Is it really worth it to transfer to a TA?

[SpaceSquirrel]

You can also get a Disney Vacation Account, then you can make your own payments. Typically there isn't much too change after you initially book and a TA will watch if the price goes down before final payment.

if the price goes down before your final payment do you get a break in price?

 

[lanejudy]

Something you may want to check-CAN you transfer it to the TA and get the on board credit? I was under the impression that you are limited to a specific time frame to be able to do that. For example, when we booked the placeholder cruise on board, I think I had 30 days to transfer that to the TA to get the benefits. (If my memory is working correctly. )

Actually, the 30 days is the restriction on transferring to a TA at all. After 30 days you cannot transfer to a TA. Whether or not the TA will offer OBC for a transferred reservation is up to them; some do, some don't, and others only offer partial what would be given if booked directly through the TA.

if the price goes down before your final payment do you get a break in price?

Straight-up reduction in fare is highly unusual. IF it happens, you (or your TA) would need to contact DCL and request the lower fare. Special offers -- such as *GT and military offers -- typically require new bookings (so a cancel and rebook if you want the new rate) and since those usually only appear after the PIF date the penalty would be in effect.


Enjoy your cruise!

 

[Hundredacre]

if the price goes down before your final payment do you get a break in price?

Yes but it never does. If they drop it it is always after pif.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

You can also get a Disney Vacation Account, then you can make your own payments. Typically there isn't much too change after you initially book and a TA will watch if the price goes down before final payment.

Yes, I should have noted that exception. I have made the payments directly since I started using the DVA.

 

[jne7043]

Even if your TA doesn't advertise OBC it doesn't hurt to ask. I just asked our TA if she did because I had seen an ad on DU. She said she would come as close as she can to it. DU offered $250 OBC for our booking, my TA said she could do $200. I was happy to take the $200 as she is a friend from high school and I like supporting her.

I also wanted to say that I am a complete control freak and this is my second trip booking with a TA. I don't feel that I lose any control over the reservation this way. The first trip was WDW for 9 people. I did my own dining reservations and fast passes. However, she was really valuable for where to stay with that many people and many other things. We booked before free dining was released. When it was released it didn't include the resort we were booked at. She had gotten in touch with me before I even saw it and had several different resort options and pricing all ready for me. I read everything I can before I travel, including this board, but when we booked our DCL (yesterday ) we had a few different deck options and she gave me great advice on the pros and cons of each.

 

[RedSox68]

if the price goes down before your final payment do you get a break in price?

On every other cruise line I've been on, including after final payment -- but never on Disney that I have seen

 

[Billinaz]

We have been using Costco for our last dozen cruises. The reason is that they give you a cash card for 8-9% of your cruise cost.

Our next cruise we get a $500 cash card. Who cant use $500 at Costco?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

We have been using Costco for our last dozen cruises. The reason is that they give you a cash card for 8-9% of your cruise cost.

Our next cruise we get a $500 cash card. Who cant use $500 at Costco?

Someone who doesn't go to Costco?

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Actually, the 30 days is the restriction on transferring to a TA at all. After 30 days you cannot transfer to a TA. Whether or not the TA will offer OBC for a transferred reservation is up to them; some do, some don't, and others only offer partial what would be given if booked directly through the TA.




Straight-up reduction in fare is highly unusual. IF it happens, you (or your TA) would need to contact DCL and request the lower fare. Special offers -- such as *GT and military offers -- typically require new bookings (so a cancel and rebook if you want the new rate) and since those usually only appear after the PIF date the penalty would be in effect.


Enjoy your cruise!

If you name your TA while booking onboard, it is not considered by DCL to be a transfer. Our TA gives us $100 for short cruises, $200 for 7 nights or longer. This is in addition to the OBC from DCL for booking onboard.
If we transfer to her, the OBCs are half. The reason is that DCL gives TAs a reduced commission for transferred reservations. They feel that the agent who actually booked the cruise has likely done much of the work. The OBC she gives us is basically sharing a part of her commission with us as thank you for booking. As a pp said, the TA does the grunt work. I like not having to sit on hold with DCL and she does whatever I ask her to do. To me, it's a win-win situation.

I miss those days when the OBC for booking onboard was tiered, with platinum members getting $350/cabin for booking onboard instead of $200. All those OBCs really added up. For Alaska we splurged for 2 cabins (2 teens) so we got $1100 in OBCs that cruise.

I love OBCs.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Also I have used gift cards with my TA. It was no problem. I just put them face down on the glass of my printer/scanner & emailed the page to her.
Way easier than entering all those numbers. Then she emails me a payment receipt. Easy peasy.

 

[melwill530]

Can you pay with Disney gift cards through a TA? I'm eyeing Dreams Unlimited and Small World Vacations.

