Considering a travel agent for the first time

[DisneyJade]

Not sure if this is the right section for this post, but I’m seeking opinions on using a travel agent.

I’ve always enjoyed planning my own trips, but our trip next year is looking complex. It will be our first WDW trip with our two small children and our longest Disney trip ever, which means more time for ADR/table-service meals as well as possible extras like tours. Can agents help with these extras Or do you still book your own ADRs?

And the primary reason I’m considering an agent is because we have at least one set of grandparents joining us for part of the trip and a second set joining during a different part of the trip. I would love to have someone else manage these overlapping reservations and apply discounts if they come up throughout the year. (I heard on the podcast about how the Dreams agents saved their clients boatloads of money by jumping on all the recent discounts!) However, I am a control freak, and I worry I’ll be stressed not managing every little detail myself.

Pros and cons of agents for big family trips?

 

[SaintsManiac]

I would use Dreams. They will take care of everything you want them to. Wonderful agents!

 

[Summer2018]

Type A control freak here...

I used to be a travel agent, and that is precisely why I always use one. I love having someone in charge of everything. I do most of the ground work before we go to the travel agency, but the TA monitors everything and sometimes comes across special discounts or upgrades that I wouldn’t. The TA puts in our room requests and always lets Disney know what we’re celebrating. She tells the airline that I need a wheelchair at each leg of the trip. I really like to have a second set of eyes on everything.

I do my own ADRs and Fastpasses. That’s the part that I take full control of, although it is very stressful.

 

[VandVsmama]

We are DL veterans, but DH & I are planning an adults-only trip to WDW in January 2021, so we're using a Dreams Unlimited Travel agent. A huge perk of using a Dreams agent is that after you book your trip, if Disney comes out with promotions or discounts, the agent will check the discount against your trip and if the discount will save you money, they call Disney for you in order to get you the savings on the trip.

 

[disneydreamer1980]

I only used a TA once, two years ago when we were doing our first (and only) non DVC stay. We were hoping for free dining, expressly discussed this with TA. Luckily I was freaking out about getting it so I got up early on Fd dAy and booked my own package because my TA never got me one, saying by the time she got to work there was no availability where I wanted. I only went with a TA thinking I’d get the free dining easier. Also had a lot of communication problems with her. So I ended up canceling with her. (This was not a Dreams TA)

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I've used TAs at two different agencies. Both of them are Disney 'approved' agencies and they will both search for discounts for you. I used my first TA for 4 years and I found it really helpful. She knew all the ins and outs of how to book resorts/dining plans and more importantly (because you can book on the website easily enough) how to update the bookings. When we had to switch things up when my parents decided that they were going to come for a few days, she knew how to make changes without losing rates, etc. She was also awesome about doing my ADRs. I don't like to get up at 6 am (local) to do them and she was always right on the ball (the confirmations would come through right at 7 Disney time). But she sometimes didn't know things I thought she should and she wouldn't add room requests to my reservations (she had a theory that room requests were bad) so this year I went with a different agency. The agent I booked through turned around and said she thought I should make my own ADRs. And since she didn't want to do it, I then wasn't going to trust her to do it. I also have not gotten the same level of auto-email alerts and notifications from this agency. So, I'll be going back to the original agent for any future bookings.

So my point is, it's useful to have a travel agent but they are not all going to provide the same level of service. And once you've made the booking, you're kind of stuck with them. If you get a quote from an agency, I would lay out exactly what you want the agent to do for you before booking and see if they agree. If they don't, there are other Disney approved/certified travel agencies that may be more full service.

 

[yorkieteacher]

I would never do a Disney trip without a TA if one was available. They get you the discounts, they get you the room requests (usually), they can make all your FP's and ADR's if you want, although I don't recommend this. I let mine get some while other members of my travel part and I get the others. Plus, many Disney agents don't cost you a thing.

 

[tobin04]

My friend is an agent...and I've used her for years. I don't need help booking, we've been 1000 times and I know what we like. But she's awesome to bounce ideas off...and it a better deal comes available she'll change my reservations. She's fantastic. Get yourself an agent you love!

 

[terri33inne]

I've used 2 in the past each one several times... one who was a friend, and I wanted to help support her business, and another because of an agency exclusive deal. Both were free to me. In both cases I've booked all my ADR's, and FP's. With the former it was nice to wake up to an email that the discounts had come out for my dates, and she had already applied it. The other nice benefit was one time we were at HS, and having a great day but we had an ADR at Beaches N Cream... we did not want to leave the park to go to our ADR, but wanted to go later. I texted her from the park, we went on about what we were doing, and about 10 minutes later she texted back she had moved us to a later ADR. That level of service was very nice as I didn't have to find a quiet spot... wait on hold with Disney Dining, etc. I tend to tweak a lot with our dates, and resorts sometimes so I've stopped using a TA, as I'm sure I would drive them crazy. With your situation I 100% would use one.

