Travel agent or not?

[tseitel]

In that case I was misinformed by my Dreams TA.View attachment 799224

Yes, if they told you that you were definitely misinformed. Every single trip we’ve taken my daughter & I both log into my account to tackle dining reservations. Have been doing it for years.

 

[Pickles516]

Yes, if they told you that you were definitely misinformed. Every single trip we’ve taken my daughter & I both log into my account to tackle dining reservations. Have been doing it for years.

That’s disappointing. Kinda reaffirms my decision not to use TA’s anymore.

 

[meremac]

In that case I was misinformed by my Dreams TA.View attachment 799224

You definitely were misinformed. Yes your TA does need your username and pw for your MDX account, but more than one person can absolutely be logged into the same account at the same time making dining reservations. I do it all of the time.

 

[meremac]

Kinda reaffirms my decision not to use TA’s anymore.

Please don't let a bad experience cloud your view of TAs in general. Many of us are extremely dedicated and have worked very hard to build businesses over a long period of time (even when the obstacles sometimes seemed insurmountable during the pandemic). Good TAs are very dedicated and bring a lot of value to the process, working tirelessly with their clients every step of the way. It's completely a personal decision whether or not folks choose to use a TA, but I can assure you that there are many many good ones who work hard to make a name for themselves and to provide for their families. I'm not saying this is what was happening here, but I've seen these types of threads quickly degenerate into TA bashing, and lumping all TAs together is just really unfair.

 

[Pickles516]

Please don't let a bad experience cloud your view of TAs in general. Many of us are extremely dedicated and have worked very hard to build businesses over a long period of time (even when the obstacles sometimes seemed insurmountable during the pandemic). Good TAs are very dedicated and bring a lot of value to the process, working tirelessly with their clients every step of the way. It's completely a personal decision whether or not folks choose to use a TA, but I can assure you that there are many many good ones who work hard to make a name for themselves and to provide for their families. I'm not saying this is what was happening here, but I've seen these types of threads quickly degenerate into TA bashing, and lumping all TAs together is just really unfair.

Nothing against TA’s in general, or even the one I used that was lackluster. I just don’t really see any need to use one to book Disney for my family. I’m sure there’s value in there for others or under different circumstances, but I can’t think of a way that a TA would be of use to me.

 

[EACarlson]

Nothing against TA’s in general, or even the one I used that was lackluster. I just don’t really see any need to use one to book Disney for my family. I’m sure there’s value in there for others or under different circumstances, but I can’t think of a way that a TA would be of use to me.

Completely agree with this. The fact that we are here limits the uses for TAs for WDW. In 2019 we had a TA and it didn't seem to do much. My SIL travels completely differently and it was a lifesaver for her.

 

[Pickles516]

Completely agree with this. The fact that we are here limits the uses for TAs for WDW. In 2019 we had a TA and it didn't seem to do much. My SIL travels completely differently and it was a lifesaver for her.

Yeah, I’m a weirdo so I’ve been researching hardcore since I got the thought of going to Disney in my head. I don’t think I’m the target audience lol

 

[Evinrude21]

I say yes. We have always used the same one and they are fantastic. Could we do it all ourselves? sure but I also don't want to wake up and sit on hold for dining

 

[Jack15129]

(Deleted duplicate message)

 

[Jack15129]

I’ve known people that swear by a TA.
We use one always for Disney Cruises.
For WDW vacations, we do not use one. The planing is still so much part of the fun! Although these days, the fun turns to frustration a bit with the degree of scheduling needed.

Speaking of scheduling…Who misses the old fast pass system?
-fond memories of inserting passes into machines to get passes! Kids loved doing that!

 

[bakerworld]

I've noticed a few posters indicating TA's service as a reason to not use a TA. My advice is if you TA is not providing a service at the level you expect then ditch them. You don't have to leave the whole agency just call another branch. The original TA will probably discover this but it's a 360 learning experience. They need to know to answer the phone, the email and provide pricing and service commensurate with the expectation. If they cannot provide the price expected, than an explanation shouldn't be the last offered service.

We use TA for cruises and we've always enjoyed the experience.

 

[Pens Fan]

We use a TA primarily for cruises. We're DVC owners so can't use one anymore for our WDW trips. The thing with TA's is while you do lose some control over the process, if something goes wrong they can be a great help. They have contacts and clout that you as an individual do not. We ran into this on a cruise several years ago where NCL had to cancel and reschedule a bunch of cruises. When we went to rebook they weren't honoring what they had originally promised, price wise. After a few days our TA was able to work her contacts, got everything fixed and we even ended up paying less than what we'd been originally promised. If I had booked that myself I doubt that would have happened. Also, I've lost track of the number of cruises we had to cancel and rebook over Covid. My poor TA was the one doing all the heavy lifting on that instead of me.

Now, all that being said what I would not do is use an online or big box agency (and yes that includes DUT). I know they can be really popular for the OBC they often offer, but I prefer dealing with someone locally that I know personally and can trust. She still always gives us some kind of gift or discount for booking with her and while it might be smaller than what the larger agencies offer, I never have to wonder where her priorities are. I guess you can get lucky with the big agencies and get assigned a good one, but I'd never take that chance with my family's vacations. If my TA ever wins the lottery and runs off to the islands or something I'll make sure she gives me a good recommendation for a new one before she goes .

 

[SL6827]

Wonder if Disney will ever sell blocks of rooms to TA again?

 

[rdevans_2000]

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.

We have done both. A good travel agent can save you time and hassle. And you don't really lose control... you can still log in to MDE and make ADRs, add special event tickets, etc.

 

[Robber Baron]

I'd be hard pressed to find a TA that is more knowledgeable about Disney than me.

I have used a TA a couple times only because they had access to an agency exclusive that suited my needs at the time.

 

[SL6827]

I'd be hard pressed to find a TA that is more knowledgeable about Disney than me.

I have used a TA a couple times only because they had access to an agency exclusive that suited my needs at the time.

Exactly.

 

[jshoemak]

Completely agree with this. The fact that we are here limits the uses for TAs for WDW. In 2019 we had a TA and it didn't seem to do much. My SIL travels completely differently and it was a lifesaver for her.

You are paying for a travel agent whether you use one or not. Why not support a small biz, even if you want to do all of the planning? TA's will do as much or little planning as needed.

 

[EACarlson]

You are paying for a travel agent whether you use one or not. Why not support a small biz, even if you want to do all of the planning? TA's will do as much or little planning as needed.

Why add to my own aggravation to get someone else money they didn't earn? I'm not paying for a TA, the amount of commission they get from Disney is I'm sure carefully calculated. I'd rather that money stay with Disney rather than going to to someone else for either not doing any work or actually making my trip more difficult. Wife has a friend that is a Disney TA, this one actually seems to be listening to what she is telling them she is looking for from a TA.

 

[SL6827]

Why add to my own aggravation to get someone else money they didn't earn? I'm not paying for a TA, the amount of commission they get from Disney is I'm sure carefully calculated. I'd rather that money stay with Disney rather than going to to someone else for either not doing any work or actually making my trip more difficult. Wife has a friend that is a Disney TA, this one actually seems to be listening to what she is telling them she is looking for from a TA.

I've never paid a TA. Like directly. Only use them on cruises.

 

[tguz]

I have found that it is not so much that a TA knows more than me or that I can't book my own trip. For me it is knowing that if there is an issue, I am not the one on hold with Disney forever and I have experienced my TA notifying me of a deal that had just came out and she got it added to my reservation.....no time spent by me.