Ok to book thru 3rd party site and who to use?

[scottie]

I have read many good things about booking thru DreamsUnlimted, but not much about other internet based travel companies. Please help me to understand the good and bad sides of using a 3rd party site to book a 7 day Disney Cruise.

-I checked rates with a site and they quoted me a rate of approx. $600 less then the Disney site for an October 04' sailing, is this typical savings when going with a internet travel company?
-How much competition is there on the internet?
-Who would everyone recommend we try out and why?
-Is there anything/anyone to beware of?
-Do all sites just require a down payment and then the remainder to be paid about 60 days before sailing?

Any other help would be greatly appreciated as we start the adventure of booking our 2nd Disney cruise!


Scott and Sunny
:D

[Michelle]

Hi Scott and Sunny! :)

I'll try to answer a few of your questions.

Yes, discounts are typical with internet companies. They rebate part of the commission to clients as an incentive to book.

There is plenty of competition among internet travel agencies. :)

My recommendations are to be sure that the company you book with does NOT charge any cancellation or change fees on top of what DCL charges, and that they follow the same deposit and final payment due policies as DCL. You will also want a company that will automatically apply discounts to your reservation, should any be released by DCL. And finally, you want to be sure that your payments go to DCL directly and not the travel company, as protection that your reservation is safe should anything happen with the travel company.

Good luck with your decision! :)

[crusnprincesses]

I have learned the hard way...this is the 4th cruise I have been on in 2 years...I am a die hard bargain hunter, and have used 2 other companies, AND tried another one before going back to Dreams. Don't be fooled by seemingly lower prices, in one instance, when I called back to book, the price had mysteriously gone up 500$....when I called them on it, they said that it must have been MY mistake. My last cruise, the travel agent assured me she had made sure my onboard credit was still valid for a rescheduled date, but she hadn't even called DCL!!!She must have hung up with me, waited 5 minutes, then called me back and in a nutshell, lied about confirming the OC. Both these agencies are on the internet, and I had heard about them through postings. My advice, get EVERYTHING in writing!!!(The company I just dumped refused to email confirmation of requests, discounts etc..) That way, you have proof if anything goes wrong.
Dreams Unlimited came in consistently cheaper, and although you can't actually speak to anyone(this is only irritating to someone like me who usually moves at a zillion miles an hour, however) they are REALLY prompt at getting back to you. I can wholeheartedly recommend Rob....who I have put through countless frantic emails, changes, special requests, you name it. He must have the patience of a saint!!! Another thing to consider, Dreams has a huge advantage over the other companies due to the sheer volume of Disney product that they sell. Don't kid yourself, that means something when there is a problem. THANK YOU ROB, and Dreams unlimited for getting this trip organized...

[Girls Scout Leader]

DREAMS UNLIMITED, BABY!!
The good:
1.They knew the answer to every question I had.
2. They are right on the ball...never more than a day or so between question and answer
3. They never mad me feel stupid
4. They were alot cheaper
5. Cathy was off for a few days (at WDW, no less!) during the time that my offer was about to expire. But I e-mailed in thecredit card info to get the ball rolling. On Friday, the offer was to expire, so I e-mailed them to double check it all went through. NO! Did it again. Frantic, now. Cathy got home sat, was going to call me herself to get this figured out, on a day they are not even open, the day after her vacation. But the computer finally got it straightend out ok, but I am grateful that she was willing to go that extra mile to be sure we got what we wanted. The result? All three secret porthole rooms together!!
The bad:
1. uuuummmmmm
2. let me think....
3. well....
4. Ok. Can't come up with anything....

[WDWLVR]

I recommend Dreams as well. We've used them for both land vacations and cruises and they are the best. They always answer my questions quickly and efficiently. They are a pleasure to work with. They KNOW Disney! They have hunted for lower fairs and taken care of them before I even knew about them.

They share information as well. I got a wonderful e-mail from Cathy a couple of months ago about the Western route cruise. Cathy isn't my agent, Donna is, but wanted to share it will all DU clients. I think that is what sets them apart!