 

[DisneyJade]

Thank you, everyone. I really appreciate reading the variety of experiences presented here. I'm strongly leaning toward using a TA, if only to have someone capture the discounts and spend the time on the phone for me! It sounds like not every agency does this, so I'm going to start my research with Dreams.

 

[Wild4Walt]

As a former TA, I use them for my trips but an important note is not all TA's are created equal. I'd recommend listing what your expectations are and talk with the agent about those expectations prior to booking. As an example, FPs - most will log in as soon as the ques open ( 6a for us in the midwest ). Most agencies do not open that early. So if your expectation is that the agent will log in from home prior to their working hours to obtain the FPs for you, then it needs to be clear if the agent will do that. Some will and some won't.

 

[chaboyd]

I have an acquaintance who is an agent with Mickey Travels. We usually don't do complicated trips, so I could do and plan it all myself, but it doesn't cost me anything to support her. It is nice to know I've got some back up though if something unexpected happens.

 

[izzylovesmickey]

I've used 2 different TAs from very different agencies. First one was nice enough but people on DIS boards were far more informative-I knew about discounts coming out before she did. Did 2 trips on my own then found another that I think the world of. She deals with my constant resort changes (and I make a LOT of changes), responds very quickly to my questions and when my type A personality kicks in and I book a deal when I'm just perusing the website, she has no problem with my not waiting fo her to change it for me (although in those circumstances I do transfer the res to her). So if you can find a TA that can meet your needs, it can be a great way to go!

 

[Sue M]

I will only use a Disney specialized agency. I‘m on a different time zone so find it helpful that I don’t have to get up at 4am to try to get thru to Disney when discounts come out. I know my TA is on it when Disney phone lines open getting me the discount.
I think all Disney specialized agencies do this, start early when discounts come out? If they didn’t I can’t see them staying in business long when they’re missing getting their customers discounts.
I prefer doing my own ADRs and FP.

 

[nkereina]

Can agents help with these extras Or do you still book your own ADRs?

This solely depends on the agent. As mentioned, if you use an agent like Dreams that specializes in Disney and offers a full service planning service, they will do it on your behalf. If you use an agent that does not specialize in Disney, chances are they will not do ADRs and FP+ for you. Agents make money on commission, and Disney commission is abysmal. There is no commission for FP+ or ADRs, so an agent does not make money when they do these sometimes time consuming things for you. For the agents that WILL do this for you, its a courtesy to provide you good customer service and hopefully make you a repeat customer or provide a good recommendation.

 

[Lynne M]

Just reminding everyone, if you're going to mention a specific travel agency in a post, you MUST use the full URL. Since Dreams is the agency behind the DISboards, we'll give you a pass on that one. But any other mention of a business here must be in the form of a URL. Thanks!

 

[ariane37]

We are DL veterans, but DH & I are planning an adults-only trip to WDW in January 2021, so we're using a Dreams Unlimited Travel agent. A huge perk of using a Dreams agent is that after you book your trip, if Disney comes out with promotions or discounts, the agent will check the discount against your trip and if the discount will save you money, they call Disney for you in order to get you the savings on the trip.

Any good agent will apply future discounts and promotions if they become available

My friend is an agent...and I've used her for years. I don't need help booking, we've been 1000 times and I know what we like. But she's awesome to bounce ideas off...and it a better deal comes available she'll change my reservations. She's fantastic. Get yourself an agent you love!

Love that you are supporting her small business!

 

[_19disnA]

With everyone having internet access nowadays, the need for a travel agent is not what it was in the past. If you use a travel agent, you will no longer be able to discuss your reservations with Disney directly. Unless your travel agent is able to offer discounts NOT available to the general public, I don't see where they add much value. You will need to spend a LOT of time discussing your preferences/alternatives with the agent since your first choice of things many not always be available. Most likely, that will require more of your time than if you just went to the Disney site and scheduled things on your own.

 

[DISdreamer42]

I've used a TA back in the mid 90s and at the time they were great ... they were able to get me on all sorts of brand new plans Disney was rolling out (like a pre-test of what became a meal plan) and helped me save a ton of money overall ... I couldn't help but think, "How on earth do agents make any money?!?" lol I'm sure that TAs still will get you the best deals and special promos but there is still a lot that you can do on your own and create your own magic through renting points. I may one day go back to a TA and see what they can do, but for the past few times I've been, I just booked my own arrangements.

 

[Maggie Gallagher]

We always use a TA to help plan our vacations. It doesn't cost anything, and they can find deals that only they have access to.