Super last minute

[samandryanmom]

In the past we've done some last minute trips but not this last minute....as in arriving Monday, May 14th-18th. It's just my daughter and myself. No parks but may visit some Disney hotels, some shopping, Disney Springs. I found an air/hotel/rental car for about $850 on Expedia but it's bundled....never done that before. Always bought each separately. Where would you look for hotel deals this last minute?

 

[NinaBella]

Well, I don't like booking though third party like Expedia. We did that years ago, like 10 years ago, and decided to leave a night early. The hotel was fine with it but when they realized we booked through Expedia, said we have to get a refund from them (which is impossible). One of my military coworkers booked third party once and then was told her military leave was cancelled and she had a battler trying to get a refund from the third party.

I like to book my hotel directly with the hotel.

To me, last minute is less than 24 hours out. But if you have to fly, then maybe 72 hours out would be last minute. You have lots of time.

$850 for two people and includes what you listed seems like a good price.

 

[Upatnoon]

Sometimes you can save by bundling, but just remembering you are locking yourself in to all three elements, which can cause and issue if something goes wrong.

If the price is right, it can be worth it, however.

As for where to find a hotel, at the last minute I always look for places on ebay on on tugbbs for timeshare rentals. If you can find one with dates that fit, you can save and get roomier accomodations.

As for a standard hotel room, I do a search on the big sites, the when I want to book I go directly to the hotel sites.

In Orlando, there are so many options its important to narrow where you want to stay and what service you want from the hotel and how much you want to pay.

 

[writerguyfl]

In the past we've done some last minute trips but not this last minute....as in arriving Monday, May 14th-18th. It's just my daughter and myself. No parks but may visit some Disney hotels, some shopping, Disney Springs. I found an air/hotel/rental car for about $850 on Expedia but it's bundled....never done that before. Always bought each separately. Where would you look for hotel deals this last minute?

Without knowing the details (origin airport, hotel name, car class), it's hard to offer much assistance. Also, is your pricing $850 total or $850 per person.

But, NinaBella and Upatnoon are both right on the money in terms of the drawbacks of booking with an online travel agency like Expedia. Personally, I'd only do it if I was getting a massive discount. Say...at least $40 per day per person cheaper. The total lack of customer service from online travel agencies aren't worth the risk otherwise.

To me, last minute is less than 24 hours out. But if you have to fly, then maybe 72 hours out would be last minute. You have lots of time.

I agree with your definition of last minute. I used to work at the Disney Reservations Center. Every Friday and Saturday night, we'd get call after call of people who decided to drive into Orlando on the spur of the moment.

 

[Cloudboy]

That's last minute? When I am by myself that is pretty advanced planning for me.

Airfare is the hard part last minute. Hotels tend to be better last minute unless you are at a busy time, as they are trying to sell empty rooms.

Your best prices will always be through the hotel website. What I often do is use something like Hotels.com to get an idea of what seems available and what kind of place I want. But then go to the hotel website directly to book. And don't forget things like AAA discounts and packages.

I have rarely found package deals to be good, as someone has to be getting a percentage there and that drives up the cost. But it is easier to book.

You can try the Priceline type sites, but beware that you don't know what you are going to get with those or if it is a better deal than booking through the hotel itself.

 

[samandryanmom]

Well I guess I'm not as spur of the moment as I thought!!! LOL!!!
I've never done a package either so I'm thinking it may not be as good of a deal as I thought. The hotel in the package has lots of extra fees.
We normally fly from Dallas with Southwest but their rates are high since it's last minute. Spirit has the better deal even with paying to check a bag.
I'll start checking individual hotel sites. The rates were $850 total for two people with the smallest class rental.

 

[writerguyfl]

I just priced some things and I'm surprised at the low rates and the number of hotel options available. Anyway, I priced everything a la carte and as a package on Expedia.

Air via Spirit website: $306.76
Car via Dollar website: $117.61
Fairfield Inn Marriott Village via Marriott website: $351.00
Total a la carte: $775.37

Same components via Expedia.com as a package: $757.52

Personally, I wouldn't go with Expedia just to save $17.85. I'd rather be able to directly contact Spirit, Dollar, or Marriott in the event of a problem. If you book with Expedia, you'll need to use their Customer Service if you encounter a problem before your trip.

Also, if you've never flown on Spirit, make sure you understand the drawbacks. Aside from the fees, make sure you know that you'll have limited options if your Spirit flights are canceled. Spirit is much, much smaller than Southwest, America, Delta, or United. If a plane breaks or a crew member calls in sick, they have fewer resources available to recover. If you flight is canceled, they usually only offer to put you on the next available flight (which may be days away) or refund your money. If you take the refund, you'd be stuck buying a last-minute ticket on another airline.

For more details, check out this thread from the Transportation forum: https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-bad-is-spirit-airlines.3664741/

 

[samandryanmom]

Grrr....well my last minute trip just fell apart. Something came up at work and now we can't go. Thank you to everyone who replied and took the time to quote some things. I'm disappointed but we do have a trip booked for December 9th-December 16th in a Windsor Hills Condo. We've stayed there before but we've never been at Christmas. And all four of us can go!

 

[Cloudboy]

That's the give and take of last minute travel. Sometimes they end up falling apart. Then again, sometimes you can get some great trips and prices by planning last minute travel. Don't give up on it!