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

[princessknb]

Has anyone used Beth with Small World Vacations?

 

[cinderella8989]

I am booking my trip with Minnie at Small World Vacations and I cannot recommend them enough I am almost completly finished paying the trip off,

Minnie Responds to all my emails withina few hours which is fantastic as I am booking from the other side of the world,

She processes my payments really fast and is always willing to answer the thousands of questions I ask her

btw for those wondering you do not pay the travel agent any more than disney would charge, disney pays smallworld their commision for providing business

 

[scaee]

Has anyone ever worked with Heather at SWV? She is helping me plan my trip to Disney.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'm working with Carrie from SMV .
We're doing a split stay and she has booked the package part and the room only part for us. She ran a heap of options for us before we finally found a combination of accommodation and pricing that worked for us. We have changed our minds twice since the first booking and she has re-booked it all for us without any complaints and has been very prompt about getting back to us.

She has also booked kids cruise as well as made our ADRs for us. SWV are not paid for commssions on these "extras" - so I would imagine that the service you receive for these extras would depend on the TA you get assigned to.

She saves me a heap of sleep as I too am booking from the other side of the world and don't have to stay up to make my ADRs or bookings.

We pay via Credit Card and have been doing this over a couple of months. Whenever the exchange rate has been favourable, I've sent her an email and she processes the payment within a couple of hours.

We've been provided with heaps of information from her and she always answers my questions quickly.

 

[danyella522]

we used Karen from SWV and she was fantastic. My last trip was planned at last minute (3 weeks before we left) and she was always right on the ball. I felt like whether it was 10pm or 7am she was answering me within minutes! Highly recommend.

 

[SignMeUp]

We used SWV for our trip last year. Our TA there did not really go above and beyond... never offered to book our dining or anything... and when we hadn't received anything a week before our trip I had to call her to see what was up. There was a mix-up somewhere (thinking probably on her end) and our ME paperwork/luggage tags were never sent to us and had to be overnighted so that we'd get them in time. Our MYW documents never came either and we just had to pick those up at the resort.

This time we are using Dreams Unlimited and so far it's been a much better experience. Our TA booked ADRs for us and put together an itinerary based on the information I gave her. She also saved us a couple hundred dollars when the current discount was extended to cover the last few days of our stay. If we get our travel docs on time this time, I'll be very happy with DU.

I think it's probably hit and miss with any agency. It really depends on how motivated the TA is to do a good job for you. You'll probably be fine as long as you use on of the TAs that's highly recommended (several times) in this thread.

 

[Pixie Princess]

I have booked all our Disney trips through SWV using Missy for all them except one. SWV and Missy are awesome! Missy is very responsive, cheerfully accomodates my changes when I have them and will run all sorts of options for me. She has been right on it when Disney offers a new deal and lets me know if the deal is actually going to be a better deal form me. One time it wasn't and she e-mailed me to let me know she had run the numbers and it wasn't for me. She also helped me with a FL Neighbor room rate for a trip I had to take to Orlando for work. I was having trouble on the Disney website getting the rate. She worked her magic and got me the reservation under the rate. It saved my company $400 on hotel over the conference hotel rate. The sacrifices I make for my company.

She always offers to make ADRs, but I like to do those myself.

 

[lemondog]

We are using Caylie with SWV for this trip and the service has been fabulous!!! She is very prompt to return calls, offered to book all our ADRs and other special activities (although I preferred to do this myself). I really have no complaints at all, and we will use them again for our next trip!

 

[youalleverybody]

How long did it take you to get your initial quote and/or contact from your TA at SMV?

I filled out an online quote request on Sunday, and got a generic response (thank you for requesting a quote from us, your request has been sent to "so and so" who will contact you soon). It said it could take up to three business days.

But I"m horribly impatient.....and now I"m wondering if they always take this long or did I get assigned to one of the not-quite-as-good agents. I haven't seen her name mentioned in anyone else's glowing reports above.

Thanks in advance!

