Some planning questions and help needed

[carnival kid]

We are going to USA in June/July 2014. Included is a trip to Disney World, a Disney Cruise and Disneyland and I have a few questions that I thought you all might be able to help with

1) Is there any benefit (that I am not seeing) to adding DW tickets to your DW accommodation as a package. From what I can calculate there are no real savings?? Why is it the done thing??

2) Cruise - We are booking a Family Delux Oceanview with Balcony. What rooms should I request? Front or back? Left or right? upper deck or lower??
First time cruisers and totally clueless.

3) I have quotes from different Disney Travel Agent Companies (Sm*ll World, Dreams Unliiited and magical mou$e). They work out slightly dearer or the same as what I can book myself. I know they look for specials and discounts, but at the peak time we are going there probably wont be any. Is there any other reason I should use them or should I just do it myself?? (I am an over-organised control freak lol)

4) Can you get the 10 Day DL aussie pass yourself off expedia or does an agent need to do it?? I tried searching for it and could not find it (Last time our agent booked the then 14 days pass).

5) We are travelling as 3 adults and 2 kids who will be 1 yr and 3 yrs old. We are thinking at this stage of missing universal in orlando. We have been to Californian one 2 times. Do you think we will regret it? Not into Harry Potter and though the kids are a bit young for most of the rides??

Thanks heaps for any advice or help

 

[AussieCaribou]

Hi Carnival Kid,

Wow! Sounds like you are going to have a great trip! We did WDW, the cruise, and DL all in one visit in 2005. We had the best time!

To be completely honest, we generally do not use travel agents. I'm a bit of a vacation planning monster; however, we used the magic for less for our Orlando/cruise section. Why? Because I didn't have to worry about missing a call or better package (ended up saving $600 for the 10 days over there). It did (oh, and don't I hate to admit it) make our east coast stay that much less stress. They also know heaps more about that area.

With such littlies, I would skip Universal and spend more time with Mickey. ;0)

I liked packaging everything together. When we got to WDW, we walked into the hotel and got a HUGE package with lots of info, tickets, and so on. It was a great way to start the holiday.

Have a great time!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

We are going to USA in June/July 2014. Included is a trip to Disney World, a Disney Cruise and Disneyland and I have a few questions that I thought you all might be able to help with

1) Is there any benefit (that I am not seeing) to adding DW tickets to your DW accommodation as a package. From what I can calculate there are no real savings?? Why is it the done thing??

2) Cruise - We are booking a Family Delux Oceanview with Balcony. What rooms should I request? Front or back? Left or right? upper deck or lower??
First time cruisers and totally clueless.

3) I have quotes from different Disney Travel Agent Companies (Sm*ll World, Dreams Unliiited and magical mou$e). They work out slightly dearer or the same as what I can book myself. I know they look for specials and discounts, but at the peak time we are going there probably wont be any. Is there any other reason I should use them or should I just do it myself?? (I am an over-organised control freak lol)

4) Can you get the 10 Day DL aussie pass yourself off expedia or does an agent need to do it?? I tried searching for it and could not find it (Last time our agent booked the then 14 days pass).

5) We are travelling as 3 adults and 2 kids who will be 1 yr and 3 yrs old. We are thinking at this stage of missing universal in orlando. We have been to Californian one 2 times. Do you think we will regret it? Not into Harry Potter and though the kids are a bit young for most of the rides??

Thanks heaps for any advice or help

1) The only real benefit that I could see is that some specials such as free dining are only available when you book a package. Otherwise Disney's room-only discounts, paired with tickets from Undercover Tourist, seems to be one of cheapest ways of paying for WDW.

