Using a Travel Agent or Doing it yourself??

[Bete]

There are reasons to use a TA if you get a benefit. There was a time AAA gave a lot of perks like special preferred park parking and special viewing areas for fireworks and so forth. The perks were offered on all levels of travel packages. Now, to get some of these perks you usually have to have a very upgraded package. There was a time where the only discount you were able to get came from AAA. Other travel agents may offer promos, too like gift cards. I go with the best deal and nowadays there does not seem to be advantage using a TA for Disney.

At times I feel having a TA can be a disadvantage. If your plans change or there's a special promo code that comes out that's a better deal the TA acts slower. It's not their fault; they are handling various customers and they can't jump loops for you. Anyway, this is why I prefer doing the plans myself.

Also, if you are scared like for your first time there then maybe it would be less stress to use a TA. If you are use to doing your own arrangements then maybe it's better to do a travel agent.

I think internet has changed my mind about doing my own reservations for trips. It's just so easy to do it now for yourself and I feel in better control doing them for myself.

If you take a group tour then maybe using a TA is to your benefit. It really depends, but overall, we book ourselves, now.

 

[MisWal]

The first time, I used an AAA travel agent. This time, I booked myself. Although I'll be missing out on a few of the AAA perks, I like booking myself. I have made some resort and room level changes, so it's nice to be able to do that myself and be sure it's done.

 

[fairestoneofall]

i do it all myself. i find it fun to plan it all out. and i also like making the calls myself.

 

[mugglebe]

I booked my trip in November through Dreams Unlimited. I've had no problems with my travel agent Ally and she'll be booking my ADRs for me this Wednesday which is great since I'm a shift worker and won't be able to do it myself. Dreams Unlimited will also apply any future discounts to my reservation, which is great! It's great to have someone do the work for me!

 

[Buffalo2Disney]

My last two trips that I have booked I went through AAA and had a travel agent. For our honeymoon next fall I am thinking of booking it myself online. I usually would get some minimal discount, but a discount none the less through AAA. Can I still get that AAA discount if I book it myself online? And also, is there a section when you book online to add any requests you have or do you have to call and add those to your reservation later?

 

[tjevans]

I booked my trip in November through Dreams Unlimited. Dreams Unlimited will also apply any future discounts to my reservation, which is great! It's great to have someone do the work for me!

I always used to do it myself, and then I used Dreams Unlimited. I preferred using a TA. I don't know how many other TA's would do it, but as mugglebe said, I didn't have to keep up with whether any discounts were being offered. If some new ones came out that I was eligible for, my agent got me the discount. We wound up getting free dining when it was extended last year (actually, we upgraded from the QS plan to the regular and still got money back). Additionally, it was nice not to have to deal with the frustrations I've read about with Disney's online systems and it was great not having to wait on hold when I would have had to call Disney.


Someone said something about booking a package. I don't think a good TA would do that if it would save the client money. Granted, TA's get their money from the destination, but a good TA knows that reputation among the public outweighs any commission they may make.

 

[doconeill]

I booked my trip in November through Dreams Unlimited. I've had no problems with my travel agent Ally and she'll be booking my ADRs for me this Wednesday which is great since I'm a shift worker and won't be able to do it myself. Dreams Unlimited will also apply any future discounts to my reservation, which is great! It's great to have someone do the work for me!

Dreams Unlimited is a Disney specialist TA, dealing almost exclusively with WDW, DL and DCL. If you are looking for a TA for a Disney trip, they are an excellent choice (disclaimer: I do not work for them, but the business is related to the owners of the boards - there are other great Disney-specific TAs out there as well - I used DU for the upcoming Podcast Cruise).

Even some of the general TAs that are Disney certified can be hit-or-miss. The boards are full of TAs giving misinformation and such. To be fair, there are plenty of reports of bad info coming from CMs as well

I agree with some of the later posts that if you DO use a TA, doing some things can be more complicated, and you may not get timely response for changes, for which you may be required to go through the TA and not direct.

 

[tjevans]

If you receive a quote from a TA that is more cost than from Disney then look for another TA! The cost should not be different. As a matter of fact some TA's can have lower prices if they have set up group space for specific dates.

...

book through a good local TA to help support a local small business. It won't cost you more and it helps a small business. If you book it through a good TA then you will have access to them 7 days a week and they will be on top of all the offers.

I'm all for supporting local business. After all, I'm a small business owner myself. But as we all know, a Disney vacation is (or can be) much more complicated than your typical week at the beach. I would recommend booking a Disney trip through a TA that really knows what they're talking about. I've read horror stories of people who have gone to a TA and been given misinformation about WDW. Granted, that can happen anywhere, but a Disney "specialist" TA should keep up with the information better than a generalist. Just like you would expect a cardiac surgeon to know the latest developments in heart surgery more than you would expect a family practitioner to keep up with that.