 

[arbolita]

We are using Caylie with SWV for this trip and the service has been fabulous!!! She is very prompt to return calls, offered to book all our ADRs and other special activities (although I preferred to do this myself). I really have no complaints at all, and we will use them again for our next trip!

I love Caylie. She helped up book our honeymoon this past September, and was absolutely fantastic.

 

[lissiesmum]

How long did it take you to get your initial quote and/or contact from your TA at SMV?

I filled out an online quote request on Sunday, and got a generic response (thank you for requesting a quote from us, your request has been sent to "so and so" who will contact you soon). It said it could take up to three business days.

But I"m horribly impatient.....and now I"m wondering if they always take this long or did I get assigned to one of the not-quite-as-good agents. I haven't seen her name mentioned in anyone else's glowing reports above.

Thanks in advance!

My TA is Angela Dail, and she is the absolute best! Once she got my info, we were chatting within hours and she always responds to my emails within a few hours...even in the evenings and weekends! I am a chronic resort changer and she was very patient with me and went above and beyond, and got all of the dining reservations I wanted. I would highly recommend her. She is always on the lookout for deals and keeps in touch often. Good luck with making your reservations!

 

[dizneedoll]

How long did it take you to get your initial quote and/or contact from your TA at SMV?

I filled out an online quote request on Sunday, and got a generic response (thank you for requesting a quote from us, your request has been sent to "so and so" who will contact you soon). It said it could take up to three business days.

But I"m horribly impatient.....and now I"m wondering if they always take this long or did I get assigned to one of the not-quite-as-good agents. I haven't seen her name mentioned in anyone else's glowing reports above.

Thanks in advance!

It took several days for me to receive the quote I requested from SMV. The agent assigned to me is Tracy and I haven't seen her name mentioned here either. I haven't booked yet, I haven't had good experiences with TA's in the past and am reluctant to try them. Has anyone used Tracy Desjardin?

 

[lissiesmum]

If anyone wants Angela's phone #, feel free to PM me and I'd be happy to give you her info

 

[youalleverybody]

Thanks, Lissiesmum.

I think I'll wait another day, just to give her the benefit of the doubt. Like I said before, I'm impatient, chomping at the bit really, since I"m so excited we are going again.

The person they assigned to me is Cissy. Anyone have experience with her?

Also, is it ok to call someone else within the same company? Will they be mad or will it cause internal problems? I haven't used very many TA in my life, so I"m unsure of the proper way to handle the situation. I don't want to rock the boat, but I also want to have an agent who is really pulling for us.

 

[desert_starr_57]

We are going in May. Scarlet is our Small World agent. She has been great! Puts things through right away. Answers emails super fast and puts up with all my questions (she is so nice about it too.) I love Small World Travel and I will definitely use them again.

 

[dkostel]

The people who provide you with this incredible source of disney info (along with wdw info, dis unplugged podcast, dis radio, & some great blogs) free of charge own Dreams Unlimited. I don't need a travel agent ever, but I frequently use them because I appreciate all the wonderful & free Disney info they provide. I've always been pleased with the service. So, if you love the DIS boards you may want to give DU a try.

 

[harleyquinn]

Scarlet is the best!!

 

[B3LM]

youalleverybody, did you try contact your agent? Each agent at SWV has a toll-free line and I believe that the email address is provided once an agent is assigned to a request.

 

[youalleverybody]

Yeah!
I got an email from her about an hour ago.
I've already replied with a few changes and questions, so I'll see how quickly she responds.

It's funny that people always tell me I"m so patient as a mother. But when it comes to waiting to finalize my Walt Disney World vacation booking, well, now that's a different story. I'm sure many of you can relate.

 

[youalleverybody]

Yeah!
I got an email from her about an hour ago.
I've already replied with a few changes and questions, so I'll see how quickly she responds.

It's funny that people always tell me I"m so patient as a mother. But when it comes to waiting to finalize my Walt Disney World vacation booking, well, now that's a different story. I'm sure many of you can relate.

Update:
Super quick response time this evening. We emailed back and forth a few times, and spoke on the phone. I"m very pleased with her service so far. Our vacation deposit is made.