Travel agent or not?

[Nikki71]

I have always booked my trips myself to Disney. What are the benefits to using a travel agent?
I feel like I will lose control over the process…I am a little bit of a control freak.

 

[beachdreamr1229]

I'm a bit of a control freak, too, but I decided to go with a travel agent this time because I just don't have the time I used to have for booking and I have a complicated reservation (2 rooms, some accessibility issues, etc.). So far, the process has been super easy and I don't really feel like I've lost control of my trip. The rooms got booked quickly. They provide a newsletter via email every couple of months with updates. If anything needs to be added or changed, it's done with a quick email (i.e. adding Memory Maker after reservation already made). I haven't hit my ADR date, so we'll see how that goes, but overall, it's been a great experience so far and I'm not spending hours on the phone or online trying to figure stuff out.

 

[PollyannaMom]

We've done our own many times in the past as well, but for our most recent trip (December 2018) we did use a travel agent. It was a "really split" stay, as we we arrived for a few days at one resort, left that resort to visit family for Christmas, then came back to a different resort for a few more days after. It just complicated things, so I was glad to have someone with more experience and confidence handle it.

It was wonderful, they did a great job, and we got cute little premium gifts too.

 

[msshaner]

I didn’t feel using a travel agent got me the best experience, but we did use one for our first trip.

 

[EACarlson]

For a person like you, and me, the benefits will be negligible if any. I used a travel agent for the first time on our 2019 trip and will never do it again. It seemed like I had to fight with the agent to get what I wanted done, and things weren't done on our timeline or how we wanted them done. It was great for my mother and SIL who are not planning people and don't know all that much about the ins and outs of WDW. I do. I literally had to make my wife do all the communication in the last month, because I would have lost it on our agent. My SIL on the other hand thought it was the best thing ever, of course she had no idea what she wanted for ADRs, fast passes or anything else so just went with the agents suggestions. Yes it takes more work to do it yourself, but if you're like me, you're doing most of that work anyway researching and planning.

 

[PalmettoPath]

I agree with the responses here. I did sell Disney travel for a time as well. If you are an experienced Disney traveler, then the odds are that you'll want to maintain control over your stay -- and you may know more than the agent who is working with you. On the other hand, if you are new to Disney travel it can be challenging to navigate all of the options and choices, so an informed and experienced travel agent can be a huge help.

The one thing to keep in mind is that if you are like me and you often like to change rooms when checking in (for a better floor, better view option on the floor etc.), you cannot just do it if you have booked through an agent. They will have to do it, which removes that flexibility from your stay. At the end of the day, IMO it really comes down to how experienced the travel agent is. If you can find a really knowledgeable Disney travel agent, that's probably the most important point.

 

[Best Aunt]

... If you are an experienced Disney traveler, then the odds are that you'll want to maintain control over your stay -- and you may know more than the agent who is working with you.... At the end of the day, IMO it really comes down to how experienced the travel agent is. If you can find a really knowledgeable Disney travel agent, that's probably the most important point.

This. If the travel agent is not knowledgeable about Disney, you may know more than they do.

I once had a travel agent insist that the cost of a Disney hotel room was going to be more because I was travelling solo. I said that made no sense; Disney charges by the room, not by the person (assuming no extra adults in the room).

I kept pressing her for clarification, and she finally said, "Oh, we always price it out as per person double occupancy."

Well, duh, if I were going to be sharing the room with someone and we were going to split the cost, it would be cheaper for me. But she was making it sound like Disney was going to charge more for the room because there would only be one person in it.

 

[tguz]

I use a TA just so I am not the one on the phone forever if I need a clarification or need to contact someone. They also keep an eye out for discounts that might benefit me. The first time we went (after years of not going) my TA told me a few things that I didn't know that helped us out so their general knowledge helps sometimes. She told me to not forget about making reservations for BOG for lunch, it is a QS (at the time). Turns out we loved it there and ate lunch there three time over 2 vacations. Plus, things are still tough for a lot of people, and they hopefully appreciate the business and commission pd to them by Disney.

 

[yaya74]

I also use a TA for all my travels (WDW, Universal, etc) but I have full control of my reservations and itinerary. The purpose of having a TA is to save me time on the phone and also to be on the lookout for discounts and promotions. It doesn't cost me anything extra and my book will help someone generate some extra ncome. Why not??

 

[Cheburashka]

I have always booked my trips myself to Disney. What are the benefits to using a travel agent?
I feel like I will lose control over the process…I am a little bit of a control freak.

Certain agencies offer rates for Disney resorts that are unavailable to the general public. Certain agencies can get perks at some offsite resorts like Four Seasons. Personally, I only use an agency if I can get a discount or perks. Otherwise I'm happy to book myself. There's nothing more convenient than being the one in immediate control of my own reservation imo.

