Dreams Unlimited vs. Small World Vacation - Page 4 - The DIS Discussion Forums

bats · 01-07-2013, 02:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoff41

I always wonder this: why are certain travel agents not allowed to be posted about on this site (they are blocked with *** when mentioned)? Because obviously DU allows competition since there SOME that are allowed.

All are equal but some are more equal than others

ImagineerM · 01-07-2013, 09:52 AM

I just booked my second cruise with http://www.smallworldvacations.com after 4 straight cruises with DU.

Had a couple of bad experiences with DU. When the "top brass" said the problems weren't their fault and I might be better served to take my business elsewhere -- well, I decided to do just that.

I love where I am now and wouldn't go back!

Cheers,
Josh

dskib · 01-07-2013, 10:25 AM

I started out with Small World and never even booked. The TA who was 'helping' me was not helpful at all. I explained at the very beginning that I had never cruised before, knew absolutely nothing and could use some advice, and her response, when i finally got it, was just to ask me which category I wanted. The next day I emailed DU, and a wonderful agent responded right away. They were MUCH better for me.

AudreyKThompson · 01-07-2013, 10:27 AM

Ok, so I actually talked to my www.smallworldvacations.com agent, Jodie, and she put me at ease. She understood my needs, is working with a crazy set of parameters to rebook us to a different sailing, answered questions about onboard celebrations, and we DO get In room gifts since we re-booked onboard. One Happy Camper!!

As a side note, I found the process of requesting a DU quote to be onerous- They wouldn't let me request quotes for 2 different sailings, calling it a duplicate request.

woody73 · 01-07-2013, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AudreyKThompson

. . . As a side note, I found the process of requesting a DU quote to be onerous- They wouldn't let me request quotes for 2 different sailings, calling it a duplicate request.

Wow! I don't see anything wrong with pricing two cruises. Sometimes a person wants to learn which cruise would best suit their family and pocketbook.

Woody

SunLuvr321 · 01-10-2013, 11:22 AM

Just wanted to add in my recent experience with Dreams Unlimited.

I heard about the onboard credit from booking with a travel agent after I made my initial reservation, but before I paid it off. I knew the credit would be less because of this but thought I should try it and see if what it would be like to use a travel agent and see if I liked it.

I was assigned Dan at DU. We emailed a bit and everything seemed OK, but nothing that matched the hype I read about how people loved their agents. Then I got an email from Dan 2 days ago. Because of the Florida resident rates that came out, and we are residents, he got us a nice refund and an upgrade from a large porthole room to a veranda. I am even more excited for cruise now.

Now I see why using a travel agent is a wonderful thing. I am amazed at what he got for us. I am sure if I had thought to do it I could've done the same thing, but I think it would've taken a lot of work on my part and sitting on the phone. It was wonderful that he did all this and I didn't have to do a thing.

I now love DU and my agent Dan.

davisdenyel · 01-10-2013, 12:24 PM

I used DU last year for our 7 day cruise. I booked it for 4 rooms and none of our rooms had a gift basket in it

I just booked with DU again for another 4 rooms in Jan 2014. Should I get a gift basket this time in our rooms? Last time I used Tammy for DU and she was GREAT! This time I have Dorothy so far she has been good just a little slower than Tammy was by getting back to me through email. Tammy was just quick at the emails Dorthy takes a little bit of time.

SJDis · 01-10-2013, 12:43 PM

Use Costco. We'll get almost $800 back in Costco Cash cards after the cruise. You can take them in and exchange them for cash if you want. That crushes any OBC.....

megs193 · 01-10-2013, 01:02 PM

This is our first disney cruise and we are using DU. Our TA is Michelle and she has been great. She always responds to my email within hours and has really walked us through the process.

tweis · 01-10-2013, 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davisdenyel

I used DU last year for our 7 day cruise. I booked it for 4 rooms and none of our rooms had a gift basket in it

I just booked with DU again for another 4 rooms in Jan 2014. Should I get a gift basket this time in our rooms? Last time I used Tammy for DU and she was GREAT! This time I have Dorothy so far she has been good just a little slower than Tammy was by getting back to me through email. Tammy was just quick at the emails Dorthy takes a little bit of time.

Were you told that you would receive a gift basket? My DU agent has not told me that I would receive a gift basket but I have read that if you depart from PC then you do receive a basket in your stateroom. I will not expect a basket but if I get one it will be a great treat.

sweetlovin' · 01-10-2013, 01:38 PM

I used http://www.gostarfishtravel.com and they were excellent. I booked another cruise on United website because they are giving 8 miles per dollar. For me, I use miles often to get my family all over the world. So at the time, that was important. I would use starfish over and over because it was an easy perfect experience.

davisdenyel · 01-10-2013, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tweis

Were you told that you would receive a gift basket? My DU agent has not told me that I would receive a gift basket but I have read that if you depart from PC then you do receive a basket in your stateroom. I will not expect a basket but if I get one it will be a great treat.

I was not told I would recieve a gift basket. But from reading on here it looks like others have been getting one. I never did expect one either. But it would be a nice treat

I departed from PC last time and will also be departing from PC the next time.

over50visits · 01-10-2013, 01:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by woody73

Wow! I don't see anything wrong with pricing two cruises. Sometimes a person wants to learn which cruise would best suit their family and pocketbook.

Woody

One of the many reasons you want a person to TALK to about cruises, not one that requires you to put everything in an email, wait for a response, put new questions in another email, wait for a response, etc. Someone who, for a newbie, has the reassuring voice that no email can ever provide.

I like the personal touch; I like to hear someone chuckle, someone say "I know." It takes both me and the TA much less time when we talk for a few minutes.

