Disney.com or travel agent?

[vigliottec]

So i'm looking for everyone's thoughts and experiences with booking through Disney or a travel agent.

which is better and why?

 

[nepalostparks]

Well, the benefits of using a travel agent that specializes in Disney vacations include having a point person with experience who can answer your questions, help with planning, and put together the perfect vacation that meets your needs. They may also offer to book dining reservations, etc, all of which means you don't have to spend your time doing it.

A good Disney travel agent will also keep an eye on your booking and if a new promotion comes out, see if they can save you additional money or upgrade your experience at no additional charge.

Most travel agents also do not charge any fees for booking a Disney vacation, so it should be the same price as booking yourself, except you don't have to do the work.

 

[rsoxguy]

I do not use a travel agent, but I can certainly see the benefits of using one. I think that it's really a matter of one's definition of convenience. I find more enjoyment and/or comfort in being in charge of details, while others may enjoy the ability to have someone else deal with things while they simply show up to the vacation. One thing about Disney though, I would recommend calling if you are going to deal with the details of your vacation yourself. The website is horrible on several levels of frustration.

 

[ShookieJones]

You've already got to good answers of what's better and why, but I'll chime in to say I'm in the camp of
D-I-Y.
This is because I love vacationing and planning for a vacation is ton of fun for me. WDW vacations (especially now-a-days) require the most planning and I am therefore happier than a pig in ship.

However if this is not your thing, then get yourself a travel agent (Kingdom Konsultants team around here are a fine bunch ) sit back and relax!

 

[nepalostparks]

However if this is not your thing, then get yourself a travel agent sit back and relax!

Even with using a travel agent, you can still plan most/all of the trip yourself. It just allows you to decide how much you want to do yourself and how much you'd like to let your agent do.

One other "benefit" of using a smaller, independent travel agency/agent is that you get to support the little guy and a local economy, since some of your vacation dollars (by way of commission through Disney) gets put into a small business as opposed to corporate coffers.

 

[vigliottec]

Well i definitely prefer planing it myself, however i hear some are able to save money by using a travel agent. i find this odd but the cheaper i make this trip the longer i can go for.

 

[kfergdisney]

It depends on whether or not you truly enjoy planning the trip yourself. Most Disney Travel Agents do it because they love Disney and love planning vacations for other people. I have a friend who is a Disney Travel Agent and all she does is help people plan their Disney vacations. Disney is the only things she plans trips for and she loves it!
I personally LOVE planning everything myself. It is a great thrill for me!

 

[TinkerbellKate]

I used a travel agent for the first time when booking my Disney trip for next month. The other 20 or so times I've done it myself either by website or phone. It actually was pretty nice using the travel agent and she found some great deals for me that I couldn't have found myself. I do love calling Disney directly to book a vacation but using the travel agent was definitely handy this time.

 

[Master Yoda]

Well i definitely prefer planing it myself, however i hear some are able to save money by using a travel agent. i find this odd but the cheaper i make this trip the longer i can go for.

When it comes to trips to a Disney park vacation, travel agents have exactly the same access to discounts that you do. There are no special databases, deals, etc that only TAs have access to. That being said, Disney specific TAs live and breathe this stuff. The good ones tend to know about every single promotion available and even how to tweak your trip to fit one.

Other than that, everything @nepalostparks stated in post 2 is correct. Before I was a TA at Kingdom Konsultants I used them to book my trips. Now that I am retired, I again use them. It is so much easier to contact a single, real life person and have them take care of everything than dealing with Disney directly. I send an email to @wannabeBelle and I am done. No more getting up at 6:00 AM to make dining reservations and no more scouring the internet for promotions.

 

[vigliottec]

aside from the normal 30% off rooms and free dining what other promotions have you seen in the past, i must be missing some good promos... maybe a TA could be better?

 

[Master Yoda]

aside from the normal 30% off rooms and free dining what other promotions have you seen in the past, i must be missing some good promos... maybe a TA could be better?

