Given the past 3 months, are Disney specialized travel agents a benefit compared to Disney direct bookings ?

[MicheyMouse]

We have always booked with Disney directly. We have no problems getting our Fast Passes, dining reservations, etc.

Given the past 3 months, I am wondering if going through one of the Disney specialized travel agencies has been even more valuable, less valuable or about the same as any other time?

Why?

 

[Raggou]

No I always recommend booking direct yourself. Its my personal opinion and I'm sure you will find someone who will refute it. But I immensely enjoy having direct control myself and think Travel Agents are a dying field and are completely unnecessary anymore. (I'm sure some people have a different opinion and I respect that but this is mine) End of the day do whats best for you.

 

[gharter]

We haven't used a travel agent in years.
They used to be extremely helpful, but now you can do everything direct on the internet.
However, some years ago, they were very helpful when our flight for our cruise was cancelled. They found a flight for us and got it arranged as we drove to the new airport. Otherwise, that would have been our problem. The airline was happy to put us on a flight in 4 days (3 days after our ship would have left).

 

[sponica]

We have always booked with Disney directly. We have no problems getting our Fast Passes, dining reservations, etc.

Given the past 3 months, I am wondering if going through one of the Disney specialized travel agencies has been even more valuable, less valuable or about the same as any other time?

Why?

I guess if you want someone else to wait on hold to reschedule your trip for the 2nd or 3rd time, but I managed just fine with my plans.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I have only ever used a TA for DCL, but they are essential for that as the lines get so tied up on opening day. I would consider using my same DU TA if I had to deal with booking or rescheduling a WDW trip in the next year, even though I usually prefer to book and handle the details myself for WDW trips. IMO, if your TA is great and it's not costing you extra, what's the downside?

 

[kylenne]

We have always booked with Disney directly. We have no problems getting our Fast Passes, dining reservations, etc.

Given the past 3 months, I am wondering if going through one of the Disney specialized travel agencies has been even more valuable, less valuable or about the same as any other time?

Why?

Time is money. I didn't have to spent hours on hold with Disney calling to cancel things that could not be canceled online, my TA handled it. When the recovery free dining was announced, my TA let me know. When discounts are released my TA is on top of it before I even wake up. That's on top of the agency exclusive deals I get with her. So there's literally no reason for me not to work with her. I still do all my own planning like I want to. I just get to have another set of eyes on my reservation and someone to help when things go wrong. And I also get the satisfaction of helping out a hard working professional during difficult economic times.

 

[fla4fun]

I think it depends a lot on how involved it becomes coordinating dining, FP and the park reservations they are requiring at the start. If you can tell a TA “I am going for 8 days, I want 2 days in each park and I want these FP and ADRs” and they coordinate everything and hand you back your itinerary with everything done (and it doesn’t cost anything extra to you) then it might be worth it even if you don’t have direct control of the reservation. We don’t know yet how complicated this is going to be.

I used a DU TA for trips while I was dealing with my mom and her terminal illness. I did not have the time or the focus to plan things myself. It worked well for those trips. I usually book wherever I get the best price, sometimes an OTA and sometimes direct with Disney. If it becomes too complicated I may consider going back to a real TA just for the real time assistance they can provide.

I don’t think it’s a one size fits all thing, and just because you get assistance with one trip doesn’t mean you can never go back to doing it yourself. Do what feels right for each individual trip.

 

[PHD]

If you have extensive knowledge of Disney (and I mean VERY extensive knowledge) and you have the time and patience and a love of organizing and planning (like I do), then doing it yourself is fun.

I personally have spent hours planning trips with multiple spreadsheets, time cues, and everything else you can imagine... NO, I'M NOT A NERD.

But you really have to invest a significant amount of time to plan what will turn out to be an excellent trip, but not perfect. Things go sideways all the time on any vacation!