2). There are a lot of factors to decide between. Mid ship rooms on low floors are generally best for avoiding sea sickness. Forward rooms feel the most movement, Aft (rear) rooms often feel vibrations from the ship's motor. Because of this mid-ship rooms are often the most expensive. Look for staterooms where there are cabins above, below, and on either side of you. Rooms above and below public spaces (restaurants, bars, theatre etc) are often more noisy. It is good to be close to elevators, but not right next to them. They're a place where people gather and they can get noisy.
Lastly, there are sometimes 'secret' cabins that are better than others due to having slightly more floor space, bigger balconies, etc. These cabins are not always immediately obvious and it takes a bit of research to learn about them. My 8a cabin isn't in a great location, but it is one of four that is the size of a mini-suite, has a dividing wall, and two tvs. I learnt about it through research here on the Dis.
The side of the ship is not that important. Although, because DCL ships usually back into Castaway Cay, a lot of people like the right side.

3). I'm also a control freak and am very happy I didn't hand my booking over to an agent. I liked adding things to my booking when and where I wanted. In saying that, an agent is often the best way to book a cruise if you want to receive some on board credit (Usually around $200 for a 7 day cruise).

4). Not sure sorry

5). Not sure either. I think I would inclined to get a park to park pass and visit both parks in one day. Your kids might like Dr Seuss land?

 

[alicia1506]

We are going to USA in June/July 2014. Included is a trip to Disney World, a Disney Cruise and Disneyland and I have a few questions that I thought you all might be able to help with

We did a disneyland & universal trip on our last vacation, and had a wdw & dcl trip planned for 2012 that morphed into our dlr + wdw + dcl + universal trip for 2013, so i would love to share the benefit of my years of research into this exact scenario, lol

1) Is there any benefit (that I am not seeing) to adding DW tickets to your DW accommodation as a package. From what I can calculate there are no real savings?? Why is it the done thing??

adding wdw tickets to your room only reservation simply means combining bookings into one easy package to save on time/stress/fussing around with multiple bookings. as a PP said, for some packages (ie free dining, vacation getaway discounts etc), a room + tickets package must be booked, but it is entirely up to you. no, there are no $ savings, but you only have 1 reservation to worry about paying off, can put down a deposit now & pay off the rest later. by booking room & tickets separately (with separate providers), you may save a few $, but often you need to shell out more upfront (ie, the full cost of the tickets when purchased) which for me, wasn't as feasible as paying it off over a longer period. also, by booking a package, you lock in the price of the tickets & room, so that if the ticket prices/room prices magically increase (either due to wdw, or a conference etc), you still are only paying for the price you had originally been quoted & had booked with.

for me, this meant that i had one booking to pay off, only a $200 initial outlay with the option to pay it off over 6 mths, and when disney increased their ticket prices, i wasn't affected. if i had booked separately, i would have had to pay for the tickets upfront, and i would have had to pay for the tickets at the higher price.


2) Cruise - We are booking a Family Delux Oceanview with Balcony. What rooms should I request? Front or back? Left or right? upper deck or lower??
First time cruisers and totally clueless.

As a first time cruiser and fellow ocd planner as well, i researched the hell out of dcl. i went to the dcl section on the forums, read all the info & faq sections on the dcl website, read trip reports, looked at the faq sticky thrads here on the dcl forums and generally familiarised myself with the layout of the ships and the process and what to expect from the time i board the bus to port, to the time i disembark. those resources are invaluable, and no matter how many times i have given and received advice, nothing will stick with you more than something that you have discovered or researched yourself.

in saying that, know that almost all staterooms are not created equal. some staterooms in the same category may have different numbers of beds, different balcony sizes, different proximities to various locations around the ship etc.

for me, i looked at navigators (daily newsletters given out on board, listing all entertainment/activities for the day) and worked out what would suit my band of travellers. i then looked at where a good stateroom location for us would be (close, but not too close to elevators to reduce noise/foot traffic, away from kid zones, close to restaurants/facilities and not above/below a pool or restaurant). i then went to the dcl website and looked at the ship floorplan/layout, and looked at which rooms might suit my needs. the whole right/left is a personal preference, and i guess for most people, it is based on when the ship pulls into port whether you can see land or sea from your balcony... but tbh, in some ports it pulls in butt first, others it goes in nose first, and others it tenders, so everyone on the ship is going to have a different view at some point. also, since dcl has now put a no-smoking ban on verandahs, there are only a few designated smoking zones on board, and one of those is on an aft deck on deck 4 (i believe, i could be wrong). if it is, i would be looking for a stateroom on the other side of the ship, so that i avoided that smoking area. if you're a smoker, maybe having a stateroom near to a designated smoking area is your cup of tea... your mileage may vary.

