Using an travel agent????

[Ally0005]

Has anyone used a Travel agent to help plan their trip?
I'm all confused, this will be our first trip. My children will be 7 and 3 when we travel. I got the passport book, it's help, bu it's still all confusing.
We plan to go early June 2007.

 

[disneydancer1969]

what about planning it yourself? you would save money, make sure things are absolutely set, and is more trustworthy. that is what we do every year. but if you really want to that is fine too.

 

[AJKMOM]

I used a travel agent for the first trip, but found I could do it myself online. The main disadvantage is that some TA's don't know much about Disney. Also, they sell packages, and sometimes you get things you don't need, like the tickets to Wide World of sports that we have and will probably never use.

Another problem is that if everything is done thru a TA, you can't check on things or even ask questions directly to Disney, it all has to be done thru the agent.

Probably if you can find a Disney expert it would be good for your first trip. I think the good ones know how to get better discounts and have ways to find out if, say, the airlines have lowered their prices since you booked. You should try one of the travel web sites, like Travelocity, Expedia or Orbitz and see what you come up with. Then, try a TA and see if they can beat the price.

 

[sherreis]

We're using a TA for this trip - our first trip in 17 yrs and first for the boys. First time staying onsite. I'm very happy with her. The day that the package discount came out she emailed me first thing in the morning and told me that she had upgraded us to a moderate and were still saving money.

If your're going to use a TA - make sure it is a Disney specialist. The TA's I spoke with at AAA knew absolutely nothing about DW. I had only been reading these boards for a short while when I went to AAA and I already knew more than those people.
Our TA would've made ADRs for us, but, I was able to make our own. A lot of TAs recommend you do your own airfare cause you can save money. Sometimes, they have to charge a booking fee.

 

[aka-mad4themouse]

It's been my experience that a TA can be very helpful in securing your reservations and making your ADRs. I still use a TA to make my ressies, but only because I know that she will continue to look for discounts once my ressie has been made.

Even if you use a TA, you will still need to decide when you want to go, where you want to stay, how long, how much to spend, and what you want to do once you get there. For those decisions, message boards like the DIS and a good guidebook like your Passporter can be invaluable.

My best advise would be to ask questions. No matter how basic they may seem, every one of us has had the same questions at one point in our WDW planning.

 

[I Love Pluto]

We use AAA each time. Somehow they save us about $200 per trip.

 

[pigletforever]

I used AAA for this trip. It was the first trip in 11 years. I actually had the TA call me a week ago and ask me some questions for another family that was planning a trip. (I learned it all on DisBoards) If I can answer the TA's questions then I think I can book myself.

 

[byoung]

Do my own planning.

 

[Donald is #1]

I have used AAA for most of my WDW trips and my Disney cruise. I always use the same AAA TA and I have always had good luck with her. For my trip in 3 weeks , I looked at booking it myself but I saved money by booking it through her. She also offered to get my MNSSHP ticket for me but I had already ordered it.

 

[UGAFan0829]

We didn't use a TA for our 1st trip back at the beginning of the month. I guess I'm just one of those who likes to have total control over my vacation. If I need to call Disney, I want to be able to do it then, and not have to ask the TA to do it and then wait for a response from them.
I know that planning a 1st trip can be very overwhelming, but I have found that these boards are the most vaulable resource that you could ever find.
Truthfully, I have contemplated using a TA before, but not for the planning advantage, but simply for saving $$.

 

[TinksMagic54]

We used Small World Travel in 2004 and are using them again this year. We booked early with no codes, discounts, etc. Once the codes and discounts came out, she immediately knew about it and emailed me my options and savings. She also handles all the ADR's which means I don't have to get up super early to get the locations and times I want.

Get an travel agent who is knowledgeable about Disney. Read these boards EVERY DAY and ask questions.

Oh ya, and enjoy your trip!

 

[Ally0005]

Has anyone use Academy Travel to help plan their Diseny trip?

 

[sarehm]

I am a travel agent so of course I am biased but if you've never used an agent before when you call an agency ask for the Disney Expert. I've graduated from Disney's College of Knowledge which is a tool that gives us TA's lots of info! Especially if you're planning your first trip there is so much that you probably don't know or have lots of questions on and that's our job is to inform our clients! We all have our niche or destinations that we love to sell and mine happens to be Disney!

 

[Along4theRide]

Orginally posted by Ally0005
Has anyone used a Travel agent to help plan their trip?

We are also going the first part of June for our 1st ever trip to WDW! I read and researched for a couple months, then decided to go with Dreams Unlimited. I didn't want to mess up our first trip, and basicly wanted advise. The service is free and they have been very helpful so far. Our travel agent reserved our package (resort, tickets & dining plan) and will be making our ADR's for us. She's even making an itinerary out for us! So some of the stress is off of me, but I'm still learning new stuff everyday!!

 

[Corwin12]

My TA did not anything about Disney ... though she pretended to. I am planning our next trip and having more fun doing it.

 

[smnornes]

I am a travel agent so of course I am biased but if you've never used an agent before when you call an agency ask for the Disney Expert. I've graduated from Disney's College of Knowledge which is a tool that gives us TA's lots of info! Especially if you're planning your first trip there is so much that you probably don't know or have lots of questions on and that's our job is to inform our clients! We all have our niche or destinations that we love to sell and mine happens to be Disney!

DITTO! LOVE my Grad Mickey Ears! I'm a travel agent, too, and KNOW that many people here on the boards are more familiar with Disney than a lot of TA's. But there are those TA's out there who are very good at what they sell, like Disney. TA's can price packages from a variety of suppliers, not just Disney Travel Company, to look for the best rates. But, be aware that there are agents/agencies out there that charge fees for their services, so aske before you start working with someone...fees are on ongoing debate with agents/agencies....some do, some don't.

Another problem is that if everything is done thru a TA, you can't check on things or even ask questions directly to Disney, it all has to be done thru the agent.

This is not true. You wouldn't be able to make changes to your booking, but you can certainly call for information and questions.

To each their own, really. Some people LOVE planning. I do! Some people would much rather let someone else handle everything. It is just a personal preference. Once you find a good TA, though, I think you'll really appreciate him/her.

 

[renknt]

If you want to use an agent why not give Dreamunlimitedtravel.com a try?

They not only will give you a quote but will help make your trip wonderful.


They also are really good people , and they are a DISboards sponsor,

 

[Ally0005]

I got quotes from two different TA both Disney Specialist . Both quotes were very close only a few dollars different.
Can I really save money planning my Disney trip myself?

 

[themudd4]

My TA doesn't offer any real plans...I always go online check out the rates...call my TA (AAA) and have her check the rates she can get me. We drive so I don't have to worry about air fare or anything, and we know where we are going to stop roughly on the way their and back so it makes it a little easier for us but I am a planner of vacations...but at the same time I also like to take things as they come. We plan our meals out first (which if you are thinking about the dining plan it was a great thing for our family) then we planned out our days to where we are planning to be for that meal or what ever, then we just take things as they come.

 

[cybrkitn]

A lot of TAs recommend you do your own airfare cause you can save money. Sometimes, they have to charge a booking fee.

I can vouch for that one! We used a travel agent at the state university my DH works at to do our airfare, only because my DH is going down for a conference and university is paying for it. He's going down on the 21st and DS4 and I follow on the 25th. We are all coming back together on 11/1 so the only airfare we had to pay for was for me and our son. And we did get hit with the booking fee.

All other Disney planning and booking I have done myself. Not bad for a first timer!