Yes you can do this through DU. I do it 10 cards at a time online and they send me an email that my interim payment has gone through.

 

[NancyIL]

On every other cruise line I've been on, including after final payment -- but never on Disney that I have seen

The cruise lines I've sailed don't give me a refund when the price drops after final payment. However, I was able to upgrade to a better cabin on Royal Caribbean and Celebrity when those cabins dropped to the price I paid - or less.

 

[CM Dad]

If you name your TA while booking onboard, it is not considered by DCL to be a transfer. Our TA gives us $100 for short cruises, $200 for 7 nights or longer. This is in addition to the OBC from DCL for booking onboard.
If we transfer to her, the OBCs are half. The reason is that DCL gives TAs a reduced commission for transferred reservations. They feel that the agent who actually booked the cruise has likely done much of the work. The OBC she gives us is basically sharing a part of her commission with us as thank you for booking. As a pp said, the TA does the grunt work. I like not having to sit on hold with DCL and she does whatever I ask her to do. To me, it's a win-win situation.

I miss those days when the OBC for booking onboard was tiered, with platinum members getting $350/cabin for booking onboard instead of $200. All those OBCs really added up. For Alaska we splurged for 2 cabins (2 teens) so we got $1100 in OBCs that cruise.

I love OBCs.

when booking
I thought that within the last year Disney reduced the commission to TAs even if you named the agent at the time you made the onboard booking.

I know that the agency we use reduced their stateroom credit for these cruises now.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

when booking
I thought that within the last year Disney reduced the commission to TAs even if you named the agent at the time you made the onboard booking.

I know that the agency we use reduced their stateroom credit for these cruises now.

Really?
Honestly that could be something new. For a while we cruised a LOT, like twice or 3x per year but have slowed down a lot in the last few years. Our last time on board was last April (2015) and we booked a "placeholder cruise" and named our TA at the time of booking. We just now converted it to a sail date for August so I'm curious what the OBC will be this time. Maybe it's a new rule that began since our last cruise? I have been intentionally avoiding the cruise boards lately because it only tempts me to want to cruise more often, beyond what my newer/stricter budget can tolerate.

I will be rebooking again while onboard so I'll find out in a few months but that really stinks if that's the case. It really isn't much effort for the CM at the future cruise desk to create a placeholder reservation. I don't see how that's fair to cut the TA's commission for that.
Just another day of Disney squeezing pennies from everyone around them.

 

[CM Dad]

Really?
Honestly that could be something new. For a while we cruised a LOT, like twice or 3x per year but have slowed down a lot in the last few years. Our last time on board was last April (2015) and we booked a "placeholder cruise" and named our TA at the time of booking. We just now converted it to a sail date for August so I'm curious what the OBC will be this time. Maybe it's a new rule that began since our last cruise? I have been intentionally avoiding the cruise boards lately because it only tempts me to want to cruise more often, beyond what my newer/stricter budget can tolerate.

I will be rebooking again while onboard so I'll find out in a few months but that really stinks if that's the case. It really isn't much effort for the CM at the future cruise desk to create a placeholder reservation. I don't see how that's fair to cut the TA's commission for that.
Just another day of Disney squeezing pennies from everyone around them.

Looking at the Dreams Unlimited web site, it looks like the policy for reduced stateroom credit was for onboard bookings after November 2015

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Looking at the Dreams Unlimited web site, it looks like the policy for reduced stateroom credit was for onboard bookings after November 2015

Thanks for the info!

 

[Ofinn]

A year ago I would have said no. Now that you can't make any changes online it really doesn't matter if I have control or not. It's probably easier to have someone else call.

 

[MSPeeler]

We have been using Costco for our last dozen cruises. The reason is that they give you a cash card for 8-9% of your cruise cost.

Our next cruise we get a $500 cash card. Who cant use $500 at Costco?

We looked into pricing for Costco VS DCL, and we were going to get $500 Costco credit... BUT they were charging $500 more than booking directly through DCL! What's the point??

 

[Maggie'sMom]

We looked into pricing for Costco VS DCL, and we were going to get $500 Costco credit... BUT they were charging $500 more than booking directly through DCL! What's the point??

Are you a Costco member? If you are, then the price of the cruise should be the same whether you book through DCL or Costco.

 

[MSPeeler]

Are you a Costco member? If you are, then the price of the cruise should be the same whether you book through DCL or Costco.

Yes, when I logged into my Costco account with our Costco card number, every time I would try to book through them on the same deck/ level/category as DCL, it was always almost $500 or even more through Costco, I was probably doing something wrong. Our cruise is in two weeks from today, so really too late to do anything about that now since we are paid in full