go on the dcl website. have a play around. do a dummy booking and it will show you which staterooms are available for your date, the room layout, the position of that room on the ship etc. that will give you the best visual of what to expect.

also, factor in how much time you will spend on those amenities. i started out with a family stateroom with extended verandah and ended up in an inside magical porthole stateroom, in part because one of our travellers cancelled and money and logistics had to be factored in, but also...we are not the 'sit on our balcony sunbathing' kind of people...we sleep in our rooms, and occasionally might relax there for a few moments, but we are not big nappers, we do not spend a lot of time in our rooms, and for us it is literally just a place to sleep. consider your traveller's needs and whether you need all that extra space or a super large balcony, or would your money be better spent booking a cabana or doing extra port adventures or buying a new dooney lol.


3) I have quotes from different Disney Travel Agent Companies (Sm*ll World, Dreams Unliiited and magical mou$e). They work out slightly dearer or the same as what I can book myself. I know they look for specials and discounts, but at the peak time we are going there probably wont be any. Is there any other reason I should use them or should I just do it myself?? (I am an over-organised control freak lol)

ahh, the age old dilemma, and one i struggled with myself. here's what i did: i booked with Dreams. it was easy. the price was exactly the same as if i had booked it myself, BUT: to make changes (and i had to make a few, some quite urgently) i just sent an email and it was taken care of like magic. they gave me on board credit (free money) in addition to the bonus money i got from dcl which i used to pay for my tips for all our travellers and to cover 1 of our port adventures. i would not have gotten that if i had booked myself. they were a wealth of knowledge, i had 1 booking that i could pay for, and they took care of all the little details.

i had a dlr, wdw, dcl and universal reservation. i had 1 travel agent put together all the prices, give me all the quotes, organise all tickets, rooms, bookings etc. it was all done together in the one location, with 1 person. it was a magical experience. when discounts came out, she emailed me. when dcl changed their policy, she emailed me. when changes had to be made, rather than me scurrying around a million different websites looking for the best way to make it happen, she was on the phone to dcl and wdw and organising refunds and so on and then i got an email to say it had all been done. the reason to go with a travel agent: time, convenience, stress-free, fuss-free, hassle-free planning. i'm uber OCD about my planning but this freed me up to really plan my trip and focus on the fun parts instead of being on hold for 30 mins trying to change my dining reservation etc. my TA was awesome and i would recommend her in a heartbeat.

also, it means that when i arrive at each location, i don't need a whole file of paperwork. i just give my confirmation number and they have the info packet waiting for me, with everything organised. that's been a huge plus for me, as our previous trip, i did EVERY LITTLE THING myself and practically worked myself into a big ball of stress and nerves before the trip.

4) Can you get the 10 Day DL aussie pass yourself off expedia or does an agent need to do it?? I tried searching for it and could not find it (Last time our agent booked the then 14 days pass).

yes, you can, but i got mine through a local travel agent 'my personal travel planner' and she organised everything & it was all personalised and another stress-free transaction.

5) We are travelling as 3 adults and 2 kids who will be 1 yr and 3 yrs old. We are thinking at this stage of missing universal in orlando. We have been to Californian one 2 times. Do you think we will regret it? Not into Harry Potter and though the kids are a bit young for most of the rides??


we loved universal orlando. it's heaps bigger than the one in hollywood - the one in hollywood is more similar to wb movie world on the gold coast here in qld, the one in orlando is more disneyland sized/interactive. if you have small kids, i think they will love seuss land and you might get a kick out of seeing harry potter land (even if you're not into it, the theming is different, fun and way impressive) and the new transformers area, plus the new simpsons 'krustyland' which they have just finished renovating. but if you think it's not for you, then don't do it and focus on other attractions that you will love. i personally am trying to fit in a short trip to KSC into an already jam-packed trip


