Travel Agent/Doing it Yourself

[Piecey]

Sometimes I wonder whether or not going through a travel agency like Small World Vacations is a better deal than planning things myself.
I'm a very cheap person- I do as much as I can for as cheap as I can (working a minimum wage job has done that to me)
But I also enjoy planning the trip myself. Sometimes I think I enjoy the planning more than I do the actual trip- (I'm going to school in the fall as a travel/tourism major!)
Does anyone know if any one way financially benefits someone more?

 

[dznyntnh]

I'm a do-it-yourself person. That way you get what you want and pay what you want.

I haven't used a travel agent in over 20 years, until yesterday when I e-mailed one that is supposed to be a Disney 'expert' and asked for a quote on the new packages released yesterday. All I got in return was a lecture on what I could and could not do and then I was told that as a single person a package was not 'practical' for me.

It was sad that I then had tom write back and 'educate' this TA on what the package entailed and the realites of single travels and double occupancy.

With the wealth of information on this board (and most of from people who have actually BEEN to wdw MANY times) you should have no problems doing it yourself and getting the bargains you seek.

 

[Rattat]

I book everything myself. I've gotten pretty good over the years at it.
Find discount codes for resort and great prices for airline tickets. I love a good bargain!!!

 

[MagicKingdom05]

I tend to do stuff myself, because when a good deal comes out you can call first thing in the morning, while sometimes you TA doesn't get in until 9 and some of the best rooms are taken. Also, you can make whatever changes you want without feeling like your causing extra work for the TA.

 

[Maloy]

Hi there fellow cheap skate! I just posted in the other travel agent thread
but will post here too. I was searching for a vac, when the MYW ad caught
my eye on the WDW home page. So I said what the heck, and did a trip plan.
*This was booked like 3-4 months in advance* I was very surprised that my
family of four could stay on grounds w/dining for 7days 6 nights @ a price of
$1998!!!!! Well being the cheap skate that I am, I searched for airfare. All
the ticket sites increased the fare by $100.00 when I got to the booking
screen. ( I'm like God what a scam!) Well Surprise!!! WDW Offered the best
airfare!!!! Round trip non stop from St.Louis! Total Vac price= $3,025.

Now I dont have a credit card so I went to a local agent and to my surprise
they matched the price!!!! It was only like 30 - 50 bucks higher. I was
expecting a big mark up. They even tried to find better airfare and couldn't.

So with what I just expeirenced.....The MYW is good and cheap through
disney themselves!! And if you can find a middleman hopefully you will be
lucky like me and not get a big charge.

 

[Tinkerbelle32]

My family and I travel quite extensively overseas as well as here in the States. I have never found a travel ageant(including WDW) who could book cheaper than myself. I like have the freedom of booking, calling, etc. whenever I want. I say do it yourself, it's a great part of the fun planning your own trip!

 

[melissa5583]

I would definately suggest the on-line travel agents. We go through Dreams Unlimited. We do not have to pay them anything extra. They get paid through commission. My TA is great. She keeps me up to date about everything. She sent me the e-mail about the free dining in Sept and she got it for us. So while I was at work, she was getting our family free dining and I did not have to wait on hold like everyone else. She also makes all of our advanced reservations at restaurants for us and sends us an schedule of everything right before we go. She will even make reservations to DW tours for us. I never worry about anything w/her. Dreams Unlimited looks out for any new discounts, that I would otherwise not know about, and books them!!! You are still making your own plans, but they do it for you!!!!! Good deal.

 

[buddy&wooz]

I have the time, and love to plan, so I prefer to do it myself. I've only used a TA once, and that was for my honeymoon 19 years ago!

It's definitely time and brainpower consuming, so I completely understand why a lot of people prefer the convenience of a TA. But for me- I know I'd be double checking everying the TA told me to see if I could get a better deal, no matter how much I trusted her- so I don't see the point !

 

[Joan1]

It really depends. If you have a lot of time on your hands and like to plan then do it yourself but if your time is limited and don't have time to keep an eye on discounts, be on the boards all the time, etc then a good TA is DEFINITELY worth it.

I have used Small World and they have been wonderful

 

[ILoveWDW2003]

Does anyone know if any one way financially benefits someone more?

If you book with a TA, the TA/agency gets 10% of the total cost, this will vary if airfare or car rental, etc is involved.

If you book with Disney, I assume that this 10% goes to paying the CRO CM's salary.

Your cost will/should be the same either way, a TA can provide many services for free. Many of the Disney specialist TA's make it a point of being on the phone at 7am with CRO, to get the best rates for their clients.

I have booked all of my trips with a TA, and don't regret it at all - Dream Come True Vacations has come thru for me every time and saved me money, as well as getting my PS/AR's such as CRT, etc. I highly recommend them!

 

[Princess Mommy]

As ILoveWDW2003, TA's don't make a ton of money so we do it because we really love doing it.

