Does using a travel agent help?

[disneyaway]

We are in the process of planning a trip in May. My family is wanting to use a travel agent to help book things, but I feel like I would be able to find things on my own. Does a travel agent have access to better deals that would be found on these boards? Aside from the convenience of having someone plan everything out, what are the other advantages?

 

[Metro West]

 

[Disn3y]

I personally have never gone through a travel agent while booking a trip to WDW. I would recommend searching through this site, there are a lot of knowledgeable people who can help you get the best deals.

 

[Disn3y]

Oh yeah and welcome to the DIS!

 

[shaz105]

Welcome to the board

I live in Sydney Australia we are going in August to both WDW and Disneyland

I booked my orlando side of the trip with a company called Dreams Unlimited and with Anaheim I booked the accomdation myself as the travel agent didint have access to the type of room we wanted.

The airfares which purchased throught he travel agent though as I dint want to make a mistake.

I am in the process of looking for tickets for Disneyland I am researching online then I take the price to the travel agent to see if she can match

 

[disneyaway]

Thanks!

My MIL gave me the number to her travel agent. And the price she quoted me was about $900 more than what I could find just on the disney and hotel websites, not even including other deals I would be able to find. And when I mentioned that to the agent, she was pretty offended that I would look for stuff on the internet and got kind of snippy. So I wasn't sure if I was missing something huge or just am now stuck with an agent I don't really even like or trust. She didn't know that the swan and dolphin were not disney-owned hotels, which doesn't inspire too much confidence.

 

[gretchenohar@hotmail]

In the past I've done my research & booked everything myself; and I've used the services of a TA this trip.

In the future, I'll always go with the TA!

1. I still do my research (that's half the fun of planning a vacation, IMO), but I don't have to program my phone & get up at the crack of dawn to make ADR's when my window opens.
2. I don't have to determine which room numbers have the best views (unless I want to, or unless I want a specific room). My TA has given me invaluable advice.
3. All my ME connections are made for me.
4. I have print-outs of all my ADR's with confirmation #'s that I can carry with me.
5. I get advice on perks that aren't necessarily offered to the general public.
6. My Travel Agent, Michelle D., from Magical Vacations is quite possibly just as excited as I am about my trip!!! She is a joy to work with!
7. There are other perks such as discounts on Sea Raycers, video game cards, etc - but they don't begin to compare with all the advice & services Michelle has provided. She has arranged limo/van transportation for us when she noticed that our ADR's conflicted with WDW transportation. She has given up tips on so many things, that I just know our upcoming trip will be the best.

I must admit, that I did become aware of some changes at WDW before she did (a direct result of reading these boards - eg. the changes in room categories at Poly CL), but once I requested further info from her - she researched my questions fully & provided a thorough & correct answer. I can't say the same for either the WDW CM's or even the concierge level CM's.

It doesn't cost you a thing to use a TA - yet the benefits are priceless!

Gretchen

 

[lovetoscrap]

Everyone's experience is different. Some people really enjoy the planning and the "hunt" for the best deals so they like to do it all themselves.

Others don't enjoy working on all the details and spending hours looking for different codes and prices.

You have to decide if you want to spend the time and effort to do it all yourself or not.

If you do decide to go with a travel agent you don't want to use just any agent-- as you have already found out. You want to use one that specializes in Disney and does a large volume of Disney bookings. There are many different agencies you can find that book Disney exclusively. Of course Dreams Unlimited sponsors the DIS and has many happy clients on the boards. You want an agency that will monitor the prices and get you a better deal when one comes out.

Disney is a complicated location, there are many, many different options, unlike most other destinations in the world. That is why there are entire internet forums dedicated just to planning a Disney trip! Your agent has to be experienced with Disney planning and able to go the extra mile to assist you. A really great one will help you with everything down to helping you plan and getting your Dining reservations for you.

I think you want to find ones that say "Authorized Disney Planner" or something like that (not sure what the exact "seal of approval" is) to know you are getting an agent that really understands Disney. Just because an agent is great at cruises, or European Get Aways or Carribean All Inclusives, doesn't mean that they are going to be great at Disney.

 

[krier32]

When we went in 2006, we used a TA. I also checked online pricing and everything was exact to the penny...even the airline tickets.

 

[avic77]

both trips i have booked and researched everything the transfered to a TA

 

[GingerJay]

Thanks!

My MIL gave me the number to her travel agent. And the price she quoted me was about $900 more than what I could find just on the disney and hotel websites, not even including other deals I would be able to find. And when I mentioned that to the agent, she was pretty offended that I would look for stuff on the internet and got kind of snippy. So I wasn't sure if I was missing something huge or just am now stuck with an agent I don't really even like or trust. She didn't know that the swan and dolphin were not disney-owned hotels, which doesn't inspire too much confidence.

I don't think that using a TA is a terrible idea, but you may want to use one that is a little more specialized in Disney. I'm sure you can get some great recommendations on this board. We have spoken to Dreams Unlimited quite a few times when shopping for our trip and not only were they nice, they also quoted amounts that did seem to be a little bit cheaper than what I could find myself.

