Dreams Unlimited Expectations

[lori123]

Hi All!
We typically book all of our travel. We travel a lot, three in our family either work for airlines or have, and one of us worked at a travel agency awhile back. We decided to use Dreams Unlimited for a current cruise we are taking for a little extra knowledge and assistance. I'm wondering if my expectations were too high on what kind of help to expect? I've been told twice now I will have to call Disney myself about something that a travel agent should be able to do for me. But then again, maybe that's not the extent of the services they offer? Would love to know from any of your past experiences and why you use DU vs booking on your own. Other than the onboard credit that is Thanks in advance!

 

[plutolovr]

What is it you are trying to do?

 

[vakamalua]

We tried to call DU to ask Qs & book an ABD trip a while back. I literally got yelled at for calling & not just booking on their website. Needless to say, we used a different agency that gave us the same discount & very good service.

 

[Mle8308]

Hi All!
We typically book all of our travel. We travel a lot, three in our family either work for airlines or have, and one of us worked at a travel agency awhile back. We decided to use Dreams Unlimited for a current cruise we are taking for a little extra knowledge and assistance. I'm wondering if my expectations were too high on what kind of help to expect? I've been told twice now I will have to call Disney myself about something that a travel agent should be able to do for me. But then again, maybe that's not the extent of the services they offer? Would love to know from any of your past experiences and why you use DU vs booking on your own. Other than the onboard credit that is Thanks in advance!

No, that is Exactly what are you asking them to do for you. In most cases, the TA should do what you request or at least tell you why they can’t help. That is what they receive commission to do. If you haven’t already, perhaps Google Pete Werner, Dreams Unlimited. Not sure I would use them right now, sometimes an onboard credit isn’t worth it. Other companies offer them too. Try Touring Plans - hope I’m allowed to say this! Apologies if not!

 

[AquaDame]

We tried to call DU to ask Qs & book an ABD trip a while back. I literally got yelled at for not calling & not just booking on their website. Needless to say, we used a different agency that gave us the same discount & very good service.

Are you sure that was Dreams Unlimited..? I am not sure I have ever seen a phone number for them. There isn't one on their site. https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/contact.htm

 

[AquaDame]

No, that is Exactly what are you asking them to do for you. In most cases, the TA should do what you request or at least tell you why they can’t help. That is what they receive commission to do. If you haven’t already, perhaps Google Pete Werner, Dreams Unlimited. Not sure I would use them right now, sometimes an onboard credit isn’t worth it. Other companies offer them too. Try Touring Plans - hope I’m allowed to say this! Apologies if not!

FWIW they are parting ways with Pete, for all the expected reasons. If you ever want to check and see if you can mention a site you can put in the URL - if its blocked it will be asterisked out!

Hi All!
We typically book all of our travel. We travel a lot, three in our family either work for airlines or have, and one of us worked at a travel agency awhile back. We decided to use Dreams Unlimited for a current cruise we are taking for a little extra knowledge and assistance. I'm wondering if my expectations were too high on what kind of help to expect? I've been told twice now I will have to call Disney myself about something that a travel agent should be able to do for me. But then again, maybe that's not the extent of the services they offer? Would love to know from any of your past experiences and why you use DU vs booking on your own. Other than the onboard credit that is Thanks in advance!

I've used them as a thank you for running these boards from before they asked me to be a volunteer mod. I'm not sure I really have another reason to still use them over anyone else... I haven't booked frequently enough to have built up a rapport with a specific agent or anything, but that is probably why some go through them as well. Once you find an agent you click with, it's nice to stick by them!

What sort of thing were they saying they could not answer..?

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

We've used Dreams Unlimited for 2 cruises now; the response times are kind of slow, but we've liked the service that we've gotten. During the height of the pandemic our 1st cruise booked through them was cancelled. Our agent was great at getting us re-booked, handling the FCC, helped us schedule transfers as we stayed w/ DVC the night before, pre-pay the gratuities, etc.

