Pros and Cons of booking through a travel agent...

[sullins5]

WOW!!! Got to LOVE that!!! Yep, we knew we didn't have the right TA after they spoiled our surprise with the in-laws, and no sincere apology or comment afterwards! So glad that some of you HAVE had great experiences, but for this Disneychik?
We've enjoyed DCL this time around!

 

[Cheerio]

We love DU, I can pop off an email to my TA and she makes calls/payments for me, we are getting $400 on board credit and a gift basket for free
We were able to book our own excursions, port arrival time etc.

 

[faithsmommy2005]

We love DU, I can pop off an email to my TA and she makes calls/payments for me, we are getting $400 on board credit and a gift basket for free
We were able to book our own excursions, port arrival time etc.

Which agency did you use? If you don't mind me asking!

Thanks!!

 

[DREAM WAVES]

I used DU for our last cruise (2 rooms) & we didn't receive a gift basket. Is this just the individual agents choice? We are looking to cruise again & any freebies on top of the OBC would be awesome!

 

[NeverSayNever]

I'm very torn now.... I always book our trips ourselves, I enjoy it and am good at it. Many cruises and trips to WDW later I am considering using a TA this time for the OBC.

So far I have not been impressed - although replies have been in an acceptable turn around time they are not always complete - a question or two that I would ask in my email goes unanswered. Also, TA has been away (which I get everyone should be able to take time) but now I have to wait for answers when time is of the essence.

Just, talking out loud I guess - this thread has made me think....

Qquestion, do we know for sure if documents go to TA first?

Do you mainly communicate with your TA via phone or e-mail?

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread - it is very interesting to see all the POV's.


Enjoy!

 

[Tifa]

We booked our first DCL cruise through a travel agency and saved some money by doing so. It was nice saving the money but it was a bit of a hassle when we needed to change anything with our reservation because we had to contact both Disney and our travel agency to make the change happen. So if you can/want to save money and making multiple phone calls doesn't bother you then go with the lower price. Just make sure to check any policies that go with the discounted price.
We booked our next cruise directly through Disney just because we didn't like making so many calls.

 

[Cheerio]

Which agency did you use? If you don't mind me asking!

Thanks!!

Dreams Unlimited and our agent is BethF

 

[Lady Duchess]

Dreams Unlimited and our agent is BethF

I have read so many nice things about Beth F from DU. I have emailed her several times with questions and received prompt responses. Imagine, I don't even have a booking with her yet and she has been so helpful. I had a lot of questions regarding the dummy booking and transferring the booking to DU, she was very informative. Also, explained she may be out of town and would try to answer anything while on vacation. She has been great so far. Will be using her when I book onboard when I sail in September

 

[TheRatPack]

Can you change TAs if you don't get a response from the one assigned to you? And what if you don't even get a response from the main DU email, this is kind of making me nervous.

 

[tweis]

I'm very torn now.... I always book our trips ourselves, I enjoy it and am good at it. Many cruises and trips to WDW later I am considering using a TA this time for the OBC.

So far I have not been impressed - although replies have been in an acceptable turn around time they are not always complete - a question or two that I would ask in my email goes unanswered. Also, TA has been away (which I get everyone should be able to take time) but now I have to wait for answers when time is of the essence.

Just, talking out loud I guess - this thread has made me think....

Qquestion, do we know for sure if documents go to TA first?

Do you mainly communicate with your TA via phone or e-mail?

Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread - it is very interesting to see all the POV's.


Enjoy!

My cruise documents came to me directly from DCL. They did not go to my TA first. I communicate with my TA from DU via e-mail and so far, haven't had any issues. She is very prompt with her replies and if she is on vacation she will let me know and tell me which agent can help me if it can't wait until she returns.

Can you change TAs if you don't get a response from the one assigned to you? And what if you don't even get a response from the main DU email, this is kind of making me nervous.

I can't believe you still haven't heard back from anyone. I don't know about changing TAs, do you mean within the same agency? I have never had this problem with DU and hope that I never do. I would contact John if I were having this kind of issue and he should fix the problem immediately.

john@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com

 

[TheRatPack]

I can't believe you still haven't heard back from anyone. I don't know about changing TAs, do you mean within the same agency? I have never had this problem with DU and hope that I never do. I would contact John if I were having this kind of issue and he should fix the problem immediately.

john@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com

Thanks....I was surprised too, after hearing such rave reviews about DU on these forums. I really thought maybe my TA went on vacation or something since she was so prompt in replying the week before last. I emailed the main DU address just to confirm nothing was wrong and no reply there either . I am not too worried about it at this point in our vacation planning, but as I said before, it sure would be nice knowing I had someone to get a quick answer from if something went wrong last minute. I guess that's why I have you guys LOL

I could have booked through Costco and gotten an additional 200, although not OBC in that case......but wanted to help someone out with our rather expensive booking and let someone get some commission. I can book our excursions and dining, or have concierge do it.....so it wasn't going to be a lot of work for the TA. I guess I just expected some sort of confirmation or welcome letter of sorts.

I'll be okay...just having TA envy I guess LOL.

 

[tweis]

Thanks....I was surprised too, after hearing such rave reviews about DU on these forums. I really thought maybe my TA went on vacation or something since she was so prompt in replying the week before last. I emailed the main DU address just to confirm nothing was wrong and no reply there either . I am not too worried about it at this point in our vacation planning, but as I said before, it sure would be nice knowing I had someone to get a quick answer from if something went wrong last minute. I guess that's why I have you guys LOL

I could have booked through Costco and gotten an additional 200, although not OBC in that case......but wanted to help someone out with our rather expensive booking and let someone get some commission. I can book our excursions and dining, or have concierge do it.....so it wasn't going to be a lot of work for the TA. I guess I just expected some sort of confirmation or welcome letter of sorts.

