Has anyone used MouseEarVacations to book a trip?

[Buckeye]

If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts, advice, insights, suggestions, etc. My family and I are planning a trip for next June and any help would be appreciated. (Also if anyone has used another similar service, please share that info too!)

Some of my questions:

Is there a fee for their service? If so, what is it?
Do they make priority seatings for you? How about character meals?
Do they communicate with you and let you know how to get the best rates?
What kind of "package" are you required to book?
Do they take care of special room requests for you?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

 

[csm7030]

I haven't used this (or any other) service. We have our AP's and always book our room directly with Disney. I would be interested in hearing the advantage of using this (or any other) service to book your trip?

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hey there everyone!!! I have used a travel agent a long time ago. It was just a local outfit, nothing special about them at all. I booked a nice vacation no particular discounts were given and it was OK. The agent wasnt much more up on Disney stuff than I was which wasnt much at that time. As I had become more and more familiar with the discounts offered by Disney I had taken the booking of all the components and did it myself. I was comfortable that I was getting the best possible rates and all the right Priority seating etc as I was doing them myself. Eventually I met and was impressed by Pam who is the travel sponsor for these boards. The name of the company is Kingdom Konsultants, her link is on the home page for WDWMagic. What I like about Pam specifically is that I can put in an order for a specific resort, for a specific time frame. Once any discounts I Am eligible for ( AP holder here!) she will either book me at that rate for a room only package at the discounted rate or will automatically transfer me over. I trust her to do this and she hasnt failed me yet. She is also a bit of a Disney nut as we all are on this board so she knows Disney the way VERY Few other travel agents do. She goes to Disney with her family and so she has first hand knowledge that your average agent may or may not. Most of the info on these boards a normal travel agent wouldnt know so you are already one up!!!! Onto your specific questions:
1) Fee?? No I know Pam and the local travel agent that I originally used back in the dawn of time did not charge a fee and are paid from Disney themselves for booking you. I cant guarantee that every place wont charge you, but given that Disney is paying them a commision already Id question why they would be charging you in addition.
2) Priority Seatings/ Character Meals: I still prefer to do this on my own, however I Know Pam will do this for you if requested. She does this as a part of an itinerary planning feature that is available. Pam will charge for this sevice if it is the only service you are getting from her. If you book a package ( Air, hotels, tickets to parks, transfers etc) with her I know she includes the Itinerary at no charge.
3) Best rates/ discounts I was never aware of any discounts that were available for any of my trips prior to me booking rooms on my own and finding out about discount codes!!!! I am not so sure how conversant most travel agents would be in this. I Am sure agents like Pam who specialize make it a point to find out about the discounts, but I wouldnt swear that for everyone. Also please note a travel agent that was used by a friend of mine has a clause in their contract ( NOT DISNEY) that if you cancel or change the trip for any reason, you will incur a 10% penalty!!! For her that was a penalty of $300 which negated any savings that she may have been able to get if her agent rebooked her!!! Make sure before you agree to any booking that you read all the fine print and know what limitations you are going under!
4) Again I am unaware of what individual travel agents policies and procedures are, but I know with Disney you can book anything from a room only reservation all the way up to a package that would include everything ( meals, airfare, transfers, special events, tours, etc) and I do mean EVERYTHING!!!! it is all possible so dont let a travel agent tell you it cant be broken down into indiivdual components. There are some limitations such as you cant add a meal plan onto a room only reservation I dont believe, but it should be minimal if any.
5) Special room requests should be handled at the poiunt of booking and listed as a request. Disney will never guarantee you that request but will work with you to achieve your request. Re state your request at the point of check in just to be certain that it was noted.
Just a note here, if you need to make any changes to your booking if you did it though an agent, the agent is the ONLY person who can make the change!!!! If you are having a hard tme getting a hold of your agent it could be an issue!!!
Hope this helps, post any more questions and I will do my best to answer them!!! Belle

 

[Atlaslaw]

If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts, advice, insights, suggestions, etc. My family and I are planning a trip for next June and any help would be appreciated. (Also if anyone has used another similar service, please share that info too!)

Some of my questions:

Is there a fee for their service? If so, what is it?
Do they make priority seatings for you? How about character meals?
Do they communicate with you and let you know how to get the best rates?
What kind of "package" are you required to book?
Do they take care of special room requests for you?

Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

I have a trip for February 2005 booked thru MouseEars. There is no fee for the service. They can make PS for you. Once booked they will watch for any codes/discounts etc. and get you the best rate for your trip. They book Room only, or packages. Mine is Room only. I must say that so far the contact I've had with them has been extremely prompt, courteous, responsive and efficient. I'm pleased thus far. Hope that helps.

 

[AEfx]

Hehe, Belle - are you on Pam's payroll? Just kidding!

Anyway, I have always found it almost as much fun planning my own trip and have never used a travel agent, only because I don't buy packages. I have *never* found a package price that I couldn't easily beat by booking everything myself.