 

[disneygal55]

The last time that I used a travel agent for a Disney vacation was over 20 years ago. And my family has probably taken about 35 trips since then! I did use a AAA discount on a room about 3 years ago but when the rate on the room dropped with a AP discount, I was unable to get the rate changed by Disney and had to physically go to the AAA office to cancel the room and then had to rebook through Disney....so never again. I watch the airfare rates closely and book when I get a good one, book my DVC or cash rate room by making a quick phone call (or you can do it online), get my annual pass/park tickets online, and book my dinner reservations at the 6 month plus 10 day mark (use the PS calculator to figure out the exact 6 month mark). I guess after all these years/trips I could be a Disney travel agent!

 

[ajpa]

I would recommend booking a Disney trip through a TA that really knows what they're talking about.

Definitely! IF you decide to use a TA, ONLY use one from an agency that specializes in disney vacations!

 

[rwdavis2]

I'm doing it both ways this time. First time with a TA. I originally made our Wilderness Lodge reservations myself. But then someone I know became a Disney TA so I transferred the WL ressie to her. I've since had her do a split stay at WL and AKL, make ressies for MVMCP, KTTKT, an ADR, and the Sunrise Safari at AK. It's been very convenient. I just email her and she does what I ask.

But I have made the air and car reservations myself. Getting a third pary involved in those parts is asking for trouble regardless of how competent the TA is.

 

[maj42169]

I always plan our trips myself. However, I havd done extensive research into planning a Disney Vacation. You will find most of the information here on these boards to help you. I see that you want to go this fall, first thing I suggest is to decide if you are staying on or off property, then next decide about the dining plan. If you are wanting to take advantage of dining, then it is important to get your dining reservations set EARLY. They take reservations 180 days in advance, and most places can fill up quickly. This means that you will want to know the park hours for your week, and then decide which parks you plan on for which days..........go from there to select your dining.

 

[disneychic2]

The operative word here is "good" TA. Make sure you find a good one who specializes in Disney if you're going to go that route. Years ago, I used AAA twice for my trips (two different agents) and they messed it up both times. Even though i used AAA, I did all the planning and just presented it to them. Still, they managed to get it wrong.

I love planning my own trips, but if it was going to be a grand gathering or something more complicated, I would give Dreams Unlimited or Small World a try. Good luck to you!

 

[tndisneyfan]

I think the biggest con is if you are new to WDW haven't done a lot of research, you can get wrong info from a TA that doesn't specialize in Disney. So if you do decide to do a TA I would recommend getting one that specializes in WDW. Personally, I like to book everything myself.

 

[grecorj]

I planned/booked our first trip in 07 with kids and grandparents and it was fine. Ditto in 08.

In 2010 I found a TA with an "agency exclusive" for the time period we were going and saved 50% on a room at the Poly! But I booked my own flights.

This year, I used the same TA .... their prices for the package we chose did indeed match the price you could get at the WDW website ... I booked my own flights again. I also always book our own dining reservations. The benefit to me was they could advise me of any "agency" exlcusive dates for my trip, monitor trip for better offers, etc. No cost to me, so why not?

Again, they are an "authorized" Disney vacation TA, and specialize in Disney. I think that's important if you're going with a TA.

Then again, I joined Disboards in 2003 and spent 4 years prepping for our first trip! :-D

 

[ols386]

I used to use a TA, but don't anymore.

Found out that it's extremely easy to book things myself.

The other things is, once I used a TA to book the hotel, etc. We decided we wanted to switch to a different resort during our trip, and couldn't, because Disney reservations couldn't change our reservation since it was initially booked by a TA.

The other thing is that the TA that I previously used, charged a fee to book the reservations. I think it was $25 or something like that.

 

[Beth521]

I'll be going for the 3rd time this July, and by myself. I much prefer planning myself so a) I ensure I get the best deal and b)I fully know what's going on. I also have checked out travel agents but they are always more expensive, in my opinion.

 

[kelleigh1]

I use a AAA Travel Agent. It's funny, because any other time I'm traveling, I do it all myself, but for Disney, I don't mind working with a TA. Of course, it helps that the one I work with is really great. Also, the only way to get a AAA package discount is through AAA, but I think that even without that, I would still use her. She really knows Disney - which is the most important thing.

I can also still view my reservation online and I was able to make all my own ADR's. So while technically, the TA now "owns" my reservation, I don't feel like I'm inhibited by that. I also book the entire trip on my Disney Visa, so I don't have to worry about "making payments". It's all paid and I just make the payments to my credit card.

 

[B.B. Sots]

We also use Dreams Unlimited. Not because I can't do it myself, but trying to keep up on all the discounts, price maneuvers, and booking ADR's and special attractions (like Wishes Desert Party) are a huge time sink (especially if u want to do it on the first day it opens up: i.e. 180 days out for table service).

With a family size of 6, it is easier to work with a TA to get what we want (or Need).

Also: at a fair price of $0, it is affordable.

There are plenty of Disney specific agencies out there.. I go with who and what I know. Now my entire family uses the same agent and so do most of my colleagues.