To go with a Package or not?

This is one question that many people ask. Should I go with a package, will it save me money, can I get a better deal by buying the components separately? When it comes to making this decision it usually depends on two things, what time of year is it and what hotel you want to stay at.

With regards to the time of year, you can usually find savings during the off peak times (see the topic "When to Go").

We have done both and the only time we do a package is when we are staying at one of the Disneyland Resort Hotels. You can never save enough money on a package to compete with using my guide to getting the best price for a hotel on Priceline (see the hotel section). So if your not picky about the hotel room I would suggest always doing the trip by booking everything yourself in separate components.

Now if you are staying at the Resort (these hotels can't be bought using Priceline) I suggest a package. I prefer going through Costco. In 2007 and so far in 2008 booking through Costco gets you a free Character Breakfast for every member of your party. That is a saving of over $100 for a family of four, and you pay no more for this then any other package you can get. Trust me I looked at all the package possibilities. Plus they usually give you some other extras (that many other packages do as well) which may include the following: a $20 Disney gift card, priority seating to Aladdin at Disney California, Costco lanyard and pin, Downtown Disney Fun Book, and most any other trinkets that comes with booking the trip through Disney themselves. Keep in mind that you must have a Costco membership to buy a Costco package. You also are not limited to just the Disneyland hotels when buying thorough Costco but again you will be paying full price for that hotel.

Keep in mind that the less you pay for the fixed costs that you have to prepay before you go, the more you get to spend at the resort on good food and the must souvenirs.