Drawbacks to using a travel agent?

[Nicnicnic.nic]

Hello! I just booked our first Disney cruise using the DCL website but now after reading threads on here I'm considering switching to a travel agent? Are there any cons? Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like DCL pays for their commission not me, I'd get an onboard credit most likely and if there's a problem then they handle it?? Also does anyone know if I can still switch to using a travel agent since I already put the down payment using the DCL website?

 

[WDWAurora]

We just booked our second cruise through Kathy at DU (company that owns these boards). No drawbacks. Cost is exactly the same but we get a shipboard credit and help as needed. That being said, once we are booked, we are pretty low maintenance.

 

[csmith1004]

The only draw back to using a TA is giving up control. That is ultimately the purpose but for some (like me) it can be more stressful to not be in total control of the process. If I decide a change needs to be made I want to make it now, not have to contact someone and wait for them to make it. That said, if you are not a control freak there are many advantages to a TA and the majority of them will do an excellent job helping you with your vacation!

 

[xiphoid76]

Comes down to control. If you want to make any changes and you used a travel agent then you need to go thru them to make changes. We like being in total control of our reservation and if we want to add something or make a change we are able to it without having to go thru an agent. If you get a good agent it probably won't be that big of an issue, but we have had a few bad ones that were impossible to get a hold of when we wanted and made things a nightmare for someone with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder like I have

 

[MomOTwins]

Hello! I just booked our first Disney cruise using the DCL website but now after reading threads on here I'm considering switching to a travel agent? Are there any cons? Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like DCL pays for their commission not me, I'd get an onboard credit most likely and if there's a problem then they handle it?? Also does anyone know if I can still switch to using a travel agent since I already put the down payment using the DCL website?

There are three cons I’m aware of that boil down to whether you have a good agent or not.

The first con is that if you want to change something or have a payment related issue, Disney will not talk to you, only your agent. It’s not a problem if you have a good agent but can be an issue if your agent is slow to respond (eg some agents may have a 24-48 response time) or only responds in certain hours (eg not on weekends). For example, I remember a post from someone desperate because they needed to cancel a cruise in the last day they could do so without penalty and their agent was unavailable. As another example, earlier this year there was a DCL system update that caused a glitch where reservations that were paid in full were suddenly showing a balance due, which prevented folks from booking activities when the window opened. Yes, not having a travel agent meant I had to call in and wait on hold. However it also meant I was able to resolve it a lot faster than some people on my FB groups with agents, some of whom missed out on activities because of it.

The second issue is some agents will have different payment and cancellation policies than DCL. E.g. you may have yo pay earlier than DCL’s PIF or you may pay a fee if you cancel before DCL’s PIF. Make sure before you book with an agent you know what their policies are.

The last issue is some agents are not super knowledgeable about DCL even if they work for a Disney travel agency. I remember one time I tried booking with an agent and they told me that no rooms on the Magic sleep 5 outside of concierge—they tried to get me to book connecting verandahs for a lot more money. I knew better of course and gave then a specific room number to book, but a new cruiser might not know better. Others here have reported similar issues where agents give flat out wrong info, e.g. I remember one person had a big issue where they asked the agent to make a modification and the agent said that could only be done if they cancelled and rebooked, resulting in the person losing a DCL discount/credits tied to the original reservation number.

 

[Mommb]

Correct me if I'm wrong but it seems like DCL pays for their commission not me, I'd get an onboard credit most likely and if there's a problem then they handle it?? Also does anyone know if I can still switch to using a travel agent since I already put the down payment using the DCL website?

If you have booked a cruise but not yet paid in full, you can assign the reservation to a travel agent within 30 days of the initial booking. However, some travel agencies have a reduced onboard credit amount for transferred reservations compared to new bookings.

You are correct that there is no fee for using a travel agent, since commissions are paid by Disney Cruise.

Just to clarify what can and can’t be done on one’s own:

If you are using a travel agent, the travel agent must make any changes that involve the cruise booking. This includes making payments, cancelling or moving the reservation, adding or removing a passenger, and changing the room location or type.

