So what TA should I use to book my cruise?

[Frwinkley]

Considering our first DCL cruise, 3 days in July. Two families.

Costco Travel seems to have the best deal (when factoring in their Costco gift card promotion which I will definitely use).

Since Disney itself doesn't seem to offer any discounts, and the most I can see is a $50 OBC from Expedia, is there another TA I should consider?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Considering our first DCL cruise, 3 days in July. Two families.

Costco Travel seems to have the best deal (when factoring in their Costco gift card promotion which I will definitely use).

Since Disney itself doesn't seem to offer any discounts, and the most I can see is a $50 OBC from Expedia, is there another TA I should consider?

In reality, no TAs give "discounts". DCL doesn't allow TAs to discount their fares. You'll pay the same if you use a TA or book directly with DCL. The difference is, some TAs give Onboard Credits, or other perks for using them to book your cruise. Those perks vary, anything from $200+ OBC to $25. Or a free bottle of champagne, or photo packages. You just need to contact the various TAs you're considering to find out what, if any, perks they may have.

 

[Dismama2]

We have been happy with Dreams Unlimited (and the on board credit they give!)

 

[Frwinkley]

Thank you. Is there any disadvantage to booking through anyone other than Disney? I've only cruised once before on Royal and I booked directly. I'm a little nervous about booking through a TA, although I'd love some sort of incentive to use them.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thank you. Is there any disadvantage to booking through anyone other than Disney? I've only cruised once before on Royal and I booked directly. I'm a little nervous about booking through a TA, although I'd love some sort of incentive to use them.

Really no disadvantage. Unless you have an issue you need to resolve, any monetary, actual reservation issues have to go through your TA, you can't call DCL to handle them. You will, however, be able to book your own excursions when the booking window opens, as well as handle your own online check in.

On the other hand, using a TA means that you a little recourse if there are problems during the trip, and you need someone to go to bat for you in resolving them.

 

[Frwinkley]

What about linking dining reservations? We are two families booking separately. Any idea how that is handled by a TA?

 

[PrincessShmoo]

What about linking dining reservations? We are two families booking separately. Any idea how that is handled by a TA?

The TA must contact DCL to link the reservations for dining. The TA will need both reservation numbers to do so. If the other reservation is booked through a different TA, then the other TA must also make the request to link the reservations.

 

[Hundredacre]

We are using a travel agent for an upcoming non disney vacation and we would really recommend going with an agent. It is the first time we have ever used a travel agent because we have always had a high opinion of our travel planning/deal finding abilities. Boy have we been stupid. I cannot recommend a specific one for dcl, but if anyone else has a good rec for one we would also be interested because from here on out we will be using travel agents!!

 

[TestingH2O]

We are using Small World Vavations this time. Their OBC matches DU. We've been pleased with response time but, as previously mentioned, there's not much to do once the reservation is made until you schedule your own excursions.

 

[Frwinkley]

Since it's only a 3 day cruise, I'm not really worried about excursions. I'm more concerned about making sure that my family and the family we are traveling with are able to eat our meals together.

 

[MunFam]

Since it's only a 3 day cruise, I'm not really worried about excursions. I'm more concerned about making sure that my family and the family we are traveling with are able to eat our meals together.

That should not be a problem as long as you link them up through DCL.

Different agents are able to offer various levels of perks depending on how many DCL vacations they book per year. For example, I am a travel agent that specializes in corporate travel. If you were to book through my agency, you would get nothing from us as far as OBC or perks because we do not sell DCL and are in their lowest tier. Dreams Unlimited sells tons of DCL vacations and (I am pretty sure) they are top tier and will have way better perks.

Definitely shop around a bit. I know Dreams Unlimited was offering around $200 OBC for the cruise we went on and Costco was offering a $350? store cash card. Shop around to different agents. One thing about using an agent...you turn your reservation over to the agent, so calling to ask questions or make additions or changes will have to go through your agent. If they are time sensitive or pressing matters, you want an agent that will act quickly and be available to you 24/7. Some agents have specific working hours and you just have to wait for them to be available.