(Before moving on, first I would like to state that I am in no way affiliated with any of the travel companies listed below. These happen to be companies I use, or know about from friends that choose to confirm reservations through them. I mention them because I do recommend the below companies for making your Disney Resort reservations.)
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Now that you have made a decision on which hotel you prefer, it is time to get to work! There are many ways you can go about confirming reservations for your trip to the Disney Resort in California. Calling a travel agent is often the simplest way to book your trip, but it is not necessary if you would rather do it yourself. There are many companies that have Disney packages, first and foremost of course is the Walt Disney Travel Company. In addition to them, various airlines have packages, and there are Internet companies that all sell Disney packages, such as www.getawaytoday.com. Walt Disney Travel Company packages usually include your hotel, your park hoppers to the Disney Resort, a collectible pin and lanyard, a booklet or card that offers various discounts, and sometimes even show priority seating cards. When needed, the Walt Disney Travel Company can also include airfare, character breakfast vouchers, and various meal vouchers for prepaid food. Aside from the park hoppers, the rest of the items Walt Disney Travel Company includes are unique to them, and the other companies that sell packages cannot include these items.
AAA and many other travel agents can save a lot of leg work for you by checking several different companies that have packages to the Disney Resort. Any travel agent should be able to handle all of your needs for the very special vacation.
If you choose to do all of the reservations yourself, the best way to go about doing this is to first call WDTC and get a price for your dates and hotel preferences or check it yourself on Disneyland.com. Verify everything this price includes. Once you have made done that, then call your preferred hotel directly, and find out what the rate would be per night, including taxes and any additional fees as your chosen hotel. It is important to get this price including the extra fees and taxes because your WDTC quote will include these fees. After you do that, then you need to check on the price for your park hopper tickets for your length of stay. This can be done on the Disney website, www.disneyland.com by choosing park tickets. If the extra items included with the WDTC package don't appeal to you, and making the reservations yourself is more economical, this is obviously the best way to go. There is one reason to have WDTC do all of your reservations though, even if it is more costly. With a vacation package, all of your travel documents (hotel confirmation, park hoppers) are completed by WDTC and sent to you in a folder to hold everything. Then, when you check in at the hotel, you give them a voucher, your room is paid for, and you are set to go to Disneyland or California Adventure. For our own reservations, I use the WDTC 99% of the time due to the simplicity of it all. But just to make it clear, WDTC seems to be most expensive option for booking your Disney vacations. I do it because of convenience, and the little things their packages give me. If you have the time and patience to book everything separately, that will be the most cost effective way.
There are other online companies as well that book WDTC packages. If you have a Costco membership, you can use www.costco.com to make reservations. Their packages have some nice incentives but not all hotels can be used through Costco. It is also important to note: If you are a member of AAA and Costco, your best price will be with AAA unless you are staying at the three Disneyland Hotels. For those properties the rates are comparable.
Now, after all of the reservations are made, whether you make them yourself, or through a travel agent, or travel company, there are more things you can do before beginning your vacation. 60 days in advance, you can call and make reservations for the sit down restaurants at the Disney Resort, and select restaurants in Downtown Disney. Reservations for character meals are highly recommended! This reservation number is 714-781-DINE. If you have decided to stay at one of the 3 Disney Resort Hotels, you can contact vacation planning to set up special treats to enjoy during your stay, from a free signed character picture, to ornate gift baskets, these people can do it all! You can reach them at 714-300-7526 or via email at vacationplanning@disneyonline.com for assistance with any special treats you would like for your family.
Of course, after your dining reservations have been made, your travel package confirmed, then you just need to sit back, relax, and count the days until you leave for California. If you have any questions, or need advice please contact me. I am always happy to help, and if I can't immediately answer the question you ask, I have sources that can answer it for me.