Travel agents? Are they worth going through?

[GotEarsSayCheers]

Looking to book a trip for September of next year 2019 and I have heard people tell me that travel agents can sometimes lock in better deals than what the Disney site has to offer. Do any of you recommend a travel agent? Why or Why not?

 

[dreamfinder]

TAs typically don't have any better deals than what you can get direct. The only exception to this is when a TA books a block of rooms that Disney gives them a better rate on, that they pass onto the customer. But those are usually limited to a set time frame or resort. Similar to a hotel offering a discount to a wedding party or convention.

Recommending a TA depends on you, and your habits. If you go with a respected Disney focused TA, they will usually rebook your reservation if/when a discount gets announced that you are eligible for, and may be able to suggest things like changing your dates slightly to get better rates. Many people here have success with @Kingdom Konsultant as their TA. They can do as much or as little as you would like. They will usually offer to make your ADRs, or they will give you your booking info and stay our of your way.

Most of the horror stories arise when people just try to book with a local TA. Many TAs that don't focus on WDW don't understand the importance of things like FP+ bookings, ADRs, etc and simply don't respond promptly when they need to.

 

[Minnie Mum]

Travel agents can not get better deals than you can, unless they offer blocks of rooms as previously mentioned. However a GOOD Disney specialist TA may be able to grab a discount for you before they're all gone (if you've already made a booking with them.) And a GOOD Disney specialist TA can be of help for first time visitors, since they know all the ins and outs of ticket and dining options. The right ones will help you with most of your planning.


I keep emphasising GOOD and Disney Specialists, because all TAs are not created equal, and a bad one can do more harm than good. This board is sponsored by a highly rated agency that many on this forum recommend. Or, if you are a WDW veteran who prefers to to keep things in their own control, you can do everything a TA does on your own time.

 

[Master Yoda]

As long as you use one that specializes in Disney like @Kingdom Konsultant then they are worth their weight in gold.

Booking a trip with my agent at KK consists of 2, maybe 3 emails at most. The first is me giving Marie (@wannabeBelle ) my travel dates, resort choices, etc. She emails me back with the particulars and I tell her what to book. If I need her to reserve dining I give her that info as well.

That is it. I am done. The only thing I really have to do after booking is go on the trip. Everything else is taken care of.

Marie monitors all of Disney's promotions and automatically rebooks me if something better comes out. If something like my resort or my dates needs to be tweaked to get a promotion she will let me know what my options are and I can make the decision.

There is no checking for discounts daily. There is no getting up at 6:00 AM and pounding the phones if a promotion comes out. There is no getting up at 6:00 AM to do the same thing for dining.

Marie does all of that for the low, low price of $0. I can't imagine doing it any other way.

 

[J_Krafty24]

I booked with a TA that specializes in Disney vacations for my upcoming trip. When free dining was released I had an email less than an hour after it went live that she had added it to my vacation. Then I spent the rest of the watching the threads on here about how people were spending hours on the phone trying to add it to their packages.

If you do go the travel agent route go with an agency that is well known among the Disney fan community (there are a few of them) and not a local TA or AAA TA. Most local and AAA agents do have have even a fraction of the knowledge on Disney. A friend of mine just this year tried going through a local TA. It was really bad. Same years ago when my in-laws booked through AAA. The AAA agent had never even heard of free dining and didn't know how to book anything other than their standard package that they book for everyone.

 

[JillC LI]

Kingdom Konsultants? Definitely yes! They make it so much easier for me to book my trip. They price out various options and take care of the booking I want. That doesn't save me any money but it definitely saves me time and convenience. And then they monitor discounts that are released and will try to get them applied to your booking the moment they are released. I don't like to relinquish control over my ADR and FP+ bookings, but I don't have to with Kingdom Konsultants (although you could if you wanted to). I highly recommend them.

 

[LeighM]

I booked with the TA company that offers the agency exclusive discounts because they block chunks of rooms at different resorts. You can get a really good rate on the room that way. I got a discounted room at French Quarter (which is not often available for good room discounts direct thru Disney). However, I cancelled that reservation when a Disney Visa room discount was released that gave a deep discount for rooms at Coronado Springs. I love Port Orleans but I could not refuse that cost savings! Otherwise, I'm too controlling over my reservation and plans and don't want anyone else to "own" the reservation. I want the ability to control changing the reservation and cancelling if I want, without going through the TA so I'll only do that for those discounted rates.

 

[Minnesota disney fan]

We only use a certified Disney TA, and have for years. She is up to date on all things Disney, gets good deals on packages, books our flights, and is an excellent Disney representative. It is nice to have someone you can trust to take care of all the details for you.
I would only book with Certified Disney TA;s however. That is their only business and the one we use is great!

 

[hsisthebest]

If this is your first trip to WDW or it's been a long time, then a travel agent could be a benefit just help narrow down hotels and dining. I would also highly recommend a WDW travel guide book or app, such as Passporter just to give some hints and ideas for what to expect with buses, how big the parks are, and how to get around.

