trip plan

[henry lutz]

I was wondering how to book my disney trip
I have aaa so I used them for our first trip. ( Honeymoon at csr 11-2013 ) they offer room discounts but we ended up getting free dining so that trumped our aaa discount. All good
Looking for info from some pros
Thanks for any help

 

[juliebug1997]

Normally, I book mine myself, but a friend of mine became a Disney travel agent so I have started using her. I haven't regretted it one minute. I still make my own dining reservations so that I have control over those. However, it is very easy to make your own reservation through Disney.

 

[henry lutz]

Normally, I book mine myself, but a friend of mine became a Disney travel agent so I have started using her. I haven't regretted it one minute. I still make my own dining reservations so that I have control over those. However, it is very easy to make your own reservation through Disney.

Thanks for the reply. When you book are you saying you just call disney
Do other travel agents ,other than aaa. Offer anything special
Thanks again

 

[Aliceacc]

I would like to suggest that you work with a Disney Certified Travel Agent. There are a number of great ones out there.

When we planned our 2012 trip, I sent a detailed letter to about a dozen agents. I got replies from about 9. Of them, three clearly stood out in terms of knowledge, professionalism and helpfulness. We chose Tracey H at Dreams Unlimited, but I'll be happy to share the names of the other 2 if you want them.

Could I book my own vacations? Sure. At this point, I'm very confident that I'm aware of the ins and outs of getting the most for my money.

But I find it so very convenient to work with an agent. When our 180 day came up, I emailed her all the ADRs we were hoping for. Our party ranges from 5 to 11, depending on the day. (My inlaws are going to join us 2 days into our trip.) When I checked my email at 10:15, we had gotten all the ADRs, including the dessert party (it was briefly available at 180 days) and Be Our Guest. I have all the confirmation numbers, and can change the ADRs should I so choose.

When the summer special came up, I checked my email again at 10: 15. (I'm a teacher, and that's my 3rd period study hall. Once I take attendance and get kids signed out to the library, I can go online ) I found that she had moved us from the Beach Club to the Yacht Club in order to save us $1000. (The two resorts are connected in the middle. Basically if we walk to the far end of the building, we save $1000.) Had that not been OK, she would have changed us back to the Beach Club, no harm, no foul.

Our travel agent knows the parks, knows the resorts-- she's been there, not just read about them. She knows the discounts and the prices. She's incredibly easy to work with. When I worked with aaa, I always knew more about WDW than the particular agents I was assigned. When I work with Tracey, it's different. I can ask about the dessert party or FastPass+ and she'll know what I'm talking about.

And, for what it's worth, I think it's good karma to let her earn a commission from my trip at no cost to me.

I lose none of my independance, and have someone knowledgeable on the phone with Disney while I'm on my way to work. For us, it's win-win.

 

[henry lutz]

Thank you very much
I am going to take your advice and contact her

 

[imthemamahere]

I prefer doing the booking/planning myself directly through Disney. I've had the relevant Disney numbers memorized for years...

407 WDW 5277
407 WDW 1936
Those will both get you direct to Disney's travel agents.

Then 407 WDW DINE or PLAY will get you to Disney dining and activities, respectively.

Some people like going through a travel agent. If that floats your boat, go for it. But it's plenty easy to do it on your own, if that's what you want.

 

[juliebug1997]

Sorry, OP, I'm the prom sponsor and we're down to the wire....

I actually book online. I really don't like talking on the phone.