I've never used a travel agent. When we went to WDW 2 years ago I did it all myself. I'm wondering if there's an advantage to using a TA for our DL trip in a year. We'll be in DL/DCA for 3 days then down to San Diego for 2. So, we'd need hotels in 2 cities, plus tickets to DL and I think the Old Trolley Tour in San Diego.
Thoughts? I've got plentyof time either way, of course.
Haven't used a TA in years,but they can be helpful in case of any snafus. I've resorted to documenting 'everything' when we make any contacts for 'anything'. The extra expense can make up for the peace of mind if said snafu does rear it ugly head.
DIY ~ I make my hotel reservation directly with the hotel, I purchase our tickets online *for our July trip is I used www.lastminutetravel.com **great prices. If you need to cancel or make changes to your hotel reservation it's much easier to do so if you made the reservation directly with the hotel.
I'm planning 2 trips next year to DL, and will be booking direct with HOJO's for both trips, and booking the flight directly with the airline. I've found that with using the DIScount with HOJO's it's cheaper than the prices I would get with the TA, and as for flights, found that when doing the research for my solo trip what would involve flying down to DL versus driving down with the family that it is cheaper to book with the airline directly. When I checked out the BCAA (AAA in the USA) that they were more expensive that what I could get through the airlines direct. So it's definitely worth the work in DIY rather than going to a TA to make your reservations with.
When we went to Disneyworld, I used a travel agent because it was our first trip and I didn't know all the ins and outs. But, when going to DL..I do it all myself. It's part of the fun for me....researching hotels, ticket options, hanging out here asking questions,...I love it.
I use a travel agent when we go to Disney World IF the AAA discount is better than the current promo. This has been the case the past two times. We get the package, so we HAVE to go through an AAA agent to get the discount (don't have to if you book room only).
However, for DL, I did it myself, and I like doing it myself better than using an agent.
Just wanted to add that if you use your Credit card a lot of them have travel insurance on them so that if something does go wrong (flight cancelled, Hotel overbooked) you can get your money back. Just check with your CC company before booking
The extra expense can make up for the peace of mind if said snafu does rear it ugly head. 