The second cruise is upcoming and we are travelling with a larger party in 3 adjoining staterooms. Getting the reservations linked, everything coordinated, adding on DCL transfers once we figured out where we were staying on Disney property, making sure all our dining times aligned and we're at the same table, are all things our TA did for us. Saved me tons of time doing all that myself. I just sent an email with what we needed to happen, and our TA took care of it for us and allowed everyone to set up their own account and payment options, etc.

They have TA access to the DCL website that we don't have, and I would say a TA is definitely more adept at dealing with the various issues that pop up, etc. Also, getting on-board credit is always a bonus too...

Honestly - YMMV. Some agents may be better than others, but it's so much nicer to have your agent hunt for rooms, do all that other work, etc. in my mind.

 

[vakamalua]

Are you sure that was Dreams Unlimited..? I am not sure I have ever seen a phone number for them. There isn't one on their site. https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/contact.htm

Yep, sure was. Called the number on their website & they gave me the ABD specialist's number. When I got the specialist, he told me he was the main DU contact for ABD & proceeded to tell me I was bothering him & he wouldn't answer my Qs because I hadn't gone through the website quote request first. (Seemed really mad that the main desk had told me to call him.) I didn't want to request a quote until my Qs about the trip were answered to see if it was right for us.

Then he kinda cut me off. With his attitude even before a trip was booked, I would never risk that type of customer service after booking. Happy to have booked the trip with my travel agent for a great discount & pleasant service.

https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/faq/resfaq.htm#:~:text=If you still feel you,-888-374-0494

 

[lori123]

We've used Dreams Unlimited for 2 cruises now; the response times are kind of slow, but we've liked the service that we've gotten. During the height of the pandemic our 1st cruise booked through them was cancelled. Our agent was great at getting us re-booked, handling the FCC, helped us schedule transfers as we stayed w/ DVC the night before, pre-pay the gratuities, etc.

The second cruise is upcoming and we are travelling with a larger party in 3 adjoining staterooms. Getting the reservations linked, everything coordinated, adding on DCL transfers once we figured out where we were staying on Disney property, making sure all our dining times aligned and we're at the same table, are all things our TA did for us. Saved me tons of time doing all that myself. I just sent an email with what we needed to happen, and our TA took care of it for us and allowed everyone to set up their own account and payment options, etc.

They have TA access to the DCL website that we don't have, and I would say a TA is definitely more adept at dealing with the various issues that pop up, etc. Also, getting on-board credit is always a bonus too...

Honestly - YMMV. Some agents may be better than others, but it's so much nicer to have your agent hunt for rooms, do all that other work, etc. in my mind.

Wow! We also have three cabins. All that’s been done for us so far is reservations booked. I didn’t realize they needed to link our reservations and make sure we are at the same dining. They booked all three so maybe it’s been done already, but they haven’t told me about it. It may be that we are more than 6 months out from our cruise?

 

[lori123]

I didn’t want to give too many specifics because I’m sure some of the agents come here, and I also didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. I’m sure they are a lovely person, just not sure they are a super helpful agent? But again, I didn’t know if maybe I was asking for more than their services offer. But one example is when I wanted to add our Castaway number to our res and they told me I had to call Disney. I asked why they couldn’t do it and they did. But why do I have to ask? I’ve also had an issue with adding one of our Disney res number to our account, it says res not found. They said they gave me the correct info and to call Disney. I don’t know, maybe more service will come as we get closer to our cruise (we are more than 6 months out). Just wanted to know what my expectations should be in services.

 

[lori123]

No, that is Exactly what are you asking them to do for you. In most cases, the TA should do what you request or at least tell you why they can’t help. That is what they receive commission to do. If you haven’t already, perhaps Google Pete Werner, Dreams Unlimited. Not sure I would use them right now, sometimes an onboard credit isn’t worth it. Other companies offer them too. Try Touring Plans - hope I’m allowed to say this! Apologies if not!

Yikes on this!! If they booked my original res can I still transfer to another agency?

 

[RedHead0186]

Unfortunately, based on what I've read here I think the service at DU varies greatly by agent. I've worked with the same DU agent for several years and she has been fantastic. She is super responsive (way more than I would expect), has answered all of our questions, sat on the phone with DCL to make changes, sourced discounts that came out after we booked, etc. I could probably do that myself but it's convenient to have her take care of it all, and she's always been great. I personally will continue to work through her.

