help a noob thread :)

[Beezle2]

I am looking at booking on the Wish for a 4 day Christmas cruise. We have never cruised before and are DVC members. Is the Disney site the best place to book the cruise or is there a better deal with an agent? I would love advice!

 

[Clarkson U]

Actual prices on the cruise itself will be the same at DCL site vs a travel agent.

A few differences:
Disney Direct: you can work directly with them; call them for any questions; someone always available; you have CONTROL.

Travel agent: you may get on board credit or some other way to get some $ back; you have an agent who will do things for you but you have to then wait for them to do it and respond for you (depends on responsiveness of agent) and you don’t have control as you can’t just call Disney - they will refer you back to the agent for any questions you have.

I have done it both ways and usually find the $ back to me is not worth the loss of control but many others feel differently and there is no right or wrong here but more what you want, prefer or are comfortable with. No bad option.

Good luck and enjoy the cruise!

 

[Geomom]

We haven't done the Wish yet, but we're DVC members and have been on 3 cruises. We use Dreams Unlimited (a sponsor of these boards) as our travel agent. We get on board credit from them and if you're in the US/Canada they send a gift basket to you before your cruise. The travel agent controls the booking (any changes to the reservation and payments go through them.). You do your own online check-in, book port adventures, etc yourself. If you like cruising, you can buy a placeholder booking on the ship for a $250 deposit (refunded if you don't cruise in 24 mths) and it gets you 10% off a future cruise (with a few dates blocked out, usually around Thanksgiving/Christmas/Easter.). A travel agent can be invaluable in that future booking if you're booking on the first day of newly released itineraries as the placeholder booking requires someone to call in, which can have long hold times.

On the other ships DVC members get daily gifts if you check in with the DVC sales desk. They scan your key to the world card. Somehow they seem to always know who is a DVC member! You'll have a magnet on your door, will get free lanyards on day 1 (especially great for first timers who don't get lanyards from DCL.). They were giving out cinch bags on our last cruise as one of the gifts (previous years we got baseball caps.). They usually have a member gathering/celebration (1hr) sometime during the cruise with free drinks (1 alcoholic, a juice, and bottles of water). It's a soft sale. You watch a video, they play a game, and you get a character meet and greet at the end.

 

[Captainkate]

Travel agents are great planners and convenient, however it's true that Disney won't help you directly if you have an agent.

 

[auntlynne]

 

[Lilsia]

As a first timer, it might be easier with a travel agent.

It might be "easier" but I think that it is more important for a person to do their research and not just rely on a travel agent. It is one thing to use and agent for the OBC bonus that some give if you have been on the cruise before and know the ins and outs of it. But I think that too many use an agent as an excuse to not do their due diligence and go in completely clueless. An agent does not know what you do or do not know for them to "inform" you. Their job is to book your trip for you. Like Anthony Bourdain always said, be a traveler, not a tourist.

 

[Carohs]

I always have an idea of which stateroom location and price point I want before I book with an agent. I might use the agent for the perks, but I do all my own research ahead of time. I do hate to lose control of the booking but rarely do I need to use the TA for anything beyond payments after the initial booking.

 

[auntlynne]