We are getting ready to book a Jan 09 trip and i'm just wondering what everyone's thoughts are about using an agent to book the trip. Are there any real benifits? Our last trip (07) I booked directly through WDW and it was fine. I'm just curious to know what others thoughts are. Pro or Con using an agent. TIA
We have used Dreams Unlimited Travel for the last 3-4 trips. They have been great. This past week I was out of town to take care of my father when the package discount came out so I knew nothing about it. I came home to an email telling me that she got the discount for us and we saved $299 plus get the free $200 gift card at check in Gotta love Dreams Unlimited!
We used Small World Travel and up until just before our travel date they were looking for deals for us. We booked aways out so when the deal for $59 Value Resort rooms came out she e-mailed us and our trip price was lowered to match the deal. Free dining comes out - same thing! I loved not having to be constantly watching and changing reservations if a better deal came out.
I used to book on my own until I found Magical Journeys. My agent is like a dear friend to me now and they have always found me the best rates for our resort. When our resort was not available on a special, they told me what was and asked if I would be interested in switching to save money. They really do go above and beyond. Find an agent you are comfortable with, an agent that makes it feel like your planning your trip with a friend. Then stick with her!
We use SmallWorld Travel They've been great at applying discounts I had no idea were out. It's nice having another set of eyes looking for deals. It costs the same as doing it yourself. I communicate via email and she responds promptly. If you're within 45 days of your trip, you may be better off booking it yourself. I tried to use our TA with our Dec trip but with us having to play "hop scotch" with the dates to find a cheap resort, it was better. She was still a big help, even though she doesn't get credit for this trip.
I was very skeptical about using a travel agent. I plan internationally trips for us all the time and gosh have not used an agent for anything since 1999 (and then it was for a crusie before you could book direct). But I read a lot that agents can find best rates and know about rates first. So I took the plunge. We are using Mouse for Less. Although it is sometimes frustrating to only communicate through e-mail and we've had a couple of miscommunications I'm still glad we are using them. Our agent has been good with checking on better rates. She had our reservations re-booked when AAA rates came out and with this latest promotion she secured a rate I could not get when investigating it online. So with our new promotion booking at AKL concierge we are saving $750 from our AAA booking. I'm thrilled as you can imagine. So I would use them again if taking another trip. Also if you are not the kind of person who is on disboards or others daily (like I am anywya) and don't want to have to keep watching everything (rates wise etc...) do get a good WDW travel agent. Ours even makes ADRs too. Good luck with your decision.
My agent did all the legwork for this latest promo. All I had to do was say yes. She will also arrange any and all ADRs that I might need and little things like that. Also, keeping an eye on price drops, etc. I find it worth it.
The only time I've had a problem with a reservation was when I used an agent. I prefer to book everything myself.
We are from Canada, and are using Fairytale Dreams & Destinations for our upcoming trip. They have been FANTASTIC. They have done ALL the work to secure the discount on the latest promo that was announced for our travel period. Our rep has booked all our ADR's, exactly as we requested, and has been a wealth of information when attempting to select the resort and restaurants that our family will most enjoy. I've never had to incur even one long distance call, and she's back to me (either by email or phone) within mere minutes of any question. She has arranged our travel insurance AND our out-of-country medical insurance. She has been an invaluable resource for us when booking flights (even more so than the travel agent whom we booked our plan tickets through). She is truly just amazing to work with! Honestly, she makes it soooo easy, we might just book another Disney trip before 09 is over!
It depends on what sort of trip planner you are! If you absolutely hate doing it, you should book with one of the Agencies mentioned here and let them take care of it for you. If you love planning the trip, and consider making the reservations part of the fun, then just do it yourself (that's what I do). You'll find out what discounts are available from this Board (as well as some others) and you can call and get the discount applied, if available.
I finally have dates for our trip (May 18th-24th, 2009) and am checking with a couple agencies which have been recommended to get quotes and suggestions. I'll check against the WDW website, just to see what they come up with, but will probably go with one of the agents. I do love planning, but I can't keep up with the discounts, etc....we're actually going to be staying at a Deluxe this trip and doing a couple tours, so I'm not sure how the pricing will come out. I will absolutely be planning the ADRs and all that
