Travel Agent Advice

[LeggoMyMeggo87]

Hey Everybody! I've been doing a lot of independent research on my own but am thinking of booking my future cruise through a travel agency. I have 2 "big names" that I'm considering (Dreams Unlimited and Small World Vacations). I'm sure both companies are MORE than capable of handling my request but is there any advice on how the companies "operate" that I should take into consideration before contacting one. For example, I read somewhere that one company is solely only available via email whereas the other takes calls. Also, with one you have to make payments to the Agency directly whereas the other allows payment thru the Disney site. Anyone with personal experiences on the actual operation of the process that can shed some light so I'll know what to expect? Thanks in advance.

 

[BadPinkTink]

copying my posts from the UK section as some has posted the exact same thread there

Dreams Unlimited are the owners of Disboards,

I currently have a cruise booked with Dreams Unlimited and I live in Ireland. I originally had a September 2020 DCL cruise booked in July 2019. I paid in installments through Dreams Unlimited website. The money went direct to Disney and I got a payment receipt from Dreams Unlimited after each installment. I paid in US Dollars, which my credit card company converted to Euros.

Dreams Unlimited gave me 2 booking references, a Dreams Unlimited one and a Disney one. With the Disney booking reference I was able to log into the Disney Cruise Line App and see my booking.

When Covid 19 happened and Disney eventually cancelled my cruise, I was Pad In Full and was eligible for the Disney Cruise Line Future Cruise Credit. I emailed my Dreams Unlimited agent and gave instructions for a new cruise to be booked for September 2021. It was totally stress free and unlike people who had booked direct with Disney Cruise Line I din't have to wait hours on hold with international phone charges. My Dreams Unlimited Agent took care of everything.

Dreams Unlimited do not charge people for the service, they get paid commission from Disney. The price you pay when you book with Dreams Unlimited is the same as you would pay direct to Disney.

The way I see it, booking with Dreams Unlimited helps keeps Disboards online. Also unlike UK and Ireland travel agents, they are specialized Disney travel agents. You should check out the DisUnplugged https://www.youtube.com/c/DISUnplugged/videos and Dreams Unlimited https://www.youtube.com/c/Dreamsunlimitedtravel/videos Youtube channels John, Kevin and Pete , the owners of Disboads and Dreams Unlimited are very active and upload videos every week. Especially now, it really gives me confidence in Dreams Unlimited as a travel agency when they are very visible and open about everything going on with Disney and the travel industry in general.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Hey Everybody! I've been doing a lot of independent research on my own but am thinking of booking my future cruise through a travel agency. I have 2 "big names" that I'm considering (Dreams Unlimited and Small World Vacations). I'm sure both companies are MORE than capable of handling my request but is there any advice on how the companies "operate" that I should take into consideration before contacting one. For example, I read somewhere that one company is solely only available via email whereas the other takes calls. Also, with one you have to make payments to the Agency directly whereas the other allows payment thru the Disney site. Anyone with personal experiences on the actual operation of the process that can shed some light so I'll know what to expect? Thanks in advance.

Any travel agent that take payments directly to them (not to the location/facility that's supposed to be getting my money) I'd avoid like the plague.

Also, ask about whether there will be any charges by TA if you opt to cancel the trip. Some have a charge, many don't.

 

[AquaDame]

Just a reminder that when mentioning outside agencies we need to post the whole URL so it does not go past the filters. It is in a sticky at the top: https://www.disboards.com/threads/filtered-cruise-insurance-link.3331750/

https://www.smallworldvacations.com/

 

[KashasMom]

Any travel agent that take payments directly to them (not to the location/facility that's supposed to be getting my money) I'd avoid like the plague.

With DU you pay them, not directly to Disney.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

With DU you pay them, not directly to Disney.

Sorry, misread this.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Go with the one that offers the higher OBC. If they offer the same, I don't think there's much difference.

 

[LeggoMyMeggo87]

Thanks everyone!

 

[plethera1]

Go with the one that offers the higher OBC. If they offer the same, I don't think there's much difference.

I agree with this. I haven't used DU before but I'm using SWV for my current cruise which has now been rescheduled twice. So far the process has been seamless for me for the most part. I'm sure DU is providing similar service or they wouldn't be used so much around here.

With that said, it looks like the OBC for each company is exactly the same so it looks like you can't lose.

 

[n2mm]

With DU you pay them, not directly to Disney.

is that how DU handled your payment? I’ve been using DU for years And I’ve never sent my money to DU. I fill out a payment on line with my form of payment and they make the payment directly to Disney Cruise On my behalf. As soon as I send in my electronic payment form via DU it pops up on my cc as Disney cruise line. So was surprised they treated your payment differently than my payments.

 

[plutolovr]

is that how DU handled your payment? I’ve been using DU for years And I’ve never sent my money to DU. I fill out a payment on line with my form of payment and they make the payment directly to Disney Cruise On my behalf. As soon as I send in my electronic payment form via DU it pops up on my cc as Disney cruise line. So was surprised they treated your payment differently than my payments.

She is mistaken. Dreams does not take payment into their accounts. They take the payment you submit and then pay Disney directly.

 

[KashasMom]

She is mistaken. Dreams does not take payment into their accounts. They take the payment you submit and then pay Disney directly.

My point is that you have to go to the DU site and make payment. You don't go to Disney site and pay there. So...you are not paying Disney directly.

 

[monkeydawn]

My point is that you have to go to the DU site and make payment. You don't go to Disney site and pay there. So...you are not paying Disney directly.

