Small World Vacations - Are they safe/good/trustworthy/

[atpatt]

We used SWV for our two trips last year and couldn't be happier. Our agent was Cissy and she was full of advice and information and kept us from making a couple of resort choices that would not have been good for us. It was also nice to get a voicemail from her saying that a code had been released (PH, WP) and we were going to save another several hundred dollars. DH and I are not the easiest people to deal with, given our utter indecisiveness and constant changing of minds, but she always seemed happy to talk to us!

 

[luvdisney24]

I've used Small World Vacations for 3 different trips and my agent has been wonderful. She emails me back not only during the day but at night, on the weekends and she even got back to me once on a holiday. I think it really depends on what agent you are assigned to. Thankfully I got a good one!

 

[Joan1]

I used them to book our Disneyland trip that is coming up in in March '08. I went with them because they were a tad more $ (135.00), but I had a month to pay off the vacation. They give you a "vacation specialist" to help you plan your trip...what a joke!! I haven't been able to get ahold of them on the phone or by E-mail except to get the payments made. Even then, on the day the balance of our package was due or we would lose the reservation & deposit of $319.00, I practically had to beg the agent to call me for payment details!! Also, I asked about reservations for Blue Bayou & the "specialist" let me know that I was more than welcome to do that myself! What she didn't mention was that I could also have booked my vacation on the phone with Disney myself & had the same amount of time to pay it, with much better customer service!! I've sent 2 messages by E-mail & 2 by phone with questions, to no avail. I contacted Small World Vacations at the beginning of this mess, and recieved a stock message back, no help whatsoever. So this morning I called Disneyland directly with my request for a sofabed in our room....the man was very helpful and even said "the tavel agents book with us the same way you could do for yourself". I think Small World is in the business of selling vacation insurance, and that's it!! They recieve no special discounts that you can't obtain for yourself. You also end up doing most of the legwork anyway...at least if you end up with my "specialist". We've decided to take a backstage tour of Disney, so I'll be calling them again myself!! Lastly, if you are unhappy with your vacation planner, the company doesn't really seem to care or offer help, either!!

I am very sorry you had a bad experience, just curious though as this is your first post and you posted to bash an agency.

I was also wondering what you mean about them being in business about

I think Small World is in the business of selling vacation insurance, and that's it!!

. In my many vacations booked through them they never pushed insurance and they have also sent me to insuremytrip.com for insurance on many occasions which had better prices


To the original poster our money was never taken by Small World. We gave them the info but all our payments came through on our statement with Walt Disney Travel Co, Disney cruise line, etc so Disney actually charges the cards

I wouldn't hesitate to used them

 

[Chuck65]

We're using them for this trip and are very happy. Everytime I've had a question or anything our agent, Annette, has been very helpful.

 

[Pikester]

Although this thread has been sleeping for a while I am so glad I found it. Interested in a 2012 DCL cruise and am looking for more recent reviews on Small World Vacations and Dreams Unlimited.

 

[snookiedoodles]

OK...I have used Small World Vacations and Dreams Unlimited.
I did not have a problem with Small World Vacations, they were good....that being said, if I were not a Disney "fanactic" then there would have been problems.

My sister relied upon Dreams unlimited for her ADR, Disney Express, and a simple call back....needless to say that she did not get any of these. She is not a Disney "fanactic" like me. A week before her visit, no ADR or Disney Express tickets and she had to track them down to pay for the trip............

That being said, I had a simular problem with Dreams unlimited. I did not get my Disney Express bag check info. So here I am dragging my bags from the plane to Disney, because, I wanted to make sure that they got my room. I made it a point to the rep to say I NEEDED this because I had two small children in tow.

Thank God I made my own ADR and everything else.

OK....THIS TRIP.........I BOOK DIRECTLY THRU DISNEY....AND GUESS WHAT.........................................................
I PAID THE SAME

 

[bubblefactory]

Although this thread has been sleeping for a while I am so glad I found it. Interested in a 2012 DCL cruise and am looking for more recent reviews on Small World Vacations and Dreams Unlimited.

We've used Jo R from SMV since 2004. We take 2 or 3 trips a year inc some DCL cruises. Never had anything other than fantastic communication and great service.We have 1 trip already sorted this year and I am just about to organise Oct with her. I highly recommend Jo and SMV.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

We've used them for the past 3 years and I would not do a Disney trip without my wonderful agent Cheryl.

 

[Disneybound!!]

