Magical Express Documents

[nhpennington]

Howdy y'all...
First post on this board but it has been a huge help on planning my first trip to WDW! My wife will be going down on Aug 7. I booked my trip to AAA travel and have determined today that I have not recieved my Disney Magical Express Documents (luggage tags etc). I spoke with the travel agent and she said that it wasn't a big deal that Disney just didn't sent it. She stated that I will have to speak with the Disney people at the airport and explain the situation and then wait for my bags to show them because they will not be tagged. First, this seems to defeat the purpose of the Magical Express and two, I don't remember her ever asking for my flight information so it seems to me that she may not have booked it. Should I be worried? Any hope for getting this resolved one week out?

 

[mousefan1972]

I don't think all TA's are bad. The folks at Kingdom Konsultants have been great. I am an overly detailed person, and this year gave them a try......never again will I book on my own! They have made the process much easier and a lot less stressful!

Thanks KK (Elizabeth)!

If you read carefully I said that TA. She obviously didn't do right by NH. I haven't used KK (yet ) but everyone here speaks highly of them... and it also seems AAA gets quite a bit of negative comments.

 

[Dwarful]

Pam got us the last of our ME paperwork yesterday! She is amazing. We had a few in our group who waited for 'cheap fares' and were well past the deadline to actually get the packets...but somehow they got lucky! Thanks Pam!

 

[jjgoo]

I'm glad to see the OP got things worked out and it's also great to see that reps from Kingdom Konsultants are so willing ot offer advice. I really think that I am going to give them a try for my next Disney vacation.

I would like to mention though that I used AAA for my last trip and the one I have upcoming and they have been great. So I would suspect that it is not AAA necessarily that is the problem but more the agents that were used. Just like I attribute my good experience to my AAA agent.

Having said that I would really suggest that the OP complain. Go down to the office or ask to speak to a supervisor and explain the less than stellar service and then make them go over you package to make sure everything is correct. They are not giving you the service for free. You pay an annual membership to AAA and the agent gets a commission from Disney. You deserve service.

I would highly suggest that all travellers use travel agencies (and no I do not work for them nor does anyone I know). I just feel that a good TA is the best person to get you good prices and be an advocate for you when you are on vacation. Also travel agencies work as advocates in the travel industry to help keep prices reasonable and service good. Unfortunately you do run into agents that are bad at their job but that happens in all industries. I would just like to applaud the good ones.:sohappy:

Now I'll step down from my soap box. Thank you. :lol:

 

[OneLuckyMom]

Having said that I would really suggest that the OP complain. Go down to the office or ask to speak to a supervisor and explain the less than stellar service and then make them go over you package to make sure everything is correct. They are not giving you the service for free. You pay an annual membership to AAA and the agent gets a commission from Disney. You deserve service.

I'd take it a few steps further

First, I'd put the complaint in writing. Be sure on the letter to CC: the corporate office complaint department (very clearly, up front in the letter - you want the local office to see that the letter is also going corporate). If you'd still like that in-person response, you can deliver it personally to the local office.

Also, aren't TAs usually regulated or licensed by some sort of state agency??? I'd add that agency to the CC: list on the letter if that is indeed the case. If there isn't an agency you can easily identify, just send it to your state consumer protection agency.

One thing that also really helps is to be explicitly clear in the letter just what you want to happen as a result of the complaint. Possibly a credit of your annual membership fee, since clearly you didn't receive the benefits of it and in fact had to waste a good bit of YOUR time sorting out the problems?? Or would you be happy with just additional "customer service" training for the TA??

 

[KnK]

If you read carefully I said that TA. She obviously didn't do right by NH. I haven't used KK (yet ) but everyone here speaks highly of them... and it also seems AAA gets quite a bit of negative comments.

Did not mean to offend you....just wanted to give the folks at KK yet another pat on the back

 

[mousefan1972]

No offense taken, just the way it was worded made it seem as though I said stay away from all TA's. As mentioned above there are good ones and bad ones (as in all professions). It stunk that the OP's TA dropped the ball on his ME reservation, and then blew him off. The days leading up to a much anticipated Disney trip are busy enough; worrying about something that should have been taken care of already is unneccesary stress. Luckily it worked out.
P.S. I agree that a complaint to AAA is warranted!