I'll be okay...just having TA envy I guess LOL.

I have booked with DU twice and had the same agent. The first time she sent me a welcome letter and introduced herself and let me know how she would be able to help me and that she would be there every step of the way with all my planning pre and post cruise. She let me know that she had cruise DCL many times and was familiar with all four ships. When I rebooked with DU, I requested the same agent and got a welcome back letter from her.

If I have questions, I know that she will respond just as quickly as possible. Periodically, she will send me information and fun facts about the ship that I will be sailing on.

If I were you, I would seriously consider emailing
john@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com. There is absolutely no excuse for you not hearing back from your TA in a timely manner. Good luck!

 

[starousse]

I do it on my own (well, via onboard booking, but no transfer) because I want full control over my reservation. I want the paperwork coming to me directly. As I understand it, if you go through a TA, they (DCL) won't even talk to you for any changes or requests - everything has to go through your TA. And all the paperwork (luggage tags, etc.) is mailed to them and then they have to get it to you. For me, it's not worth the little amount (I'm not spending enough for more than like $50 from DU based on their chart) to give up my autonomy.

It's all about what works for you in the end, though.

I absolutely agree and have done the same. It's not worth the $25 or $50 obo to give up total control of my reservation. I had actually looked into using a Disney travel agent and it took them about a week and half to reply to my request for a quote. I also felt like it was very impersonal and kind of like an automated response. No thank you. If I need to change something, or feel like I may be a week or so late making a payment, I like to know I can call DCL and get an answer immediately. Just my preference.

 

[TheRatPack]

I absolutely agree and have done the same. It's not worth the $25 or $50 obo to give up total control of my reservation. I had actually looked into using a Disney travel agent and it took them about a week and half to reply to my request for a quote. I also felt like it was very impersonal and kind of like an automated response. No thank you. If I need to change something, or feel like I may be a week or so late making a payment, I like to know I can call DCL and get an answer immediately. Just my preference.

Ours was hundreds in OBC.....so while I always book my WDW land vacations so I have full control over the reservation I felt for our first cruise it was a wise investment to have a TA. I didn't foresee a lot of changes needing to be made either, definitely not like waiting for free dining and being on hold trying to change resorts, get codes applied...etc LOL.

 

[Meghatron]

We booked our first DCL cruise through a travel agency and saved some money by doing so. It was nice saving the money but it was a bit of a hassle when we needed to change anything with our reservation because we had to contact both Disney and our travel agency to make the change happen. So if you can/want to save money and making multiple phone calls doesn't bother you then go with the lower price. Just make sure to check any policies that go with the discounted price.
We booked our next cruise directly through Disney just because we didn't like making so many calls.

1) Using a TA does NOT require calling both DCL and your agent. DCL should not even speak to you about your reservation if you are using a TA. When I need something done, I shoot off an email or make a single phone call that either leads directly to a conversation or a voice mailbox. Without a TA, I always have to wait until DCL phones are open, wait on hold to speak to an agent, and have to either explain my situation all over again every single time (if there's an issue) or have all my information memorized (if there's no issue). With a TA, she does all the calling, waiting on hold, and keeping track of my info.

2) Using a TA does not get you a "discounted" price. If that's what happened for you, then your TA was violating DCL policy. Many TAs offer an onboard credit that comes out of their commission from DCL, but discounts only come from DCL. A good TA will keep track of said discounts and help you get them, but they are available to anyone who qualifies.

Sent from my Tricorder using DISBoards

 

[starousse]

Ours was hundreds in OBC.....so while I always book my WDW land vacations so I have full control over the reservation I felt for our first cruise it was a wise investment to have a TA. I didn't foresee a lot of changes needing to be made either, definitely not like waiting for free dining and being on hold trying to change resorts, get codes applied...etc LOL.

I think if you are repeat cruisers, the obo will be greater. I have friend who sailed 5 times and got a $250 obo. Because I'm a first time cruiser, the three TA's I contacted said $25-$50 obo only.

 

[tweis]

I think if you are repeat cruisers, the obo will be greater. I have friend who sailed 5 times and got a $250 obo. Because I'm a first time cruiser, the three TA's I contacted said $25-$50 obo only.

Dreams Unlimited gives OBC based on cruise cost. It has nothing to do with how many times you have cruised. We will be receiving $250 OBC from DU based on our cruise fare. For our most recent cruise, we only received $50 OBC from DU but that is because our cruise was only $1500.

 

[TheRatPack]

Yea, it's based on cruise cost.....they have a chart on their site.

 

[lin7]

The only benefit for me is on the board credit, which is a significant amount, I dont like that I can't contact Disney directly, whether its to add a transfer or really anything to do with the reservations

 

[mmouse37]

Thanks....I was surprised too, after hearing such rave reviews about DU on these forums. I really thought maybe my TA went on vacation or something since she was so prompt in replying the week before last. I emailed the main DU address just to confirm nothing was wrong and no reply there either . I am not too worried about it at this point in our vacation planning, but as I said before, it sure would be nice knowing I had someone to get a quick answer from if something went wrong last minute. I guess that's why I have you guys LOL

I could have booked through Costco and gotten an additional 200, although not OBC in that case......but wanted to help someone out with our rather expensive booking and let someone get some commission. I can book our excursions and dining, or have concierge do it.....so it wasn't going to be a lot of work for the TA. I guess I just expected some sort of confirmation or welcome letter of sorts.

I'll be okay...just having TA envy I guess LOL.

Just a thought....have you checked your junk or spam folder? Somehow maybe subsequent replies were flagged as spam??

MJ