I used SWV for my trip this time. I worked with Angela, and she has been wonderful. She has answered all of my questions promptly, made my ADR's, and checked for discounts. She also got me a photopass discount code. She went on vacation (to Disney) about a month or so after I booked with her, and she left me the name of an agent to contact in her place if I needed her while she was away. I didn't need an immediate answer to a question that I had during that time, so I sent it to her with the statement "You don't have to answer this until after you come back from vacation!", and she still e-mailed me a reply and the other agent called to help me the next day (I didn't contact her, Angela did it for me). I also changed my trip at least 2x with no problem. On the other hand, I have also been able to make changes myself to ADR's without having to call/e-mail her. It has been a great experience for me, and I would definitely recommend them!

 

[acwsmom]

I found SWV through Mousesavers as well and have worked with Angela twice now. She helped us book our trip for this past October and for our upcoming trip in May. She's been so helpful and has always returned emails fairly quickly. I work full-time and DH works two jobs so free time is at a premium for us. I thought I'd give them a try for our quick trip in October and loved having someone else handle all the arrangements!! I especially loved not having to care about our 180 mark for our ADRs because I knew all I had to do was give her the list of what we wanted and she'd handle it when the our 180 day window opened up. It was WONDERFUL! I'm very Type A and have sent her LOTS of emails and she's always been very helpful and patient with my neurotic questions.

 

[Pikester]

So far I'm hearing lots of good things.

I'm really looking for someone who is available, reliable, attentive. Someone who knows the "ins" and "outs" of Disney. Who knows how to get me a great deal and if they don't know the answer to a question that I pose they will work on finding it.

When I decide that I want to go with SM can I ask for one of the TAs that you all have mentioned or do I just have one assigned to me?

 

[itchin2go]

We used SMV in 2007. Vacation went off without a hitch. They also sent me some park information. I did not ask them to book ADRs and they didn't offer. If you're not super vigilant about discounts, it might be a good way to go for you since they will monitor discounts.

At this point, I book my vacations myself because I'm a control freak. I'm all over the discount news anyway, so I prefer to do it myself.

As a travel agency, they were more than adequate to book the vacation.

 

[RutgersAlum]

Hi, chiming in here to say we used Small World Vacations at least 3 times (Karen N. was our agent) and had nothing but positive experiences.

I'm really looking for someone who is available, reliable, attentive. Someone who knows the "ins" and "outs" of Disney. Who knows how to get me a great deal and if they don't know the answer to a question that I pose they will work on finding it.

Karen was responsive, immediately answering emails/phone calls. After booking one trip, when I had heard a new code came out, I emailed her and she was ON it, got our ressie changed to one using the code within a few hours.

She also handled ADR's, we've had split stays, and Magical Express, even when some of our party were arriving from a different aiport at a different time, none of that info got messed up, so I have full confidence in her.

When I decide that I want to go with SM can I ask for one of the TAs that you all have mentioned or do I just have one assigned to me?

I believe if you go directly to the SWV site and fill out a quote request form you can request an agent (going on memory here)

GL!

 

[Brer Shay]

We used Small World for three vacations (Josephine) and she was fantastic. I've referred several other newbies to her and they've all had fantastic experiences. I wouldn't hesitate to use them at all!

They were particularly helpful when we travelled with other people, families. Coordinating arrivals, ADRs, split-stays, etc..

 

[Tweevil]

I have used SMV for all of my trips and Cheryl Murphy is the bestest!
She answers all of my post-midnight wee hours of the morning questions first thing in the morning and is very attentive. I would not hesitate to use her again!

I have a business trip coming up and another in November and will be giving her a call...

Is it bad that my TA has her own folder in my outlook?

 

[cdcw76]

We used SWV for the first time in December. Angela Dail was amazing!! She made sure we got the best deal possible. She got the photo pass code for me. We also had a special surprise gift for my daughter when we arrived to our room. I highly recommend her!

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

I have used SMV for all of my trips and Cheryl Murphy is the bestest!
She answers all of my post-midnight wee hours of the morning questions first thing in the morning and is very attentive. I would not hesitate to use her again!

I have a business trip coming up and another in November and will be giving her a call...

Is it bad that my TA has her own folder in my outlook?

Hey!!! She's my TA also and I agree she is the best! We've used her the past 3 years and will use her again on our next trip (whenever that may be). She ALWAYS replies to my emails no matter the day or time. I'v also recommended her to all my friends and they agree that she's awesome!

 

[Pikester]

It does my heart good to see all the high praise for the TAs who work at SWV.

I don't remember if I mentioned it but I would be using SWV to book a Disney Cruise in 2012.

 

[lllGurulll]

I am a big fan of DreamsUnlimitedTravel

 

[Disneybound!!]

It does my heart good to see all the high praise for the TAs who work at SWV.

I don't remember if I mentioned it but I would be using SWV to book a Disney Cruise in 2012.

I hope you have a wonderful time on your Disney cruise! I'd love to do that some day!!