Travel agent vs Direct with Disney

[jeepgirl30]

I have a reservation on hold with a travel agent. I was surprised it is the same exact price as with Disney directly.

I called Disney to check and she said if I had a quote from a travel agent it would be the exact same.

So, what is the upside of either one? It is the same exact offer.

Are my chances of upgrade better with one vs the other?

 

[LukenDC]

Your travel agent can monitor your reservation to apply any discount codes that come out. This saves you time and reduces the risk of you missing a discount opportunity. Codes generally come out a few months before your date of travel.

While all TAs should do this, the Disney specialist TAs tend to be more reliable than the general travel agencies.

 

[avahoneybee]

I have used a travel agent in the past but started booking the trips through Disney myself because I like having control of my reservation. For Disney cruises I would go through a travel agent though.

 

[DisneyFamily123]

My coworker used AAA and got lousy service and bad advice. I personally do not want someone else planning my vacation who does know me or my family. There's a ton of Disney planning info if one looks. Planning the trip is fun too. And I doubt TAs can offer anything not already advertised on WDW's web site. For our last trip, the Disney reservation CM easily told me the difference in savings when a different special offer became available. For our upcoming trip, the CM extended our PIN offer to December which was only good through June. I doubt a TA could do that.

 

[mickeystoontown]

If you book through a travel agent any and all changes/additions must go through the travel agent. I, personally, want full control of my vacation. Especially since I am spending a good bit of money. I use the Disboards to watch for upcoming special offers and call to apply them to my existing reservation if a better deal comes up.

 

[VeroBeach]

For Disney cruises I would go through a travel agent though.

Why?

 

[avahoneybee]

Why?

Because I don't want to be bothered with the details and in some cases they have access to deals that I wouldn't ordinarily be aware of.

 

[bunsen382]

We used a TA for our trip over the summer. It was the first trip I booked myself (i.e. not booked by my family) and I wanted someone who knew the process to help me through. In my opinion, it wasn't worth it. We got the exact same price as through direct, and I ended up doing a lot of the 'extras' (dinners, other tickets, monitoring deals), myself anyway. For future trips, I am going to just cut out the middle man and do it all myself. Just my $0.02.

 

[Veals_Family]

I have used a Disney Travel Agent and I LOVE her! It's nice to be able to ask someone questions whenever I need to. It's very personable too. I'm currently using her again.

 

[Native NYer]

I prefer to book directly through Disney. We have a Disney Visa and I just check for discounts myself. The DIS, as well as a number of other websites, are great resources. Also, I like being able to call and make changes and add requests. The Disney reservations line is open from 7 a.m. - 10 p.m. EST. I can easily call before work or after work.

 

[lorihannahgwen]

I like to use a TA. We have AAA and we received $200 plus 40%. Disney was only giving 40% off. So we have extra spending money now. I still do the leg work (type A personality), but I like getting the little extras from AAA (10% discount card for shopping or % off on tours). If I had a car, I could get preferred parking at the parks too.

 

[Remosgirl]

I always book directly with Disney. That way I have my resort confirmation # to make
online dining reservation for the length of my stay. I have a friend that just went and had a horrible experience with AAA. Wouldn't recommend them.

 

[PaulaSB12]

I will ONLY book with disney if I book with a travel agent in the UK you get to pay a single room suppliment on top of the room charge. The one I tried for virgin holiday was an extra 70%

 

[k&a&c'smom]

I've booked most of my trips myself, but have gone through a TA 3 times over the years (one AAA, two not). I much prefer doing it myself.

When you book through a TA, they "own" your reservation. If you call Disney about it, they won't talk with you, you have to go through your TA. If you can't get the TA (for instance if they've gone out of town or are sick), you are just stuck until they can get back to you. I much prefer having control of my reservation - if there is a problem, I can deal with it and not have to worry if it's being taken care of.

Others seem to love the ease of leaving it all in the hands of the TA; it just depends on your personality.

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[stogs2]

Have done both. Would recommend going through Disney so you have more control over your reservation. Travel Agents are great though if you don't want to hassle with all the details. They can make itineraries, dining reservations for you, etc. Just make sure you go through a Disney expert, or it could make for a very long vacation!

 

[KAK]

We LOVE Small World Vacations!!!

I am a control freak but love having that consistent person to talk with. Nothing against the folks on the Disney reservation lines but you can speak with 6 different people over the course of planning and get 6 different answers.

KAK

 

[MissionMouse]

We use a certified Disney Vacation travel agent. I know her skill set and she has many years of experience. She follow-ups on things and knows the ins and outs of the systems that we do not have access to, while talking with a CM results in a different CM with each call. Their skill set and experience is a mystery. Our certified travel agent is a call away.

 

[Spoisal]

For those of you who prefer to deal with Disney directly...... is there a difference between actually calling Disney or using the website? Can you make dining reservations with the website?

 

[MissionMouse]

... Can you make dining reservations with the website?

I will admit this allows guest to be assured of the ADRs are correct. It is also a lot easier to make changes. I will note that you are on the dining plan and want an ADR for a restaurant or dinner show requiring a credit card you still need to call Disney so you are not charged.

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

I prefer to go through a Dreams Unlimited agent. I have NEVER felt like I was not in control of my reservation!

That said - for ME - I would prefer that they do NOT make an itinerary
for me. I just prefer to do that myself.

My Dreams agent was a great help getting me some certain meals that I wanted.