TA for Alaska cruise

[want2seepluto]

Hello! I am planning to book a multi-generation DCL trip to Alaska for summer 2019 (4 rooms and 13 people). Can anyone recommend a travel agent who is specifically good for Alaska bookings and/or large groups (a nice OBC would be good too)? Feel free to message me if you prefer. I've heard good things about DU but would prefer a specific agent's name to using the luck of the draw.

 

[GPaLarry]

We cruised with DCL to Alaska in June of this year without using a TA. There were three families, 11 people from 8-76 years old. We coordinated the whole thing by calling DCL and connecting our cruise details. We had four rooms (2 adjoining on deck 6 and 2 adjoining on deck 8) and ate together (table for 12) at main seating. Our excursions were a mix of family members back and forth that worked out fine (with proper paperwork for the youngest ones). Many people work with and swear by TAs. I am not knocking them. Our first DCL cruise, EBPC with two families, was through a TA and it worked out great. I just feel better being able to call DCL at almost any time of the day/night/week/weekend with a question or change. This might be an option for you.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Bethf@dreamsunlimitedtravel.com

Hi, I recommend Beth. She booked our Alaska Disney Cruise for 10 so she is familiar with group travel. I’ve used her for 5 trips now and she is fantastic. You also get OBC.

 

[want2seepluto]

Thank you both for your replies! I am normally a plan-it-yourself person and have never used a travel agent. The OBC is the main reason I'd want to use one this trip. It seems like it could be significant and would help cover some of cost of the excursions. Plus it would be nice to have someone else call for us on opening day.

GPaLarry - what sort of questions or changes did you have? We've only been on one DCL cruise (4 night Bahamas on the Magic). We booked it relatively last minute and pretty much just booked everything at once and showed up. I'm guessing a longer cruise with more people will be more complicated and we could run in to more issues/questions/changes.

ForMyBoys - thanks for the recommendation!

 

[havaneselover]

I used Costco. I'm happy to do most of the research myself. DCL Alaska is so expensive that without the cash card I probably wouldn't have done it. Our two staterooms for next year were $9K with taxes and I'm getting $700 back. You also get an additional 2% back on the cruise as a Costco executive member.

This is our 6th Disney cruise. We booked one with AAA, three with Small World Vacations, and this is our second with Costco. I'm very happy with their service but really only use them to reduce the total cost.

 

[OKW Lover]

We use Tracey at Dreams Unlimited Travel (the sponsors of the DIS Boards) and she's been great.

 

[MillauFr]

I would just use Costco if you don't need any advice. How is making a reservation for 4 cabins any different than reserving 1 cabin?

 

[OKW Lover]

How is making a reservation for 4 cabins any different than reserving 1 cabin?

Cabin locations? Connecting cabins? Inside/outside cabins near each other? Combined dinner seatings? Lifeboat stations?

 

[bumbershoot]

I would just use Costco if you don't need any advice. How is making a reservation for 4 cabins any different than reserving 1 cabin?

Agreed.

Cabin locations? Connecting cabins? Inside/outside cabins near each other? Combined dinner seatings? Lifeboat stations?

Gonto the website, choose rooms near each other and perhaps that indicate they connect. Or that are across from each other. You can make the dinner requests on your own. I believe rooms have assigned lifeboat sections and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that.

I would have gone with Costco for the gc and done the research on my own.

 

[havaneselover]

Cabin locations? Connecting cabins? Inside/outside cabins near each other? Combined dinner seatings? Lifeboat stations?

It doesn't take that much work to find inside and outside cabins near each other and have Costco reserve them.

I know for my upcoming cruise (2 cabins for Alaska) I'm getting $680 from Costco (in a Costco cash card). DU would have given me a $200 OBC for the same booking. Had it not been an OBB, I would have gotten $400 from DU. It's so much money to leave on the table if you have the ability and interest to do the research yourself.

Agreed.



Gonto the website, choose rooms near each other and perhaps that indicate they connect. Or that are across from each other. You can make the dinner requests on your own. I believe rooms have assigned lifeboat sections and there’s nothing anyone can do to change that.

I would have gone with Costco for the gc and done the research on my own.

Yep! Not that much work involved.

 

[want2seepluto]

We aren’t Costco members and don’t have one near us so that isn’t a good option for us.

For other travel agents, how do they determine OBC? It sounds like it is smaller if you are using an OBB? My sister just got off the Dream and booked a placeholder for two rooms (one for her family and one for mine) that we plan to use for Alaska. We will also have to book two additional rooms not using an OBB. Does each room get their own credit? Will the non-OBB rooms get more? I know we only have 30 days to transfer the booking to an agent so that’s why we’re trying to figure it out. Thanks!

 

[havaneselover]

We aren’t Costco members and don’t have one near us so that isn’t a good option for us.

For other travel agents, how do they determine OBC? It sounds like it is smaller if you are using an OBB? My sister just got off the Dream and booked a placeholder for two rooms (one for her family and one for mine) that we plan to use for Alaska. We will also have to book two additional rooms not using an OBB. Does each room get their own credit? Will the non-OBB rooms get more? I know we only have 30 days to transfer the booking to an agent so that’s why we’re trying to figure it out. Thanks!

Each room gets their own based on the cruise fare. Some TAs give less for OBB. I believe DU gives 50%. Costco doesn't differentiate to my knowledge. They were around 8% on my 2 cabins.

Even though you don't live near Costco it might be worth considering if you can liquidate the cash cards (in some states you can cash them out). Just to give yon an example, if I had gone with DU with 2 OBBs and 2 non OBBs I would have gotten $600 back. With Costco I'd be at $1,360 plus $320 back for having an executive membership. The cost of the membership assuming you booked with regular membership and upgraded in year 2 to executive membership is $170. So I'd be up $900.