Disappointed with Dreams Unlimited

[Disney Freak Numero Uno]

I booked the Fairytale package just prior to 6/29/03 through DI. I received their usual confirmation information stating that my deposit was due on 7/8/03 and that my balance was also due on that same date. I didn't question the dates since I know that I was booking very close to my arrival date. I submitted my credit card info this morning. I did not get an email in response so I thought that I had better call and make certain that they submitted this info to Disney. Spoke to someone at DI ( I won't mention names) who told me that there was a problem with my reservation and that Disney had cancelled it. Keep in mind that I did not receive a phone call today about this even though they have both my work and home numbers. The rep. could not tell me why WDW dropped my reservation. She only said that there was nothing that she could do. She assumed that my agent was working on the problem from her end. (Never received any emails from the agent either) I called CRO and asked for a supervisor. A very nice women listened to my story and told me that the deposit was due on 7/7/03, not 7/8/03 and that the balance was due on 7/10/03. Apparently, someone at DI made a mistake. This supervisor was kind enough (after listening to me beg and plead for several minutes ) to book the same package at the same rate that I had originally been given. I am very disappointed in DI. I have used them several times to book trips and have never had a problem. After this I don't think that I'll book through them again.

 

[~Sparkly~Zoe]

I am sorry to hear that. I am glad that my TA is on the ball and on top of things! Great however that disney rebooked it for you at the same rate!

Now go to disney and have fun!

 

[>>^..^<<]

DU books with Disney on your behalf ~ perhaps they too were given the wrong information/payment dates.

I'm sure no one at DU would deliberately try to cause you problems and you say you have had bookings before that were fine ~ sorry you had a problem with this one reservation and I am so happy the supervisor could help you out.... you must be thrilled

Have a great trip,

>>^..^<<

 

[pmenna]

I also had a big problem with my Disney reservation through DUT. I also used them in the past with no problems. I will not get into specifics but Disney claimed my DUT agent made the wrong reservation. I got a confirmation from DUT that confirmed the right reservation, however, Disney uses there own confirmation numbers & insists it was the DUT agent's fault. What I learned is this: always double check the reservation with disney. Even though DUT looks all hi tech all they really do is phone in your reservation. Mistakes can & will be made. In the End DUT bit the bullet & corrected the mistake.

 

[Disney Freak Numero Uno]

Please understand that I do not think that anyone at DU deliberately messed up my reservation. My biggest complaint is that the person I spoke to by telephone keep telling me that there was nothing that she could do for me and that she "assumed" that my agent was working on it. Because I never heard from my agent or anyone else, how am I to assume that they were taking care of it. I did get a reply from DU this morning saying that the agent was in the process of fixing things because Disney provided them with the wrong information. That's great, but how am I supposed to know that the agent is in the process of fixing the situation?

 

[nutsforgolf]

Help me understand why anyone would want to book through any agent. Why not go directly through Disney. The rates are the same and you cut out any confusion that could occur with booking through a "middle-man" operation. I recently booked a FTP package directly through Disney and had to change the dates 3 times with no problem, plus you receive all confirmation documents directly from Disney. Please help me understand why anyone would perfer NOT to book directly.

 

[*123JOANNA123*]

I can't speak for anyone else, but the reason I used DU was because I live in Ireland and all those long distance phone calls can add up.

Try sitting on hold to CRO for 5 minutes, throw in the time differences or perhaps a long phone call checking out multiple rates and availabilities and you can see why it's convenient for me to just email the agent. I also made a lot of changes and found it great to be able to ask the DU agent for advice. They also offer a trip planning service whereby they are helping me with my itinerary, will make PS's if I so wish, email me updates on enights and opening hours AND keep a lookout for the cheapest deal. Beth has been a great help and so far I'm glad I've used them.

 

[palmtreegirl]

Please help me understand why anyone would perfer NOT to book directly.

Just a few of my reasons.

1- After I booked with DU, Cathy kept checking for discounts for us. She had an AP rate applied to our reservation BEFORE word even broke out here at Dis or even at mousesavers that the AP codes were released. Boom! I had the lower rate, didn't even have to ask!

2- Cathy plans all our PS for us, I don't even have to call. We've had to change a few and she did it all. Even got my DD a princess storybook breakfast well after the 120 day out calling date for her 7th birthday.

3- There is no charge for any of these services and Cathy is always professional, friendly and replies to my emails immediately.

4- We just closed on the sale of our home and are presently in between homes(waiting for our new one to be built) and without Cathy this upcoming trip probably either-

A- wouldn't have happened at all. or

B- still would've gone on but would've caused me so much stress on top of the move, I would've had a nervous breakdown by now. And I know I would'nt of gotten the great AP rate(which saved us over 1000,00) because I was too busy to keep calling and checking if they were out.

5- It's just plain easy, stress free and I wanted to.

Those are just a few of the reasons I booked with DU this trip. I love them so much I'd definitely use them again in the future!


To the OP I'm sorry to hear about your problems, I guess every once and awhile problems occur and I'm happy to hear your trip is still on! Have a great trip!

 

[KellyJ]

We used Dreams Unlimited because I didn't want the hassle of watching for AP rates or special deals to come out. DU does that for me and calls as soon as the better rates are available.

I will say though that different agents give different service. While we've only used DU twice, the first agent was absolutely fabulous, responded to my emails almost immediately, kept me informed about everything, sent me a copy of the confirmation, etc. While our second agent was good and helpful, she just didn't go the extra distance that the first agent did (emails took longer, no confirmation, not terribly informative about some of my questions, etc.)

