We're working on booking a trip in January. I have an acquaintance who is a Disney travel agent and I was going to let her book the reservation. I was playing around on the WDW website and came up with some options so I told her what I was interested in. She got me some quotes and they were exactly the same as what I came up with on my own. No big deal. I figured I might as well let her do it so she can get the commission. I emailed her last night and told her what we were interested in. I haven't heard back yet. Again, no big deal because I'm in no big rush. In the meantime I came across something about a AAA discount, so filled out a form online for a quote from AAA. It beat the other quote by about $240. As far as I'm concerned, $240 is $240 and I'd rather save the money, but then I read that some people have problems with AAA and it's better to book directly through Disney and ask them for the AAA discount. If I do it that way, I like that I have the ability to make any changes without going through a 3rd party, but my acquaintance said that if we book through her company, they would automatically apply any discounts that come up. That sounds appealing because it would be nice if I don't have to worry about missing any discounts that might come up, but at the same time I feel like a discount might automatically come up for something slightly different than I booked and even though I would probably have some flexibility to change the reservation to fit the deal, I don't know how confident I am that she would contact me to let me know I can get a discount if I stay at a different resort or change my dates slightly, etc., so I feel like I still have to stay on top of it, so what's the point of involving a 3rd party? We haven't booked anything yet, other than some ADR, which I did on my own. I feel guilty about possibly not using the acquaintance when I had her get quotes for me, but $240 is $240 that we could use for other things - that's almost enough for dinner at CRT. I emailed her today letting her know I can get it cheaper through AAA but a while ago she mentioned that you can transfer a reservation you make elsewhere to her so she would get the commission and asked her how that works (that doesn't seem fair to the AAA agent, but I want to give her a chance), but I haven't heard back. WWYD?
Your friend should be able to book your resort with a AAA discount- you don't have to use AAA to get the discount. Note that this is a room only discount. All you need to do is show them your AAA membership card when you check in. I've only used a TA once for a WDW vacation and it was NOT a happy experience. But I know lots of folks who use a Disney SPECIALIST Travel Agency and are very happy with the service provided. It all comes down to how much control you want over your reservation. I want full control, and I don't want to have to wait for replies by email in order to make changes etc. So I completely understand your hesitancy. A TA (who really knows what they are doing) can be a great help if you are unsure of how to book a Disney vacation, or if you don't have the time or inclination to do the work yourself. But they really can't do anything that you can't do yourself. It all comes down to personal preference, and trust in your TA. Good luck with your decision.
We use a Travel Agent and she is wonderful. She books all of our Advanced Dining Resv. and also applies any discounts for us that may become available.
I use Dreams Unlimited... They have always been able to get me a better rate and do watch for further discounts and make any ADR that I want...
As mentioned by a PP, is your friend a Disney Authorized Travel Agent? If she is, she should be on top of things. This means that if a discount comes out, she should be on top of it and try to book it for you. She should try to get you better prices if something comes up that fits your time range. I guess you have to trust your friend and her abilities. If you don't have confidence in her, I might either look for another agent or just book it yourself. An authorized agent should be on top of things.
have only used a TA once and that was my first trip and what a mess she had us in so from then on I do it all directly with Disney. can check on line or call I prefer to call them. then can change or add. you may see better discounts on room only or see free dining and decided to take it instead. allears.net and wdwmagic.com and the mouse for less.com is all good sites to read and so is the Unofficeal guide to WDW at any book store or on line
We've tried a few of the Disney agencies over the years but I've learned that I just prefer to book things on my own directly through Disney (either the website or over the phone). That way I have complete control of my reservation and I can change things whenever I want. Also if a new discount comes out I can call CRO myself and see if it will apply to my current reservation, or change to a resort that will take the discount code I want to use. I really enjoy talking to the castmembers at CRO, sometimes I spend way too much time chatting away about the parks and resorts with them. LOL But since I'm a stay at home mom I have the time to devote to planning, I'm sure if I was working it might be easier to let someone else take control. Good luck with your planning, we will also be there in January, only 117 days from today!
"I don't know how confident I am that she would contact me to let me know I can get a discount if I stay at a different resort or change my dates slightly, etc., so I feel like I still have to stay on top of it, so what's the point of involving a 3rd party? " I don't think I would go a route that I was not 110% confident with.