I know changing the dining time, booking pre/post cruise transportation, and pre-paying gratuities can be done through a travel agent, but I am not sure whether they can also be booking by calling DCL.

Even when using a travel agent, you can book excursions and ticketed onboard activities (including spa treatments, adult dining, ticketed character meets, and beverage tastings) on your own through the DCL website or app.

I have used a travel agent for cruise booking over the past 15 years with no issues. I simply email my agent with what I want — e.g. booking a new cruise or moving an existing reservation — and she calls DCL and emails me a confirmation when it’s all done.

 

[Girl of the South]

The one time I used a travel agent to book a Disney Cruise I had to cancel at the very last minute due to my niece finding a new job and not being able to take the time off. It was a Sunday and the last day to cancel. I called Disney and they couldn't help me. Luckily I had my travel agent's home number but I interrupted a family gathering to ask her please to do this so I wouldn't lose my substantial deposit. I felt really bad about it and sent her a check for her commission. I also decided I wanted to change my cabin when more options opened up and she was hesitent to do so. Now I do all my travel on my own. In the "old days" the only way to find out about (for example) hotels in Orlando, was with a Frommers guide book where they had a list of maybe 10? It's so easy now to do your own research and find what is important to you - views, beach, kiddie pool, airport transportion, on site restaurant, etc.

I do believe that travel agents can't actually change things or book things for you on THEIR computer. They have to call Disney, just like you do. So it's not as easy as the click of a mouse for them. And I think Disney should make some things easier for their guests to do on their own.

 

[Nicnicnic.nic]

this is all great info. Thank you!!!

 

[tvguy]

Like others have said, there is a feeling that they lose control with a TA. I have never felt that, a simple e-mail or phone call gets anything I need handled and the TA spends hours on hold on the phone, not me. I just don't have the time or patience to do that.

 

[pjacobi]

I like to control everything, but I like $500 or more in on-board credit even more!


-Paul

 

[loislane]

Pros and cons to either choice. You just have to decide what works best for you. I used a TA for our first 7 WDW trips and our 1st cruise. Over time at least for WDW, it did seem like there was less and less stuff the TA did for me and more that I just went online and did myself anyway. I kind of liked that better than when the TA would book our table service meals (we'd always give an idea of what day for which restaurant) but then if I didn't like the time, for example, I'd have to email her and wait a day or two to hear back if she got anything changed.

Then 2020 came along and it was late February (before the pandemic was officially declared a pandemic) and we had a trip scheduled for September. I just had a bad feeling and decided to cancel. Like others have stated, I had to wait a few days before I heard back from her. I wasn't at risk of losing my deposit or anything, but I just felt like from then on, I'd rather just be in charge of it all myself.

Yes, the TA onboard credits are a nice little extra, but to me not worth not being the one in control. 100% Type A here. LOL

 

[tvguy]

In some cases a TA can save you from making a VERY big mistake in a trip booking. I was booking flights and selected what I considered to be the most logical a direct route with a change of planes in Salt Lake City. It was actually a routing I had used with a TA about 20 years earlier. Not sure why, but I decided to have the TA book it. Her computer system put up a Red Flag, this is now an illegal connection. Not sure why, but I would have gotten to the airport and found out I couldn't fly.

 

[brent02139]

To those who say they give up control, I say there’s two sides to the coin. Giving up control also means if you want to change staterooms, you just send an email. No need to wait on the phone or explain situation to DCL.

I would say one downside, is it’s easier to say no/cancel to DCL than to a TA. Knowing that they spent time with you and they’re not getting that time/$ back. But do what’s best for you and don’t give it a second thought.

 

[Lillebelle]

We use a DU agent and have been extremely happy with her.

The one con for me is a very specific subset of the control -- it's the time between when I've decided we want to book something, and see the room available, and then waiting for it to actually get booked and stressing over whether or not the room will get snapped up by someone else before my agent can get to it. Or if it's opening day for bookings, you want to just jump on right away and book it online, but instead have to wait. That said, my agent has never actually failed to get us what we asked for, except in instances where things sold out before our window even opened up.