 

[Kristamouse]

If we are staying on property, which hasn’t been in a while, 6 kids here, we always use Kingdome Konsultants. I have also recommended them to my family and friends who have had great trips.
So, YES aide a TA is not KK then make sure it is a good one.
Our neighbors used AAA locally and I knew more and correct the agent there. It was a bit of a mess but ultimately worked out...

 

[Pirate Magic]

As long as you use one that specializes in Disney like @Kingdom Konsultant then they are worth their weight in gold.

Booking a trip with my agent at KK consists of 2, maybe 3 emails at most. The first is me giving Marie (@wannabeBelle ) my travel dates, resort choices, etc. She emails me back with the particulars and I tell her what to book. If I need her to reserve dining I give her that info as well.

That is it. I am done. The only thing I really have to do after booking is go on the trip. Everything else is taken care of.

Marie monitors all of Disney's promotions and automatically rebooks me if something better comes out. If something like my resort or my dates needs to be tweaked to get a promotion she will let me know what my options are and I can make the decision.

There is no checking for discounts daily. There is no getting up at 6:00 AM and pounding the phones if a promotion comes out. There is no getting up at 6:00 AM to do the same thing for dining.

Marie does all of that for the low, low price of $0. I can't imagine doing it any other way.

I agree Marie does EVERYTHING!!! I would not go any other way.

 

["El Gran Magnifico"]

I think to answer the OP. It depends. Agents/Agencies make sense in some instances, but not in others. To be clear, Agents provide an invaluable service..it's just a question on your need for them in a particular circumstance.

For me, I don't use agencies for Disney (well I guess Disney Destinations counts as an agency - so with that carve out). I take several 3-5 night trips throughout the year, and I'm comfortable enough with my knowledge about room discounts, ADR timing, and the overall Disney experience. However, if I'm planning a 15 day jaunt across Europe or Asia. Yep - more than likely using an agent.

For Disney, unless you're a local (semi-local within a few hours drive) or someone who has visited regularly - an agent makes sense. If you are coming from a distance (domestically or internationally) and don't have a firm grasp of the ins and outs I'd absolutely recommend the use of an agent. Agents give perspective, knowledge, and peace of mind. And their compensation does not come from you.

For most of us, we understand we can't have a 6pm FP for Space Mountain and make an ADR for Chef's of France at 6:30pm. I've seen similar like questions posted on this forum and others.

If you question the need for an agent......chances are you should probably use one. There's no risk in it for you. You're not going to pay more.

Edited to say: And use an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner or Earmarked Agency. Not one who does 90% of their business booking Vegas or Europe.

 

[tiggerlvr]

This was our first trip planned. We used an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner and she couldn't have done a better job. I gave her dates for reservation, times for ADRs and FP, and she did everything. She always checked with me before and after she booked, changed or added anything to our reservation. She also gave me the option of doing as much, or as little as I wanted in the planning process. Now we just can't wait to make our trip in 2 weeks!

 

[scheat]

Being long time vets we usually don't use an agent because I actually like booking everything myself-its part of the fun for me, however, I fully understand why some people would absolutely not enjoy doing it that way.
Out of town first timers should pretty much always use a TA. Once heard a gentleman state to his two beautiful kids at 1030am while standing in line for the monorail at the Contemporary-"We've had a good breakfast and now we have this whole day to see all of Disneyland! Excuse me sir, is this the train that goes to Animal Kingdom?" I helped them as much as I could in a short amount of time, but a quick pre-trip call to KK may have been mildly helpful for them.

 

[toonaspie]

Would a TA still be of help, if we were doing a last-minute trip? I'm in the kind of pickle where we're planning a trip (late Oct most likely) with no set dates and very likely missing several important booking windows.

 

[me_stitch]

We used a TA on our first visit back in '08 and our TA was very helpful (I had lots of dumb questions) The last few trips I've done myself mostly because I enjoy the planning and stuff. I'm doing a split stay with a cruise in the middle next September and I'm thinking about using her again though.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

@toonaspie Yes a good travel agent is going to work for you to try to get you not only the best deal but they will do their best to help you with whatever you need such as dining, stroller rental, etc

Kingdom Konsultant Travel has been doing this for a long time and we have been the forum sponsors for a very long time. We would love to work with you on your upcoming trip!

Pam

 

[Jayhawkie]

We use Kingdom Konsultants--Marie it is!!

 

[DarthVader]

So if I may, what is the costs of TA, such as Kingdom Konsultants? I lost out on snagging a discounted room the last trip, partly because I was staying at the Poly (less discounted rooms), but maybe I'll have more luck with KK? I suppose I want to balance what I get in terms of savings and service against the cost of such.

 

[Master Yoda]

So if I may, what is the costs of TA, such as Kingdom Konsultants? I lost out on snagging a discounted room the last trip, partly because I was staying at the Poly (less discounted rooms), but maybe I'll have more luck with KK? I suppose I want to balance what I get in terms of savings and service against the cost of such.

Zip, zero, nada.

They get paid a commission by Disney so they do not charge for their services.