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Has anyone done the whole Disney Orlando holiday trip cheaper than the deals offered by Thomas Cook and the like? Sorting out your own flights, accommodation, hire car (I don't *need* a V8... but I need a V8 :D ), that kinda jazz?

Cheers m'dears!

You'll be shelling out regardless as it's not cheap. My best advice is to book it bit by bit, rather than shelling it all out in one month.

I sorted flights, hotel & car through Expedia, didn't find it cheaper anyone else!

The tickets I used undercover tourist, a US site but they do some great deals.

Flights can be obtained cheaply.

Check out vrbo.com - have a look at locations like Emerald Island, which is very close to Disney and while it is private Villa's they also have a community pool with a bar, which gives a hotel style feel.  Villa's tend to be the cheapest option once you get into family sized groups as well.

Lots of scouting for hotels if you want one of those though.  Try all the usual haunts - expedia, booking.com, hotels.com, hotwire.com, priceline.com, trivago.com etc.  You can find good deals but they move around at times.

Tickets - you cannot really get much off these.  Disney and Universal hold the prices regardless of who sells them.  If you want more than a couple of days, there are tickets available through UK sites only for 7/14 day passes.  For less than that, Disney direct or undercovertourist.com.

No matter where you stay you will be 10-20 mins drive away from either set of parks due to the sheer scale of the place.

Car hire - same as hotels, use the comparison sites.  Usually not that bad.  Use a credit card to book and you might get free insurance (check with the card provider).

If they are still going, Charter Travel in Newbury were good a few years back for me, before popping in a car and driving down for a weekend was an option.

I went last year and although I shopped around a lot I struggled to get it much cheaper.

We flew with TUI who were cheaper than BA/Virgin and far better IMO. Villa was a private arrangement, car just through normal channels and tickets through American Attractions. If you can get the photo pass deal as its brilliant, seriously brilliant.

I know that Disney do food deals but apparently you will just spend the whole time eating burgers & pizza.

Disneyland Paris?

If there's a few of you going, some friends of ours stayed at http://www.dadsvilla.com and loved it, games rooms, themed rooms for kids etc, but would need to be two families really (it's a 6-bed place) unless you like to spread out!

That belongs to someone who is/used to be on here?

Used them twice, last year was the second. Worth having a conversation with.

Cheers all! Weighing up our options at the minute, either Disneyland Paris and maybe somewhere else next year, or Orlando. Or maybe neither, ha!

I'm not an Orlando regular but opted for TUI to Orlando this year as Jacksonville on Delta or American in economy is a nightmare.  TUI 787 Dreamliners were very comfortable.  Prices were favourable compared to Virgin.  So either save money or get extra legroom for equivalent (worth it) or even Premium for Virgin extra legroom equivalent etc. 

Norwegian may be an alternative?

Buy the family a ST, don't feed the corporate machine ;) Oh the one in LA is better!

Norwegian fly to Orlando and Tampa. Tend to be very good value.

Thomas Cook are way better and only a fraction more expensive (comes with a meal too, Norwegian you have to pay extra)

Thomas Cook or TUI are a no no for me. Often delayed and seating is cramped. On both visits recently I compared the Charter Travel with Thompson and TC and CT pissed all over them. Interestingly if you travel the last two weeks of August and get the timings right the second week the American kids go back to school and the parks are suddenly a lot emptier... worked a treat on our first visit but less so on the second but as said I can be a good move if you time it right.

I flew out on a week old Dreamliner and it was one of the best flights I'd ever had - on time and plenty of legroom.

I guess it depends on your experience with TC & TUI

Nail, head.