Nervous to book

[Simba726]

Hello all... I am getting ready to book my very first WDW vacation. We were supposed to go last spring/early summer, but life had made other arrangements.

Since we have been trying to make this trip for the past 2 years, I have determined that since I teach and my daughters spring break does not align with mine I was going to book for early April.

I have decided on April 2-5 arrivng early, leaving late. DDP and parkhopper and staying at the CBR. (Did I forget anything important for right now?)

I got a quote from a TA and it the same $ as booking it myself through Disney. So my ? is there an advantage to booking yourself vs a TA? I know I can use my pin code (yay for the 30% off MOD pin) but I wasnt sure what the advantages are either way. I want to get this booked by the begining of next week so any help would be appreciated.

(Edited to add: There is a possibility that I may need a wheelchair, do I need to get documentation from my doctor for this? Should I bring my own?? I do not have to use one all the time, but sometimes over exertion and extreeme temperatures will do a number on me.)


(Terrified and excited)

 

[Rachaelt]

Why book through a TA and pay a service fee for the same thing you can get for yourself?

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

IMO, there are no advantages to booking the trip through any travel service, go through Disney directly.

 

[tinka-belle]

Why book through a TA and pay a service fee for the same thing you can get for yourself?

Simba 726 mentioned that the TA price and Disney's price was the same. Disney doesn't give different prices to agencies, but keeps pricing access the same for everyone so the traveler can chose how they want to book their trip. I don't know of many agencies that would charge a fee to book Disney. TAs are paid by Disney to handle the bookings, no need for a separate fee.

Yes, several people book on their own, but others feel more comfortable booking with a TA to have another source of trip input. If you feel more comfortable using a TA, by all means do so. Just make sure he/she is well versed in Disney, sadly some are not and give out wrong information.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a TA, have been fulfilling Disney dreams here for over 20 years. And I have several Disney saavy clients, some who travel there a few times a year. They can be as involved in their trip planning as they want to be, but I'm here to offer advice for parks/rides/attractions/ADRs/and updates, keep checking for a room/resort/date to clear, make their ADRs or tour or show reservations if they want me to, etc. They get involved in the fun part of planning, I do the time consuming parts freeing them up. Some people want me to do it all, most get involved and we share trip ideas while I handle the time consuming details. If a new promotion comes out that is better than the original PIN code or deal I get it switched before they even hear about it.

Ther is no one better way to book than another. Do what works for you.

As far as the wheelchair question, no documentation needed. Keep your receipt if you park hop, you only pay once per day and can show the receipt at the next park. Or you can get a slight discount if you pay for a length of stay wheelchair pass for the parks on your first day.

 

[Simba726]

Simba 726 mentioned that the TA price and Disney's price was the same. Disney doesn't give different prices to agencies, but keeps pricing access the same for everyone so the traveler can chose how they want to book their trip. I don't know of many agencies that would charge a fee to book Disney. TAs are paid by Disney to handle the bookings, no need for a separate fee.

Yes, several people book on their own, but others feel more comfortable booking with a TA to have another source of trip input. If you feel more comfortable using a TA, by all means do so. Just make sure he/she is well versed in Disney, sadly some are not and give out wrong information.

In the spirit of full disclosure, I am a TA, have been fulfilling Disney dreams here for over 20 years. And I have several Disney saavy clients, some who travel there a few times a year. They can be as involved in their trip planning as they want to be, but I'm here to offer advice for parks/rides/attractions/ADRs/and updates, keep checking for a room/resort/date to clear, make their ADRs or tour or show reservations if they want me to, etc. They get involved in the fun part of planning, I do the time consuming parts freeing them up. Some people want me to do it all, most get involved and we share trip ideas while I handle the time consuming details. If a new promotion comes out that is better than the original PIN code or deal I get it switched before they even hear about it.

Ther is no one better way to book than another. Do what works for you.

As far as the wheelchair question, no documentation needed. Keep your receipt if you park hop, you only pay once per day and can show the receipt at the next park. Or you can get a slight discount if you pay for a length of stay wheelchair pass for the parks on your first day.

Thank you. The TA and I have worked together a few times and I have never paid more than what I have researched on my own. I am not certain if she would take the initiative to change my my res if something cheaper came up.

Part of me wants to book myself just for the experience. I have done a lot research and I look forward to planning my trip. I think I am just ready to dive in and book if someone was around to just give me the push to take the plunge.

 

[snykymom]

I've read on these boards that there are services that will rent you a chair for your length of stay and deliver it to and pick up from your resort. Many say that this is more convenient (not to mention cheaper), since the wheelchairs you rent at the park can't leave the park. You're on your own at the resort.

Since we don't need one, I don't have the names of those services recommended here on the boards, but if you search for "wheelchair" or "ECV" you should find the reputable ones.

 

[tinka-belle]

I've read on these boards that there are services that will rent you a chair for your length of stay and deliver it to and pick up from your resort. Many say that this is more convenient (not to mention cheaper), since the wheelchairs you rent at the park can't leave the park. You're on your own at the resort.

Since we don't need one, I don't have the names of those services recommended here on the boards, but if you search for "wheelchair" or "ECV" you should find the reputable ones.

I often recommend these places too, definitely less expensive than renting the WDW versions.

Must remember that if you have one at the resort, you will need to board the park buses with the lift or ramp depending on the bus, and there are limited (2 or 3) ECV/wheelchair spots on each bus so there is a possibility you'd have to wait for another one.

If a person needs the help getting around the WDW resorts (which can be very spread out) they should definitely get one, but for just having it for the
parks sometimes it's easier to pay the extra and not worry about loading onto buses or charging an ECV battery.