There are seriously still people charging for Disney planning services? Wow...just, wow. I guess if they can reel in clients and keep the wool pulled over their eyes, more power to them.
Travel agents that specialize in Disney, yes. (I believe plenty of Disney guidebooks are being sold too?)
Let me lift the wool.
Many wanting to plan a Disney vacation are overwhelmed by info to the point of paralysis; most of my clients are first timers who are overwhelmed by the massive amount of information and changes, my other clients are those that go often and just want someone else to do the work for them. They can't stand calling the Disney call center and being on hold or dealing with inconsistent Cast Members, they hate the Disney website - sound familiar? We do the work for them, we explain the "Disney speak" to them in terms they can understand.
For those that pay, they are paying for a service, just like any other service professional.
Surveys over the last few years show that more people are working with travel agents and are willing to pay for their services. Many predicted that the travel agent was becoming extinct due to the internet, but many find booking engines and call centers to be very impersonal and not consistently helpful.
Many know that travel suppliers like Disney pay the agents a commission for each sale; what many don't realize is that those agents work many many hours, especially to plan a Disney vacation. Take a $2200 Disney vacation, for example, the commission is just over $200; unless the agent is the owner of the agency, this is split sometimes as low as 50/50 with the agent and the owner. Taking into account all of the price quotes that are done before a client books their trip, all of the work consulting with the client to help them with itineraries and dining, explaining Fastpasses etc, one agent can easily work 20 to 40 hours over the course of 6 months or more - all for that $100 or $150 commission - possibly earning $5/hr. Don't forget to subtract out the marketing items that they can give to you - stickers, business cards, magnets, autograph books, and gift cards, and they are lucky they make enough money to help with their yearly Disney vacation. Granted, the more expensive a trip is, the higher this commission is; but sometimes those with more expensive trips demand more attention - and more planning hours.
Those Disney focused agents that value their time and want to make money like a true professional are either charging fees now or they will be soon, IMHO.
This will become even more prevalent as travel suppliers reduce the commission that they pay, the airlines did it years ago, cruise lines are chipping away at it now.
Please excuse the off-topic explanation.
-Joe
