We get asked fairly regularly how we book our Disney trips. Here at Mickey From The UK, we pay for the majority of our own trips to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris and Disney Cruise Line. Most of those trips are our actual holidays. We review things, post about our experiences and write about what we spend our money on - but it's still very much our holiday. We are, as the Americans say, on vacation.
We are strong advocates of booking your Disney holidays direct through Disney where possible - we've even written an entire article on why we think you should book Walt Disney World direct with Disney - whether that's Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris or Disney Cruise Line. That said, there are circumstances where booking direct isn't the right option - or simply isn't possible. Every trip we take tends to be put together slightly differently depending on what we're doing, what time of year and what we're trying to get out of it. So rather than a generic "here's how to book Disney" guide, this is how we actually do it - with a few worked examples - for anyone who's curious or putting together their own trip.
How We Book Walt Disney World
As we've said, our first stop for booking Walt Disney World is Disney Holidays, because we think booking direct with Disney is the right move for most people. You can book either a hotel and ticket package or a flight, hotel and ticket package through them. We usually go for hotel and ticket only and sort flights separately - partly because we collect Avios throughout the year, and partly because we often extend our trips, tack on a Disney Cruise, or move things around in ways that don't work neatly when flights are tied into the same booking. We lose ATOL protection doing it that way, but we make sure our travel insurance covers all eventualities and pay for flights on a credit card for Section 75 protection.
If the hotel or room type we want isn't available direct with Disney, Attraction Tickets is our backup. They offer Walt Disney World hotel and ticket packages and are a solid last-resort option when Disney's own inventory falls short.
If booking direct with Disney isn't possible for whatever reason, we'd generally suggest booking your package through the airline you plan to fly with. Virgin Holidays would be our recommendation here - they know the Disney market well and it makes up a significant part of their USA business. They're also the second most popular booking option among Mickey From The UK readers after booking direct, which tracks with our own view. TUI is an option too if Virgin doesn't work for your dates or budget.
See Walt Disney World deals direct with Disney >
See Walt Disney World deals with Virgin >
Flights
For Orlando flights we usually check British Airways first - mainly because of Avios, not out of any particular loyalty to their ageing 777s - then Virgin Atlantic. Norse is always worth a look for price, though we haven't flown with them yet. We've used Aer Lingus from Manchester in the past, but they've since pulled that route. TUI is a last resort if nothing else works, though it's worth knowing they fly into Melbourne rather than Orlando International.
Search for Virgin Atlantic flights to Orlando >
Search for cheap flights to Orlando >
Off-site Orlando Hotel Only
If we're spending a few nights off-site, we book the hotel through Hotels.com - we explain why below.
Why We Use Hotels.com
Hotels.com is our preferred booking platform, primarily because of the rewards scheme. They overhauled it a while back in a way that made it considerably less rewarding, so we stopped recommending and using them for a period - but they've since improved things. It's not quite back to what it was, but the current version works out at roughly up to 10% back on stays, credited as £100 once you've booked 10 nights. Between holidays and trips for Mickey From The UK content, those free nights do add up.
Off-site Packages
If you're after a full off-site Orlando package that doesn't involve a Walt Disney World resort hotel, we'd again point you towards booking direct with your airline of choice. Virgin Atlantic is our first recommendation for this, with TUI as an alternative worth checking.
Walt Disney World Tickets
If you're staying off-site you'll need to sort your Walt Disney World tickets separately. We primarily use FloridaTix for this - they're our first port of call for standalone tickets - with Attraction Tickets as an alternative worth comparing. You can also buy tickets direct through Disney, but you do need to pay up-front in full - if that's not an issue, Disney is likely to be the best option.
How We Book Disneyland Paris
Disneyland Paris we also book direct through Disney. The first thing we do is check the Disneyland Paris pricing calendar around our target dates to find the cheapest options - it's a very useful tool for spotting where prices dip. Worth adding that the prices displayed on the calendar are for the hotel stay and tickets for all guests selected, not just the hotel. Once we have an idea of dates, we check packages on both DisneylandParis.com and Disney Holidays. Both are technically direct with Disney, but there are some differences between the two platforms worth knowing about - we've covered them in detail in our DisneyHolidays.co.uk vs DisneylandParis.com article if you want to go deeper.
Prices are usually identical across both platforms, but availability for specific room types can sometimes differ, so it's worth a quick check on each. One thing worth knowing if you're using Disney Holidays - if you try to book a hotel and ticket package, it may prompt you to switch over to DisneylandParis.com. You can safely ignore that and click continue, selecting "add transport later." You don't actually need to add transport at all - it's just how the booking flow is worded.
Through Disney Holidays you can add transport - flights, Eurostar, Le Shuttle and so on - to create an ATOL-protected package, but we usually sort our own transport separately. We tend to fly, checking easyJet (who fly from Bristol) and British Airways (from Heathrow), factoring in Avios if we have any to use. Getting from the airport to Disneyland Paris takes around 30 minutes - we either get the Magical Shuttle or a taxi depending on the trip.
Unlike Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris hotels can be booked room-only through third-party sites like Hotels.com. However, tickets are often discounted when bundled as part of a direct Disney package, so it's worth comparing the room-only cost through Hotels.com against a hotel and ticket package booked direct before assuming the third-party route is cheaper.
Booking Off-site
If we're staying off-site for Disneyland Paris, we again book the hotel through Hotels.com for the same reasons covered above. For tickets, you can buy Disneyland Paris tickets direct through Disney here. Like the hotel and ticket package calendar, the ticket booking page shows prices by date so you can easily spot the cheaper days.
How We Book Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line is fairly simple. We book directly through the Disney Cruise Line website. While Disney Holidays do offer Disney Cruise Line bookings, you can only do so over the phone and the cancellation policy is less generous than booking online direct. The main reason we always book direct is the placeholder.
A Disney Cruise Line placeholder - sometimes called an Onboard Booking Offer - is an open-ended reservation you can purchase while you're currently on a sailing. Pay a $250 deposit per stateroom (up to two staterooms) and you lock in a 10% discount to use on most future cruises within 24 months. A placeholder can only be applied when booking direct on the Disney Cruise Line website, which is another reason we don't tend to use a third party for cruises.
If you're a first-time cruiser or didn't put down a placeholder, it's worth checking out Magic Breaks as an option. They're a UK-based agent that specialises in Disney Cruise Line, and often throw in extras like reveal kits and discount codes. Booking through them works in the same way as booking a Walt Disney World trip through Virgin Holidays or another travel agent - you'll get a booking reference number which you can add to the Disney Cruise Line Navigator app and see your booking exactly as if you'd booked direct, much like linking a Walt Disney World booking to the My Disney Experience app.
See Disney Cruise Line offers on Magic Breaks >
For Florida-based cruises, Disney Cruise Line offers a coach transfer to and from any Walt Disney World resort hotel or Orlando Airport (MCO). We always use this - partly for convenience, but also because it comes with a handy perk. Your PAT (Port Arrival Time - essentially your allocated check-in slot at the terminal) becomes flexible when you're on the Disney coach transfer. Even if your PAT is set for later in the day, you can board whenever the coach arrives at the port, which can save a fair bit of hanging around.
