Any advice booking with AAA versus Disney directly?

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Hello fellow cruisers! This is my first post on this side since I'm in new territory! I've read a lot of the threads over the last several months gathering information in my head! It's a new area compared to WDW.

Can anyone offer any advice or criticism booking with AAA compared to Disney directly? I know AAA offers some incentives and goodies when booking with them. I'm waiting on confirmation as to what the incentives are. I know I won't have "control" and won't be able to call Disney directly when I have questions or need to make a change. I've learned from our WDW trips I'd rather book with Disney so will I regret it I go this route with a cruise? I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this. The prices are exactly the same but it seems with AAA I'll have a few "extra's".

Also, the cabin we're looking at is cabin 6188 which seems to have a larger verandah. By luck has anyone stayed here?

Thanks in advance - lots of great advice here!

Heather

 

[kcashner]

My local AAA office knows nothing about Disney or DCL. I don't believe any of them have attended the Disney training for TAs. All they can do is to look something up on their computer. I did speak to them once; when I realized how limited they were, I went elsewhere. I also discovered that the "special" that got me into their office was actually available from all TAs!

OK, look at what they are going to offer as a booking incentive, and then consider whether you will use it! In the past they have offered things like coupons for adult beverages and floats. If these are things that you will use and the value is good, great. But if you have 2 float coupons and you don't dock at Castaway Cay...you've just lost that value. Frankly, I'd rather have either an onboard credit or a gift card that allows me to purchase what I wish--not a "good only if I buy what they specify" coupon booklet.

Also, my local AAA has limited hours (basically, normal business hours). This means that you can't make a payment, get info, etc. after hours. Does your AAA agent even know how to do the on line booking to get you that $25? Or the Disney Visa credit? These can both be combined with TA offers!

I do realize that AAA offices differ--you may have a great one with great agents; I do not.

If I had to make a choice between booking with AAA and directly thru DCL, I'd probably go direct--at least I know it would be done right! In reality, there are better agencies out there; better services, better OBC, agents who have actually been on all the ships, etc.

 

[VKtravel]

This was a question posted earlier this week. Check out the threads. I think it's all about the OBC...at least it was for us!

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2706774

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

Thanks everyone! I know it's so personal but because the cruise world with Disney is a new experience with us I guess I'm sort of wondering what I would need to change down the road?

Absolutely agree - if we won't even use the incentives they are offering, I'll absolutely use Disney!

Thanks - I'm getting excited thinking about our first Disney cruise!

Heather

 

[Dizzyworld]

We booked for a 2009 cruise through our AAA office because it was a "customer appreciation" deal. At that time, nobody came close to that price. Our AAA agent was a nightmare. She knew nothing about DCL. Even said I could add a child at any time. (We were not sure if our son would be joing us because he was doing a 2 week hiking trip that got him home 3 days before the cruise.) Wrong information was given to us many times. Luckily I knew it was wrong. Emails would go unanswered. When we paid off the cruise so we could make our online reservations, she said they wouldn't release our money to DCL until 75 days out (we our gold members, so this would have been too late). I had to call her to see if our docs were in about a week after everyone had gotten their docs. Never went through our paperwork before turing it over to us.

I have blocked many of the negative details, but the manager did pay our membership for that upcoming year. I just remember it being such a pain that I didn't think what I was getting in cost savings (like DCL tips being paid by AAA and a wonderful reception onboard) was worth the headache she was providing.

There have been a few reports of some agents being good, but I've heard more negative reports. However, the AAA agent traveling with us on the ship, was very good. I believe she was NJ.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

We booked for a 2009 cruise through our AAA office because it was a "customer appreciation" deal. At that time, nobody came close to that price. Our AAA agent was a nightmare. She knew nothing about DCL. Even said I could add a child at any time. (We were not sure if our son would be joing us because he was doing a 2 week hiking trip that got him home 3 days before the cruise.) Wrong information was given to us many times. Luckily I knew it was wrong. Emails would go unanswered. When we paid off the cruise so we could make our online reservations, she said they wouldn't release our money to DCL until 75 days out (we our gold members, so this would have been too late). I had to call her to see if our docs were in about a week after everyone had gotten their docs. Never went through our paperwork before turing it over to us.

I have blocked many of the negative details, but the manager did pay our membership for that upcoming year. I just remember it being such a pain that I didn't think what I was getting in cost savings (like DCL tips being paid by AAA and a wonderful reception onboard) was worth the headache she was providing.

