To use a travel agent or not...

[jmccoy18]

In the past I have never used a travel agent for our trips to Disney, but with this upcoming trip I am considering it. The reason I am thinking about it this time is that we will be using a discount when booking our rooms and that makes it a little more complicated (in my mind at least.)

Please share any experiences using a travel agent, good or bad, so maybe I can make up my mind.

 

[OKW Lover]

The DIS Boards are sponsored by Dreams Unlimited Travel. We use them to book our cruises and have used them for WDW rooms before we moved nearby.

 

[loves to dive]

I used one years ago, I'm talking probably 20 and I'm not really sure why except maybe when I called there were no vacancies. I've used AAA a few times but that only back when they got discounts so it was to get the discount. Otherwise I do it all myself. I'm wondering why you think booking yourself with a discount might be difficult?

 

[SouthFayetteFan]

When booking with a discount sometimes the room type or resort you want is available. I find it easier to be able to search the website than use an agent. Then you can find a resort that works for you. If we don't book exactly what we want I'll just keep checking the website and if it opens up call and change my reservation. With a travel agent all of that seems a lot harder to me.

 

[mkla2015]

I used a TA for my last trip but as a control freak- I hated it. She did really great- got everything we wanted for the most part but the hardest part for me was letting someone else do it. If you're ok with that, then I say go for it! The stress is taken off of you as far as booking the room, making ADRs, looking for discounts, etc.

I'm crazy and actually enjoy the booking process and waking up at 5am to make ADRs 180 days in advance.

 

[minnie mum]

I am also puzzled as to why you think booking a discount is easier with a TA. Yes, you may have to look at room categories or resorts other than your first choice in order to get the discount you want. But I find that using a TA just prolongs the process, since the TA needs to check with you before booking anything different. And you really are dependant on finding a good TA with a lot of experience with Disney.

We rarely go to WDW without a discount, but I book my own reservations. I've found that it's easier to call and talk to a real person. It just seems to make sorting through available options faster and easier. YMMV

 

[mzsarah10]

I am a control freak but I use a travel agent for booking my room only. I did everything myself for the first trip but when a discount came out, it was me that spent hours on hold. Now I let her handle it. We discuss a few scenarios and rank them so that when she gets thru she knows what I want. We will keep using her.

 

[smiths02]

I personally know my TA, know she is an expert, and I know she has been many times recently, whereas we generally go years between trips. I really like not having to call Disney. I still do my own FP and ADDs (although she would), but if it requires a call, she'll do it.
Some agencies also book blocks of rooms and can offer better discounts, although most just give you the Disney price and help with planning.
The only thing the TA has to have control of is the booking. You can control your own MDE, FP, ADR, etc

 

[Jhondy210]

I have requested quotes from TAs in the past but never used one because all the quotes I got were exactly what I could pay if I booked directly through Disney. I don't find booking a WDW vacation complicated so unless the TA can get me a better rate or there is some other special thing about using the TA, I don't see the point of booking with one.

 

[jmccoy18]

I know the TA that I would use and she is a friend of mine. I know she would do a great job. I just am not a huge fan of talking on the phone (would much prefer to book things online) and with the Military Salute discount I would need to call. I would rather someone else handle all of the phone calling, so maybe using the word difficult in my original post was the wrong word.

I really enjoy planning, but I thought it might be nice to have 2 sets of eyes on things like ADRs and FPs.

 

[jmccoy18]

I am a control freak but I use a travel agent for booking my room only. I did everything myself for the first trip but when a discount came out, it was me that spent hours on hold. Now I let her handle it. We discuss a few scenarios and rank them so that when she gets thru she knows what I want. We will keep using her.

This is what I want to avoid with the phone calls.

 

[Jadyreen1282]

Takes all the fun out of it in my opinion. Planning is fun.

 

[LJSquishy]

If you are an incredibly busy person without time to get online to book your ADRs and come up with a simple touring plan then a travel agent might come in handy, but in 99% of cases, they are more irritating to have.

