travel agent or direct??

[mjillard]

My last trip to disney world I stayed at the beautiful windsor hills and bought my tickets seperately, but disney is offering such nice deals right now for staying on property that I am thinking this year we will stay at a value resort on property instead of WH. Would it be cheaper to go through an agent or disney? What "extras" might be missing going through agent? Thanks!

 

[disneygal2007]

Hi and welcome I used to be a Travel agent and we would get the same deals as the public. We just cut out the middle man. There is no savings in using a TA. With all the deals Disney has going on it will be easier if you call Disney Direct and ask your own questions. Instead of a TA trying to up sale you to make a commission. If you need help PM and I will be happy to answer any questions for you for free lol

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Also, if you go through a TA, they "own" the reservation and any changes you want have to go through them. If you want to make any change and call Disney directly they will tell you they can only deal with your agent.

But if you deal directly with Disney you are the one who owns the reservation and they will answer any questions you have.

 

[couponclary]

We used a TA for the first time ever when booking our WDW trip later this month, and I cannot imagine booking it without her! We paid the same price through her as we would have paid via Disney, but having someone to book our dining and figure out the Extra Magic Hours and where we would want to be at which times was PRICELESS!

 

[Chicago526]

I'm a TA, so I'm biased. But for what it's worth...

There is no $$$ savings with Disney trips, but if you're the type that doesn't want to spend a lot of time dealing with dining reservations and all the other little details of a trip, using a TA can certainly be a time saver. And time is money, after all!

If it's just a basic trip with little to no dining reservations or other extras, then it might be easier to do on your own. That said, if you have a TA you usually use, sending some business their way may benfit you in the future. If they know you're a regular client, they'll go the extra mile for you on future trips non-Disney, where using a TA can actually get you better deals at times.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

We used a TA for our first trip but I won't use one again.

After we made the reservations I called Disney to make an ADR and was told I had to go through our TA. I found it a pain to keep asking her to make reservations etc. Then again I'm a planner and like to have control over things so for me it's easier to do it all myself. Then if I want to change a reservation I just do it.

So I think it depends on how you like to plan a vacation - if you'd like to have someone just take care of things for you - do use a TA.

 

[Shmily1]

I'm a control person and could not imagine even letting DH take care of the WDW trip plans so I would do it myself. It really doesn't take that long and to me, the excitement of planning it is half the fun!

 

[Dancemom03]

There isn't a huge difference and PPs are right in that, if you are the type to need total control, it's definitely easier to make changes if you do it yourself. If you'll enjoy planning all the details, reading up on the best room locations for each resort you're considering, watching each week for new codes in case the price drops, sending the room requests 14 days out, ect, - and are comfortable being your own advocate if something is less than you expected - then you'll enjoy handling your own booking.

The main difference I see is that not everyone lives, eats, breathes and sleeps disney so not everyone knows the moment a new code comes out or where they want to eat & when based on park hours, nor have they visited/stayed in most, if not all of the on-property resorts. Some people don't even travel frequently given the challenges of today's hectic work schedules and uncertain economy. With so many choices, it's sometimes the tiny details or those that don't seem like they'd make a difference in the planning stages that can help to make a trip more magical. Having someone who's "been there/done that" to lend a hand can be wonderful.

Using a TA won't cost you any more - a good Disney Specialist could even save you money. It will definitely save you time. Plus, should something go wrong, TA's usually have a bit more pull when working with wdw central res/the airlines/or resort to straighten it out to your advantage.

Some agents may try to upsell in order to earn more commission. IMO that's like shooting yourself in the foot. If I can show you how to do wdw for close to the same price that you already spend for your annual vacation, chances are you'll call me to do it again sooner. If however, a wdw trip costs you five years savings, I'm not nearly as likely to hear from you again as a client.
Obviously, my goal should be to get you there as reasonably and make it as magical as possible to earn your repeat business. That's something that disney travel co and the resorts themselves used to make every effort to help the public with. Sadly, those days of wdw asking "how can we make this more magical for you today" are vanishing faster than a mickey head ice cream on a hot July day, making it even more important to do your research if you're booking it yourself.

If using someone who already has those resources, the key is to find a responsive & dedicated TA and have an idea of what you want/what you expect to spend for it when you meet them. I can't tell you how many times in the more than 25 yrs now that I've been in the office we have someone walk in the door and say "where can you send me and how much will it cost?" That's such an open ended question, our entire office could work on it all day and still not present an option the client really likes.
Some agencies are not responsive in the beginning. If you call a TA for the first time and are told they'll get back to you, be sure to pin down when. If the return call takes too long, chances are it might after you're a client too, and that's unacceptable so you'll want to contact another agency. There are lots of dedicated TAs out there who are available 24/7 for their clients. When you find one, there's nothing like it.

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

The main difference I see is that not everyone lives, eats, breathes and sleeps disney so not everyone knows the moment a new code comes out or where they want to eat & when based on park hours, nor have they visited/stayed in most, if not all of the on-property resorts.

You're kidding me right ...you're kidding me!

 

[taylor3297]

This trip I am using a TA at Mouse fan travel. She will keep an eye out for promotions/codes and will make all my ADR's for me. If I come across a code that may apply to my trip I can give her a call and let her know.

 

[Dancemom03]

You're kidding me right ...you're kidding me!

Honestly... I swear I don't understand it either. Heaven knows, Mickey sure gets all my time & money.
DD9 gets to wdw every summer but still hasn't been to Ocean City, MD where "really Mom, it's not fair, everybody else in my class gets to go..." Go figure...