Update: Connecting rooms, travel agents and how much do I intervene?

[mickey916]

Background: A co-worker was supposed to go to WDW in April 2020. She knows very little about Disney and is using a travel agent. She told me yesterday that she has now rescheduled her trip to July 26-30 since she has to use her flight credit by this September. She is going with her mother, her teenage daughter and her daughter's friend. She told me she "had to upgrade" because the travel agent told her the only hotel available that she could "guarantee" connecting rooms is the Grand Floridian. When I look at the dates, I see Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs both have availability....is there any more likelihood of connecting rooms at GF over either of those? I think the travel agent is upselling her and also isn't helping her at all. Yesterday I booked her park reservations (which she had no idea she needed) and made her some ADRs. She has no idea how many parks there are and didn't know Harry Potter wasn't at WDW. She really needs help and I'm happy to help her but don't know if I should just let the hotel thing go....I hate to see anyone being taken advantage of.

 

[Dug720]

There is never a guarantee of connecting rooms at ANY resort.

 

[VandVsmama]

Stay out of it.

 

[Jelly563]

I think VGF w her mom & daughter would be a nice bucket list..... for sure, it beats caribbean beach or coronado springs money is already spent nbd

 

[mickey916]

I did decide not to say anything. I do feel bad though 'cuz they had to shorten their trip due to the expensive rooms. The only thing I ended up saying was GF is a beautiful resort and that they'll be able to take the monorail to Magic Kingdom.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

Pretty sure they don’t guarantee connecting rooms anywhere on property. It is simply a request….

 

[Dug720]

Pretty sure they don’t guarantee connecting rooms anywhere on property. It is simply a request….

The only thing I can think is the agent put them in a 2BR lock-off. But VGF always seems to go so quickly for DVCers and very rarely shows up for cash, I don't know that that would be possible.

 

[mickey916]

Pretty sure they don’t guarantee connecting rooms anywhere on property. It is simply a request….

That is my understanding too and it's pretty shady that they convinced her to book the most expensive hotel 'cuz "that's the only way to guarantee connecting rooms." But, she very excited about going and very appreciative of my help with ADRs and park reservations so I'm trying to keep everything positive. I did suggest to her to call a couple days ahead to reiterate that they would like connecting rooms.

 

[mickey916]

The only thing I can think is the agent put them in a 2BR lock-off. But VGF always seems to go so quickly for DVCers and very rarely shows up for cash, I don't know that that would be possible.

That would be awesome if that's the case! It could very well be that my co-worker didn't quite understand what the agent meant.

 

[Dug720]

That would be awesome if that's the case! It could very well be that my co-worker didn't quite understand what the agent meant.

Yeah - it would be pricey as all get out if that is what they are in. But a 2BR lock-off is the only way I can think that anyone could guarantee connecting rooms. Seems pretty unethical on the TA's part if that's what she did (and just plain wrong if she booked 2 separate rooms and guaranteed them to be connecting), and I'd question if this agent is a Disney certified specialist - and if so, report them for this.

 

[mickey916]

Yeah - it would be pricey as all get out if that is what they are in. But a 2BR lock-off is the only way I can think that anyone could guarantee connecting rooms. Seems pretty unethical on the TA's part if that's what she did (and just plain wrong if she booked 2 separate rooms and guaranteed them to be connecting), and I'd question if this agent is a Disney certified specialist - and if so, report them for this.

I've seen the reservations as I had to help her link it into her MDE account and made her park reservations for her and it is two separate rooms. Her mom in one and she and the girls in the other. The travel agent also sold her 3 day park hoppers but she didn't ask for hoppers and had no idea what that meant. I explained to her it was a good way for her to actually see all four parks since she could do AK early and EP late on one of her days.

 

[Dug720]

I've seen the reservations as I had to help her link it into her MDE account and made her park reservations for her and it is two separate rooms. Her mom in one and she and the girls in the other. The travel agent also sold her 3 day park hoppers but she didn't ask for hoppers and had no idea what that meant. I explained to her it was a good way for her to actually see all four parks since she could do AK early and EP late on one of her days.

Wow. Yeah...no way those rooms are guaranteed to be connecting. I'd definitely recommend that she run far from that agent after this trip is over! Sounds like she's only trying to up her commission. (By contrast, I emailed my agent to please extend my stay at Pop for a night and she responded she could but I could actually SAVE money switching to a Standard View at Coronado Springs. She could have just extended the Pop Standard View reservation and kept the higher commission, but she wants me to get the best deal.)

 

[_19disnA]

I agree with others that you should stay out of trying to plan a co-workers vacation. Unless the travel agent has specific recent knowledge of Disney, they are most likely just reading the same Disney websites everyone else uses. If they (or your co-worker) don't know they need park reservations, then clearly there is a lot they probably don't know. While I think it is fine to let them know obvious things like needing park reservations, your co-worker will just have to learn once they go that there was a lot of gaps in their knowledge of how things work. Personally, I would have shown them the Disney website and assisted her in making her own ADR's or park reservations rather then doing it for her. I don't think you should try to be their pseudo-travel agent since they will clearly be miffed at someone once they learn how much the travel agent doesn't know. You still need to be co-workers once their vacation ends.

 

[mickey916]

I offered to walk her through doing the park and dining reservations but she/we were trying to do it on our lunch break and she felt it would take her too long and asked me to just "do it for her". I'm definitely not trying to be her travel agent but she knows so little I was trying to at least fill her in on the "essentials". I certainly would have felt awful if they spent all that money and got there only to find out they couldn't go to the parks cuz they didn't know they needed park reservations and then couldn't get them. The travel agent did tell them in an email to make "park reservations" but my co-worker thought it was fastpasses the travel agent was referring too. I don't really worry that she'll be miffed with me since all I've done is help her with park and dining reservations.

 

[Dug720]

If they (or your co-worker) don't know they need park reservations, then clearly there is a lot they probably don't know.

To me, that is the biggest red flag that the agent is not a Disney certified agent. There is a whole series of webinars and stuff that one has to do to become a Disney specialist - and you have to stay up on what is current.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

I'm really surprised her TA did not do her park res.. even non Disney TA should know that.

When I looked hotels.com has the cars suite (AOA) available for 508 a night. Not sure what rate they got her.
I had to look day by day sometimes it says no if you put the whole trip in.

 

[mickey916]

To me, that is the biggest red flag that the agent is not a Disney certified agent. There is a whole series of webinars and stuff that one has to do to become a Disney specialist - and you have to stay up on what is current.

The TA did tell her through an email to "link her hotel reservation in her MDE" and to "make park reservations", but didn't explain what that meant. If someone is new to Disney that language is very confusing. That's why she asked for my help. Whether this travel agent is Disney certified or not, they're definitely not a very helpful one...

 

[Disneyfan754321]

The TA did tell her through an email to "link her hotel reservation in her MDE" and to "make park reservations", but didn't explain what that meant. If someone is new to Disney that language is very confusing. That's why she asked for my help. Whether this travel agent is Disney certified or not, they're definitely not a very helpful one...

I wonder how many peeps show up and find out what that means when there are no parks available.... sad
Our TA did everything even our FP and ADRs, that was before I had my Disfam❤

 

[Eastern]

You've done enough, I'd let the rest go unless she has really specific questions.

 

[mickey916]

You've done enough, I'd let the rest go unless she has really specific questions.

I agree 100%!