TA prices

[dani12]

Does anyone find it strange that I called a few travel agents and didn't get better prices that I can on my own through Disney? Actually, three of the TA's gave me the exact price that the Disney website gave me and one priced it higher. Last year, we used a TA and save about $200. What's going on?

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

Does anyone find it strange that I called a few travel agents and didn't get better prices that I can on my own through Disney? Actually, three of the TA's gave me the exact price that the Disney website gave me and one priced it higher. Last year, we used a TA and save about $200. What's going on?

No, I don't find it strange at all.

Unless you are dealing with a cruise or group rates, TA's get their pricing from the same place as you - direct from Disney itself.

If all TA's got lower pricing that Disney, why would anyone book direct with Disney?

Your next question will be - "then why should I use a TA?" - and the answer comes down to customer service. For those who don't have the time, experience, or knowledge about Disney they can contact a TA to assist them with their trip - for no extra cost. (TA's will be paid a commission from Disney after the guest travels)

You will occasionally find a TA's price higher due to insurance or service fees.

You probably saved the $200 due to using an educated TA that was able to apply a discount that you weren't aware of.


Just for completeness - some TA's block groups of hotel or cruise rooms at group rates in order to pass the savings onto you. Also, agents will rebate some of their cruise commissions back in order to lower the pricing - cruise lines are stopping this practice.

Michael

 

[goofie4goofy]

Also keep in mind when you book thru a TA, you give up your right to call WDW TC directly with any changes or questions. You must call your TA, who will call WDWTC, then call you back. This is the same with docs and payments. When you book thru a TA the docs are mailed to the TA, who then mails them to you. If you book directly the docs are mailed to you directly thru WDWTC. If you are making a phone call to a TA and telling them what you want and have questions and reservations to make, the TA's at WDWTC will do exactly the same thing...as a matter of fact you will have the same exact conversation...you will just be calling WDW directly and you will have control over your reservation and dining reservations. You still have to make a phone call...the choice is yours. Also keep in mind most TA's are closed on weekends and nights....you can always call WDWTC.

 

[ChristyJ]

I did get a lower price from a TA and booked through her! It was only about $40-$50 lower, but they also get the heads up on upcoming codes, etc. and do their best to lock in lower rates for you if/when they become available.

Also the TA I went through gives a subscription to TGM once you've put down your deposit for a 5+ night package (if you cancel your trip with them, you will be billed for the subscription).

 

[d4est]

Have you tried AAA?

 

[dani12]

I did try AAA and if we join for $60 it will save us $40.
Also, when we booked through our TA last time I was still able to call WDW directly and ask questions and book our ADR's (PS's then). Did something change that you can't do that yourself anymore?

 

[d4est]

You can still do your own ADR's, but any changes to your ressie would have to be made thru your TA (AAA or not). BTW, I am surprised that AAA would save you so little. We saved around $200. I don't subtract the membership price because we would have AAA even if we weren't going to Disney.

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

Also, when we booked through our TA last time I was still able to call WDW directly and ask questions and book our ADR's (PS's then). Did something change that you can't do that yourself anymore?

No, you still have control of your ADR's.

You can't make any changes to your reservations if a TA made them for you, the TA needs to make those changes.

goofie4goofy is correct that you give up control when working with a TA, but many people don't mind that.

I would rather make a single call to a TA and have them deal with the CM's at CRO, have the TA watch for the discounts and apply them, have the TA be up at 7am to get the early ADR's (mine does all this and more!) My TA is even open nights and weekends. I have had many conversations with her via email on Saturdays and Sundays.

All I need to do is read some (many!) of the posts on these boards to find ones that mention how inconsistent the knowledge of the CM's at CRO is; how if you don't get one that you like, you should hang up and call back. How many times will I need to do this until I find a consistent answer???

My TA can answer questions without calling CRO first, they are a Disney-specialist agency, sometimes I think they know more than the CRO CM's.

I personally don't have the time to make all of those calls to WDTC, or to be up at 7am or before to call Disney Dining; thats the service that my TA provides and I am very happy that they provide it.

As far as the docs being mailed to the TA first and then to you - so what? My TA checks the docs for accuracy, and if there is something wrong, they handle it before giving them to me - at the TA's expense, not mine, as would be the case if they were shipped to me directly.

If you are someone that likes to be in control of everything, then a TA probably isn't for you.

Michael

 

[magicmaster]

A lot also depends on the Travel Agency. If you use a TA which specializes in Disney, you have more to gain from their expertise. If you don't know of a Disney specialist, you are much better off doing it yourself. This board is the best Travel Agency.

We used to use a TA for everything, while they handled our other vacations fine they really missed the mark when it came to USO and WDW. Our first trip to USO, she told us the room key was our park ticket! We went to the park and tried to get in based on what she told us....wrong! Similar mistakes were made with WDW reservations. It was just very frustrating and when we thought we paid for everything before hand we wound up spending a lot more out of pocket because of her/their lack of knowledge.

Honestly, it is not very difficult to book your own WDW vacaton. A few times CRO offered us code info and offers without even asking. I agree that WDW has it's own "travel agents" they will handle everything for you (limo transfers, dining, special requests, tickets) better than the average travel agency, unless you use a Disney specific agency. If I had to use a TA, I think I would use Dreams Unlimited. From what I have read here they really know WDW and sound like they would be great for someone needing an agency.

