If you can book by December 4, 2003, Southwest Airlines Vacations has a couple of combos for travel between December 7, 2003 and February 10, 2004. The packages include roundtrip air on Southwest, your hotel room, and more, including Ultimate Park Hopper Tickets for the Disney-specific itinerary.
Sample prices for a two-night stay include For Orlando itself, rates are as low as $104 from Ft. Lauderdale, $179 from Providence RI or Manchester NH, and $194 from Kansas City MO.
At the Walt Disney World Resort, staying at a complex such as the All-Star, Coronado Springs or Animal Kingdom, prices for two nights can be as low as from $479 out of Nashville, $509 out of Houston, $519 out of Austin or from $534 out of San Antonio.
There are conditions for these packages, involving (among many other things) which day you can depart, and the prices do not include a $3 federal excise tax per takeoff and landing or airport taxes of up to $18 roundtrip per person. September 11th Security Fees of up to $10 also not included. Restrictions apply, seats are limited. Contact Southwest Airlines Vacations at their website, www.swavacations.com or by phoning 800/243-8372.
For purposes of comparison, consider also an offer from Worry-Free Vacations, which gives you two free unlimited admission passes to Universal Orlando Resort, if you buy an air and hotel package to three hotels they like, to be used during the period of January 2 and June 19, 2004. The lodging places are the Hard Rock Hotel, the Portofino Bay Hotel, or the Royal Pacific Resort. Their four-night vacation starts from $713.99, which happens to be from Minneapolis/St. Paul during the period January 3-31, 2004, Saturday departures on Champion Air, according to their website, though their reservations unit insist the four-night packages don't begin until February, 2004. In any case, a typical cost in February (from the 15th) is $732.49 for the four nights at the Royal Pacific Resort, with the two free passes. Contact Worry-Free Vacations (let them worry about the discrepancy between their website and what the reservations lady tells you) at 888/225-5658, call your local travel agent, or go online at www.worryfreevacations.com/specials/specialoffer.do?specialOfferld=3809.
United Vacations wants to give you a choice of a free Kodak digital camera (retail value $179, they say) or a free Samsonite carry-on bag (retail value $129, they say) when you book an Orlando special with them by November 30, 2003 for travel as late as June 30, 2004. You have to spend a minimum of $1500 to get these prizes. Their packages to Orlando include roundtrip airfare, three or four nights in a hotel, a Four-Day Park Hopper Plus ticket, hotel taxes and fees, and more. For example, staying at the deluxe Sheraton Vistana Resort at Lake Buena Vista will cost from $769 for four nights, with free transportation to the Disney World theme parks, this price being for Chicago departures. The same deal out of Los Angeles or Denver would cost an additional $100, out of Seattle or Portland OR an extra $180. Contact United Vacations at www.unitedvacations.com or at 888/854-3899.