 

[Mom B]

My recommendation would be to use a travel agent the first time or two you visit Disney World. Then, once you are familiar with the different options and resorts, and how things work, you should be comfortable enough to make most of the arrangements on your own. We used AAA travel services our first time or two because they are well versed in Disney options and even have park hopper passes available for purchase in their offices (or ours did at the time, anyway). But look out...you may get hooked and end up doing something "crazy" like buying into the Disney Vacation Club. We made the "mistake" of asking for rooms with hot tubs for one of our anniversary trips and ended up staying in 2 DVC resorts (Vero Beach and Old Key West) because of it...and the rest is history!

 

[disneyaway]

Thank you everyone for your advice. I really appreciate it. This boards rocks. And thanks to everyone who sent me PM/s. I don't have the post count yet to reply to each individually, but I didn't want to seem like I was being rude.

 

[DeniseinNS]

We just booked our first trip to Disney and I had been doing research for months. We used a travel agent and the prices were the same.

 

[LegoMom3]

I just had to jump in here and put in a strong plug for Dreams Unlimited. You can find them from the main DIS page. We've used them 3 times now and I can't say enough good about them. They work for Disney, so there's no fee passed on to you. Their agents WILL watch for any discounts that come along that can applied to your package....they're always on the lookout for specials and such, and they will know what's out there so you don't have to worry that maybe you missed something! If you are planning any sit-down restaurants, they will take care of booking all your ADRs (a BIG "plus" to me!!). They will also ask details about your traveling party (ages, how many times to Disney, etc.) so they can try to offer the best suggestions for a truly magical trip. They'll put together a suggested itinerary for your trip, and overall I think they are just such a wonderful resource for planning a trip to Disney!!

.

 

[Pixie Princess]

I have used a TA that specializes in Disney for all our trips. The pricing is the same as through Disney directly, but if new deals pop up she is right on it determining if the new deal would save me money and changing the reservation if it does. As I understand you can do this yourself if you book directly with Disney, but it sure is nice having someone do the work for you. The agent I use will also make ADRs. I usually do this myself, but it is nice having that option.

I've even used the TA to book a room only res. for a conference I was attending in Orlando. Disney was running a discount which was better than the rate at the conference hotel. I was having trouble locating rooms on the code, but the TA handled it for me. It ended up saving the company $400 in hotel charges. Ah, the sacrafices we make.

Have fun on your upcoming trip!!!

 

[loriandmatt]

i have to chime in here and say that all TA's are not created equal when it comes to planning a WDW vaca. some truely specialize in WDW knowledge and are great, some state they specialize and really don't and some just dont even pretend to have a clue.

do your homework. if you want to use a TA (and there is certainly merit to it. i use a TA for other travel, but know WDW planning like the back of my hand at this point and don't feel the need to use one when vacationing there. did a few times, but no longer) be sure to check with them and ask a few key questions about WDW. if you get a feeling they are not as into the place as you are, find another TA.

thinks i have heard various (not all the same person/agency) TAs say about WDW that made me go elsewhere:

- you will want to make sure you stay at magic kingdom (wrong park)at night to see the Fansatia (Fantasmic?!?!) show.
- your kids will like Magic Kingdom, but don't bother taking them to Epcot, they will hate it. (OK...not)
- make sure you plan time to visit parks other than Disney World. Oh, you mean like Universal or SeaWorld? No, the other parks like Animal Kingdom or Epcot. But those are in Disney World aren't they? (knowing full well they are - at this point i am just baiting her) no, Disney World is the original park and the other parks were added later. (if they refer to MK at WDW, leave)
- and other countless mis-quotes about transportation, ticketing, special events, resorts...

 

[pepe of ohio]

We book everything ourselves and our trips are not that complicated that we can't do them ourselves. We've done 43 trips so far and I have gotten quotes from DU, same price if I did it myself, so no advantage there. We prefer to own our own reservation, that way we can tweak if necessary or cancel if need be. We don't make dining reservations, we fly by the seat of our pants and have no trouble getting in anywhere. I watch mousesavers, check out what discounts are coming and call Disney direct, no on-line stuff, rather talk to a human and they sometimes offer us things we weren't aware of. we're also not package people, we do room only for the better discount and don't care about the free dining or extras, works out cheaper for us.

 

[mickeymouse108]

I went online myself and tried different dates and different resorts and got prices on disneys website then I went to AAA because I am a member and they got the same hotel and same dates for about $600. less than I was quoted online thru disneyworld.com and we also get aaa perks like coupons and aaa members have a special parking area right next to handicap parking. i just books thru aaa for this july 2010 and my aaa agent will keep looking for any specials that come out and if one comes up for the time we are going we will get credited by disney for the difference in price and I dont have to watch this is automatic bacause aaa has a special deal with disney. Hope this helps.

 

[DisCopper]

I don't think that using a TA is a terrible idea, but you may want to use one that is a little more specialized in Disney. I'm sure you can get some great recommendations on this board. We have spoken to Dreams Unlimited quite a few times when shopping for our trip and not only were they nice, they also quoted amounts that did seem to be a little bit cheaper than what I could find myself.

I agree with this. If you must use a travel agent, use one that specializes in Disney.

That said, I don't usually use travel agents. I worked in hotels for years, and almost all of the reservations that were screwed up had an agent involved. I'm not slamming all travel agents- there are some great folks out there... but anyone can make a mistake and adding another person to the process increases those chances.

Whenever using an agent, ALWAYS double-check every reservation in the process yourself (airline, car rental, hotel, etc...).