USING A TRAVEL AGENT VS BOOKING MYSELF

[jdb in AZ]

If you use a TA, you can still book your own excursions, do your own online check in. All the TA handles are the actual logistics of bookings, and payments.

Our travel agent has done much more. Our first extended-family cruise we started planning in August for a Hawaiian cruise in December. Yeah, kind of short notice for twenty people. DH did some on-line checking with several agents and finally got a referral for a young woman who had been doing well working for an agency, then went out on her own. She was able to book the cruise for all of us.

Another time we were having problems getting the rooms we had booked, so our TA ran it up the chain of command and finally got a vice president to reserve the rooms we needed, then comped the whole family a dinner to the upscale dining room (equivalent to Palo) because of the hassle.

She escorted our family cruise to Alaska and even baby-sat for some of the young families.

More recently DH and I had booked a river cruise, but the cruise line didn't want him to take his electric mobility scooter onboard. Our TA also ran that one up the chain of command, or we would've had to cancel (and our TA would've pulled a lot of future business from that cruise line.)

For a "normal" cruise, if you don't want the nice(!) onboard credit, then you don't need a TA. It's nice to have professional assistance for not-so-normal cruises. (Why be normal?)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Our travel agent has done much more. Our first extended-family cruise we started planning in August for a Hawaiian cruise in December. Yeah, kind of short notice for twenty people. DH did some on-line checking with several agents and finally got a referral for a young woman who had been doing well working for an agency, then went out on her own. She was able to book the cruise for all of us.

Another time we were having problems getting the rooms we had booked, so our TA ran it up the chain of command and finally got a vice president to reserve the rooms we needed, then comped the whole family a dinner to the upscale dining room (equivalent to Palo) because of the hassle.

She escorted our family cruise to Alaska and even baby-sat for some of the young families.

More recently DH and I had booked a river cruise, but the cruise line didn't want him to take his electric mobility scooter onboard. Our TA also ran that one up the chain of command, or we would've had to cancel (and our TA would've pulled a lot of future business from that cruise line.)

For a "normal" cruise, if you don't want the nice(!) onboard credit, then you don't need a TA. It's nice to have professional assistance for not-so-normal cruises. (Why be normal?)

Certainly a TA can do much more, but the basic function is making reservations (and changes thereto) and taking the payments. I wasn't saying that's all they do.

 

[kiford]

We have booked both ways. I find planning a cruise with DCL pretty easy. But when a friend became a travel agent we decided to let her book a cruise for us and no matter how easy it is to work with Disney, it is easier to let her know what we want and she spends the time waiting online, making our special requests etc. We have now booked 6 cruise with her and she knows our habits and takes care of things we might forget and it doesn't cost us anything for her to do this - it is the same price whether we book it or she books it for us.

I can have a Professional do all the work at no additional cost. No time on hold with Disney. No time spend finding the best flights and fares, no time spent finding the best hotel since we have to fly in the day before. I just write the check.

This is true for us too. She's also given us tips and advice throughout the years that I wouldn't have known about but which enhanced various trips. I'm also more likely to get things fixed if there's an issue as she would have not only much better information about what to ask for to get what she wants but has the clout of an agency behind her which I do not. And she's one point of contact if there are problems and she arranges for all of the trip insurance too so I don't have to. I've even booked directly with WDW online for one reason or another and had the booking transferred to her. We rarely make changes to our core bookings (i.e., hotels, flights, cruises) and we're still able to do all of the other bookings ourselves (dining, excursions, etc.) so I feel like I get the best of both worlds: someone has my back, does most of the time consuming stuff, knows what to ask for and how to ask, remembers all of the little things I don't, but I have control of what I consider important for me to do personally.

 

[tvguy]

This is true for us too. She's also given us tips and advice throughout the years that I wouldn't have known about but which enhanced various trips. I'm also more likely to get things fixed if there's an issue as she would have not only much better information about what to ask for to get what she wants but has the clout of an agency behind her which I do not. And she's one point of contact if there are problems and she arranges for all of the trip insurance too so I don't have to. I've even booked directly with WDW online for one reason or another and had the booking transferred to her. We rarely make changes to our core bookings (i.e., hotels, flights, cruises) and we're still able to do all of the other bookings ourselves (dining, excursions, etc.) so I feel like I get the best of both worlds: someone has my back, does most of the time consuming stuff, knows what to ask for and how to ask, remembers all of the little things I don't, but I have control of what I consider important for me to do personally.

I just booked a cruise directly through Celebrity, not a travel agent. I have an issue.......and days later I am still waiting for a reply. But the holiday I'm sure doesn't help. With a TA the agent would be doing the waiting

 

[ludari]

I've done 10+ cruises and always used a TA for my cruises. I enjoy the fact I can give my TA all my cruise parameters and let them do all the work for me. I also don't loose any control over my cruise once it's booked and I can still visit the DCL website and view my cruise details and make changes if I prefer.

After 10+ cruises my TA and I have become friends (it's a small family run TA company). When we are on the same cruise I get invited to special meet ups and often spend one on one time with my TA discussing cruising and they have often made suggestions that I've taken advantage of. I've also called them to talk about cruise lines that I've never been on to discuss how they operate or compare to Disney. Do yourself a favor and use a TA you will not be disappointed.