable so don't be caught off-guard. Make sure to bring an umbrella, ponchos and some cool weather clothing. Plan ahead for rainy days by having a list of indoor activities you want to do in the area, as well, just in case of an extended downpour.

Though a Disney vacation may seem overwhelming during the planning stage, rest assured that a little bit of planning now will make for a more relaxed, memorable - even magical - vacation that you and your children will remember for a long time to come.