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There is more than one way to book a vacation when you’re planning a trip to Cancun, and the price variation can be pretty significant by doing it one way vs. the other. You can book an entire package that includes accommodations, air transportation, and ground transportation. Alternatively, you can book all of those things separately. If you’re wondering which will save you the most money for your trip this winter, read on to find out.
Cancun Accommodation Considerations
One thing to consider when you’re trying to decide the best way to book your Cancun vacation is that when you book a package, your choices for accommodations will be limited to those offered through the booking agent that you’re using. So if you’re looking for a specific chain or a lower-budget hotel, you may not be able to find it. Also, if you’re thinking about an Airbnb, either because you’re traveling with a group or you’re hoping to find cheaper accommodations, you won’t be able to book a package deal.
Where to Find Cancun Packages
Vacation packages can be booked in a number of different ways. All of the popular OTAs, which are Online Travel Agents like Booking.com and Expedia, offer a package booking option, and many airlines offer this option as well. We compared booking a package through Booking.com and Southwest Airlines to show you how they provide different results.
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Booking.com vs. Southwest Airlines Package Comparison
For this comparison, we chose a four-star all-inclusive resort, the Royal Solaris, with the Lagoon view room, for the dates of February 10-14, leaving from NYC’s LaGuardia airport at the earliest time available for two people. For the Southwest search, the price came in at $895.00 per person, with a flight leaving at 6:10 am with a stop in Houston, arriving in Cancun at 5:05 pm, for a total price of $1788.23.
For the Booking.com search, the price came in at $754.00 per person with a direct Spirit Airlines flight leaving at 6:00 am with no stops, arriving in Cancun at 12:34 pm, and the returning flight through Frontier, for a total price of $1471.94.
Package Deal Price Difference
The price variation between the two searches represents a difference in price of $316.29. This is a pretty significant difference, and that $300+ could be used for other things during your vacation. Not only that, but the Southwest option does not offer a direct flight, while the Booking.com option does, and it gets you to Cancun much earlier. One thing to consider, however, is the differences in luggage allowances. Southwest has generous bag policies, while Spirit will charge for extra luggage. The two should be compared to best reflect travelers’ needs.
Booking Separately Cost
After determining the cost of this vacation by booking a package, we then looked at the price of booking the same hotel, dates, and departing airport individually. Airlines tickets could be found on Google Flights for as low as $596.00 for direct flights for two travelers, and booking the same hotel through Booking.com totaled $1254.00. Combining these totals brings the trip cost to $1850.00, which represents a difference of $378.06 compared to the Booking.com package deal.
Which Is Better?
Cost Comparison Summary
- Booking.com Package: $1471.94
- Southwest Airlines Package: $1788.23
- Booking Separately: $1850.00
After comparing the different ways to book this specific trip, the Booking.com package offers the best price for hotels and flights. The Southwest Airlines vacation package is the next lowest price, but not much lower than booking hotel and flight separately. So in this scenario, a package deal is the way to go, but where you book the package plays a role in the price too.
When you’re planning a vacation, you want to be sure to get the best price because it leaves more money for the actual vacation. Searching multiple options is the way to do this, so be sure to do your research before booking your Cancun vacation.
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