Travel Agent or Do It Yourself?

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

Just wondering what you guys do for your Disney trips....
I've done our trips on my own but am considering a TA for the next one.
Small World Vacations? Dreams Unlimited? Any experiences and/or names of good people there to use? TIA!

 

[PrincessNancy96]

I do the planning myself.. I have to have control!

However, I'm contacting dreams unlimited to see what they can do for us.. pricing wise; talking to AAA about discounts; also have a friend who works w/ vacation homes (great price on one last year!!! Beautiful 4BR; 3 bath; pool home!!! It was AWESOME!!!)
WE are still deciding...
I keep watching undercovertourist (I think that's the name) for great ticket prices...

 

[KAMommy]

I agree with Nancy, I have to have control. But I have checked out some of the TA's to get better pricing. I haven't actually changed a booking, but I would if I could save dollars.

 

[lewdyan1]

I've done it both ways and was happy with the results, then again I was going to Disney, how can you not be happy!

 

[graygables]

I voted yes, but I do both. I do most of the planning, then let my TA make the arrangements (esp those pesky AP discounts!) I will only use Maureen and Courtney at Grand Getaways Travel. They are both awesome ladies and go above and beyond. For example, Maureen helped my DH arrange a birthday cake for me for my 40th at AKL. They have always been on top of the discounts and their cruise pricing was good (with a rebate). They don't charge anything for their service and the way I look at it, if I'm going to be paying the same amount anyway, at least let someone nice that I know reap some benefits, too, KWIM?

 

[mamacatnv]

I did the last trip myself, the first ever trip was planned by my Mother in Law. This time I am using Melissa @ Magical Journeys. Since I wanted a ressie for 07 and WDW was not real interested in helping me out, I contacted Melissa. I have a room only ressie and she is tracking when the packages & AAA discounts as well as any other come out. This way I don't have to stress.

I did a lot of research prior to booking with a TA and I must say that so-far I am very pleased with the services of Melissa.

 

[ddavis860]

I do the planning myself, then I call DVC and they book what I want. When we go away I'm called the Cruise Director. I plan everything, and with the help of these boards I have done really well.

 

[New England Eeyore]

I like to do all the planning myself. That's how I entertain myself the other 49-50 weeks of the year that I'm not on vacation!

Last year, I had to book through AAA to get the discount that I wanted and it was frustrating to have to deal with the agent, because although he was very nice, I knew WAY more than he did.

It's a little harder for me to plan non-WDW trips, because there aren't great websites like this one, but I love to read travel books. For WDW, I am 100% obsessed, as most of us are. I will even plan trips for other people! I helped my 2 best friends plan their Disney Honeymoons (complete with their own personalized travel guides in a 3 ring binder.) This December I'm going on a girls-only weekend with those 2 friends and I'm trying not to drive them nuts with all my obsessive planning. I told them I was going to be asking them in June to think about restaurants so we could plan our ADRs and I said I'd give them some menus to help them make their choices. One of them asked me if she had to decide what she wanted to order 6 months ahead.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

I use the TA for flights and hotels. I hate fighting with the airline about Frequent Flyer miles, and I like knowing that if something goes wrong there'll be someone to fix it.

I still have the Which Park/Which Day and Where To Eat stuff...That leaves enough planning for me! (my apologies if my use of the ellipsis is unconventional and/or offensive! )

 

[StitchIsARedSoxFan]

DW and I usually plan the whole thing ourselves....well DW gets last say on the plans and I get to drive down while she "naps"

If we go somewhere other than Disney then I will check with TA's but have usually been able to beat any deal they came up with. Expedia, Travelocity, etc are good helpers.

 

[bclydia]

I love to plan a vacation! I'll even plan someone else's vacation.
For me, that's half the fun.
I have yet to find a deal with a travel agent that is better than what I can get booking it myself.

 

[PrincessNancy96]

DW and I usually plan the whole thing ourselves....well DW gets last say on the plans and I get to drive down while she "naps"

If we go somewhere other than Disney then I will check with TA's but have usually been able to beat any deal they came up with. Expedia, Travelocity, etc are good helpers.

DH loved your response!!! He said.. He's living my life.. You plan.. and I drive!! Yep, that's the way it is here.. except I stay up during the drive because I have to referee the kids and of course remind my dh not to tailgate.. speeding is fine..but don't ride the other guys bumper!!!!

 

[MomOf2DisneyKids]

DH loved your response!!! He said.. He's living my life.. You plan.. and I drive!! Yep, that's the way it is here.. except I stay up during the drive because I have to referee the kids and of course remind my dh not to tailgate.. speeding is fine..but don't ride the other guys bumper!!!!

exact same here!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PrincessNancy96]

We'll be the two mom's in the World in July 2007 still refereeing the kids and remind our DH's to slow down!!!!

 

[UrsulasShadow]

I like to do all the planning myself. That's how I entertain myself the other 49-50 weeks of the year that I'm not on vacation!

Last year, I had to book through AAA to get the discount that I wanted and it was frustrating to have to deal with the agent, because although he was very nice, I knew WAY more than he did.

I ran into the same thing when I booked with AAA. I used them thinking I could get a discount (which I couldn't, due to the holiday season), and had to explain most of the details to the "specialist" (such as wanting a view of DTD from my room at SSR...she said you can't see it from that resort...I think she was thinking of MK!). I'll do it myself next time, or maybe get a job w/ AAA as a "Disney specialist"!

 

[Cruz Family]

Why would I pay someone to have all that fun?

 

[ivanova]

Why would I pay someone to have all that fun?

Technically you aren't paying a travel agent ... the travel suppliers pay agents, not clients.

 

[vanyel]

I always said that I'd do it myself but last trip I worked with Wendy from Magical Journeys and it was great. I still did a lot of planning but she did the booking, watched for discounts and specials and it really relieved me and my time to have her take care of that aspect. MJ doesn't do adrs so I still took care of that, and of course I chose where I wanted to stay. It was great! I wouldn't hesitate to work with her again. After several e-mails, Wendy called me and we spent quite a bit of time on the phone talking about options and other things, among them that we both have dachsunds and love them to death!

 

[rlovew]

I use Colleen from MIE travel- she just takes care of my room and I do all the planning but she keeps watching for discounts and has been able to get rooms when I couldn't even do it myself when I called Disney. I do all the planning of where we go and I call for ADRs myself. My Thanksgiving trip she just rebooked for a lot less each night with a discount that just recently came out.

 

[BuzzBelleMom]

We went with a local travel agent for our first trip. When I tried to call to change something, I found out he had left the company. The owner was a jerk and I had to threaten to go with another company in order to get someone to talk to me.

The new agent helped as best as she could, but we found out at the end that the return flight had been changed BEFORE they gave us our tickets and never told us. We almost missed it.

This trip I did myself, with DH's input. It has taken several phone calls to Disney Travel, but I feel a great sense of accomplishment.

(I do think, however, that our account is tagged as "the crazy woman from North Texas is calling to check up on us again, just say yes to anything she asks"!)