Pro and Cons of using a Travel Agent?

[Zobie]

Hi All,

We are looking to book a trip in 2013 to WDW. I have had a few email interactions from a gal at Small World Vacations. But I don't think it is fair of me to take up any more of her time with questions if I am not going to book through her or her agency.

My question is: I know travel agents work on commission, that said what would be her motivation to rebook our reservation at a lower price if/when a new Disney deal comes out for the time of our stay?

Am I better off just watching all of the boards and Disney's official site and trying for the best deal myself or can I trust a Disney specialty agent to have the best interest of our my families wallet at heart?

I would love to hear from any of you that have used/or not used an agent and what your recommendations and experiences were.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

[amym2]

Their incentive is to make you happy as a client and hopefully you will refer others to them. I typically book our trips myself, but last year I used a TA (hihovacations) because we were using a pin and this was new to us, and it was a great experience. She price watched for us (although I did it myself as well) and included a few little perks (postcard from Mickey, etc). She did online check-in for us at WL and we received a free upgrade to Courtyard view from Woods view (maybe we would have gotten this anyway, don't know). It's really up to you if you prefer to use a TA or do it yourself.

 

[GovieMom]

The day room-only discounts were announced, my Disney TA (Magical Journeys) had an e-mail waiting for me about it first thing that morning, before it was even posted here on Disboards or on Mousesavers. She knew I was hoping for that, and was asking for permission to re-book our package to get that discount. (We originally were booked with Free Dining, but the room-only saves us more money). That is why I love dealing with my TA; she notifies me right away about any promotions that "might be" coming up (she always knows), and answers any questions or requests I have promptly (usually within minutes) through e-mails. She obviously loves what she does and takes her job seriously. If you get a great TA like mine, you can't go wrong!

 

[danceintherain]

I think they probably only expect to get a commission from the discounted rate.

I've done both and while using a TA wasn't a big deal, I don't mind doing it all myself either.
I pretty much knew about discounts as quickly as she did, it just saved me the necessary phone calls. Since then we've either stayed off property, or booked only a few weeks in advance, so it hasn't made much sense to use a TA.

I am considering using one again for our next trip, but we'll see what happens.