Thinking About Getting A Travel Agent! Is It Worth It?

[MKforReal]

I have been thinking about working with a travel agent to help plan and book my vacation. To my relief, I learned that Disney travel agents are free because Disney pays them. Awesome. But is that a good thing or a bad thing? Will they be giving me more expensive options because of this or will they be helping me get discounts and the best deals?

Another question: Are they usually just online or can I find them all over the place?

 

[PHS79]

When we were booking our Feb 2013 trip I priced out everything off Disneys site myself, then I called a TA that I had heard some very good things about. I got the price back from the TA and it was actually cheaper because she knew of a discount that was available, so we booked with her, then she also applied all deals that came out over the next few months.

We also booked our flights through her which ended up being a life saver. The night before we were to fly out, we got .25" of ice and at 11 PM we get an automated phone call saying that our flight at 7am the next morning was canceled and we had been rebooked onto the 11am flight, the problem was that we would miss our connection flight to MCO which left at 10:30. Deltas phone lines had over 4 hr wait times so we just went to the airport in the morning hoping to try and figure things out, which was useless. I called the TA as soon as her office opened at 8am. Literially within 30-45 mins she had out flight to MCO rebooked for 7am the next morning, a hotel room booked in MSP for that night, and all of our Disney reservations switched around. She even called me just after we got to WDW to make sure that everything went well. She is GREAT!!

We have recommended her to a couple of different friends that have booked through her, one of which just got to WDW today for 8 days. We are going to book of Feb 2015 WDW trip through her also.

 

[rjstone]

Was this discussion started by Kingdom Konsultants Travel as a way to promote themselves? Ignore the man behind the mirror. Anyway... I never use a TA. I have friends that were TA's during our college years...was a good way for them to make money. They made most of their money off people going to WDW or on a cruise ship somewhere. I remember them telling me how planning WDW vacations is easy money because there is nothing to it...and they never understood why folks let themsleves get so overwhelmed. I always plan my own WDW vacations....seriously...with the resources now days it is easier than ever to plan a WDW vacation. If you need a TA first time around feel free...I understand, but I think you will find in the end that you can plan a WDW vacation on your own and save money...without the middle person.

Tip - When going to WDW always purchase vacation insurance through Disney...especially if you plan to fly. Disney's refund policy on cancelled flights is better than the airlines. Another reason to book flights through Disney....lets say you book the flight through the airlines and at the check in counter they see your name on the reservation is misspelled and doesn't match your documents (drivers license, passport, etc) the airlines will charge you to fix it. However if you book the flight through Disney...the typo will be fixed free of charge by Disney. Anyway you can find more information or tips by simply calling WDW and asking questions...it's a great resource

You will have a wonderful vacation with or without a TA.

 

[wannabeBelle]

Hi there, I will tell you this thread was not started by anyone at Kingdom Konsultants and was not limited to a discussion of our agency. A good TA, especially one who is immersed in Disney is not as easy to find as you might think. There are some who are very good, and some not. Disney focused agencies such as KK do handpick all of their agents and make sure they are up to date on all of the latest and greatest information out there. Granted there is a LOT of information out there and accessing it is easier than ever but that requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the client. A good TA has the most up to date information and offers at their fingertips. In addition, I have a lot of personal hands on experience when asked what I thought of a particular ride, attraction, restaurant etc. Finding that information can be confusing at best as so many people have different opinions of the same experience. As previously mentioned, this does not cost the client anything out of pocket and they will not save any additional money by booking it themselves ( Assuming the same package components) so I ask you why would you not avail yourself of that level of experience?
Also a correction to your tip, If Disney misspelled your name, they will correct it at no charge to you. If however this information was confirmed with you and you misspelled your name on the original booking, you will be charged the change fee. Disney does recap the entire reservation on each booking, especially with air involved so be sure to pay attention to make sure that everything is correct from your end.
Marie

 

[Master Yoda]

Tip - When going to WDW always purchase vacation insurance through Disney...especially if you plan to fly. Disney's refund policy on cancelled flights is better than the airlines. Another reason to book flights through Disney....lets say you book the flight through the airlines and at the check in counter they see your name on the reservation is misspelled and doesn't match your documents (drivers license, passport, etc) the airlines will charge you to fix it. However if you book the flight through Disney...the typo will be fixed free of charge by Disney. Anyway you can find more information or tips by simply calling WDW and asking questions...it's a great resource

You will have a wonderful vacation with or without a TA.

There are actually third party insurance agencies that offer better coverage for less, sometimes much less.

A good TA could have told you that.