But, I've heard less than ideal experiences from others working with DU agents. It's a shame the experience is so variable.

 

[lori123]

Unfortunately, based on what I've read here I think the service at DU varies greatly by agent. I've worked with the same DU agent for several years and she has been fantastic. She is super responsive (way more than I would expect), has answered all of our questions, sat on the phone with DCL to make changes, sourced discounts that came out after we booked, etc. I could probably do that myself but it's convenient to have her take care of it all, and she's always been great. I personally will continue to work through her.

But, I've heard less than ideal experiences from others working with DU agents. It's a shame the experience is so variable.

She sounds amazing. Wish I could switch agents.

 

[lanejudy]

Are you sure that was Dreams Unlimited..? I am not sure I have ever seen a phone number for them. There isn't one on their site. https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/contact.htm

That was my first thought as well. I’ve never found a phone number on the website, and everybody comments DU is email contact only.

OP - I’m not sure where you got the phone number, but DU’s business model is essentially email/online only and they have a process to request a new quote on the website. That’s no excuse for rudeness, though. Did you call twice for the same question? I would submit the online request and that connects you with a specific agent who can answer questions.

 

[vakamalua]

That was my first thought as well. I’ve never found a phone number on the website, and everybody comments DU is email contact only.

OP - I’m not sure where you got the phone number, but DU’s business model is essentially email/online only and they have a process to request a new quote on the website. That’s no excuse for rudeness, though. Did you call twice for the same question? I would submit the online request and that connects you with a specific agent who can answer questions.

Please see post #8 above. Got phone number from DU's website: https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/faq/resfaq.htm#:~:text=If you still feel you,-888-374-0494

 

[AquaDame]

Please see post #8 above. Got phone number from DU's website: https://www.dreamsunlimitedtravel.com/faq/resfaq.htm#:~:text=If you still feel you,-888-374-0494

Sure enough; there is one here:

A - Since we are an Internet based company we find it much more efficient to do business through email and/or our automated systems. Many people are skeptical that any company can provide good customer service this way, but we invite you to read some of the comments our clients have sent us in our "What our clients are saying about us" section. Most of our clients are very pleasantly surprised with the level of service, timeliness of responses and individual attention we provide. If you have questions that you feel will not be answered by submitted a reservation request please feel free to write to us at reservations@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com and we will get back to you ASAP. If you still feel you need to speak to someone you can call us toll free at 1-888-374-0494. Please be advised that this number has been established primarily for payments and general questions about our service - no one there will be able to check resort availability or provide you with pricing. That can only be done through the forms here.

It even says for general questions which it seems like you had. I'm so sorry they were rude to you! That would certainly be enough to drive you away. If you happen to remember who it was that helped you on the phone, I would send that feedback to john@dreamsunlimited.com (@WebmasterJohn) as I am certain now more than ever they want to stay on top of this kind of thing! The ABD section of this forum may be a great resource also if you have further questions and don't want to be tied to a TA since you took some of their time. Many folk have traveled on several ABDs and can give you real advice without the sales pitch.

 

[AquaDame]

She sounds amazing. Wish I could switch agents.

You can if you have gotten to that point. Hopefully John sees my ping and can assist..!

 

[Lizgistix]

I've been using DU since my pandemic cruise was canceled and the TA was the one sitting on hold getting that moved to the next year instead of me. I don't really need a TA but if it costs me nothing extra and helps a local business and travel agent in the process, why not?
Although this year I'm going to opt out of the free gift basket.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Some travel agents really help with planning, airline tickets, tours. Not DU. They will book your cruise. Anything more just plan on doing it all yourself. Despite saying they will watch for your cruise fare changes ( to a cheaper price), nope they don’t. Twice I had to call my agent to refare our cruise with the cheaper price. We have gone to another TA who will do all of the things I have mentioned. Still, be your own advocate. In the end, it’s your money and time. There are plenty of TA’s out there.

 

[grantclaire]

I am sticking with Dreams Unlimited, we had a March 2020 cruise cancelled and a March 2021 cruise we cancelled due to travel restrictions. The DU agent did all the work for us. Finally sailed in 2022!