Thanks heaps for any advice or help

hope your trip is amazing and full of magic

 

[carnival kid]

1)
Lastly, there are sometimes 'secret' cabins that are better than others due to having slightly more floor space, bigger balconies, etc. These cabins are not always immediately obvious and it takes a bit of research to learn about them. My 8a cabin isn't in a great location, but it is one of four that is the size of a mini-suite, has a dividing wall, and two tvs. I learnt about it through research here on the Dis.

WanderlustNZ any chance you can tell me the room number that you are talking about?? We definitely need more room over location.

 

[alicia1506]

i think calling them 'secret' is a bit of a misnomer as they are all quite clearly explained on the dcl website, but to give you a guideline:

all cat 8a rooms are oceanview only, no verandah, but they are bigger and room layout is different, in that there is a dividing wall (usually) in these rooms between the main bed & the sofa bed, effectively creating a 2 room space. they often have only 1 bathroom though, not the split bath you will find in other categories. they also sometimes are just one giant room with a lot of light coming in (2 portholes) but may have a large support pole down the middle. some of these category are accessible rooms. they are also located on deck 5&6, or 4&5 (can't remember exactly) but they are close to forward elevators and also the kids area (nursery, kids playgroup area etc.

any of the staterooms towards the back of the ship (literally on the butt end of the ship) will have larger verandahs and different (potentially) larger room layouts due to the curvature of the ship. on some floors, this may be for a lower or higher category of stateroom. usually these slightly larger rooms are 'pie' shaped, rather than the standard 'rectangle' shaped rooms.

also, all accessible rooms are larger, but they do also mean no bathtub and no split bath usually.

 

[gogo65]

I know you used to be able to use your WDW tickets at DL.
So if you buy the ten day pass and only use 7 days at WDW then you can use the remainder at DL.
So depending on how much time you are spending at DL and WDW and which park you are using first, this could be an option.
We did this in 2011, not sure if they have changed it though.

Good luck planning

 

[WanderlustNZ]

i think calling them 'secret' is a bit of a misnomer as they are all quite clearly explained on the dcl website, but to give you a guideline.

Actually, the 8a's are very poorly described on the DCL website and are still described partially incorrectly (no round tubs, none that sleep 5, they don't have murthy beds). Back when I booked they were described completely incorrectly.

The word 'secret' in inverted commas is used a lot on cruise line forums to describe lesser known rooms that have something special about them for their price category. A lot of cruise ships have them. Some even have 'secret' porthole or verandah rooms which are categorised as insides or outsides respectively.

This link gives some info about special cabins on all 4 of the DCL ships.
http://www.mousesavers.com/disney-c...-cruise-line-planning-advice-tips-and-tricks/

Carnival kid, my cabin is an 8a which unfortunately probably won't work for you as it only sleeps 3. However if you're still interested, my room is 5520. 5522, 5020, and 5022, are the other 3 with dividing walls and 2 TVs. Unlike categories 8b - 8d, these 4 don't have a split bathroom and have a rectangular tub instead of a round one. I think all of the other 8a's have no tub as they are Handicapped-accessible. 5520 and 5020 have a longer desk than 5522 and 5022.

http://toddjodybrent.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/stateroom-5022-on-disney-dream.html

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2696288

If you are after more space and would consider forgoing a verandah, have you tried pricing up two connecting ocean view cabins instead of one verandah that sleeps 5. You might find it's about the same price.

 

[AussieNSW]

We did a similar idea last year 2012 sept/0ct. We spent time at WDW then went on the fantasy then to Disneyland on the way home. We also had some time in Niagra falls, NewYork and Washington DC. I purchased my WDW tickets through undercover tourists. We used all of them except for 1 day. On the way back to Sydney we took those tickets to California Disney and they allowed us to use them for that one day. We did not have to buy extra tickets but they were not park hoppers . This was fine for us as we only wanted to go to cars land which by the way contains my favorite ride out of all the rides we have been on. I used a travel agent for the cruise only dreams unlimited as I had never cruised before and was a bit nervous about it. One advantage was that they gave us ship credits that we could use on the cruise. I have been told that it doesnot work the other way meaning you cannot use Disneyland tickets in Disneyworld. If you plan to try the ticket idea I would make sure that you double check that it still works.

