Curious why use a TA?

AAA gave us 4 8x10's & 3 6x8's from Shutters for our cruise...$120 value!

 

The AAA OBC was much better a few years back, right now we get the photo package as you stated and some sort fruit platter in our state room.

 

The size of the OBC from a TA should be / usually is related to the cost of the booking. For my high end bookings, I've been offered as much as $1000. Hmmmm, lets see ... 1K back to spend on excursions, etc or $25 (or NOTHING) booking directly with DCL?

 

YES, you get the OBC for booking onboard PLUS the OBC from the TA. So it really pays (pun intended) to book with a TA that offers OBC.

 

Yes but the cost of the cruise that you are paying for is the same. Yes OBC helps, but based on how much you spend onboard. I dont think we have ever spent or could spend that much onboard.

 

Tips alone for our next cruise will be $672; more if we like our servers. Going to Las Caletas will be $300+. Add in the occasional drink, additional excursions, souvenirs from the Castaway Cay shop (our first and possibly last visit because we live on the west coast) and I could easily spend $1k onboard. That's not even touching the spa.

 

You should be getting about 10% of your cruise fare minus taxes as a credit. Not sure why you would book direct and pass that up. I got $595 back from Costco when I booked with them.

 

I'm the same as you, I've always booked all my Disney trips myself and have never used a TA. I did use a TA for my cruise to get the onboard credits.

On my last cruise I booked a 7-night on the Fantasy with a verandah room and got $200 in onboard credits from my TA plus an additional $25 in onboard credits from Disney. On the most recent cruise I booked, I went with a 4-night on the Dream with an inside room and got $50 in onboard credits from my TA and an additional $50 in onboard credits from Disney.

So yeah, just having that additional money to spend onboard on excursions, at Palo, on drinks, on shopping, etc. is definitely worth using a TA!!! And it doesn't cost you anything to use a TA!

I use Dreams Unlimited (which owns the DISboards.) I've had a fantastic experience with them! And I liked it because they pretty much just booked my trip for me, got me my OBC, and then I got a log-in for the DCL website to book all my excursions, dining reservations, spa reservations, etc. all by myself like I prefer doing. I never had to tell my TA my requests, I was always able to just do it all myself.

But my TA was there to answer any questions for me if I had any or to help with anything I needed help with.

Now, I can't speak for any other TA because I've only used Dreams Unlimited, but I thought it was the perfect combination of doing things yourself when you want to, and having your TA help you with things when you want them to.