We vacation more than most people (5 to 8 vacations per year) to various destinations, and we no longer use a travel agency. We have found that it is better to have control of your reservation espically when you encounter a problem at check in. We always leave on a weekend. More than a few times we have had problems with the room or other kinds of annoying stuff you do not wnat when you are on vacation and 5000 miles from home. When we called the travel agency to help straighten out the situation, they were closed and to re-open Monday at 10 am! Now that we book our own trips directly by calling the airline or hotel...we get exactly what we booked and no problems. We pay the same exact money as if we used a TA, but there are not worries. I was shocked as to how easy it is to book your own vacation. It's actually easier because you can make your own phone call and make your own decision based on availibility given to you. You get a confirming e-mail or fax. You don't have to wait to hear back from a TA and if there is a problem you will know first hand.
We also used to use a high end Travel Agency, which was an AmEx agency. They were in business over 35 years too. Looking back the service was just terrible across the board.

Just my .02

 

[CM Tinkerbell]

We booked our last trip with Wishes Travel. We booked at the same rate that we could have gotten through Disney at first. However, they were able to apply a discount for us at a later time. Even though many times you book your stay at the same price, the additional services that a good travel agency can offer can make it worth it to use their services, such as making all your ADRs and keeping track of any new discounts. I thought it was so easy to just send over an email with any questions, or ADR's that I wanted to make and I was always responded to promptly, even on weekends. Wishes also prepares a really nice packet that they send along with any documents with park hours, dining plan info and dining guide, park maps and a other great information. These are things you don't get when booking through Disney directly. And the service is top notch. I know some people really love being in control of the planning, and for those people, it may not be worth it to go with a travel agent. But if you decide to go with a TA, be sure to find one who specializes in Disney, because I really think that makes a big difference.

 

[minniedisney1]

I always go thru AAA and save. Like a PP mentioned I don't count the cost of our membership, since we would have it anyway. We saved $482 for our 12/06 trip. Good Luck with whatever you choose!!

 

[dani12]

Thanks for all the info. If we do the $1500 package that Disney advertises, do you ever addtional discounts with that the closer that it gets your vacation?

 

[beth_cam]

The 1500 advertised is absolutely no special. It is based on full rack rate in value/regular season at a value hotel and base tickets. It includes nothing else. It is just an advertisement of their regular rates. Therefore this is the starting point so discounts could be taken off of it.

Value resort rack rate 79 per night in value season * 6 nights = 474 + about 11% tax = 526.14
tickets 1 junior (priced as adult) and 2 adults 217.26 each = 651.78
child 175.73
This would be about 1350, and at $20 + tax per night to go to regular season you still stay just a tad under 1500.

 

[d4est]

Sometimes deals are released. Just keep an eye on the codes & rates boards or on mousesavers.com

 

[goofie4goofy]

Offers are not combine-able. That 1500 price is a special value package, you cannot add any codes or coupons with that.


Also, I might add that for anyone that stays concierge level. When you stay CL you have the IPO that takes care of all planning for you. There is no need for a TA to do the planning, the IPO staff will take care of all your planning needs...even more than 180 days out. They note your reservation in their computer and will make the reservations for you.

 

[beth_cam]

Again the 1500 isnt a special. It is the exact same thing it would cost you if you booked the exact same room and bought the exact same tickets from Disney without saying "I want the special". If you look at the math I did above, you will see that using the specifics in this so called special, the same room and ticket will only cost about 1350 - Regular season just under 1500. They arent saying they are going to charge you 1500...they are ADVERTISING that you can go for under 1500 not including travel, food, souveniers or other expenses. Check disneyworld.com get a vacation quote for value season value hotel 2 adults, 1 junior, 1 child 6 nights 7 day BASE tickets you will see what I mean. Technically usually you can not apply discounts to packages so if you want to get this same 'package' with a discount - you call and book your room with the discount and at the same time order your tickets. It isnt technically the package...it is cheaper than the package and there are less restrictions than the package as far as when you pay and when you can change it.

 

[jennyl772003]

For our trip next month, the prices we came up with were cheaper then the TA's, so we booked ourselves. For our trip in Aug, we went through AAA and they were cheaper then if we would have booked ourselves.

It is a little putzier to go through a TA and lose control of your reservation, but we trust our TA. We also always book our own air.

 

[Mellie0119]

We used a TA for our last trip and will on every trip from here on out. I do make my own ADR's, but she is more than willing to do that. We also are paying the same amount as the Disney website quoted- *but* she watches for discounts and will call to make the changes- after making the changes myself one time- our AKL trip, I'll let someone else deal with CRO. Plus, I just love my TA! I got a new friend out of the deal!

 

[DisneyGeek2000]

Also, I might add that for anyone that stays concierge level. When you stay CL you have the IPO that takes care of all planning for you. There is no need for a TA to do the planning, the IPO staff will take care of all your planning needs...even more than 180 days out. They note your reservation in their computer and will make the reservations for you.

You pay a hefty price for that IPO service. My TA will do that for me if I stay at a value resort with a discount for no extra cost!