 

[Best Aunt]

I also use a TA for all my travels (WDW, Universal, etc) but I have full control of my reservations and itinerary.

How do you have full control of the reservation if you use a travel agent? My understanding was that if you want to call Disney about something related to your reservation, they won't speak to you if your reservation was booked by a travel agent, they will only talk to the agent. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Nikki71]

How do you have full control of the reservation if you use a travel agent? My understanding was that if you want to call Disney about something related to your reservation, they won't speak to you if your reservation was booked by a travel agent, they will only talk to the agent. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

That makes me not want to use a TA.

 

[_19disnA]

Correct, if you use a 3rd party to make your reservation, Disney will no longer talk to you. I think virtually everyone has access to a computer/internet now, so the reason to use a travel agent is much less then in the past. They use the same publically available websites to make your reservations. You will probably spend more time explaining what you want and your preferences vs just doing it yourself. Only if they can offer discounts NOT available to the general public would I consider using them. With the whole covid situation, unless they are VERY current with things at Disney, they could provide bad information. I really doubt most travel agents have ever been to the places they are booking so it isn't like they have some great personal experience of where you are going.

 

[yaya74]

How do you have full control of the reservation if you use a travel agent? My understanding was that if you want to call Disney about something related to your reservation, they won't speak to you if your reservation was booked by a travel agent, they will only talk to the agent. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I meant I have control of my ADR, FP+ (pre-covid) and everything else but my hotel reservations. If I need to change date and hotel location, I would tell my TA who will take care of it. Once I have to reschedule my trip and would need to pay for penalty fee. My TA worked with WDW and no fee for me to pay. Never had an issue and I really love my TA.

 

[leebee]

I've used a travel agent three years ago because there was/is an agency that can sometimes offer really amazing deals because they block-book rooms at Disney and then can resell at a really decent discount. I got a package at AKL with a partial savanna view room and 5 day base tickets for about $195 a night for two of us, tax included. I can't find that kind of a deal on my own. Right now, I used the same TA to make two sets of reservations, but hotel only. For our August trip, I had her make the reservation so she gets the commission (I was getting the same price at POP that she got, but I like to think that I'm helping her earn a living). I did my own flight, park tickets/reservations, and ADRs. She also made the reservation for my daughter's honeymoon in Nov., once again hotel only. Right now it's at rack rate because Disney hasn't dropped discounts for that time frame (and I realize they may not) but with a new semester starting and having 250 students who've never been in a lab before, along with planning a wedding, I just don't have time to stalk Disney discounts... so she'll do it for me.

 

[Jennywebb]

I am the same way! I love to plan things and tweak them myself, but using a TA is very helpful. They will work with you and your planning!

 

[Kirby]

For our first trip to WDW back in '96, we used a TA. She came highly recommended but hindsight is 20/20 and she was not real WDW knowledgeable. Did it take enjoyment away from our trip? No, fortunately we had no idea what to expect so we still had a great time. I planned my last three trips on my own but the next one in 2022 I'm probably going with a TA but one that specializes in WDW. They'll be seven of us (ages 4 - 65), three rooms needed and right now, disagreements on where we want to stay. So I need quotes and if some pixie dust is provided, that would be great.

 

[jaredjohn4]

We just use a TA for the airline flights, something simple that I could do myself. I drive the 1100 miles with the camper and the dog. DD flys with connecting flights from MI. DW flys nonstop from IL. If something happens with storms or plane problems I want someone with some insider information to help out while I am enjoying the sunshine in Disney.

 

[shawthorne44]

Just an idea. For seven of you wanting three rooms, it might be better and much much cheaper to rent a large house. With the cost of a 5-bedroom, being about one value room, you'd have money for a rental SUV, Uber fares for when one vehicle wasn't enough, G+ and IA$$$ for everyone for every park day, some nice meals and still have money left over.

One thought, with the only real remaining on-site perk being the half-hour early entry, it now easy to put a price on the on-site perks. People should be able to do one IA$$$ for free with standby during early entry. So, the value is whatever the IA$$$ price is multiplied by the number of people that can make it to the ride. If they do a Running Of The Bulls during early entry, some people won't get any benefit. If they do a controlled CM walk, then everyone that can wake up early should.

 

[colleen.jeanne88]

I am in the beginning phases and I personally love planning- so doing the full thing for me was a no-brainer. Were planning to do a split stay between Poly and AKL, 4 park days, 3 rest days, DAS pass for my 30 year old sister who is coming with, and well use airline miles for our flights. I like the thrill of dining reservations days, etc.