Planning Yourself vs Using Travel Agency???

[xmas16]

I'm sure this gets discussed often but I have not been able to find a good thread so far so here goes. I , like many of you may be considered a planning mainiac. But has anyone had any experiences using some of the agencies to plan and book their trip. There are many specializing in Disney like Small World and others. I was just wondering if it was a good experience and what you would have to say about using them. I'm sure some responders may work for agencies and have something to say also. Any input to help me decide how to plan and organize my trip is appreciated.

Steve

 

[Tnkrbelle565]

My thought is why pay a TA for something I can easily do myself. I used a TA when I booked thru AAA and the only reason I used them was to get a AAA discount. The past few years with Free Dining, 40% off codes, and Bouceback offers, I have been able to get much better deals that a AAA discount. So I book myself. I think TA's are for people who don't like to plan

 

[PrincessNoelle'sMom]

Using a TA is really a matter of prefernce. TA's are free of charge to you, they are paid by the supplier. TA's are usually able to find out ahead of time about codes and discounts being offered as well as plan all of your ADR's.

If you really enjoy planning your trip, then you may want to do it yourself. If you enjoy planning your trip and sometimes feel you'd like a second opinion or another set of eyes/ears to make sure you get the most for your money - then a Disney Specialist TA can be a great asset.

With that being said, I am a Disney Specialist TA and have been of valuable help to other planners such as yourself. I am constantly on the phone with CRO and WDW Travel so I have been very fortunate to be able to get hard to get rooms and ADR's for clients that can sometimes be very difficult. It is my job to make sure that my client has the best possible vacation. I enjoy what I do and treat each vacation as my own - that is why I do it

Good Luck with your decision and please feel free to PM me should you have any additional questions.

 

[Alesia]

A TA doesn't cost anything.

My TA (Beth from Dreams unlimited) made my ADRs for me, which meant that I didn't have to be up at 6:00 am trying to score reservations at CRT. Who wouldn't love that?

They will also keep checking for discount codes attached to your name.

I would definitely go with a TA that specializes in WDW, though. I've heard too many bad things about AAA.

 

[insoin]

A TA doesn't cost anything.

My TA (Beth from Dreams unlimited) made my ADRs for me, which meant that I didn't have to be up at 6:00 am trying to score reservations at CRT. Who wouldn't love that?

They will also keep checking for discount codes attached to your name.

I would definitely go with a TA that specializes in WDW, though. I've heard too many bad things about AAA.

I have to agree. I have used AAA just to get the discount. And my TA didnt do anything aside from book the trip. I had to do everything else, next time I will use a Disney special one like Dreams Unlimited.

 

[katybugsmom]

Ihave many friends and associates that have used the same TA from a certain travel agency that specializes in Disney. I will be happy to give you her name and email address if you would like it. Just PM me. Everyone has always had glowing reviews and were very satisfied with her service. She made 5 ADR's for me at one time and we only had to change one of them because of the time. This was done overnight while I slept!!! It doesn't get any better than that!!!!

 

[tkoran]

I'm a huge planner, but I also work full-time so I am opting to go with a TA so that at minimum he can make my ADR's for me. Although I'm in the early planning stages since we aren't going until December, he's already been a huge help to me just by sharing his experiences so I can hopefully make more informed decisions.

 

[burberryplaid]

I'm too much of a control freak to let a planner do it for me. I also had a bad experience with one (and yes, it was a Disney specialized planner)

When we went last year, we booked knowing that Free Dining was most likely going to be available when we went. We made the reservation through the agent all was well until the day Free Dining became available. After a morning of correspondence, we were told that the agent could not get us free dining. I was so upset! We were very flexible with our days..as long as it was a week during the free dining period, and we were able to stay at WL we were ok with whatever they came up with. Later on that day, I ended up calling Disney myself and low and behold, I got free dining! It wasn't the exact same stretch of days as before, but it was close, and we got what we wanted. Needless to say, I canceled with the agent.

Lesson learned..I do it all on my own and I'm my own advocate for getting what I want.

 

[RllngRckBrw]

I have always booked through WDW.com but decided to use a travel agent this year and they got us a great deal through Southwest Airlines which included airfare, hotel, dining plan, and park tix for only $200 more than we priced it out through WDW.com without airfare. It was definitely a better deal.

 

[Taja]

I've had two good experiences with Small World, but my life changes on a dime. Having to go through a TA to make changes is a royal pain for me.

So I book direct with WDW/Disney Travel or whatever name they may be using at the time! *LOL*

 

[dbarker]

I am a huge planner. However, I work full time (lots of overtime) and just don't have the time to call WDW at the correct times for ADRs, Codes, etc. Therefore, I use a Disney Specialist TA. I use one I found here on the Dis Boards. I just love her. She plans what "I" want and "I" like to do. I will continue using her as long as she remains a TA.

Good luck and have fun planning, no matter which way you decide to go.

 

[dimimi]

Ihave many friends and associates that have used the same TA from a certain travel agency that specializes in Disney. I will be happy to give you her name and email address if you would like it. Just PM me. Everyone has always had glowing reviews and were very satisfied with her service. She made 5 ADR's for me at one time and we only had to change one of them because of the time. This was done overnight while I slept!!! It doesn't get any better than that!!!!

I realize that everyone likes to do things a different way. However, in the time it took you to call your travel agent and tell her what you wanted booked, you could have dialed the phone yourself. I can't think of anything a travel agent could do that I couldn't do easier. If you are using these boards you will probably know more than they do. Of course...I mean no offense to the travel agents, they can't know everything about everything! I have used them over the years, but always find the call I make to them could have been the call I made myself. Keep reading these boards and you'll have a great time. We just returned yesterday and the ideas from these boards were very helpful!