I understand of course everyone has different needs, and I read many, many wonderful reviews here of Small World, DU, Vacations to Go, Disney, and some others. You need to know your comfort zone, and there will be some very nice people there to help you.

tweis · 01-10-2013, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by davisdenyel

I was not told I would recieve a gift basket. But from reading on here it looks like others have been getting one. I never did expect one either. But it would be a nice treat

I departed from PC last time and will also be departing from PC the next time.

Maybe we will both get one on our next cruise

dach2k3 · 01-10-2013, 03:50 PM

We are not big cruisers. We used the cruise compete site to get some quotes. All the responses were the same price but the on board credits varied significantly. I am not allowed to post the link yet, but I bet it isn't an allowed site.

My OBC was double what I had been quoted by sponsors here. It was slightly higher than the costco card you can get through costco.

I am not sure what to expect from a great travel agent. I research a lot and I knew exactly what I wanted. Once I contacted the agent who had replied to me she was very speedy and has been very attentive. We used her again to book my current cruise which has 6 cabins.

I am curious what sort of service you all expect from a great agent? I assume responsiveness, courtesy, and added value above and beyond the additional credit.

01-07-2013, 09:52 AM	#47
ImagineerM DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Owensboro, KY Posts: 801	I just booked my second cruise with http://www.smallworldvacations.com after 4 straight cruises with DU. Had a couple of bad experiences with DU. When the "top brass" said the problems weren't their fault and I might be better served to take my business elsewhere -- well, I decided to do just that. I love where I am now and wouldn't go back! Cheers, Josh __________________ Former WDW CM and Old School DIS member. Just bought into the DVC at AKLV

01-07-2013, 10:27 AM	#49
AudreyKThompson Disney Diva Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: College Park GA Posts: 139	Ok, so I actually talked to my www.smallworldvacations.com agent, Jodie, and she put me at ease. She understood my needs, is working with a crazy set of parameters to rebook us to a different sailing, answered questions about onboard celebrations, and we DO get In room gifts since we re-booked onboard. One Happy Camper!! As a side note, I found the process of requesting a DU quote to be onerous- They wouldn't let me request quotes for 2 different sailings, calling it a duplicate request. __________________ :Audrey Thompson DH DS8 DS6 DD3

01-10-2013, 12:24 PM	#52
davisdenyel Mouseketeer Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Central Ohio Posts: 216	I used DU last year for our 7 day cruise. I booked it for 4 rooms and none of our rooms had a gift basket in it I just booked with DU again for another 4 rooms in Jan 2014. Should I get a gift basket this time in our rooms? Last time I used Tammy for DU and she was GREAT! This time I have Dorothy so far she has been good just a little slower than Tammy was by getting back to me through email. Tammy was just quick at the emails Dorthy takes a little bit of time. __________________ Denyel 7 day Disney Magic 11/12/2011 DH me DS13 DD8DD6

01-10-2013, 01:38 PM	#56
sweetlovin' DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 4,614	I used http://www.gostarfishtravel.com and they were excellent. I booked another cruise on United website because they are giving 8 miles per dollar. For me, I use miles often to get my family all over the world. So at the time, that was important. I would use starfish over and over because it was an easy perfect experience. __________________ "If You Are Always Trying To Be Normal, You Will Never Know How Awesome You Can Be" - Maya Angelou

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01-07-2013, 10:25 AM	#48
dskib DIS Veteran Join Date: Jul 2010 Posts: 795	I started out with Small World and never even booked. The TA who was 'helping' me was not helpful at all. I explained at the very beginning that I had never cruised before, knew absolutely nothing and could use some advice, and her response, when i finally got it, was just to ask me which category I wanted. The next day I emailed DU, and a wonderful agent responded right away. They were MUCH better for me.

01-10-2013, 11:22 AM	#51
SunLuvr321 Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Cape Canaveral, FL Posts: 77	Just wanted to add in my recent experience with Dreams Unlimited. I heard about the onboard credit from booking with a travel agent after I made my initial reservation, but before I paid it off. I knew the credit would be less because of this but thought I should try it and see if what it would be like to use a travel agent and see if I liked it. I was assigned Dan at DU. We emailed a bit and everything seemed OK, but nothing that matched the hype I read about how people loved their agents. Then I got an email from Dan 2 days ago. Because of the Florida resident rates that came out, and we are residents, he got us a nice refund and an upgrade from a large porthole room to a veranda. I am even more excited for cruise now. Now I see why using a travel agent is a wonderful thing. I am amazed at what he got for us. I am sure if I had thought to do it I could've done the same thing, but I think it would've taken a lot of work on my part and sitting on the phone. It was wonderful that he did all this and I didn't have to do a thing. I now love DU and my agent Dan.

01-10-2013, 12:43 PM	#53
SJDis Earning My Ears Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 20	Use Costco. We'll get almost $800 back in Costco Cash cards after the cruise. You can take them in and exchange them for cash if you want. That crushes any OBC.....

01-10-2013, 01:02 PM	#54
megs193 Earning My Ears Join Date: Aug 2008 Posts: 41	This is our first disney cruise and we are using DU. Our TA is Michelle and she has been great. She always responds to my email within hours and has really walked us through the process.

01-10-2013, 03:50 PM	#60
dach2k3 Earning My Ears Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 11	We are not big cruisers. We used the cruise compete site to get some quotes. All the responses were the same price but the on board credits varied significantly. I am not allowed to post the link yet, but I bet it isn't an allowed site. My OBC was double what I had been quoted by sponsors here. It was slightly higher than the costco card you can get through costco. I am not sure what to expect from a great travel agent. I research a lot and I knew exactly what I wanted. Once I contacted the agent who had replied to me she was very speedy and has been very attentive. We used her again to book my current cruise which has 6 cabins. I am curious what sort of service you all expect from a great agent? I assume responsiveness, courtesy, and added value above and beyond the additional credit.