Travel Agent vs. DIY

[Gin0818]

I have done both, booked myself and used a TA and after my first experience with a TA I was sure I would be booking myself from now. There was nothing horrible about the experience but I ended up rebooking a lot of ADR's and she refused to give me the confirmation number until online check in so I did not feel like I was in control.
As other have mentioned when I saw the August deal come up for the YC I decided to take advantage and did my reservation with a TA, I have been very happy with decision and have found them to be very helpful. I did make my ADR's myself but questions or concerns I have have been replied to very quickly.

 

[Hillary12.8.07]

I used Dreams Unlimited for my trip coming up in June and couldn't be happier! This was the first time I've ever used a TA. I have the reservation number to go onto My Disney Experience and update ADRs, etc, so I did not lose control of my vacation like some mentioned. My TA has gone beyond what I thought she would do. She's updated my reservation when I needed to change it, payments online are seamless, she's holding my Mickey Mail so it will arrive at the time I return from my deployment so I can be there to see my kids open it, she's had her daughter recommend photographers in the Orlando area that can come take family photos, and on and on. I get limited phone time while deployed, and my wife is home with 4 kids, so you can imagine what her phone time is like! This has been the easiest vacation to plan and I will continue to use this TA in the future. I love to research and plan, but this experience has changed my mind about letting someone else do the hard work for me while I will reap the benefits of the fun!

I'm glad your experience has gone so well! While I don't work for DU, I work for another agency and this is what you should expect from a TA. You should still have access to your reservations but they do all the hard work and research. It is unfortunate to read about these TAs that do not seem educated, as I know how much training is required and from my knowledge TAs should already be experts and know just about everything there is to know. I'm sorry so many people on this thread have not had good experiences, but glad to hear about this good one! I don't want people to be scared of using TAs because I know how hard they work and how beneficial they can really be!

 

[fivebyfive]

I have learned so much from the DIS that I see no benefit in using a TA, even a Disney certified one.

These types of posts always make me laugh! The DIS boards are owned by a TA (Dreams Unlimited). So if not for such Disney TA's, there would be no precious DIS boards.

OP - if you are going to use a TA, at least look into Dreams Unlimited if for no other reason than they pay for this platform.

 

[rspencer38]

I use a local TA and this will be my second Disney vacation booked through her. I think she is fantastic and would definitely recommend her for any trip!

 

[SA mom]

I used a TA with an agency that specializes in Disney vacations (not Dreams Unlimited). She failed to inform us that the pool at our resort would be down for renovations. We didn't know the pool would be closed until our 2nd day. Disney offered to change resorts, but we were already settled in and bone tired.

I've also since realized how much I enjoy the planning. I may use Dreams Unlimited in the future just because they know so much.

Also, you don't have to book through AAA to receive their discount. Their packages sometimes have some value added items.

 

[World Showcaser]

You also need to understand that once your reservations have been made there is actually a disincentive for a TA to save you money since that would result in a smaller commission for them.

In my case, I did not tell the TA that I already had a reservation for the purposes of the quote. I would have gladly cancelled my existing reservation with Disney if she could get me a better deal and let her book me a new one.

I did want to say that I was not saying I had a bad experience with the TA. She was very professional and friendly and I'm sure she could have competently booked me a WDW vacation. I was saying that I didn't see the point of going through her and she seemed to know less than me about Disney and couldn't get me a better deal.

you judge all TA's by your experience with one bad TA?

I don't think anyone is judging all TAs. I think people are giving their opinions of their experiences. But it's not just one bad experience that people have had.