CAA/Costco/Direct

[dmbcanada]

Even with Covid-19 going on, I still am planning a Disney vacation in my mind. Just wondering who offers the best price/promo for Disney Vacations. CAA, Costco or Disney Directly? I have previously booked direct, but a few friends say they always book with Costco. I am considering a CAA membership as car is getting older, but don't know if the travel benefits are good with Disney vacations. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[shaycamp21]

Years ago before things were online we used to use Dreams Unlimited Travel for all our Disney vacations, as they dealt exclusively with WDW vacations. They were great and would make all the ADR's for us when you had to call them in. Now that everything is online I've been doing my own booking directly through WDW. I also love doing my own planning and being in control of my own vacation. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I don't think you can get any better deals through CAA or Costco than booking directly with Disney. If you need to make changes or see a better deal I think you have to wait on them to make changes for you. I don't think there is a benefit in using them but I could be wrong.

 

[dmbcanada]

Years ago before things were online we used to use Dreams Unlimited Travel for all our Disney vacations, as they dealt exclusively with WDW vacations. They were great and would make all the ADR's for us when you had to call them in. Now that everything is online I've been doing my own booking directly through WDW. I also love doing my own planning and being in control of my own vacation. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I don't think you can get any better deals through CAA or Costco than booking directly with Disney. If you need to make changes or see a better deal I think you have to wait on them to make changes for you. I don't think there is a benefit in using them but I could be wrong.

Yes I am the same, enjoy controlling my own bookings. DW always asks if we are getting the best deal, so I always have to a lot of price comparison. I have booked last 2 cruises with travel agent and did not find any advantage of using them, so might stick to doing my own bookings for Disney unless someone has any different experiences using CAA or Costco.

 

[SaraMc]

Please remember that the boards are owned by Dreams unlimited Travel.

 

[Donald - my hero]

Please remember that the boards are owned by Dreams unlimited Travel.

I'm fairly sure we're all aware of the fact that we're not supposed to discuss/recommend/ provide links to any other travel agency but this is a different situation and time. I saw it as a general question regarding the possibility that 2 large companies that will allow us to pay in CDN funds and get discounts as an option.

@dmbcanada Personal experience this past January (OMG seems a lifetime ago) that had us needing to use a travel agency cemented in my mind that i will NEVER use an agency again to book ANY trip but specifically a Disney one. Until you step foot on the resort and check in the agency owns that reservation meaning you can't make ANY changes/modifications, requests directly, they must go thru the agency. Reading reports of people trying to fix/rebook/cancel any travel arrangements due to COVID-19 that they did thru any type of a 3rd party makes me shudder. That includes everything from a stand alone travel agency, to redemptions of any type of reward programme (Airmiles, Aeroplan, WestJet etc), companies like Expedia/hotels dotcom/priceline and the worse seems to be rental of DVC points. People who booked things directly seem to be having much better luck getting refunds and/or changes done quickly and properly.
My travel agency botched the trip SO much that we were panicking until the moment we stepped into our room and it continues to this day! Part of their "compensation" was a credit that i had them apply to a ticket that i had no intention of using, just wanted ticket media that I could exchange at a later date to something like an afterhours event (have written confirmation from Disney that this will be allowed BTW) and the agency contacted me a few weeks ago to let me know that they're trying to get a refund on the danged ticket for me and turn it back into a voucher with them ... URGH< I just want them to get their hands off my travel money!!
Book directly and maintain control!!!

 

[Maddysdaddy]

Also look at Air Canada Vacations, WestJet Vacations and Expedia. We love Dreams Unlimited for booking on DCL, but have always booked Disney park vacations on our own.

 

[dmbcanada]

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I will keep my eyes posted for the best deal. For some reason I cannot even make a mock reservation on the WDW website, it keeps coming up with an error. It has been that way for a week.