I see this point and that is how I initially read the question as well but then I remembered there are some agencies that take your money, hold onto it and then pay at the last possible second and I am wondering if that is what the OP was truly hoping to avoid. I dont think there is any agency that you pay the line directly, I think you at least always go through the agency portal (but most do not hold your money at all).

 

[BadPinkTink]

I see this point and that is how I initially read the question as well but then I remembered there are some agencies that take your money, hold onto it and then pay at the last possible second and I am wondering if that is what the OP was truly hoping to avoid. I dont think there is any agency that you pay the line directly, I think you at least always go through the agency portal (but most do not hold your money at all).

exactly this, most UK and Ireland travel agencies you pay the deposit to them, and they make a booking with Disney or other travel provider. They hold onto your money until 6 weeks before your departure date, you then pay them the balance and they then pay the total amount to Disney or other travel provider. Until the full amount is paid to the travel provider by the travel agency, you just have a booking, not a confirmed reservation.

I got stung a few years ago booking flights to California through an Irish travel agency. I paid them the deposit 6 months before departure and then paid the balance 6 weeks before departure and thought everything was ok. I turned up to the airport and tried to checked and then found that the airline had not received the money from the travel agency. The booking was on the system, but as they had not been paid, they could not allow me on the flight. I had to contact my travel agency, when I was at the airport, but as it was a Sunday they didn't open until the afternoon. This meant I missed my flight and lost a day in LA. When I eventually did manage to contact the travel agency, they rebooked me for the following day.

Never again will I book flights through a third party. I now only book flights direct with airlines.

 

[monkeydawn]

exactly this, most UK and Ireland travel agencies you pay the deposit to them, and they make a booking with Disney or other travel provider. They hold onto your money until 6 weeks before your departure date, you then pay them the balance and they then pay the total amount to Disney or other travel provider. Until the full amount is paid to the travel provider by the travel agency, you just have a booking, not a confirmed reservation.

I got stung a few years ago booking flights to California through an Irish travel agency. I paid them the deposit 6 months before departure and then paid the balance 6 weeks before departure and thought everything was ok. I turned up to the airport and tried to checked and then found that the airline had not received the money from the travel agency. The booking was on the system, but as they had not been paid, they could not allow me on the flight. I had to contact my travel agency, when I was at the airport, but as it was a Sunday they didn't open until the afternoon. This meant I missed my flight and lost a day in LA. When I eventually did manage to contact the travel agency, they rebooked me for the following day.

Never again will I book flights through a third party. I now only book flights direct with airlines.

This isnt common in the US and Id wager that most are replying from a US perspective when it seems like the OP may be UK based. Hopefully the OP gets the info that she needs (and correctly from her perspective).

 

[BadPinkTink]

This isnt common in the US and Id wager that most are replying from a US perspective when it seems like the OP may be UK based. Hopefully the OP gets the info that she needs (and correctly from her perspective).

and this is why you can't assume that everyone is American, as things are very different with travel agencies in UK and Ireland especially. Many UK and Ireland travel agencies are just package holiday sellers and are not Disney travel specialists like Dreams Unlimited. They charter planes for their package holiday customers to Orlando. The big market for UK and Ireland travel agencies is package holiday to Spain, Portugal, Mediterranean islands.

 

[n2mm]

She is mistaken. Dreams does not take payment into their accounts. They take the payment you submit and then pay Disney directly

yes, they make the payment for me with my credit card because my credit card statement said Disney Cruise not Dreams Unlimited. so they must pull up the payment page and enter my cc info into that page directly.

 

[lanejudy]

With DU you pay them, not directly to Disney.

Actually, you pay through their website but it is a payment direct to DCL. The concern about payment isn't which website one uses, but rather who receives the payment into their bank account. If the vendor (DCL) doesn't receive your money, they won't/can't refund you in the event of special circumstances. There have been rare occasions where a TA never made payment to the vendor leaving the vacationer stuck without a paid-in-full reservation. That's why many recommend using a TA who allows payments to flow directly to the vendor. DU doesn't actually accept your money, it is paid direct to DCL.

There are some travel agencies, usually with agency exclusive or packages, where payment is made to "ABC Travel Agency" and then the agency cuts a big check to the vendor covering multiple reservations for multiple clients. While most US travel agencies don't work this way, it's still not uncommon for land vacations where the agency books out a section of hotel rooms and then essentially re-sells to the vacationer. I don't use an agency for cruising, so I'm not sure how common it may be for cruises.

 

[n2mm]

I see this point and that is how I initially read the question as well but then I remembered there are some agencies that take your money, hold onto it and then pay at the last possible second and I am wondering if that is what the OP was truly hoping to avoid. I dont think there is any agency that you pay the line directly, I think you at least always go through the agency portal (but most do not hold your money at all).

which is good that the funds come from me directly even though DU makes the payment on my behalf, with my cc info, considering all the refunds I’ve gotten since April which have all come back directly from dcl to my credit card and not go through my TA. I’ve have one cruise canceled by dcl and 3 canceled before PIF date

 

[monkeydawn]

and this is why you can't assume that everyone is American, as things are very different with travel agencies in UK and Ireland especially. Many UK and Ireland travel agencies are just package holiday sellers and are not Disney travel specialists like Dreams Unlimited. They charter planes for their package holiday customers to Orlando. The big market for UK and Ireland travel agencies is package holiday to Spain, Portugal, Mediterranean islands.

While I would agree its ideal people not make those assumptions, I would always caution an OP that wasnt from the US to add that disclaimer for questions like these because most users are US based and will have US based replies which might make a big difference in what the replies actually mean. Maybe OPs from other countries shouldnt have to do this but if the OPs are interested in meaningful replies, it will help.