Travel Agents

Courtnie1811

Courtnie1811

Well-Known Member
I've been shopping around looking for different prices. I've had several agents email me back with reasonable price quotes and last night i had on email me a price. I wanted a tower room at the Contemporary. She quoted me a price at the poly because she said there were no rooms available at the resort that i was requesting. I explained to her that i already had 3 other agents quote me a price using that resort and she was the first to tell me this. I even looked it up on the Disney web site and had no problems. She then told me that because im not a club member i would have to wait 7 months before my trip to make a reservation for that resort. This doesn't make sense to me. Also the real kicker here was that the trip she quoted me was almost $2,000 more than the other quotes I've received.

Does anyone have any opinions on these travel agents? Which ones do you recommend NOT using?
 
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wiigirl

Well-Known Member
LuLaSue said:
Kingdom Konsultants....;)
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The only ones I used. Not sure if they are the cheapest, but I have never ever been dissapointed.

75.gif
 
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flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Courtnie1811 said:
I've been shopping around looking for different prices. I've had several agents email me back with reasonable price quotes and last night i had on email me a price. I wanted a tower room at the Contemporary. She quoted me a price at the poly because she said there were no rooms available at the resort that i was requesting. I explained to her that i already had 3 other agents quote me a price using that resort and she was the first to tell me this. I even looked it up on the Disney web site and had no problems. She then told me that because im not a club member i would have to wait 7 months before my trip to make a reservation for that resort. This doesn't make sense to me. Also the real kicker here was that the trip she quoted me was almost $2,000 more than the other quotes I've received.

Does anyone have any opinions on these travel agents? Which ones do you recommend NOT using?
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She was likely referring to Bay Lake Tower - which is the DVC wing at the Contemp. Disney does rent those rooms out as well, but they are a different class of rooms and pricing than the normal Contemp.

It's really best when dealing with travel agents to deal in SPECIFICs, as in exact room type, view, etc.. the devil is in the details.

You can always book with Disney first.. and then shop agents and see if anyone can do better and offer you more. There is no penalty for booking and canceling at Disney when the dates are far out.
 
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onesandzeros

onesandzeros

Active Member
I just posted this under another tread, but fits here as well.

I’ve had great success in working with an agent from Small World Vacations. They are Disney experts
and I believe they only do Disney trips. The agent will find you the best current price and then
monitor your reservation for offers that may become available that saves you $$$$.
http://www.smallworldvacations.com/
 
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Courtnie1811

Courtnie1811

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
flynnibus said:
She was likely referring to Bay Lake Tower - which is the DVC wing at the Contemp. Disney does rent those rooms out as well, but they are a different class of rooms and pricing than the normal Contemp.

It's really best when dealing with travel agents to deal in SPECIFICs, as in exact room type, view, etc.. the devil is in the details.

You can always book with Disney first.. and then shop agents and see if anyone can do better and offer you more. There is no penalty for booking and canceling at Disney when the dates are far out.
Click to expand...

I did specify that which room I wanted. She said those were unavailable. And if they are only for club members why can i book a room on the disney website?
 
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captainkidd

captainkidd

Well-Known Member
Just book it yourself. It's so simple. Call Disney, tell them the resort you want. If you're a member of AAA, tell them that as well. No general discounts are out yet for next year. Just check Mousesavers daily before your trip and if a discount comes out, call Disney and they'll get it applied.

I agree with flynnbus - The agent was no doubt referring to Bay Lake Tower, which explains the 7 month window and the price. She clearly was either trying to oversell you a larger room, or just doesn't know what she's doing.
 
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flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Courtnie1811 said:
I did specify that which room I wanted. She said those were unavailable. And if they are only for club members why can i book a room on the disney website?
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Because Disney rents excess DVC rooms directly. Bay Lake Tower (BLT) is a DVC timeshare. But Disney also rents unoccupied BLT rooms directly as 'cash' reservations... aka reservations paid for directly, not for by points.

The agent may just not know that you can rent DVC rooms too.. but again, they are different rooms, with different rules and expectations. Do not look at them interchangable with Contemporary rooms.

She may be trying to tell you there are no openings at the Contemporary Resort.. while others may be seeing the same, but trying to quote you a DVC rental at BLT.
 
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nepalostparks

nepalostparks

Well-Known Member
Like others have said, it sounds as though the agent either misunderstood what you wanted, or was trying to upsell you to a suite in Bay Lake Tower.

Booking direct through Disney isn't that hard if you know exactly what you want, but it is nice to work with a travel agent who can answer your questions and give you advice when you need it. Disney reps will not freely offer advice or discounts - you have to specifically ask, and even then, you're only going to get the company line, not necessarily the best advice for your own situation. A good travel agent will help weigh the pros and cons, and offer the best option for you - and not just the most or least expensive.

Whatever travel agent you decide on, look for one that specializes in Walt Disney World, and preferably a small business as opposed to the big companies, as you are much more likely to get great personalized service with a smaller agency or independent agent.
 
