Travel agent vs booking on your own

[DimpledDevil18]

I need some of my experienced WDW friends to settle an argument between my Dad and I.

I'm trying to plan a trip for next October during Food and Wine for myself and possibly my sister. We have used travel agents to book in the past and most recently used a AAA travel agent for our trip this past August. I originally went onto the Disney website and got some figures for the dates I had in mind. Meanwhile my Dad called up his AAA agent to see if she could get a better rate and she wound up with the same exact figure I got through the Disney website.

My Dad is very old school and thinks he knows it all. So he is convinced that there must be something wrong because he swears the travel agent has given him better deals than booking through Disney directly. He says in the past he has called Disney and gotten astronomical rates and that AAA was cheaper. I say he's wrong and prople mainly book through a travel agent for convenience or if you are not very familiar with Disney.

So do you get cheaper rates through a travel agent or is it the same as booking it yourself through the website without the work?

 

[Gabe1]

I have used Kingdom Konsultants for years. Marie is my travel agent too!!! She has gone over and beyond giving me the best quote for a trip. If she see a better deal she will make sure she will do her best to get it for you. When I first started to go to Disney I use to book my own trips, then I went to a different Disney travel agent ( but didn't like the agent and the service I was receiving). I have been with Marie and Kingdom Konsultants since 2009 and they always been fantastic.

The world of WDW travel has changed so much over the decades I've been taking my family to WDW as have the perks and incentives. My perks have mostly spun off the eldest kid of mine that is afforded CM like perks and discounts. This time given the time of year, the people going, the resorts we were interested in we just deemed we'd skip the CM thing and go for the free dining rather than be pigeon holed into dates available and restricted resorts available this year for the CM discount.

I loved my former travel agent but the world of Disney has evolved and it is a game of Chess now. My other kid and her colleague were both vying for Disney trips the same week, waiting for free dining. We used Kingdom and the colleague ventured on her own. Both seasoned Disney travelers. Well Marie got us the resort, dates and the free dining. The colleague well-wound up a week later, not at the resort she wanted, took the value resort with free dining vs moderate and paid to upgrade to regular. Next year colleague will be looking to speak with Kingdom. Yeah it can be done but it was so nice for DD just to get a nice email, Done.

 

[DfromATX]

Travel agents are great for newbies, but they never saved me any money. The first couple times we went, it was handy to have someone take care of things for you and advise you. After we learned the ropes, we started comparing and always got the exact same price as the Disney site. I felt like it was easier to just do everything online, though the agents were always friendly and helpful.

Agreed. We used a TA for our first trip, but like you said, "after we learned the ropes," it was easy to do yourself. (But, I am a "planner" so it's easy and enjoyable to me.) I don't remember my TA, who I still use for cruises, saving us any money. In fact, one year I saw a special going on after I had already booked, so I called Disney and they honored the special.

 

[Master Yoda]

If you find that another TA can get you a much better deal than the one you've already signed up with, is it ok to switch? I'm having an issue where I got another quote out of curiosity and it was much lower than what I'm already paying.

Do do a straight transfer from one agency to another, the original agent has to agree to it and fill out a form. If they do not, your only option is to cancel and re-book.

It would be a very good idea to make sure you are comparing apples to apples before you pull the trigger. Drastically lower prices from one agent to another often points to a mistake as all agencies should be giving you relatively the same price for the same package.

I can't think of single instance when I was a TA where an apples to apples trip came up different from on agency to another. I do however recall several times where a client told me they found a better deal only to find out that dates were moved or items in the package were changed (eg QS dining vs Deluxe, no park hopping all the way to different resorts.)

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Keep in mind that booking with an agency such as Kingdom Konsultant travel, you can still make any dining or fastpass reservations if you choose to do that. I have numerous clients that have me book their packages, find the discounts and then they make their own dining, etc. We so offer to help doing those if they would like us to, so it goes both ways. AND we don't charge a fee for doing it!

Pam

 

[Disney4family]

We used to use a TA. Then - we started to call WDW directly to add/change/amend our trip.
We do it all now.
We're DVC, AP, psychotic fans like everyone else here. We get to go once a year (for a loooooong time) - if not twice.
My sister won't ask me for any help. She uses a TA and is fine with that. She doesn't have to get up early to make reservations. She doesn't have to think and plan and play. She has someone to do that for her.
Everyone here knows that planning and thinking and playing and hoping and wishing and dreaming is all a part of the fun.
I wouldn't let anyone else do it for me.
I wouldn't want to miss out on half the fun of a WDW vacation.
We love doing it ourselves.
Do what's best for you. It's your magical vacation!