Opening day booking for silver... travel agent or myself?

[justme0729]

I've never booked a Disney cruise on the first day I'm able to as a Silver member. Should I expect website crashes, long phone wait times etc.? I enjoy booking myself to see all my options and change things etc. as I feel like it but maybe I should use an agent to make sure we get what we're hoping for and to avoid long waits?

 

[lanejudy]

Are you considering booking later this week? If you don't already have a TA, you will likely find yourself at the bottom of a list for a TA who handles a lot of DCL, and possibly not knowing what's been put on hold until late in the day. If you have a TA from a regular agency, you might be the only one they need to book for that day. Just something to think about. I'd probably just stick to trying on your own unless you are looking at something special.

 

[RedHead0186]

I've never booked a Disney cruise on the first day I'm able to as a Silver member. Should I expect website crashes, long phone wait times etc.? I enjoy booking myself to see all my options and change things etc. as I feel like it but maybe I should use an agent to make sure we get what we're hoping for and to avoid long waits?

It kind of depends on what's more important to you. Being able to see all the options and having control to change things yourself? Or not having to wait on hold for what could be a couple of hours?

I'd pick whichever is more important to you (to me, personally, having a TA sit on the phone with DCL is much more valuable to me, but to each their own). And as @lanejudy pointed out, if you don't already have a TA you're working with, then you'll be at the bottom of the list so you might be better off booking yourself (and you can always transfer the reservation to a TA after that, if you'd like).

 

[loislane]

I booked one DCL cruise with a TA and have book 2 without. I like to be in control of my destiny (lol) so I didn't mind waiting on hold if I have to call it in, which I did for our placeholder reservation. I booked that the day the Lighthouse Point sailings opened for booking and I would say I was probably on hold for about 45 minutes - so not terrible and I just sing along to the Disney music. That way I got to book the exact cabin I wanted (but still would've been selecting from my own backup list if that cabin went before I could book).

 

[karen4546]

I've never booked a Disney cruise on the first day I'm able to as a Silver member. Should I expect website crashes, long phone wait times etc.? I enjoy booking myself to see all my options and change things etc. as I feel like it but maybe I should use an agent to make sure we get what we're hoping for and to avoid long waits?

I would use an agent for the on board credit, time savings and less stress.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

I don't typically use an agent for WDW trips because there are so many details to fiddle with, but I used the board sponsor for my first DCL cruise and my agent got me the exact stateroom I wanted. I even was logged into the website as soon as I could get in just to be on the safe side and he had already grabbed it. I would use them again every time unless it was a special circumstance.

 

[RedHead0186]

I don't typically use an agent for WDW trips because there are so many details to fiddle with, but I used the board sponsor for my first DCL cruise and my agent got me the exact stateroom I wanted. I even was logged into the website as soon as I could get in just to be on the safe side and he had already grabbed it. I would use them again every time unless it was a special circumstance.

My DU TA actually got us our 'favorite' stateroom on the Fantasy, even though on the website we wouldn't have been able to book it ourselves (it was greyed out). I swear she works magic for us, lol.