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Master Yoda

Master Yoda

Pro Star Wars geek.
Premium Member
Courtnie1811 said:
I've been shopping around looking for different prices. I've had several agents email me back with reasonable price quotes and last night i had on email me a price. I wanted a tower room at the Contemporary. She quoted me a price at the poly because she said there were no rooms available at the resort that i was requesting. I explained to her that i already had 3 other agents quote me a price using that resort and she was the first to tell me this. I even looked it up on the Disney web site and had no problems. She then told me that because im not a club member i would have to wait 7 months before my trip to make a reservation for that resort. This doesn't make sense to me. Also the real kicker here was that the trip she quoted me was almost $2,000 more than the other quotes I've received.

Does anyone have any opinions on these travel agents? Which ones do you recommend NOT using?
Click to expand...
It is hard to say exactly why that agent could not find the room you requested while the others did. It could have been anything from him/her not understanding what you wanted , a glitch in Disney's reservation system to a flat out mistake on the part of the agent. What I can tell you is the prices you will get from legitimate agencies, as well as checking yourself on Disney's website, should all be the same (minor exception for AAA) for the exact same same vacation. We all pull from the same systems and are given the same pricing. AAA does offer a minor room only discount year round but travel agencies can access that rate as well. What I have often seen happen is different agencies or even agents can include or exclude options such as park hopping, water park option, insurance as well as a myriad of other details. On occasion, some agencies will not include current promotions, (most will) causing a significant price difference. Bottom line is agency A,B and C should all give you the exact same price for the exact same vacation. If one is different find out why as something had been added or removed or worse yet, something fishy is going on.

If you like, feel free to email me the quotes you have received and I should be able to dissect them and come up with a good idea of exactly what you have been quoted. richard@kingdomkonsultant.com
 
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flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
Courtnie1811 said:
hmm...maybe so flynn.....I'm torn on which resort to stay at right now. There are so many options
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If you are willing to do some checking on your own.. I highly recommend two sources
1 - http://www.allears.net is really good for ticket pricing information, and details on food offers (including many menus, prices, etc)
2 - http://www.mousesavers.com/ is great for 1) listing all current promotions and 2) seeing all the rack rates for all properties. So you can really understand what is the baseline cost for each property on the dates in question

My last suggestion is.. understand the exact tickets you are after.. price them out.. and then ensure when looking at ANY vacation package.. you double, triple, and check again that the tickets included are the same, and subtract their cost out of the package to compare different offers.

The Disney webpage is actually pretty decent to price shop with.. as long as you know the tickets you want and can identify room costs vs ticket costs.

Good luck
 
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Courtnie1811

Courtnie1811

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Master Yoda said:
It is hard to say exactly why that agent could not find the room you requested while the others did. It could have been anything from him/her not understanding what you wanted , a glitch in Disney's reservation system to a flat out mistake on the part of the agent. What I can tell you is the prices you will get from legitimate agencies, as well as checking yourself on Disney's website, should all be the same (minor exception for AAA) for the exact same same vacation. We all pull from the same systems and are given the same pricing. AAA does offer a minor room only discount year round but travel agencies can access that rate as well. What I have often seen happen is different agencies or even agents can include or exclude options such as park hopping, water park option, insurance as well as a myriad of other details. On occasion, some agencies will not include current promotions, (most will) causing a significant price difference. Bottom line is agency A,B and C should all give you the exact same price for the exact same vacation. If one is different find out why as something had been added or removed or worse yet, something fishy is going on.

If you like, feel free to email me the quotes you have received and I should be able to dissect them and come up with a good idea of exactly what you have been quoted. richard@kingdomkonsultant.com
Click to expand...

I just submitted a price quote to your agency.
 
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disneygirl76

disneygirl76

Carey Poppins - Nanny and Disney Enthusiest
Courtnie1811 said:
I've been shopping around looking for different prices. I've had several agents email me back with reasonable price quotes and last night i had on email me a price. I wanted a tower room at the Contemporary. She quoted me a price at the poly because she said there were no rooms available at the resort that i was requesting. I explained to her that i already had 3 other agents quote me a price using that resort and she was the first to tell me this. I even looked it up on the Disney web site and had no problems. She then told me that because im not a club member i would have to wait 7 months before my trip to make a reservation for that resort. This doesn't make sense to me. Also the real kicker here was that the trip she quoted me was almost $2,000 more than the other quotes I've received.

Does anyone have any opinions on these travel agents? Which ones do you recommend NOT using?
Click to expand...

I don't use them. I book myself through waltdisneyworld.com. However, if I did, I would only use Kingdom Konsultants.
 
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bmarkelon

bmarkelon

Well-Known Member
Maybe she just misunderstood and thought you were referring to Bay Lake Towers at the Contemporary when you said tower room? She may not be familiar with the wings at Contemporary??? Not sure but I would just go with one of the others anyway, even if it was a misunderstanding....doesn't sound like she knows her stuff.
 
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