In the end, that extra bit of stress at the beginning is worth the tradeoff of knowing she has me covered for the next year+ while we wait for the cruise to happen. Our agent was a lifesaver during all the pandemic cancellations!

 

[limespy]

I like to control everything, but I like $500 or more in on-board credit even more!


-Paul

$500?!

 

[goofy4prez]

The biggest advantage for me using a TA (Chris @ Dreams Unlimited) is that if I need to make changes or cancel (which I've had to do since 2020) I am not the one sitting on hold for 6 hours listening to "It's a Small World" and other annoying songs in Disney's recording loop; my TA does that for me. Also, the onboard credit I get is like a free Palo and Remy dinner (Usually $300-$600). At midnight 120 days out, it was my TA who sent out to the concierge email all my dining, onboard activities, and excursions while I comfortably slept. All I did was send him an email with my requests and then wake up the next morning to see the email confirming my choices.

I personally don't feel as though I do not have control of my booking. I can still go online or use the Navigator app to change or book excursions, dining times, make spa appointments and etc. I feel it's a win-win with very little to give up. For me, money is time and time is money. I have far too many things to do than being tied up on the phone with Disney for hours on end so that I can be in control of my reservation. There is no wrong answer here, to each their own.

 

[MonaMN]

If you have booked a cruise but not yet paid in full, you can assign the reservation to a travel agent within 30 days of the initial booking. However, some travel agencies have a reduced onboard credit amount for transferred reservations compared to new bookings.

You are correct that there is no fee for using a travel agent, since commissions are paid by Disney Cruise.

Just to clarify what can and can’t be done on one’s own:

If you are using a travel agent, the travel agent must make any changes that involve the cruise booking. This includes making payments, cancelling or moving the reservation, adding or removing a passenger, and changing the room location or type.

I know changing the dining time, booking pre/post cruise transportation, and pre-paying gratuities can be done through a travel agent, but I am not sure whether they can also be booking by calling DCL.

Even when using a travel agent, you can book excursions and ticketed onboard activities (including spa treatments, adult dining, ticketed character meets, and beverage tastings) on your own through the DCL website or app.

I have used a travel agent for cruise booking over the past 15 years with no issues. I simply email my agent with what I want — e.g. booking a new cruise or moving an existing reservation — and she calls DCL and emails me a confirmation when it’s all done.

Thank you - this is exactly what I was hoping to learn today!

We were supposed to be on The Wish this weekend (dumb hurricane) so now we are dreaming of the next cruise. We have booked our first two ourselves, but we are thinking of booking something in Europe for summer 2024, and the onboard credit for that would be more significant. So this was helpful to know that we can still manage the small stuff on our own.

 

[Flying Fish]

We have established that there are no drawbacks to using a travel agent, but which should we use? I usually do all my own DCL bookings myself, but I want to try RCL and know nothing about them. Can anyone recommend an agent who specializes in them? I thought about just calling DU, but I do not know if they know RCL as well as some others might. Any suggestions?

 

[Doberge]

At least for a cruise the cash back or credit is worth losing some control. At WDW where our cost is the same either way we do it ourselves.

I look at it like this using a $300 cruise credit on a $6000 cruise as an example: if you think of the cruise as costing $5700 and you'd willfully pay $300 to control the reservation yourself then skip a TA. If you think that's too much to pay to control it yourself and/or you want somek else to do the legwork, then work with a TA.

Now that's just a standard credit. There are some agents at places like Costco when you could can save much more, effectively making the option to control reservation oneself effectively much more expensive.

 

[Flying Fish]

I am a known control freak, but I would happily pass the headache of dealing with the cruise lines to someone else. Like you said there is a financial benefit to passing it off to someone else as well. The only agent I have ever worked with retired a few years ago, so we have just always done them ourselves. Finding the right TA can sometimes be the biggest headache of all.

As to Costco, the only problem there is the quality of service you get. You will not get someone who really knows the product, but if you are okay with that they do offer the best bang for your buck.

Personally, I need some very specific things with regard to RC, and that's why I am looking for a knowledgeable agent.