Taking a school group to Orlando is an exciting thing to do but it can also be challenging. You want to ensure that everyone has a great time but you’re also likely on a tight budget. That’s where Orlando vacation packages come in. By booking everything together, you can save an average of 12% over booking separately. Read on to learn more about how to successfully plan an Orlando vacation for a school field trip and then book your group package.
Start looking at Orlando vacation packages with the best prices on accommodations
For most groups, the biggest chunk of your budget is going to go toward accommodations. There are a number of options available to you, and the right option for your particular group will vary based on your size, the age of the kids, and your needs. That said, there is always one option that is not going to save you money: Booking hotels on site at either Walt Disney World or Universal.
Disney good neighbor hotelshave shuttles that take you directly to the Disney theme parks. They have the pools and amenities you’d get at an on-site hotel. They feature great pools, many have continental breakfast, and they’re just minutes away from the parks. The only significant difference between these Disney good neighbor hotels is the fact that they can be hundreds of dollars less per night than on-site hotels.
You may also consider renting a vacation home. You can find a home with as many as six bedrooms. Each of the homes we offer are within 15 minutes of the theme parks and they come with numerous bathrooms in each unit. They also have full kitchens, which can save you big bucks compared to eating every meal at the parks or area restaurants, and they even have private pools that allow the students to relax and take a swim whenever they’d like.
Choose the discount ticket package with base options only
As you start to look at the discount theme park tickets available in Orlando vacation packages on a budget, you’ll quickly see that it seems to be a confusing process. First you’ll choose how many days each ticket should have, then you’ll choose whether or not to have park-to-park access on a single day (known as Park Hopper at Disney World), and then decide if you want to add optional extras. For example, at Universal you can add Express Pass for $99+ per ticket and at Disney World you can add Water Park and More access, which gives you access to the water parks.
Which of these options should you choose? Many group trip coordinators go to a lot of trouble to plan out their trip before deciding on their ticket options. When push comes to shove, they often end up getting the add-ons, like park hopping, because they worry that if they don’t get it, they’ll wish they had.
There’s just one tip you need to know what to do this situation: You can add these extras on in the parks and it won’t cost you a cent more than it would to book them ahead of time. It’s true that you can get great discounts on theme park tickets, but the discounts come on the base tickets themselves – not the extras.
We’ve found that of the 75% of Walt Disney World guests who choose Park Hopper, only 60% of them use it. This is at least $60 per ticket and almost half of that goes unused. When you’re considering a school group, this is a significant chunk of change that simply isn’t necessary to spend.
Work with group travel experts who know how to get you the best deal
The good news is that, despite the many options available, each of which has its pros and cons, you don’t have to spend hours poring over all the data. Instead, work with an experienced travel expert who can help you find the best deals. Simply give us a call, let us know when you’d like to travel, how large your group is, and what your must-dos are, and we can help set you up with options for Orlando vacation packages that allow you to directly compare options.
As is true of any other type of planning, finding the best prices and staying within budget simply involves knowing your options and making an informed decision. There is so much information out there that it can feel difficult to know what to believe. Trust our Disney experts to provide you with all the knowledge you need to make the right decision for your group.
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