Travel Agent VS Disney??

[deslynnpatterson]

I am looking to book my sept trip this week, i cannot hold out anymore and want to book my trip while i have the money, i am just curious what everyone else uses to book there trips and what they have found to be the most economical to either go through a travel agent or directly through disney? We are looking to stay in a moderate or a value.. please give me your opinions on what works best for you i am just trying to get the best deal and have got 2 very different prices from 2 different travel companies so far-- thanks so much for the advice

 

[bradk]

there shouldn't be a price difference between the two with except to AAA who can give you a discount on the room portion of a package if available. they're the only ones who can do that.

if there are discrepancies, the only viable explanation is they're not for exactly the same thing

 

[wilde_oscar]

I hear the folks that run this website have some sort of travel agency that specializes in Disney vacations dreamsunlimitedtravel.com. Some would even say the obsess about it.

You have to go though someone to make the reservation... but the best planner for your trip is you... there are a lot of websites like wdwinfo.com or allearsnet.com where you can find out about the resorts and the parks.

If crowds do not bother you, and you are going to WDW to be in the parks... a value works. When at WDW I consider a place to sleep only, as I get up early and am in the parks till close and a little after. The Values can get crowded at the food court. But are a good deal and are generally well run and above avg. hotels. A moderate will be more quiet at the food court and restaurant, and have a slightly bigger room, we are talking 10 sq ft. here. Transportation for all is equally well run.

Travel companies often work on some sort of commission or bill back system, they are not booking your trip for free. Their level of compensation varies depending on their commitment and booking capacity for putting heads in Disney's beds. But ultimately they are all offering the same disney packages, that can vary widely in price depending on time of year and how the agent bundles options. Get quotes from several and take the best one.

 

[Shir Kahn]

The thing I don't like about using a travel agent is that if you want to modify, or even look at your trip planner on the official website, you can't do it. Only the travel agent has access.

 

[CanadianGuy]

Moving this over to the Resorts & booking board..

It's a better fit there .. and you'll get more answers from the experts there.

Knox

 

[deslynnpatterson]

thanks so much for moving this

 

[twinklebug]

AAA offers discounts for certain times of the year. Was one of them AAA by any chance?

As far as preference - I'll go right through Disney from now on. I went through AAA for part of our last visit and although they were very nice, it was annoying that any change I wanted to make, or even requesting Magical Express, I had to go through them instead of calling Disney directly as they were the owners of the reservation up until the time I check in. Changes made were not reflected on my receipts, but hand written on the old one Disney had mailed to them, photocopied and them mailed to me. A little unnerving when you're not in control and can't call to find out that the changes had been made.

BTW the reservation CMs at Disney can book you for a AAA room rate and you won't have to go through the AAA travel agents. They also have access to all the codes that may be available to you at any given point in time. With over 2200 CMs working as booking agents, if you get one you don't feel is knowledgeable in the area you require, or you can't communicate with, simply call back.

 

[mikeandsunshine]

I actually went with a travel agent. I booked my vacation through smallworldvacations (reccommended by mousesavers) and I got it for around $400 cheaper than how much it would have cost me to book it myself through disney.

 

[luvdisney24]

I too use Small World Vacations. They will watch for discounts and change your reservation for you if they can to get you that discount. Since you want to go in September, that's usually when Disney offers free dining. I would suggest using a TA such as SWV who will look out for offers like that. There's nothing better than to find an email from your agent telling you they saved you hundreds of dollars and you didn't even know there was a discount out! I highly recommend Small World.