 

[alicia1506]

i was told the wdw tickets being used in dlr was no longer an option, as dlr cannot read the rfid encoded bands/kttw cards that wdw is now using, as i wanted to use them for that exact purpose...

so, ymmv, but my ta and dlr staff and wdw staff all told me that they can't be used interchangeably now... which i was really disappointed with

 

[alicia1506]

Actually, the 8a's are very poorly described on the DCL website and are still described partially incorrectly (no round tubs, none that sleep 5, they don't have murthy beds). Back when I booked they were described completely incorrectly.

The word 'secret' in inverted commas is used a lot on cruise line forums to describe lesser known rooms that have something special about them for their price category. A lot of cruise ships have them. Some even have 'secret' porthole or verandah rooms which are categorised as insides or outsides respectively.

This link gives some info about special cabins on all 4 of the DCL ships.
http://www.mousesavers.com/disney-c...-cruise-line-planning-advice-tips-and-tricks/

Carnival kid, my cabin is an 8a which unfortunately probably won't work for you as it only sleeps 3. However if you're still interested, my room is 5520. 5522, 5020, and 5022, are the other 3 with dividing walls and 2 TVs. Unlike categories 8b - 8d, these 4 don't have a split bathroom and have a rectangular tub instead of a round one. I think all of the other 8a's have no tub as they are Handicapped-accessible. 5520 and 5020 have a longer desk than 5522 and 5022.

http://toddjodybrent.blogspot.co.nz/2011/08/stateroom-5022-on-disney-dream.html

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2696288

If you are after more space and would consider forgoing a verandah, have you tried pricing up two connecting ocean view cabins instead of one verandah that sleeps 5. You might find it's about the same price.

sorry, i wasn't aware of that terminology. i misunderstood and thought you were referencing 'secret' in terms of room size etc, which are clearly shown on the ship layout maps etc, and not the extra features or inclusion of a porthole in an inside room etc...

my apologies for the misunderstanding...

 

[gogo65]

i was told the wdw tickets being used in dlr was no longer an option, as dlr cannot read the rfid encoded bands/kttw cards that wdw is now using, as i wanted to use them for that exact purpose...

so, ymmv, but my ta and dlr staff and wdw staff all told me that they can't be used interchangeably now... which i was really disappointed with

Buggar...it was good while it lasted.

 

[Mum from oz]

We are going to USA in June/July 2014. Included is a trip to Disney World, a Disney Cruise and Disneyland and I have a few questions that I thought you all might be able to help with

We did this in 2011 and 2012 we did WDW and DCL.

1) Is there any benefit (that I am not seeing) to adding DW tickets to your DW accommodation as a package. From what I can calculate there are no real savings?? Why is it the done thing??

The benefit is having everything on the one booking. Also being able to pay it off. This year will be my first time staying onsite (we normally rent a townhouse and buy tickets from Undercover Tourist). I think the package thing just makes life easier.

2) Cruise - We are booking a Family Delux Oceanview with Balcony. What rooms should I request? Front or back? Left or right? upper deck or lower??
First time cruisers and totally clueless.

We travelled in 2011 with 3 adults and two kids and the Family Deluxe Oceanview with Balcony was great. My fiance and I took the big bed, youngest on the bottom bunk, older kid on the top bunk and my mum in the murphy bed. The room attendants folded the bed up every, converted the bottom bunk back into a couch and pushed up the top bunk every morning. They then got it all back out at night. We much prefer midship. I prefer the right hand side for the view over Castaway Cay. We were aft last time and while it was handy to Cabanas it seemed much further to go anywhere else. It is all just personal preference though.