 

[rdaky]

I think if you feel confident and know the ropes, do it yourself. A TA can't do anything more than you can do. If you want specific fast passes, the TA is going to have to go online and wait in the same manner that you do. Is she as motivated to get up at 7am and scramble and get everything that you want in the order that you want? Maybe. Really depends on the TA. There are many who are fantastic and many who shouldn't be planners. Or maybe if you're not too picky or aren't concerned about what's best for your money, etc.- we have friends who use a planner every single time they go to Disney and they let the planner schedule their entire trip. They get the dining plan and end up at cheaper restaurants, breakfasts, and she's got them paying for hopping just for a meal. I bite my tongue because they're happy with their trip and not having to plan anything.

 

[MyGoofy26]

I always planned our trips. Half the fun is planning and tweaking and the personal battle of trying to get hard to find reservations. BUT...

The trip we booked for this May, though, I used a TA. My daughter was an active 10 month old when I first booked, and work was busy, we were coordinating two rooms and I decided I wanted a backup person.

I've never been so happy to have made that choice, although I feel terrible that he keeps redoing his work for no commission yet.

But it's been great. I gave him our ADR list, and he was up scheduling everything while I showered, got ready for work, and got the baby ready. By the time I was done, my inbox was full of confirmations. Then I went to work and on breaks filled in some gaps or moved things around.

Same with FP+. He sent a survey asking our must do attractions for each park, priority of each, and then using our dining reservations as a guide booked everything. I barely had to touch those.

Then when they released the Free Dining plan for affected reservations, he's the one who fought the phone lines. I wouldn't have had the time or patience.

So basically he jumps in and does the not fun stuff (waking up early, fighting phone lines) and then I get to come in behind him and still do all of the things I find to be fun. It really was a win/win situation.

And now the poor guy is probably gonna have to do it all again.

We rebooked for early September, but with no parades or character meets or playgrounds--all things I was relying on (pre-Covid) to entertain our daughter while we traded off rides too big for her--I feel like we're better off waiting.

 

[kylenne]

I think if you feel confident and know the ropes, do it yourself. A TA can't do anything more than you can do. If you want specific fast passes, the TA is going to have to go online and wait in the same manner that you do. Is she as motivated to get up at 7am and scramble and get everything that you want in the order that you want? Maybe. Really depends on the TA. There are many who are fantastic and many who shouldn't be planners. Or maybe if you're not too picky or aren't concerned about what's best for your money, etc.- we have friends who use a planner every single time they go to Disney and they let the planner schedule their entire trip. They get the dining plan and end up at cheaper restaurants, breakfasts, and she's got them paying for hopping just for a meal. I bite my tongue because they're happy with their trip and not having to plan anything.

Don’t think I’m picking on you, because I’m seeing this sentiment expressed over and over again in this thread by a lot of other people too, but TAs aren’t just for newbies or people who don’t know anything about Disney planning. A good TA takes the client’s lead and does as much or as little as required. Even people who are A type planners who enjoy the process and have been tons of times find value in TAs, myself included. I’m the type to use spreadsheets even, but I still use one. All I ask her to do 99% of the time is save me money, or handle things that have to be called in because I hate waiting on hold or don’t have time to do so.

More than once, before I was even awake, our TA had applied whatever discounts came out—whether Disney AP discounts or “agency exclusive” deals. I’ve had a time when ADR day came and I was up booking things and the site glitched out but because it was a work day, I had no time to stay on interminable holds on the phone. I shot my TA an email and by the time I got off the subway to my office I had a slew of confirmation numbers waiting for me. Same thing when I was trying to get through to book spa and cabana stuff, you have to call in for that, but that line opens at 7 EST and is almost always slammed at that hour, but I have to be out the door by 7:30. No problem, I tell her what I need and she takes care of it.

It doesn’t happen often that I need her, but I’m glad I have that backup especially if something goes wrong. I’m sure there’s lousy TAs out there, but mine is a godsend. She’s super quick with responding too, but she does this full time. I think that makes a huge difference in service.

 

[Jillfo]

I have a TA book my room but I do everything else (ADRs and FPs) myself. It costs me nothing, she gets a commission and she was the one on the phone rebooking after my April and then June trips were canceled.