There have been a few reports of some agents being good, but I've heard more negative reports. However, the AAA agent traveling with us on the ship, was very good. I believe she was NJ.

Sorry to hear about your experience! This is *exactly* what I'm looking for - honest feedback! I lean towards "it's not worth it for a $100 here or there" so this just pushes me more towards Disney - especially for our first Disney cruise.

Thanks,
Heather

 

[Dizzyworld]

Double check, but I believe you can book with DCL, then shop for "extras" from a travel agency. There are some excellent ones talked about on here. Then transfer the reservation to that agency. I know you could do it in the past. Maybe someone else will chime in here.

 

[Carolina Girl 68]

We booked our upcoming cruise (sail in 28 DAYS!!) while on the Wonder 2 years ago. We just recently joined AAA so I thought it might be beneficial to have a TA...boy was I wrong! When I can actually speak to her-which is rarely-she has to call to find the answer. We constantly play phone tag...Have yet to find out what the on board "gift" will be. She has never once called to see if I have any questions or need any help. I had to call her to see if our docs were in..
On our 1st cruise on the Wonder, I booked everything thru DCL myself and would definitely go back to them. When I have a question I want an answer ASAP--can't get that playing phone tag--but Disney was always more than willing to help me.

I hate to sound so negative so on the flip side of this experience--on our very 1st cruise (7 years ago) we had a AAA TA who was awesome--but she was also a very close family friend so I think that made the difference--unfortunately she no longer works for them

 

[kcashner]

Sorry to hear about your experience! This is *exactly* what I'm looking for - honest feedback! I lean towards "it's not worth it for a $100 here or there" so this just pushes me more towards Disney - especially for our first Disney cruise.

There are excellent agents and agencies out there--people who have been on the ships, know the product, and can help you make wise decisions...and sometimes offer a nice OBC or other "thanks for booking" gift. The problem is finding an excellent agent and agency. A good agent is worth her weight in gold; a bad one is nothing but a headache.

Another thing--before signing with an agency, look at their cancellation policy. DCL does not charge to cancel a cruise prior to the "penalty date." However, some agencies have you sign an agreement that THEY get to keep a part of your deposit if you cancel (because they have done work for you and won't get a commission.)

 

[momtofour]

Looked into transferring my MR reservation to AAA. I would receive a fruit basket upon arrival, $75 in beverage credit, and petit fours the night before the cruise ended. Wasn't interested in the food. We are not big drinkers so we would not even use that credit. Skipped booking with them. (plus I think they charge $15 to book through them)

 

[pjacobi]

When a cruise is sold, DCL pays the travel agent 5-10% commission - that's up to $500 on a $5000 cruise.

Bad travel agents give poor service and keep all the commission.

Good travel agents give great service, keep expenses low, and share the commission with the customer in the form of on-board credit, i.e. Dreams Unlimited.

Book directly through Disney and the keep all the commission to themselves. Why leave money on the table for Disney?


-Paul

 

[VKtravel]

Double check, but I believe you can book with DCL, then shop for "extras" from a travel agency. There are some excellent ones talked about on here. Then transfer the reservation to that agency. I know you could do it in the past. Maybe someone else will chime in here.

We transferred our reservation from DCL with a $25 OBC to an agency that gave us $500 OBC!!! My agency had to fill out some transfer paperwork and I had to confirm with DCL about 3 times but it was worth it!

 

[kcashner]

When you transfer a reservation to an agency (rather than making the original booking thru them), the agency will receive a portion of the "usual" commission. Some agencies choose to pay a reduced OBC to you for this reason, others pay their "normal" OBC and hope to win you over as a repeat customer.

I believe that the "normal" commission is 10% of the cruise fare portion of the ticket (they don't get commission on the taxes). Some agencies can earn more than this based on their volume. So, when you look at the OBCs some agencies give, they are operating on a very slim profit margin.

ANY agency should be able to get you the OBC from DCL (the $25 for on line booking and $50 for using a Disney Visa) in addition to whatever "thanks for booking with us" gift they may offer. This is not an either/or situation!

 

[meburgess]

Hello fellow cruisers! This is my first post on this side since I'm in new territory! I've read a lot of the threads over the last several months gathering information in my head! It's a new area compared to WDW.

Can anyone offer any advice or criticism booking with AAA compared to Disney directly? I know AAA offers some incentives and goodies when booking with them. I'm waiting on confirmation as to what the incentives are. I know I won't have "control" and won't be able to call Disney directly when I have questions or need to make a change. I've learned from our WDW trips I'd rather book with Disney so will I regret it I go this route with a cruise? I'd really appreciate your thoughts on this. The prices are exactly the same but it seems with AAA I'll have a few "extra's".