3) I have quotes from different Disney Travel Agent Companies (Sm*ll World, Dreams Unliiited and magical mou$e). They work out slightly dearer or the same as what I can book myself. I know they look for specials and discounts, but at the peak time we are going there probably wont be any. Is there any other reason I should use them or should I just do it myself?? (I am an over-organised control freak lol)

I use a mix of TA's and myself. I booked DCL through Dreams Unlimited for the onboard credit and the gift basket.

4) Can you get the 10 Day DL aussie pass yourself off expedia or does an agent need to do it?? I tried searching for it and could not find it (Last time our agent booked the then 14 days pass).

I used http://www.mypersonaltravelplanner.com.au/ great service and highly recommended.

5) We are travelling as 3 adults and 2 kids who will be 1 yr and 3 yrs old. We are thinking at this stage of missing universal in orlando. We have been to Californian one 2 times. Do you think we will regret it? Not into Harry Potter and though the kids are a bit young for most of the rides??

I would skip Universal with the age of the children.



Thanks heaps for any advice or help

Good luck and happy planning!

 

[WanderlustNZ]

sorry, i wasn't aware of that terminology. i misunderstood and thought you were referencing 'secret' in terms of room size etc, which are clearly shown on the ship layout maps etc, and not the extra features or inclusion of a porthole in an inside room etc...

my apologies for the misunderstanding...

No problem. I think I may have come across a bit more defensive than what I intended.

So, who pulled out from your traveling party? That must of been a bit frustrating after all of your hard work and organising?

 

[Franrose]

3) I have quotes from different Disney Travel Agent Companies (Sm*ll World, Dreams Unliiited and magical mou$e). They work out slightly dearer or the same as what I can book myself. I know they look for specials and discounts, but at the peak time we are going there probably wont be any. Is there any other reason I should use them or should I just do it myself?? (I am an over-organised control freak lol)

ahh, the age old dilemma, and one i struggled with myself. here's what i did: i booked with Dreams. it was easy. the price was exactly the same as if i had booked it myself, BUT: to make changes (and i had to make a few, some quite urgently) i just sent an email and it was taken care of like magic. they gave me on board credit (free money) in addition to the bonus money i got from dcl which i used to pay for my tips for all our travellers and to cover 1 of our port adventures. i would not have gotten that if i had booked myself. they were a wealth of knowledge, i had 1 booking that i could pay for, and they took care of all the little details.

i had a dlr, wdw, dcl and universal reservation. i had 1 travel agent put together all the prices, give me all the quotes, organise all tickets, rooms, bookings etc. it was all done together in the one location, with 1 person. it was a magical experience. when discounts came out, she emailed me. when dcl changed their policy, she emailed me. when changes had to be made, rather than me scurrying around a million different websites looking for the best way to make it happen, she was on the phone to dcl and wdw and organising refunds and so on and then i got an email to say it had all been done. the reason to go with a travel agent: time, convenience, stress-free, fuss-free, hassle-free planning. i'm uber OCD about my planning but this freed me up to really plan my trip and focus on the fun parts instead of being on hold for 30 mins trying to change my dining reservation etc. my TA was awesome and i would recommend her in a heartbeat.

also, it means that when i arrive at each location, i don't need a whole file of paperwork. i just give my confirmation number and they have the info packet waiting for me, with everything organised. that's been a huge plus for me, as our previous trip, i did EVERY LITTLE THING myself and practically worked myself into a big ball of stress and nerves before the trip.

This is a toughie for me, how much of a control freak you are may come into play here. We are doing WDW and DL - I contacted a DU travel agent almost a year ago to organise both, but that agent could only do WDW (rather than both) so I had to get a different one for DL. Not a biggie, but a bit more fiddly.

A few months later I learned a bit more about DVC points rental and went that way so cancelled with the DL agent and am back to one TA. I purchased the 10 day DL tickets through the Australian TA mentioned by previous posters.

