Travel Agent

[nicolemm]

Has anyone heard of Academy Travel, their website is mickeyvactions.com? Any info on them would be appreciated. TIA

 

[misricsmith]

bump

 

[wilde_oscar]

they look like some sort of fly by night outfit that will take you money and disappear. Try dreamsunlimitedtravel.com instead.

 

[Mrs Grumpy]

I hadn't heard of them until recently. My TA that I used last time that was with Magical Journeys contacted me and she was now with this company. I really liked her so I think I am going to continue using her since she did a great job last trip for us. But at the same time I am kind of afraid to because I have not heard of the company and I also asked if anyone had heard of them about a month ago and did not get any responses. Just another decision I need to make before the packages are released this summer.

 

[nicolemm]

Is there a way to check with Disney to see if they are really affliliated with them? They state that they are or can anyone post that on their own site, I wonder.

 

[imadisneynut]

they are based out of Manahawkin, New Jersey they have owned there site since feb 5, 2005 it seems like they are a home base busniess since they only have a p.o box as a address. thought this might help

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

Can anyone explain to me why they use a travel agent for a WDW vacation?

 

[tinklvr64]

Can anyone explain to me why they use a travel agent for a WDW vacation?

I have used a TA twice for vacation plans...here is the reason. I let them do the leg work on all of the pricing, book my trip, etc... Here is the great part ..if a discount comes out such as AAA, AP discount, Dis Visa, room only codes, pkg pricing they will look at their clients for that time frame, email me with info, and rebook at the new discounted pricing. I love that I am not having to keep up with all of the info

 

[Deanna64]

I havent really heard of this company but to answer why would you use a TA to book a WDW vacation?

I have to agree with the previous post, we do all the leg work. We are able to find the deals and possibly upgrade your vacations to a better room or better deal.

Unless, you have time on your hands I think this is the better way to go also.

I am specializing in Disney Vacations and still learning every day.

Deanna

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

I have used a TA twice for vacation plans...here is the reason. I let them do the leg work on all of the pricing, book my trip, etc... Here is the great part ..if a discount comes out such as AAA, AP discount, Dis Visa, room only codes, pkg pricing they will look at their clients for that time frame, email me with info, and rebook at the new discounted pricing. I love that I am not having to keep up with all of the info

But you can find all that out for yourself with in two minutes of the rates being released. Someone will post it here on the DIS.

My DSis is going to WDW next week and the people she's going with went through a TA and, in my opinion, wasted a lot of money. Because they had never been to WDW, the TA took total advantage. They are going for 7 days. She got them to buy a 7 day hopper pass (telling them not to bother with the no expiry options) plus the Water Parks and More add-on plus the Orlando Flex Pack. She also convinced them to rent a van for their trip even though they're staying on-site. She didn't mention Magical Express. How in the world are they going to do all that in 7 days? All that money wasted. I don't think this was much of a deal.

I guess I'm just a lot more hands-on for a destination like this that's so easy to plan yourself.

 

[tinklvr64]

But you can find all that out for yourself with in two minutes of the rates being released. Someone will post it here on the DIS.

My DSis is going to WDW next week and the people she's going with went through a TA and, in my opinion, wasted a lot of money. Because they had never been to WDW, the TA took total advantage. They are going for 7 days. She got them to buy a 7 day hopper pass (telling them not to bother with the no expiry options) plus the Water Parks and More add-on plus the Orlando Flex Pack. She also convinced them to rent a van for their trip even though they're staying on-site. She didn't mention Magical Express. How in the world are they going to do all that in 7 days? All that money wasted. I don't think this was much of a deal.

I guess I'm just a lot more hands-on for a destination like this that's so easy to plan yourself.

You can be "taken" by anyone if you haven't done your homework ....anywhere I go I do the research first and then plan. Maybe your sis should have talked to you! Sounds like her TA was def out to make money
Yes I can and do get the info on discounts here but why would I want to waste time on the phone when my TA is on top of it first thing in the morn?? There are NO FEES involved whatsoever (I forgot to point that out the last time) Also, I use a TA that has gone through the Disney college (sorry I am not quite sure what its called)

In the past I have done all of my own legwork, calling, checking for discounts but if I dont have to..just as well!

 

[Deanna64]

I am so sorry to hear that your sister was taken by someone that was looking out for themselves, instead of your sister and her family. The sad thing is that TA lost out in the long run because your sister will never use her again and everyone that she tells will stay clear of that TA.

There are perks and upgrades that TA's know before regular vacationeers. That would be the reason I suggest using a TA.

The Disney College is called "College of Disney Knowledge" and when your finished with that then there is always more training. One can never get enough training with Disney and it's so much fun!!!!!

I hope one bad apple doesnt deter you from ever using a TA.

Deanna

 

[alycia23]

We used a TA for our trip at the end of March. For our trip of 5 adults and 2 kids we saved a total of $600 by booking with her than booking through Disney. I know the other people in our Grand Gathering of 20 saved money as well. And she has taken care of all our ADR's and Grand Gathering Experiences, all I had to do was tell her what I wanted and when and she called and got me really close to my "wish" time. I did some of the planning but she did most of the calling and waiting on the phone, which freed me up to do more creative things for our trip.

 

[Mr. & Mrs. Smith]

You can be "taken" by anyone if you haven't done your homework ....anywhere I go I do the research first and then plan. Maybe your sis should have talked to you! Sounds like her TA was def out to make money
Yes I can and do get the info on discounts here but why would I want to waste time on the phone when my TA is on top of it first thing in the morn?? There are NO FEES involved whatsoever (I forgot to point that out the last time) Also, I use a TA that has gone through the Disney college (sorry I am not quite sure what its called)

In the past I have done all of my own legwork, calling, checking for discounts but if I dont have to..just as well!

I should clarify. It wasn't my sister who did the planning. She's been to WDW more than I have. It was her DBF's DM. My Sis had nothing to do with the planning. She was just invited to come along.

I guess I'm strange but I love calling WDW any chance that I get. I love keeping track of that stuff. If someone else was doing it for me, I think I'd miss out on most of the fun of planning.

Before every trip (both WDW and DCL), I have gathered quotes from Disney travel agents (included the beloved DU of the DIS) and not once have they offered me a better deal than I could find myself. So, they might not charge fees but somehow their math was adding up differently than mine.