Small World or Dreams Unlimited?

[Calfan]

Just putting in a plug for DU. I have used Kelsie to book my last 4 cruises and the 5 future cruises I have booked, and she is great. She was a superstar and got us booked on the ABD add-on for the 7.10.15 Baltics cruise before it sold out in a matter of hours the morning it was released. We use Kevin at DU for our regular ABD bookings (2 so far), and he is also great. They are both very responsive and patient in answering questions (including reaching out to DCL and/or ABD for answers), making changes, etc.

 

[wallawallakids]

I have used them both recently and prefered DU over Smallworld. I used SW to book my cruise before I knew about DU. Its been very hard to get intouch with the agent I used through SW. I contacted Tracy with DU and I was ready to transfer my cruise but was unable to since it was already paid in full. She couldnt help with the cruise but she has been fantastic working with me on the stay at WDW before the cruise. If i book anything in the future it will be through DU. On top of bad service i missed out on the gift basket,,, dagnabit.

This. Exactly. Same issues. Actually looking forward to this cruise being over so I can switch to DU.

 

[Michellynn]

I did a lot of reading online before we booked with SMV (we have Amber, who is truly great). I had a feeling it was really going to come down the specific travel agent we got...and that is exactly what happened.

My Dad submitted an online quote request to DU (requesting a specific agent), on the same day I submitted a quote request to SMV (requesting a specific agent). Amber at SMV got back to us in less than 24 hrs (incidentally, she was not the agent I requested), and had modified the quote a couple of times during the next day or so while we zeroed in on what exactly we wanted. Meanwhile, the agent from DU (also not the agent my Dad requested) took well over 2 days just to respond to the original quote request. So, we went with SMV.

Based on what I have read...both agencies have some really wonderful travel agents....it is just a matter of who you get. If you haven't booked with an agency before...you may not get the agent you request. So, from my perspective...you go with whomever seems to be the most responsive upfront and go with them. I would likely always recommend trying both for an initial quote and see who you are most comfortable with during those first interactions.

 

[KarriTigger]

I used Small World for our first cruise - Karen Nunn - and she was amazing.

The 2nd and 3rd I've gone with another TA - from a Disney-centric agency - just based on the fact that Karen was away and her replacement wasn't able to get back to me in time.
(our 2nd cruise was a last minute Kids Sail Free deal and time was of the essence).
I've now used that agent for 2 cruises and hopefully the 3rd one we book with her will be 2016 Alaska when the prices are released.

 

[JennyT2]

Another vote for Karen at SM ….. I was a completely newbie booking our first cruise and she was fantastic …. first agent to respond as well when I requested quotes from a couple different agencies. Always gets back to me so quickly and always has an answer for my questions.

 

[DizneyNutz]

We have had wonderful service with DU four times. We have attempted to CONTACT SW and have left voice and e-mail messages for quotes and have never even received a reply??? Must have TOO MUCH business!

 

[awilliams4]

I'm sure it is too late but maybe for someone else . . . Marion form Small World has been awful. She is unresponsive, vague and unhelpful. We used her last cruise and asked for advice or tips and she told me to look online. �� barely felt prepared last time. When we rebooked we used her again thinking since we know how it works we would really just be using a TA to get the onboard credit. Worse than the year prior. We paid in gift cards to double dip on gas points & airline miles. She majorly screwed it up. She had no idea what we had in credits until I demanded an itemized accounting yesterday and we sail this Saturday. I'm keeping every document I have with me so that if she screwed this up I can try to get it straightened out. I'm sure every different agent in the various agencies are different but she is awful. Also, trying to get a human on the phone with the people who run Small World is not simple. The stress she has given me is not worth the $150 on board credit.

Wow. I hope Marion deserves this. I believe she had some recent family matters to take care of. Your description doesn't reflect my experience with her.

If I was a TA and got many hundreds of emails a day and was asked advice, I would also suggest some DCL sites too. There is WAY too much information and way too little profit in these transactions to expect a Travel Agent to also be your Travel 'Advisor'. Paying off a large sum using many gift cards is prone to be problamatic.....maybe she accidentally didn't hear each and every number you provided.

If any of your assumptions are off, this is a very cold approach to take.

Seems you are going out of your way to do your best to ensure she has less food on the table at home.

 

[time4dis]

I have used a Small World agent 2 times and gift cards as well, and it went off without a hitch. it wasn't necessarily simple because of the gift cards, but we were able to communicate clearly and do everything with no issues, including a small refund for taxes. We used Lori.

 

[Divslp]

I booked my first cruise with SWV. The first time I requested a quote, I got an agent that would take 2-3 days to respond to my questions. I ended up not booking and put off cruise planning for a few months. When I finally decided to book, I gave SWV another chance with another quote request. This time I got a super nice, prompt and knowledgable agent and have had a pleasant experience so far. If anyone wants her name, let me know.

Just a question for those who booked with SW- do first time cruisers with SWV get gift baskets like DU? Doesn't matter to me either way, just curious

 

[shmoogrrrl]

We are getting ready to take our sixth Disney Cruise, and countless trips to Disney in between. Other than our first trip (Our Honeymoon) we have used Dreams Unlimited, and recommend them to anyone who talks to us about planning a trip. We only discovered DU after the honeymoon, or it would be all!

We have Dorothy at DU, which we have had for a lot of our trips, and we love her. I'm not a super high maintenance client, but she has always taken care of my questions or issues quickly and thoroughly.