I'm sorry there was a mix-up! Hopefully your agent will contact you soon and you can find out what the real story is. Did you email your agent directly? or just call the main number?

Kelly

 

[stressedmom]

Cathy is also my agent and I used her a couple of years ago also and she is/was great!!! I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone who wants a really super Dreams agent.

 

[JLS]

Dreams unlimited will get you all of your Priority Seatings, including Cinderellas. I do not want to get up at 4 a.m. (my time) to call for PS. Why worry about multiple calls to Disney when someone else (an experienced professional) will do it for me, for free!

Also, DUT sends out great information about the parks and tips and puts together an itinerary for your trip, with all of the park hours listed, etc. They will also apply any available discounts to your reservation - discounts that you might not have even been aware of.

I have used them twice and thought they were great. They provide a great service but the individual experience you have will depend on your particular agent. Of course some will be better than others, and mistakes will sometimes happen with even the best place. The issue is not that they made a mistake, but did they CORRECT it to your satisfaction.

 

[Kallison]

Cathy is my agent, two of my friends have used her also. We're all very happy with her services.

 

[stormi65]

I agree that some of the agents go "the extra mile" than others. My last experience with DU was not good. I was not getting responses to e-mails etc... The agent seemed slack and not with it at all. I ended up by pulling the reservation and re booking directly with WDW for my piece of mind.

 

[WebmasterJohn]

Hi All

Thank you to all who have responded to this thread with your positive experiences with DU. We know you don't have to do this but we appreciate your taking the time to do so.

Disney Freak Numero Uno - you and I have corresponded some about this via email but I wanted to publicly apologize for the mix-up. While I am convinced this mistake was not made by your agent, and she was trying to correct it - someone should have contacted you to let you know it was being worked on. Again, I am sorry about this.

stormi65 - I remember the problems you were experiencing with your reservation/agent (it was back in 2001 if I'm not mistaken). The agent you had the issues with is no longer a member of the DU team. I hope one day you allow us to show you that the service you received during that time is not typical of Dreams' overall service.

As always, I invite anyone who is a DU client and who feels he/she is not getting the service you think you should from DU, to write to me directly at john@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com and I will do my best to get any issues resolved. After all, planning your trip should be almost as much fun as going on vacation

Thanks

John

 

[goofy4tink]

I love to plan my trips to WDW. For me, it's half the fun. That said, I have to say that I have really enjoyed DU's and their service. My agent, Shirley, has gotten it all done for me. When she couldn't get my IllumiNations Cruise the first date I gave her I think she was more upset than I was! But, she got it for the next evening. And CRTs for my first date. Now that my trip is getting closer and I'm done making ps's and such, I'm kinda missing emailing Shirley every day or so. Now, I'm sure she's not missing my emails and constant changing of plans tho!! I will continue to use DU. Thanks for a great service. I'm sure that, as with all businesses, there are some who have had not so great experiences. But, it seems to be that the majority of people are very happy with them.

 

[crs7568]

I am really sorry about your bad experience. I have to say that it is not typical of the things I have experienced or read about on the boards. I am working with Cathy and it amazes me how patient she is with me. I have changed resorts three times for various reasons and she is always patient and cheerful about it...much more so than I would be if I were dealing with a bunch of clients like me.

I hope that everything works out and you have a great vacation!

 

[TraceyL]

DU saves me the cost of transatlantic phone calls and I must admit I enjoy planning 'with' somebody else - even if it is only for a small portion of our vacation.

I'm still waiting for that magical 'good news' email from Sue Ellen with news of a discount though

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Well I can't say I use Dreams to save me money on phone calls since I live here. I can say I use Dreams because of the personal service I get. Every experience has been a positive one. Regina has often gone above and beyond what I expected. Actually I feel like I have made another friend!

Also I love the itinerary and all the great info I get.

 

[imadisneyfanatic]

Hey y'all!
I just have to give a big cheer for Michelle at Dreams Unlimited. She made my daughter's 10th birthday trip to WDW the most magical trip ever with her great planning, service, and especially the PS for all meals. She noted birthday celebration on everything and we had surprises waiting for us everywhere we went. My family was so impressed and couldn't believe what a great job I had done at planning every detail and I just smiled and said "I have connections"!
Michelle is working on my new trip right now (for my daughter's 13th birthday) and is going on a family vacation and is even taking her laptop to answer any concerns/questions I have - that is above and beyond in my book.
It's like having concierge service for free and I am for one glad not to talk to Disney because I would get rude CMs and bad information quite a bit.
Sorry but I just had to throw that in. I truly believe that things will be made right for you in the end. They have always exceeded my expectations.
Kathy Butler

 

[judirain]

I used DU for a trip in Nov of 2000. We had four families and I was the designated planner. The service that they provided was exceptional (Thanks Cathy Canada, my agent). Even with a group as large as we had the were able to obtain every PS I requested even a table for 11 at Cindy's. They also booked an illuminations cruise for us. I would not hesitate to recommend DU to anyone.

This year in order to take advantage of the great rates at the Dolphin I had to book thru Dreamsres instead and I have been very happy with that also.

The main reason I use DU instead of just booking myself is because in, my mind, it's a nice way to show my gratitude to Pete for providing these boards that I love and have been using for free for almost 4 years now.