Use a travel agent or not?

[heatherwillmom]

[GALLERY=][/GALLERY]we used to book our trips through aaa or do them myself. What are the advantages to using a travel agent?

 

[THREEBOYSPLUSONE]

We have used a travel agent simply because it was easier to have her do the work. After this trip if we ever do go back I think I will do it myself. I am finding out I know more then she does. She was having my scooter delivered to AKL Kidani instead of Jambo. She told my husband the refillable mug can only be used in the resort you get it in and she told him he couldn't get more magical express tags for luggage when all he did was call himself and they are sending them. That was all in just about an hours time too. She did help us get our magic bands though when they got stuck and the person my husband talked to at disney was clueless.

 

[minnie mum]

A TA who is not a Disney specialist can be more hindrance than help. The only advantage to using a TA is that they do the bookings for you, and if they are a good TA, will watch for special offers for you. Basically a good TA saves you the time it takes you to do it yourself. A bad TA can result in you spending two or three times as much time correcting their mistakes or omissions.

I've been going to WDW for so long that I can do it faster and easier myself.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

If you do use a TA make sure it is one who specializes in Disney trips. If you like to have control over your plans then book it yourself. Trips booked by a TA cannot be changed by you. You have to contact them and they have to make the changes with Disney for you. That can be a hassle. I always book myself because I like to have control of my trip. I don't find that it takes that long to plan and if I have any problems I can always pick up the phone and call. Cheers!!!!!

 

[Mr & Mrs DD]

We used AAA a few times in the past. The biggest reason was that we got a little bit of a discount and saved us a little leg work. They were also able to get us Universal tickets, which saved us some time as well. We had a good agent that seemed very well informed. As mentioned in the other posts, you need a good agent who is in the know. We handled things ourselves this time. If we decide to get Universal tickets, we will probably see if AAA can take care of that for us.

 

[heatherwillmom]

If we use a travel agent, it would be someone who specializes in Disney such as dreams unlimited

 

[disneyseniors]

I've written this before on this site, but I always like to chime in for using a Certified Disney Travel Agent! I would only use a CDTA, not a regular TA. Our TA knows all that is Disney. She gets us the best rates, and if we don't get one right away, she checks daily and always gets us what we want at our rate. She knows the ins and outs of the newest policies of WDW. She gets our plane tickets at best prices, gets us our desired resort and park tickets. I love the convenience of putting it all in her hands. She has never failed us yet. She goes above and beyond in all aspects to get us what we want. I would be lost without her to help set it all up. I don't like to do all the scheduling, checking, etc, etc, myself, so that's the main difference. Plus someone who KNOWS Disney is a great asset!

 

[CounselorX]

It just depends if you want control over your vacation or if you want to trust someone else to have the control. I'm sure there are plenty of qualified travel agents out there that can handle the task but I prefer to just handle it myself, that way I can be sure everything was done correctly. Also, if anything comes up, I don't want to have to wait for Disney to communicate with my TA and my TA to communicate with me. It's just a middle-man that I don't see as being necessary for me personally

 

[DisneyCAL]

I will never use AAA again after our honeymoon 8 years ago. Delta informed them of a change in flight times on our way back home. We missed our flight because AAA didn't email or call us of the time changing to earlier in the morning than previously told. This cost us another night at a hotel near the airport, and the cost of the new flight. I did our trip this year to wdw myself and did just fine. Got the discount on our deluxe resort room and save a couple thousand! It better to see where your money is going then to let someone else have control IMO.

 

[KurtC]

I've written this before on this site, but I always like to chime in for using a Certified Disney Travel Agent! I would only use a CDTA, not a regular TA. Our TA knows all that is Disney. She gets us the best rates, and if we don't get one right away, she checks daily and always gets us what we want at our rate. She knows the ins and outs of the newest policies of WDW. She gets our plane tickets at best prices, gets us our desired resort and park tickets. I love the convenience of putting it all in her hands. She has never failed us yet. She goes above and beyond in all aspects to get us what we want. I would be lost without her to help set it all up. I don't like to do all the scheduling, checking, etc, etc, myself, so that's the main difference. Plus someone who KNOWS Disney is a great asset!

Is there a way to find a list of the best Certified Disney Travel Agents??

 

[mac3mpc]

We use a CDTA because as others have mentioned she can get discounts applied even after we've booked. She's aware of everything coming out and calls to keep us up to date on the newest happenings. If there's a problem, she will stay on the phone with Disney for an hour or two to get it fixed for us. Saves me time and aggravation.

That having been said, I keep control of our ADRs and FP+. I enjoy that part and have been known to change them multiple times prior to our arrival as plans change and new options open up like The Boathouse.

 

[disneyseniors]

Is there a way to find a list of the best Certified Disney Travel Agents??

Kurt: That's a good question! You would think Disney itself would have a site just for that. I live in a small town and we had only 2 TA's. I picked one who had a reputation as a Disney specialist. I guess I just got lucky. I guess I would post this question as a new thread and see what happens? I'm curious too!

 

[DisneyPeachNJ]

We found our TA by reading reviews on this and other boards. She got us a great price and now we're able to stay at a Deluxe.

 

[Tattylou]

I enjoy doing it myself - the planning and organizing is fun for me.

 

[Nancyg56]

ON the first two trips we booked we used a CDTA. After those two trips I was comfortable planning my own trips and have done so ever since. A good TA can even help you with your itinerary, right down to booking FP for you, so if this is your first trip in a long time, consider a CDTA.