If you are someone that doesn't enjoy micro-managment of your own vacation, then going with someone like Pam is the way to go. From what I understand Pam doesn't force you to take packages like many agents do, and wannabeBelle and others who have used her services speak very highly of her. She also knows all the in's and out's of WDW if you don't want to deal with it yourself.

AEfx

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hehe, Belle - are you on Pam's payroll? Just kidding!

Anyway, I have always found it almost as much fun planning my own trip and have never used a travel agent, only because I don't buy packages. I have *never* found a package price that I couldn't easily beat by booking everything myself.

If you are someone that doesn't enjoy micro-managment of your own vacation, then going with someone like Pam is the way to go. From what I understand Pam doesn't force you to take packages like many agents do, and wannabeBelle and others who have used her services speak very highly of her. She also knows all the in's and out's of WDW if you don't want to deal with it yourself.

AEfx

One would think so huh?? Nah I am just very happy with all that she has been able to do for me in terms of getting me the rooms I want at the resorts I want in the time frames I want for the best prices available. I also hate to see a person get steered wrong because of an ill informed travel agent!!! Do yuo believe that one time a young lady who I work with tried to book a Disney trip with a pretty major travel agency ( National chain type) He wanted to book her at full rate when there was a special on Disneyworld's own website!!!! I printed off the quote from them and gave him the code and he ( reluctantly) booked her at the lower rate. When she asked about a character breakfast, he had told her that they would have the breakfast at the hotel they were staying at. Well as she was at the Carribean, that would have been tough because at that time the CB didnt even have a sit down restaurant, let alone a character breakfast!!! I helped them to set up Cinderella's royal table and it was good!!!! I have heard all kinds of things told to people by well meaning but ill informed travel agents from "Oh your child wont enjoy EPCOT" I disabusd the parents of that notion and sent them off to the park with a game plan to keep the little one amused while Mom and Dad were able to enjoy some grownup stuff. One guy told me that his agent booked them over a year in advance for Cinderella's Royal Table I told him it couldnt be done that way and to call WDW DINE and check. Sure enough the agent booked them a package that included a character meal, the agent just thought that was the only one!!! See what I mean?? I could go on, but I think you get the idea. As it is with access to these boards and our knowledgable people, these people are already a step up from the general public!!! Belle

 

[Buckeye]

Thanks for all the info. It will be a big help. Although I am somewhat of a micro manager, I have had trouble booking hard to get PS's (i.e. Cinderella's Breakfast) as I have to be at work by 7:00 AM which makes calling at that time difficult. :hammer:

Also, I was hoping to have someone help me determine if buying an AP was worth the discount on the rooms. We live in Ohio and my wife and I are both teachers, so we might only be able to use the AP on one trip. Maybe I'll just bother you guys on here with my silly questions.

Again, thanks for your help!

 

[rosebud's mom]

Hi Buckeye,

I'm another Ohio native ( former teacher - now stay-at-home mom )who just bought an AP. We saved over $ 250 on our room for 4 nights with AP rates. Of course, I'm hoping that having the AP will convince my husband that we should take another trip before the year runs out !! If he won't, I can always rent myself out to other families who are looking for a way to save on the room ! Only one of you needs the AP to get the room discount, but the reservation has to go in that name. You also get a lot of lunch discounts, which may or may not be worth it depending on how much you typically spend on meals.

enjoy !

 

[wannabeBelle]

Thanks for all the info. It will be a big help. Although I am somewhat of a micro manager, I have had trouble booking hard to get PS's (i.e. Cinderella's Breakfast) as I have to be at work by 7:00 AM which makes calling at that time difficult. :hammer:

Also, I was hoping to have someone help me determine if buying an AP was worth the discount on the rooms. We live in Ohio and my wife and I are both teachers, so we might only be able to use the AP on one trip. Maybe I'll just bother you guys on here with my silly questions.

Again, thanks for your help!

Nah your questions arent silly!!! Keep em coming!!!!! As far as the hotel rates I think it is a pretty good deal, however please keep in mind that they are NOT guaranteed to be given as part of the benefits of an Annual Pass. That having been said I think there has only been one time frame ( exclusive of blackout periods around certain holidays) that the rates were not offered. That was over the last few years so it wasnt bad. I thinnk someone just dropped the ball on that one personally, but I have no idea why in fact they werent released. The general discount is somewhere between 35 and 40% off the room rack rates. For example, a standard room in December at a Moderate hotel is normally $133.00 a night, my price is $79.00 a night. Neither of these two prices include tax. Add on tax for a price of $88.15 a night or there abouts. Hope this helps!!! Belle

 

[Ex-Floridian]

Hope y'all are talking about Pam S. She is the bomb!

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there, If you are talking about Pam VanSyckle, yes she is. This is quite an old thread and as my signature now shows, I do work with Pam and the rest of our great team at Kingdom Konsultant Travel. I hope that the information I had given previously was of some help to you. Have a great night all!!! Marie