Everything You Need to Know About Booking a Package Holiday to Orlando

With the uncertainty around travel at the moment, many people wanting to go on holiday are opting for a package holiday, for the additional security that it provides.

A package holiday is the most protected form of travel booking and can be sold in many different ways. At Debbie’s Villas we currently offer flexible package holiday options for our customers, so you can book exactly what you need for your Orlando holiday.

If you’re unsure about what a package holiday is or how they operate, this blog should give you all the information you need. However, if you have additional queries then do get in contact with the Debbie’s Villas team.

What Is The Difference Between a ‘Package Holiday’ and A ‘Non-Package Holiday’?

A package holiday is one where you have booked at least two elements/travel services of your holiday from the same supplier within a single transaction.

There are four types of travel service - these include carriage of passengers (flights, trains, coaches, etc), accommodation (hotel, self catered villa, etc), car hire and tourist service or activity.

Examples of a package holiday with Debbie’s Villas:

• Villa and Flights
• Villa and Attraction Tickets
• Villa and Car Hire
• Villa, Flights and Attractions Tickets
• Car hire and Flights, etc

These elements have to be booked and paid for at the same time to be made into a package and covered by the Package Travel Regulations.

If you were to book these elements separately, it would mean your holiday is not a package. Any elements that are booked on their own after the original booking, will not be included as part of the package.

At Debbie’s Villas we provide optional extras such as mobility scooters and barbecues - these would also not be included as part of a package.

What Does a Package Holiday Cover Me For?

Booking a package holiday offers you both financial and legal protection. Financial protection means that if the company you have booked with goes out of business, you will receive a refund if you are yet to travel, or be brought home if you are already on holiday and your package includes return transport.

Legal protection means your travel company is responsible for making sure that you get the holiday you paid for. If something isn’t provided or isn’t as expected, and your travel company or its suppliers is at fault, they will need to sort this out for you – either resolving the issue, offering an alternative or providing a full or partial refund.

Examples of what you would be covered for if you have booked a package:

• Adverse weather conditions in the UK means flights are unable to depart. Your travel company will need to re-arrange your flight or will offer you a refund for the whole package.  
• You have booked a package holiday and the organiser of your package goes bust two days before you are due to travel. The organisation in charge of the financial protection, such as ABTA or the CAA, will ensure that you get a full refund of the money you paid for the package.
• FCDO advises against travel to your destination, which means you cannot travel there. Your travel company will need to re-arrange your holiday or will offer you a refund for the whole package.

What Happens if The FCDO Advises Against Travel to America?

At Debbie’s Villas, if you have booked a package holiday and the FCDO advises against travel meaning you cannot reach your destination, you will be entitled to a free change of dates or a full refund.

Please note that you would only be entitled to a full refund if one of the elements of your package was directly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic - for example if the theme parks were closed as a result. However, if the villa/car hire is available for your arrival and the theme parks are open, then the package is unaffected even though your flight (which you have sourced elsewhere) may be cancelled.

During the pandemic, we have also been offering customers who do not have a package and who cannot travel due to FCDO advice a complimentary free change of dates†.

Debbie’s Villas Covid Guaranatee

An additional guarantee has been provided for our customers who have booked a holiday in 2021 or 2022 (bookings made after 20th July 2020). This guarantee covers you if your flight is cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions imposed by the British or US Governments. If you cannot fly, you will be entitled to a full refund, even if you have only booked a single element.

Can I Change the Dates of My Package Holiday if I Decide I Don’t Want To Go?

With the uncertainty of the pandemic, many of our customers have been wanting to change the dates of their holiday. This option is available to all of our customers, for a small administration fee.

As stated above, if the FCDO have advised that you are not allowed to travel on your dates and your flight is cancelled, so you cannot physically reach your destination, you will be able to change the dates with us for free†.

How Am I Protected If I Book Elements Individually?

Some consumers prefer to book separately. In this instance, there is usually no financial or legal protection under the Package Travel Regulations. Booking through a credit card and/or having excellent travel insurance can offer their own form of protection, however it’s best to double check what you are covered for within the policy, before going ahead with this method.

At Debbies’s Villas however, during these uncertain times your holiday is protected under our Covid Guarantee if you have booked your accommodation separately for 2021 or 2022 (bookings made after 20th July 2020).

ATOL

Package holidays that include flights are protected by ATOL and you will be provided with an ATOL certificate as soon as you have paid for your holiday.

ABTA

Booking with an ABTA member offers you extra protection as the travel company has to adhere to the strict codes of conduct that ABTA sets out. It also means your holiday is protected if the travel company were to cease trading. You can learn more about the advantages of booking with an ABTA member in our blog.

We are proud members of both ABTA and ATOL, which gives our customers extra peace of mind when booking a holiday of a lifetime to Orlando. Take a read of ABTA’s top tips for booking your future holiday with confidence.

† Free change of dates: This means you won’t be charged admin fees for changing the dates. You may however have to pay extra for the villa, attraction tickets, etc if the rates are higher for your new dates.