I am an extreme planner, I love it (you get to live the holiday ahead of time!) and I find the work seriously pays off when you are there and amazing, incredible things seem to be magically falling into place everywhere you look (the things you worked hard to orchestrate that is, lol). I'm doing my own ADRs because I couldn't handle passing them over to someone, and that someone would be driven nuts by me, ha ha. My plans are a work in progress for a loooong time based on info that's out there with regard to predicted park busy-ness, opening hours, extra magic hours, reservation availability and special events. Since the 180 day mark I have not missed a day on the MDE website and am checking different combos of things multiple times a day.

I've found my TA to be fairly reserved about potential specials, telling me in advance she'll try but can't promise anything (which is fair enough but she doesn't have a very positive/optimistic approach if that makes sense?), and there's that time delay to factor in. I don't sit back and wait for any potential discounts to be automatically applied, if I know that something might be there I ask if she might be able to help me with it and she goes ahead and looks.

It's quite stressful to spot discount availability pop up (that you may have been watching for for weeks) and know that you need to wait until your TA wakes up and starts work before he or she can try and snag it for you... there's a wee bit of worry in wondering how many rooms have opened up and whether they'll be gone by the time they're awake lol. This has been the case for me in the last few days as we have extended our WDW stay by a day and I have been stalking a discounted room for a couple of weeks.

The upsides have been that my TA is more than happy to give Disney a call for things that I can't book online (ADR etc wise - most things are online but there's the odd thing not) and if she's at her computer, she does it incredibly quickly - so that's saved me a few dollars in a toll call. She also sat on hold for me literally for hours when the room only (etc) discounts came out and manged to get those applied for me. To date, I have not physically seen those discounts show availability for my dates online and initially Disney indicated they would not be able to help her with them but she persevered. In other words, I may not have been able to get them if I had tried myself - possibly, but it would have cost me in calls. I suspect they will show up eventually as Disney continues to slowly release more rooms at the discounted rates, but right now I'm sitting pretty knowing I'm sorted rather than still watching and hoping and not knowing if I'll save some $$.

I think now I've settled into a groove and that's made it easier for me. I know what I'm after (in terms of accommodation - I know what specials are potentially available) so I keep tabs to see if rooms actually open up for my dates and if/when they do, I email my TA and ask if she would mind grabbing them for me. The scary thing is that anything is always possible... if by some miracle FD was extended for eg, I don't know that I could sit on my hands waiting for FL business hours and not book that the second I saw it, I'm sure something like that would go quickly!

(Sheesh. That turned into a bit of a novel )

 

[WanderlustNZ]

This is a toughie for me, how much of a control freak you are may come into play here. We are doing WDW and DL - I contacted a DU travel agent almost a year ago to organise both, but that agent could only do WDW (rather than both) so I had to get a different one for DL. Not a biggie, but a bit more fiddly.

A few months later I learned a bit more about DVC points rental and went that way so cancelled with the DL agent and am back to one TA. I purchased the 10 day DL tickets through the Australian TA mentioned by previous posters.

I am an extreme planner, I love it (you get to live the holiday ahead of time!) and I find the work seriously pays off when you are there and amazing, incredible things seem to be magically falling into place everywhere you look (the things you worked hard to orchestrate that is, lol). I'm doing my own ADRs because I couldn't handle passing them over to someone, and that someone would be driven nuts by me, ha ha. My plans are a work in progress for a loooong time based on info that's out there with regard to predicted park busy-ness, opening hours, extra magic hours, reservation availability and special events. Since the 180 day mark I have not missed a day on the MDE website and am checking different combos of things multiple times a day.

I've found my TA to be fairly reserved about potential specials, telling me in advance she'll try but can't promise anything (which is fair enough but she doesn't have a very positive/optimistic approach if that makes sense?), and there's that time delay to factor in. I don't sit back and wait for any potential discounts to be automatically applied, if I know that something might be there I ask if she might be able to help me with it and she goes ahead and looks.

