Travel Agent or DIY?

[Philharmagically]

I have the answer....

As an international tourist (which, let's face it, Disney is marketing towards with the advanced planning), I had absolutely no problems with MDE. I booked my hotel room, got dining reservations for CRT. And at 60 days I got FPs for Anna & Elsa, SDMT, PPF, etc.

But my cousins... Well that was a different story. They were booking their whole trip to America through a travel agent. Given that they are staying at the Hilton (on property), my cousins had to wait until 30 days to book FPs. The problem being that Disney did not give the travel agent the "voucher" for their tickets until 30 days before the trip. As a result, my cousins did not get their tickets to put into MDE until 20 days before their trip, not getting any of the Fastpasses that they wanted....

TL;DR: Don't use a travel agent for booking Disney, especially if you are staying off-property.

 

[Nemo14]

I don't think that one case justifies condemning the whole industry, and I'm sure that our sponsoring agents here from @Kingdom Konsultant, as well as the hundreds of clients they have assisted, would agree.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I think it's great to use a travel agent for Disney (a reputable one who will stay on top of things like ADRs and FP+, and who is willing to educate you about your options), at least until you get to the point where you feel confident about what to do, yourself. A TA is also great if you'd just rather not have to do too much planning and fussing around on the Disney website. As more of an OCD person, I really enjoy reading up on the latest refurbs and policy changes, and messing around with the planning, so we haven't used a TA since your first trip.

I can't speak to the OP's experience, as I've never heard of that kind of "voucher" arrangement. It's odd that the TA had no ticket or confirmation numbers to give them... maybe one of the TAs on here can weigh in.

 

[Mickey81]

I don't really see the need for a travel agent. Planning and researching is part of the fun. Anyone is capable of booking their own trip and doing just as good as a travel agent. However you can't judge the entire industry based on one account. I'm sure there are plenty of very good travel agents out there.

 

[Philharmagically]

The problem is not specialist Disney travel agents, but general travel agents planning Disney as part of a larger holiday package. That's why I booked the Disney portion of my holiday separate to the travel agent.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

TL;DR: Don't use a travel agent for booking Disney, especially if you are staying off-property.

I too am an international traveller to WDW. We're booked through a UK based travel agent. My booking was on my MDE account inside seven days of it being booked. The accommodation is there, as are the tickets - all ready for booking my FP in a couple of months (at 60 days).
Its seems that your cousin was unlucky and their booking was an exception, not the norm.

Perhaps it was something to do with their Australian travel agents, not the travel industry as a whole ?

 

[Philharmagically]

Its seems that your cousin was unlucky and their booking was an exception, not the norm

You mentioned about having Disney accommodation - hence automatically linked to MDE. Whereas, my cousins are staying at the Hilton (suggested by the travel agent who obviously doesn't know about on-site perks). So it was only the tickets being bought from Disney - hence the problem.

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

You mentioned about having Disney accommodation - hence automatically linked to MDE. Whereas, my cousins are staying at the Hilton (suggested by the travel agent who obviously doesn't know about on-site perks). So it was only the tickets being bought from Disney - hence the problem.

I've re-read both your posts and I'm still confused.
As everything was bought through the same travel agent, the TA should have been in receipt of the ticket details within a week of the booking (as I was) - unless the booking was made at the very last minute ie around the 30 day mark in which case to get the ticket details within 10 days is more or less acceptable.

 

[sjhym333]

So the problem really isn't about travel agents (plural) but a single travel agent who didn't have the knowledge or experience of booking a Disney vacation in all its wonderfully huge glory.

 

[Master Yoda]

I don't really see the need for a travel agent. Planning and researching is part of the fun. Anyone is capable of booking their own trip and doing just as good as a travel agent. However you can't judge the entire industry based on one account. I'm sure there are plenty of very good travel agents out there.

I did not either until I started to use one.

I did my own planning, booking and research for more than a decade. I then became friends with Marie (@wannabeBelle) who worked for Kingdom Konsultants. After a year or two I started letting her book my trips.

You never quite realize how much work you are doing until you suddenly do not have to do it anymore.

The daily checks of sites like Mousesaver for new promotions were replaced by receiving an email or call from Marie telling me that a promotion came out and she had already re-booked me.

Instead of having to get up at 6:00 AM 180 days out to make dining reservations I just emailed Marie a list. I would then get an email with all my ADR times and conformation numbers on day 180.

When I needed to make a change I just dropped a single email to Marie. No waiting on hold for days, no dealing with a CM that just started or was having a bad day...just a quick note, hit send and done.

I can not imagine booking and kind of a Disney trip on my own anymore when there are agents out there like Marie that can do it better than me and don't charge me a dime.

 

[dreamfinder]

Your story is no different than those of people who book their vacations through TAs like AAA in the US. Not all TAs understand the complexities of booking a Disney vacation, and treat it as no different than a holiday in Rome or a trip to NYC. Outside of perhaps a very trendy/popular restaurant and tickets to a sporting event, rarely does anything need to be booked/reserved as far in advance as things at WDW.