Those are the primary ones, but you will occasionally see PIN codes (I always checked to see if my clients had any in their name), military, Disney Visa and Florida resident. Your travel dates might also be right next to a promotion or your resort might be blacked out . A good Disney TA will contact you about minor tweaks to your trip such as moving your travel dates, switching resorts or split stays to qualify your for a promotion.

 

[vigliottec]

Those are the primary ones, but you will occasionally see PIN codes (I always checked to see if my clients had any in their name), military, Disney Visa and Florida resident. Your travel dates might also be right next to a promotion or your resort might be blacked out . A good Disney TA will contact you about minor tweaks to your trip such as moving your travel dates, switching resorts or split stays to qualify your for a promotion.

that could be a good one. i have the Disney Visa and i can go any date i want.

 

[draybook]

I do not use a travel agent, but I can certainly see the benefits of using one. I think that it's really a matter of one's definition of convenience. I find more enjoyment and/or comfort in being in charge of details, while others may enjoy the ability to have someone else deal with things while they simply show up to the vacation. One thing about Disney though, I would recommend calling if you are going to deal with the details of your vacation yourself. The website is horrible on several levels of frustration.

Same here but not because I necessarily enjoy taking care of the details. It's more of a control issue for me. The same thing applies to being in the car with my wife. She hates when I'm riding passenger because I hate not having control.

 

[dreamfinder]

Well i definitely prefer planing it myself, however i hear some are able to save money by using a travel agent. i find this odd but the cheaper i make this trip the longer i can go for.

They don't have access to any information about discounts that isn't available elsewhere. The benefit from using a TA is that they often have it all in front of them. (At least the good Disney specialists do) So they can see what dates the promotion runs for, and try to book accordingly, instead of you having to keep track of the promos, then check to see if there is hotel spaces available, try to book your flights, etc. Many of the good ones that specialize in Disney will often try to take advantage of discounts without you having to ask them to. So while your local AAA agent is capable of doing the same, many don't pay attention to the details, or have other things to worry about. But a specialist will track your trips, keep an eye on discounts that keep released, and try to rebook them at a lower rate on your behalf. A TA may be able to see a connection from your local airport that you aren't turning up, that might be cheaper due to how the airline searches work. But for things like rooms and tickets they don't have any special sauce other than hard work and knowledge.

 

[vigliottec]

Same here but not because I necessarily enjoy taking care of the details. It's more of a control issue for me. The same thing applies to being in the car with my wife. She hates when I'm riding passenger because I hate not having control.

im seeing a fine line between control and lazy for me

 

[Master Yoda]

im seeing a fine line between control and lazy for me

I was right there myself. I like being in the drivers seat. One day I asked myself "Are my trips better because I did all the leg work?" The answer was no, so I gave KK a shot. Best Disney decision I ever made.

 

[draybook]

im seeing a fine line between control and lazy for me

Lol, I try to be lazy sometimes but it doesn't go too well.

 

[vigliottec]

They don't have access to any information about discounts that isn't available elsewhere. The benefit from using a TA is that they often have it all in front of them. (At least the good Disney specialists do) So they can see what dates the promotion runs for, and try to book accordingly, instead of you having to keep track of the promos, then check to see if there is hotel spaces available, try to book your flights, etc. Many of the good ones that specialize in Disney will often try to take advantage of discounts without you having to ask them to. So while your local AAA agent is capable of doing the same, many don't pay attention to the details, or have other things to worry about. But a specialist will track your trips, keep an eye on discounts that keep released, and try to rebook them at a lower rate on your behalf. A TA may be able to see a connection from your local airport that you aren't turning up, that might be cheaper due to how the airline searches work. But for things like rooms and tickets they don't have any special sauce other than hard work and knowledge.

Well a flight from Boston can be over $400 so that is another good point

 

[vigliottec]

I was right there myself. I like being in the drivers seat. One day I asked myself "Are my trips better because I did all the leg work?" The answer was no, so I gave KK a shot. Best Disney decision I ever made.

How long does KK take to get you a quote, i emailed them last Wednesday and i haven't heard back am i being impatience?

 

[BoarderPhreak]

If you're a Disney n00b, let a pro guide you. If not, DIY!