Using a Travel Agent or Doing it yourself??

[Irishguy1]

Hello,

I am new to this forum and apologize if this is not the right place for this post - but I did not see a better place. Essentially, we are planning our first WDW trip for the fall and I wanted to hear from others their thoughts on the pros/cons of using a travel agent for their trip. Also, if you have done it either way and would do it that way again or try the other way. Thanks for your help.

Irishguy1

 

[donaldude]

I've done it both ways. Doing it yourself is very easy and how I like to do it. It also makes it easy to make payments on line.

 

[Paradise18]

We used a TA the two times we went with family. There was 10 of us in three rooms and we wanted the reservations linked to get adjoining rooms. Both times the TA provided us with our reservation numbers so we could book our own dining reservations. Now that we are familiar with WDW we book ourselves.

 

[rentayenta]

I enjoy doing it myself. I don't want to go through someone to make changes.

 

[tinkbyday]

I've done it both ways and ultimately prefer to do it myself. I found I was able to save more by purchasing the pieces myself rather than booking a package through them.

It's also nice if Disney comes out with a promo to be able to call up and switch to a further discounted price - sometimes that cannot be done through a TA - depends on who you use.

 

[Beaniesmg]

Quite a few years ago my friend used AAA and I did it myself...before the internet days. She had one day at MK and the rest was Universal, Sea World, etc. needless to say, they hated it. She calls it their Disney vacation, ha. I tell her it was an Orlando vacation, not a Disney vacation. Their hotel was way out of the way and not nice.

I booked POFQ and we got a rental car and did Universal one day,the rest was all Disney.

I'm still irritated to this day when she says she hates Disney World and they were there...blah blah blah

 

[BELLEDOZER]

I've booked trips both ways, and here are my observations. For us traveling to WDW, it's easier to go via a good TA, simply for the fact that we are going to be doing multiple flights and a complicated travel itinerary. For this reason I intend to book with a TA for our WDW trip in Aug/15. That being said, the following trip to DL in Dec/16 I've basically decided to book myself for the family, as DL is closer to us, and less complicated to book. I guess it depends if you are prepared to do the research enough to feel comfortable to book direct, or if you are willing to spend the time to find a good TA.

 

[Pixie Princess]

I've done it both ways. I love the TA I work with, but since I started getting APs I do most of my trips myself. I've used her once since getting an AP when I had a more complicated booking scenario since she could run my options much easier than I could. If we stop getting APs, I'd probably go back to using the TA. She keeps up with all the deals, and advises me of anything new that pops up during my dates. One quick e-mail back is all I need to do to make changes if I want to. It is very convenient, and I know I won't miss out on something. We are planning to go on the Disney Alaska cruise in 2013, and I will probably book it through the TA. I'm sure I'll need the hand holding despite all my research!

I think the key is finding a TA specializes in Disney vacations. I have used two different TAs through the same company, and both have been wonderful and gave excellent advice.

 

[Amber1111]

I think almost everyone here is a major planner and so would prefer to plan their trips themselves

I have never used a TA but we've been 3 times (our 4th in September). It is overwhelming at first but after reading through these boards and different web sites, you catch on to what you you want to see and do while you're at Disney World. Our first trip was probably the best one we've had and I was so glad I researched and planned everything myself. You might want to pick up one of the Disney World guides in paperback - that helped me the first time around.

 

[.:allisonr:.]

This is our first trip, and we've done everything ourself, and I wouldn't have it any other way. There have been times when it's gotten a little stressful, but it was never something I couldn't handle. If/when we take another trip to WDW, I will do all the planning & booking myself.

 

[WaltsMartini]

We used a TA the two times we went with family. There was 10 of us in three rooms and we wanted the reservations linked to get adjoining rooms. Both times the TA provided us with our reservation numbers so we could book our own dining reservations. Now that we are familiar with WDW we book ourselves.

This is the only time my family ever used a TA - a long time ago, before the internet, when there were 11 of us going and staying in two villas. Every other time we have done everything ourselves.

Unless you are uncomfortable/unwilling to do research on internet (which I doubt, because you're here!) you can do fine without the TA.

I did get a quote from two different Disney TAs for our last trip in 2010 - and both were over the price I was quoted through the Disney website.

 

[ajpa]

I prefer to use a TA, actually, I've used their agency 3x now, and the same TA for the last 2 times. Obviously I like her. Plus the wdw website is always dodgy on me,; with the TA I just use email or call.
But I agree that if you like to have more control, do it yourself is great.

 

[BobbidieBoo]

What do you need the travel agent to do for you that you're uncomfortable/unwilling/unable to do yourself?

If you're telling the TA: I want to stay at this hotel, this type of room, fly on that airline, stay these days.... then you don't need a TA.

If you're not sure, want someone to do the leg work, look for deals .... then use a TA.

 

[doconeill]

Our first two on-site stays were via TAs (our first two trips ever were off-site at timeshares we booked through a friend - got flights via TAs back then).

After that we purchased DVC, so had no need for booking rooms, and I was actually finding I could find the same or better prices for most things myself rather than going through a TA. In fact, the last TA we used even told us, when we contacted her for flights, to go online for ourselves as she wouldn't be able to do better and would have to charge us a fee.

If you can't handle the planning aspects of a trip, or really know where it is you are going, a TA can still be useful. But if you're just looking for a room and flights, you probably aren't going to get a better deal through a TA these days. They no longer hold the monopoly on travel

 

[Mickeylivesinseattle]

If you receive a quote from a TA that is more cost than from Disney then look for another TA! The cost should not be different. As a matter of fact some TA's can have lower prices if they have set up group space for specific dates.

Most type A personality planners like to do it themselves. However I think they should consider doing their planning thing and then book through a good local TA to help support a local small business. It won't cost you more and it helps a small business. If you book it through a good TA then you will have access to them 7 days a week and they will be on top of all the offers.

 

[navywifetill2002]

I looked on line at prices then contacted a Disney TA who got me the same price and a gift card for booking with her! It's been nice. I can make the ADR's I want but she will deal with anything I don't want to mess with. A friend decided to tag along and our TA was able to add their reservation and they get a gift card, we get a referal gift card, and she updated our ADR's to include them, no hastles for me! If you have any questions or are looking for a good Disney TA just let me know and I can pass her information on to you! Hope you have a Magical Trip no matter what you decide!

 

[dontthrowsand]

I plan it myself only because I am a Disney fanatic who likes making lists, plans and budgets. I also like the idea of having my reservations on my Disney account so I can edit them as need be. I may consider booking my flights via a travel agent if Expedia or the airline website aren't cheaper.

If I worked full time, raised a family and wanted to have my own life in top of that, I'd have a travel agent book it all.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

We booked everything ourselves for your first trip to WDW. Our TA wasn't very knowledgeable about Disney World so we did everything ourselves. It was alot of research however we couldn't have been happier with the outcome. We went for 3 weeks and it was amazing!

 

[cybrkitn]

In 2006, we did it ourselves and I liked having the control of calling Disney myself to ask questions or to make any changes.

This year, we are going with a TA b/c we have to. We are part of a vacation bowling league and it's run by the TA. Any changes we make (if any) have to go through them and there is a $25 fee . But all in all, it's not that bad. We're having a lot of fun bowling. Besides it being fun, it's also helping us save up for part of our Disney vacation.

If given a choice though, I prefer to book our own package.

 

[Ariel2983]

I think you will be fine planning it yourself..just do some online research of the Dis and other websites..also the disney website itself..then get the unofficial guide to disneyworld..and read it..all the information you need to know is in there..happy planning!