Also, the cabin we're looking at is cabin 6188 which seems to have a larger verandah. By luck has anyone stayed here?

Thanks in advance - lots of great advice here!

Heather

We have been members of AAA for over 10 yrs. The first time we decided to use their Travel Agency was about a year ago when we booked our first Disney Cruise to the Mexican Riviera in March, 2011. Our experience with the travel agent was pretty good. However, we were VERY disapointed when we discovered that over half of the families we talked to in the cruise had been notified by their travel agents of a special promotion DCL had. Their children were traveling for free. We never became aware of this promotion. Our travel agent didn't notify us of such an offer. I don't think she ever bothered to look into it. In her defense, I don't think she even had a clue. We would have saved about $1,500. It was frustrating!

While on board, we decided to book our second DLC for October, 2012. We took advantage of the 10% discount and $100. on board credit offered by DCL. I check the DCL website several times a week now to see of they post any special promotions that would apply to us.

AAA gave us a fruit basket and a $50 on board credit. I rather had our kids cruising for free. We would have saved $1,500.

 

[momtoejanda]

We booked for a 2009 cruise through our AAA office because it was a "customer appreciation" deal. At that time, nobody came close to that price. Our AAA agent was a nightmare. She knew nothing about DCL. Even said I could add a child at any time. (We were not sure if our son would be joing us because he was doing a 2 week hiking trip that got him home 3 days before the cruise.) Wrong information was given to us many times. Luckily I knew it was wrong. Emails would go unanswered. When we paid off the cruise so we could make our online reservations, she said they wouldn't release our money to DCL until 75 days out (we our gold members, so this would have been too late). I had to call her to see if our docs were in about a week after everyone had gotten their docs. Never went through our paperwork before turing it over to us.

I have blocked many of the negative details, but the manager did pay our membership for that upcoming year. I just remember it being such a pain that I didn't think what I was getting in cost savings (like DCL tips being paid by AAA and a wonderful reception onboard) was worth the headache she was providing.

There have been a few reports of some agents being good, but I've heard more negative reports. However, the AAA agent traveling with us on the ship, was very good. I believe she was NJ.

Hey, we must have seen the same agent! In a nutshell we had to call Travel in the MidAtlantic because they screwed up our reservation so badly. We are awaiting a refund check from AAA as we speak... so I guess our area is not good for Disney!

 

[Mythicalbee]

What a great thread -- thank you for the heads up! We booked through DCL and I thought a $25 on board credit was quite the perk... we will definately start looking into ways we can maximize our savings, and know to be very inquisitive about agent DCL knowledge.

Love the DIS Boards!

10/02/2011 Dream a little dream...

 

[Dizzyworld]

Hey, we must have seen the same agent! In a nutshell we had to call Travel in the MidAtlantic because they screwed up our reservation so badly. We are awaiting a refund check from AAA as we speak... so I guess our area is not good for Disney!

If it was the agency in Timonium, I feel your pain. I don't even know if the agent works there anymore? Good thing we have the Dis Boards.

 

[pjacobi]

Dreams Unlimited will automatically re-book Disney Resort and Disney Cruises vacation when discount packages are released.

I happened to me and they refunded the difference!

You probably won't get that kind of service from any other travel agency.


-Paul

 

[lostatdisney]

Our AAA agent does a very good job. When we booked our first Disney cruise, it was through a special deal that Disney sent out in an email that only some people received. However, just a few weeks after that another Disney promotion came out, and it was actually a better deal for us. Our AAA agent called and persuaded Disney to give us the better deal, saving us quite a bit of money. I've never book with anyone other than AAA or Disney, but AAA has always done a nice job.

 

[EcbLovesMickey]

I love my AAA agent, but the previous one we had was horrible. I think it's just an agent by agent basis. If you want his contact info PM me, he is a nice guy who knows Disney well.

As for incentives, we got $45 OBC from AAA, another $50 for using our Disney Visa, and an extra $25 because he used the travel agent online booking system (?). We also got a voucher for a free float at Castaway Cay, a fruit basket at departure and a plate of cakes and chocolate strawberries on the last night.

When we rebooked onboard we named his as out agent and got the OBC from Disney plus we will also get the AAA OBC and extras (I believe they change each year but are basically the same)