The biggest issue with a travel agent is that you do not own your reservation, so if you decide to cancel or even make changes to your vacation, you have to contact your agent and go through them -- you cannot call Disney and make changes. Now, some agents I'm sure are fantastic but most of them have families or other obligations so if you call or email them, they aren't able to contact Disney right then and there...which could potentially cause you to miss out on a discount of some sort or miss out on ADRs (if they're booking table service restaurants for you too). I'm much more confident in my ability to book my own vacation than to have a stranger do it for me.

 

[robinb]

I used a travel agent for the first time on my last trip in July because I got a *rockin' good* price from them (only a few dollars for at CSR v/s my AP discount at POP). It was pretty seamless and I was able to use my Disney Vacation Account to pay for it and our reservation connected with MDX easily. If you're getting a great price, I really don't see a downside.

 

[loves to dive]

I know the TA that I would use and she is a friend of mine. I know she would do a great job. I just am not a huge fan of talking on the phone (would much prefer to book things online) and with the Military Salute discount I would need to call. I would rather someone else handle all of the phone calling, so maybe using the word difficult in my original post was the wrong word.

I really enjoy planning, but I thought it might be nice to have 2 sets of eyes on things like ADRs and FPs.

Ahhh, now I understand, makes sense. My son is retired Navy and I know my DIL had to be on the phone a lot booking their last trip. If you know your TA and trust her, go for it. One caution, make sure she knows all the ins and outs of the military discounts, as you are aware they can be tricky. Also just a question, I'm not in the military but as I said DS is retired, can a non-military person book a military discount? I'm assuming maybe since she's a TS she can?

 

[wdwjeffc37]

I never saw the need to use a TA. The Disney website is pretty easy to use. I can compare different resorts and room types and make my decision. I would rather make my own ADRs and FP+s. I like the control. Cheers!!!!!

 

[margot31]

I like doing it all myself. You can change things yourself by phone calls to Disney. I have changed my reservation now 2 times. I had originally book on a PIN and when military came out I changed my reservation and just did it again all by calling in. I didn't see it that bad to call to Disney to do this.

 

[merrick]

we used a travel agent last time who is a disney certified expert, he was very knowledgeable and no matter what i asked him, he had a(n almost scripted) response. we knew *nothing* and were quite overwhelmed. however, we paid full retail rates with no discount on anything. i found while he knew tons about disney, if he gave me several options, usually included resorts/events i told him we were *not* interested in (we found GF too fussy, didn't want AoA or anything heavily character themed) but his 3 quotes always included at least 1 resort we immediately eliminated.

so to sum up, he was a great talker, perhaps not the best listener? our trip worked out fine, he did a good job of making a couple of ADRs but leaving us flex time too.... now that i know more, i am confident i can do better based on my ability to log in and make changes, as others have mentioned previously. and no matter how good your agent is, most will not troll the internet every day until that elusive ADR you are waiting for finally *does* pop up....

 

[showers2flowers]

I personally know my TA, know she is an expert, and I know she has been many times recently, whereas we generally go years between trips. I really like not having to call Disney. I still do my own FP and ADDs (although she would), but if it requires a call, she'll do it.
Some agencies also book blocks of rooms and can offer better discounts, although most just give you the Disney price and help with planning.
The only thing the TA has to have control of is the booking. You can control your own MDE, FP, ADR, etc

This.

You don't lose control of your ADRs, FP+, etc. and are still able to do those things for yourself if you wish (and I agree, that's part of the fun for me). But not having to get on the phone myself to chase down discounts when they're released or to book meals/experiences that need to be booked by phone makes using a TA worthwhile. Definitely use a TA familiar with Disney though!

Our next trip is in January. We are using a great TA, and I'm able to relax knowing that she will be on the phone to Disney to get any discount for which we might be eligible applied to our trip whenever they're released (which looks like Monday!!).

 

[barbaraann]

For my last few WDW trips, I have used an agent. However, once I have the package all wrapped up the way that I want it, I do all the additional planning myself. I have the comfort of knowing that the agent is keeping an eye out for additional discounts/perks that I amy not be aware of. Don't be afraid to tell your agent that you want to do your own planning. They are there to help you, and answer questions, but you have the last word, it is your vacation, after all.