Travel Agents for booking DCL cruise?

[Princess Mindy]

Hello,
I was hoping to poll all you wonderful cruisers regarding which travel agencies you have had good experiences working with. Who offers the best incentive for booking with them? How was the customer service- did they meet all your needs? Would you recommend that I go with them to book my 2014 DCL vacation?
Thanks for the help!

[lbgraves]

Just to let you know, not all TAs are permitted to be posted on the DIS. You have to post the full URL and if it is ***d out then the TA's site has been blocked by the owners of the DIS for whatever reasons they have. Therefore, you won't see every possible TA posted here. DU sponsors the DIS, so that is one you will see.

[ValentineJulie]

I highly recommend Tammy with DU (the sponsor here). She is awesome and goes above and beyond!!

[staley98]

Originally Posted by ValentineJulie

I highly recommend Tammy with DU (the sponsor here). She is awesome and goes above and beyond!!

Do you need her last name to list her on your reservation? Would you pm me her contact information?
TIA,
Anne

[MillauFr]

As with everything else in life if you want full service expect to pay more. If you need very little service you should expect a discount. I use Costco because I only need them to book my cruise and they give the biggest discount. Don't expect them to know much about the ships or itineraries though.

[MikeAndNick]

I love my TA, they do a great job with me and are able to answer all my questions. Here is the link to their site http://www.*************.com/

[bats]

Originally Posted by MikeAndNick

I love my TA, they do a great job with me and are able to answer all my questions. Here is the link to their site http://www.*************.com/

It seems you use the same TA as us or a different banned one!!!

[theholmesbunch]

If you pm me I can give you the name of the AAA travel agent we use.

[lisettemac]

I used one who is frequently recommended on another board and exclusively does Disney. I didn't feel they added any value, other than an onboard credit. You don't seem to be able to talk to them by phone, it's all email. They didn't get any room options that we couldnt see online. I had a bunch of Disney gift cards that were coming in the mail and it was a hassle to redeem them later because I had to do it through the TA. Next time, I'll book myself.

[Lisa Lisa]

Another vote for Costco Travel. I had considered using a more traditional TA specializing in DCL, but the OBCs were not quite enough of an incentive for me to give up control of our reservation. We decided to use Costco Travel for our third DCL cruise because they offer a substantial cash card (about 9% of the total cruise fare) AND they offer travel insurance through TravelGuard at a good price. The policy covers pre-existing conditions as long as you buy it within 24 hours of paying in full. I love that we don't have to shell out the money immediately after booking to get that extra coverage.

As far as customer service goes, I've spoken to three different reps now and have had mostly positive experiences. They aren't super knowledgeable re: all the ins and outs of DCL, but that's fine with me as I'm pretty well versed at this point. If you know what you want and don't anticipate making many changes, I don't see a downside. I did make one change to our reservation -- and it was a time sensitive issue -- and it got handled just fine.

If you don't have a Costco near you, you can join online. A basic membership costs $55/year.

[beaglefan]

A vote of confidence for Costco. As mentioned previously, they may not know every in-and-out, but if you are on this Board then you are already preparing to gather the info you need from objective sources.

The cash back you receive from Costco is head and shoulders above the rest, and the insurance is the best value for the coverage out there.

[su_A_ve]

Originally Posted by theholmesbunch

If you pm me I can give you the name of the AAA travel agent we use.

AAA is only worth it for short cruises. Their standing promo is a $50 photo package (or credit) for inside cabins, or $100 package (or credit) for outside (oceanview or verandah).

In the past, I used them but I would transfer the reservation once they had a 'promo' like a $100 GC. But with the new rules whereas you can't transfer after 30 days, you can't.

Further, for example the latest promotion is just ridiculous. They do have a $100 GC if you book in May, but you MUST PAY IN FULL at time of booking. NO WAY.

I'll just stick to WDW vacations with them, as I drive and can get to use the AAA diamond lot. But that's about it...

[su_A_ve]

Originally Posted by staley98

Do you need her last name to list her on your reservation? Would you pm me her contact information?
TIA,
Anne

You do not have to list the TA name when booking on board - just the name of the company. Ie, Dreams Unlimited Travel for example. Another one popular here is Small World Vacations. Cotsco seems to be excellent, giving gift cards instead of OBC. I don't have one close buy - only Sams Club and they closed their travel agency a few years ago...

[Livvys]

Originally Posted by Princess Mindy

Hello,
I was hoping to poll all you wonderful cruisers regarding which travel agencies you have had good experiences working with. Who offers the best incentive for booking with them? How was the customer service- did they meet all your needs? Would you recommend that I go with them to book my 2014 DCL vacation?
Thanks for the help!

I used www.bestpricecruises.com because they offered a 275.00 OBC for our cabin cat on our upcoming sep fantasy cruise. Part of me just wishes I had booked direct with Disney and eliminated the middle man. I've changed me cabin cat and the TA was super nice about it, but it makes it more of a process lol.