I was a do-it yourselfer (still am :lol ) and if you truly enjoy it then you should continue to do so. If you have the time to look for the codes, rates, special packages, breakdown pricing etc... then you should do it. And odds are- you LOVE doing it! So why stop? All agents are given the same rates so the agencies should all have the same pricing, it is a level of service you recieve from an agency is the reason to choose to reserve with one. Agnets generally triple check that the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted, kwim? Angents might be able to catch something someone is isn't arranging vacations daily or someone who can devote ample time planning might not.

I chose to become a formal agent because I was doing it for my family trips, then our extended family's trips I wasn't going on, then friends, co-workers.. etc... so, now I get the 10% in my pocket whereas before Disney was getting it. I really, honestly, love helping people plan their trips and make suggestions based on my own experience in WDW as well. I believe most agents feel the same I do and do it for the same reasons I do. I don't think any agent can be in it for the paycheck- you really have to enjoy it and have a passion for it.

So, if you choose an agency, any agency, rest assured you are working with someone who is truly interested in your trip and making sure it is the best it can be. Odds are the agents have a deepened knowledge of the parks, dining, tours, etc.. so they are a huge source of incredibly useful information for their clients who might not be as knowledgeable on the parks or have the time to be on top of things.


Good luck and have a great vacation!

 

[Amberle3]

I'd also like to add that depending on what you're booking and where you're flying to/from, a travel agent can have access to fares that are not available to the general public.

Not Disney related, but a good example: I had a client who had to fly to Japan with less than a week's notice. I checked with the airline directly, I checked with the travel websites, and they all had pricing about $2300 (CAD). I checked with the sources that are only available to travel agents - my price to him? $1600 (CAD).

So by all means please check with a travel agent before doing the booking yourself, you might be pleasantly surprised. Also keep in mind that a travel agent is an extra person "in your corner" in case something goes wrong with your vacation. They should look after making everything right, so that you don't have to.

 

[DisneyJen0504]

I like using Dreams Unlimited personally-that lets them do all the crappy work like calling for ressies or booking dining and I just get to do the fun stuff with planning.

 

[travelgoddess]

And a total Disney Fanatic, So I do get the best rates offered, because it's a
destination that I personally care about and visit quite often. I have been a TA for 15yrs. I suggest find a good Disney expert in your area, that you can reach out and touch....We are a Disney EarMarked Agency in MI, one of 5 in the state.
Best of luck to you

 

[Nuchi15697]

In 2002 I booked a trip thru AAA to stay at the Caribbean Beach, 2 weeks after I paid a deposit Disney planned to close CBR for rehab during our stay. My TA arranged an upgrade to the AKL savannah view for only $12.00 for the whole week. Could I have gotten the same deal? Who knows? I'm sold on using a TA.

 

[Amy&Dan]

I enjoy the best of both worlds! I let my agent at Small World Barbara, deal with the room ressies and codes. She always comes through and that saves me the agony of waiting on the phone for a long time when codes come out. She has also given me some good advice on what resorts she thinks might suit our needs. But I like to book my own airfare, we fly Frontier and almost always have at least one free ticket so we need to handle that ourselves. I also enjoy making my own dining ps'. That way if the exact time I want isn't available I can immediately go to plan B. Plus I just enjoy doing that part myself. But for the resort reservations and when I needed park tickets (pre ap days), Small World Travel is the best. Also, every agent I have ever talked to at CRO has been pretty sub par, which is why I switched to a TA. The cm's I talk to at the dining number have always been great.

 

[TSWJan78]

Like Amy&Dan said I do both... If smal world can save me the $500.00 they are caving me on this trip over AAA or what Disney is telling me how am I going to say no.. and for those of you who say your agent does not get in until 9:00 Steph at Small world sent me an email after 10 pm last night (her hours say till 3:30).. she checks her emails and voice mail on Saturday.. I call that going beyond the call of duty!!!

 

[Spartan]

The DIS here has been our TA for the past few years - amazing the things I've learned when I started reading the boards back in 99 or 2000. Prior to that, and for a couple of non-Disney vacations since for places I knew little about, we've used a TA. This year, I'm going back thru AAA travel so I can get the free dining plan (although I had to inform her about it initially) along with the AAA discount. So far I've been very pleased with them, and the price they quoted me was even less than what I was anticipating, even with the small service charge added in.

 

[ncbyrne]

I normally book all components of our vacations myself. However, in order to get a discount with the MyWay package that included dining, I had to go thru AAA. The agent booked only our room, tickets and dining. I have made my own flight arrangements and rental car. I also prefer to call for my own PS as sometimes I have questions concerning specific restaurants. However, I used DU last year to get the great rate at the Dolphin and the agent was able to get me some prime PS...especially CTR! So, the short of it is....most often you can book the best prices, but, if you look, there are those special deals that come along ONLY thru a TA.

 

[Kata]

My AAA TA said I was so knowledgeable about booking my Disney vacation that I should be an TA,I think I taught her a few things!!!