 

[wannabeBelle]

Thanks guys!!!! I like to think that we at KK Are some of the good ones!!!! I agree the complaint to AAA is definitely warranted. AAA has a corporate agreement with Disney so any problems should definitely be brought to Corporate headquarter's attention. I Am sure they wouldnt be taking it so lightly because "this happens all the time" and"it is no big deal" I appreciate the compliments for the KK group and we do try to do the right thing by all our clients and to help our friends on WDWMagic as much as we can!!! Belle

 

[pinkrose]

I don't think all TA's are bad. The folks at Kingdom Konsultants have been great. I am an overly detailed person, and this year gave them a try......never again will I book on my own! They have made the process much easier and a lot less stressful!

Thanks KK (Elizabeth)!

You are welcome! Thank you for the kind words!

Thanks guys!!!! I like to think that we at KK Are some of the good ones!!!! I agree the complaint to AAA is definitely warranted. AAA has a corporate agreement with Disney so any problems should definitely be brought to Corporate headquarter's attention. I Am sure they wouldnt be taking it so lightly because "this happens all the time" and"it is no big deal" I appreciate the compliments for the KK group and we do try to do the right thing by all our clients and to help our friends on WDWMagic as much as we can!!! Belle

Couldn't have said it better myself Marie! I too appreciate the compliments for the KK group!

 

[pinkrose]

To make a long story short, everything is all set.
As for the whole story...
I finnaly got a hold of my agent last night. She reassured me that everything was booked and that if I had any other questions between now and the time we left to give her a call. After that phone call, I started getting a bit nervous so I called the Disney's Magical Express number and guess what...we were NOT booked for any transfer. Furious, I called her back only to get her voice mail that stated that she would be out of the office for vacation starting Aug 1 until Aug 7. Seeing as how we leave on Aug 6, that makes it rather hard to contact her with questions. I called Disney back and they were able to locate my reservation and book the DME transfer. Very dissapointed in AAA travel and very happy with Disney to get eveything figured out. Thanks also for all y'all's help in this issue!

Bless your heart. I am so sorry that this happened to you, but am glad that it is all ok now.

I hope that you have a wonderful time on your vacation!

 

[ThinkTink721]

I believe you are supposed to have your paperwork in order to board the ME from the airport to WDW.
Unfortunately, on our trip last summer, we forgot to pack our ME reservation papers in our carry-on luggage (it was in our checked luggage).
After speaking to the person in charge of the ME, we were able to board the ME bus w/ no problems.
We will be sure to pack our papers in our carry-on for this trip!
:wave:

 

[janni518]

Crud, another AAA horror story. I was thinking of using them for my trip.

Is the discount I'll get really worth the possible aggravation? Didn't I read somewhere that other TA can get you the AAA discount as long as you're a member? I'm getting very nervous about using them, which stinks as that's the reason I joined AAA in the first place. :lookaroun

 

[disneyfan1966]

I have used AAA for both my last trip and the trip I have coming up in December. I have saved an average of $400+ on both trips. I had great service both times I have used them. I will say, however, that each office may be different. I know our AAA office is in Jackson, MS, and that there are several more offices around. When I called the 1-800 number on their website, this is the office that they have me use. I have also booked with Disney direct for 2 trips, and both avenues have been great for me. I just like saving the extra $$ with AAA. I have not found another travel agent who saved me as much. Of course, I have not tried KK (yet), but who knows, I will probably give them a call on our next trip just to check prices. I hope this helps.

 

[CleveRocks]

Crud, another AAA horror story. I was thinking of using them for my trip.

Is the discount I'll get really worth the possible aggravation? Didn't I read somewhere that other TA can get you the AAA discount as long as you're a member? I'm getting very nervous about using them, which stinks as that's the reason I joined AAA in the first place. :lookaroun

For a room only reservation, you can get the AAA discount yourself by calling Disney, or you can do it through a TA.

But if you want the AAA discount on a package, then you must book through AAA, no exceptions.

Also, keep in mind that AAA discounts are not always available for all room types ... there is a limited number (actually, a limited percentage) available. It's not just like the discount means you get a set amount off the price. Either there are discounted rooms available, or there are not. And it will vary by exact dates of reservation, the resort, and the type of room within that resort.