It's quite stressful to spot discount availability pop up (that you may have been watching for for weeks) and know that you need to wait until your TA wakes up and starts work before he or she can try and snag it for you... there's a wee bit of worry in wondering how many rooms have opened up and whether they'll be gone by the time they're awake lol. This has been the case for me in the last few days as we have extended our WDW stay by a day and I have been stalking a discounted room for a couple of weeks.

The upsides have been that my TA is more than happy to give Disney a call for things that I can't book online (ADR etc wise - most things are online but there's the odd thing not) and if she's at her computer, she does it incredibly quickly - so that's saved me a few dollars in a toll call. She also sat on hold for me literally for hours when the room only (etc) discounts came out and manged to get those applied for me. To date, I have not physically seen those discounts show availability for my dates online and initially Disney indicated they would not be able to help her with them but she persevered. In other words, I may not have been able to get them if I had tried myself - possibly, but it would have cost me in calls. I suspect they will show up eventually as Disney continues to slowly release more rooms at the discounted rates, but right now I'm sitting pretty knowing I'm sorted rather than still watching and hoping and not knowing if I'll save some $$.

I think now I've settled into a groove and that's made it easier for me. I know what I'm after (in terms of accommodation - I know what specials are potentially available) so I keep tabs to see if rooms actually open up for my dates and if/when they do, I email my TA and ask if she would mind grabbing them for me. The scary thing is that anything is always possible... if by some miracle FD was extended for eg, I don't know that I could sit on my hands waiting for FL business hours and not book that the second I saw it, I'm sure something like that would go quickly!

(Sheesh. That turned into a bit of a novel )

Great run down of the pros and cons.

Your points about loving the planning and also about stressing until the TA wakes up, are the main reasons I chose not to go with a TA in the end. Plus the fact that when I contacted DU I didn't get the helpful answers that I was hoping for.

Like you, I also discovered DVC points rental and as of now I am really happy I went down this route - even though there are risks involved and it made me ineligible for free dining.

Did you post your ADRs somewhere Franrose? I find it fun reading about this part of people's planning. I haven't thought much about my ADRs in a few months now as I think I've finally got them to a place where I am completely happy. But I can hardly believe how many hours and how much fun I had this year simply deciding where we're going to eat.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Great run down of the pros and cons.

Your points about loving the planning and also about stressing until the TA wakes up, are the main reasons I chose not to go with a TA in the end. Plus the fact that when I contacted DU I didn't get the helpful answers that I was hoping for.

Like you, I also discovered DVC points rental and as of now I am really I went down this route - even though there are risks involved and it made me ineligible for free dining.

Did you post your ADRs somewhere Franrose? I find it fun reading about this part of people's planning. I haven't thought much about my ADRs in a few months now as I think I've finally got them to a place where I am completely happy. But I can hardly believe how many hours and how much fun I had this year simply deciding where we're going to eat.

In many respects, that takes away some of the stress. You KNOW you're paying OOP and don't have to stalk the internet waiting to find out about FD offers.

 

[carnival kid]

Thanks SOOO much for all your answers and thoughts vey interesting and helpful

We have decided to book ourselves and not use a TA.

I will look for any discounts or specials myself but as we are going in absolute peak busy time it is highly unlikely there will be any.

We have now booked:

Disney Cruise - Wonderlust went with 2 connecting 8a catergory after reading your link on mousesavers!! only a few hundred cheaper but so much extra room and a better room layout for our group.

Polynesian Resort - room only for 5 nights after cruise

Art of Animation resort - room and tickets package for 5 nights before cruise.

Its all so exciting!!!

Have also booked accommodation in San Francisco (Holiday Inn Fishermans Wharf) and Anaheim (Fairfield Inn).

Only leaves Santa Monica and Vegas accommodation to go.

Thanks again ladies

 

[carnival kid]

Oh and another question lol sorry....

Now that I have booked the resorts what is the best way to put in room and/or view requests?

Is it best to ring or email??

 

[WanderlustNZ]

In many respects, that takes away some of the stress. You KNOW you're paying OOP and don't have to stalk the internet waiting to find out about FD offers.

Agreed.