Booking through a TA

[Joyce_Belle]

Hi! Just a short question... We’re planning to cruise again in 2020. This will be our second time. We’re considering to book through a travel agent this time, but it got me wondering.. Will the booking count in our Castaway Club membership? If so, how to do that? It would be a reason not to book through a TA because ofcousrs we’d like to level up our membership.

Thanks!

~ Joyce

 

[drnp]

Hi! Just a short question... We’re planning to cruise again in 2020. This will be our second time. We’re considering to book through a travel agent this time, but it got me wondering.. Will the booking count in our Castaway Club membership? If so, how to do that? It would be a reason not to book through a TA because ofcousrs we’d like to level up our membership.

Thanks!

~ Joyce

Yes you get credit. Just give the TA your CC numbers.

 

[diznymom]

You get credit for sailing. No matter who you book your cruise with. Personally, we love Dreams Unlimited. They have awesome OBC and a gift basket (for USA and Canada residents....or you can pick one up at their store in Central Florida).

 

[Narnia_girl]

Hi! Just a short question... We’re planning to cruise again in 2020. This will be our second time. We’re considering to book through a travel agent this time, but it got me wondering.. Will the booking count in our Castaway Club membership? If so, how to do that? It would be a reason not to book through a TA because ofcousrs we’d like to level up our membership.

Thanks!

~ Joyce

I currently have a cruise booked through a travel agent and when I log on to my Disney cruise account I can see all my cruise details as well as all my Castaway Club details: CC number, the meter which shows our level progress, etc...

 

[DC to Poly]

There's really no downside to using an agent. I've been a small world client for all of our cruises. They are particularly helpful if you are trying to book on the day Disney releases a new batch of sailings. And there's always some extra OBC.

 

[Mainsail Minnie]

We book via Costco and get a huge cash card after the cruise. Yes, you always get your Castaway Club credit no matter how you book the cruise.

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately I can’t book through Dreams Unlimited because I live in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, booking through a TA is handy for planning the complete trip through one company.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[JoeFromSeoul]

I live in Korea and booked our last cruise through Dreams Unlimited. Whenever I emailed Elaine E. with questions during my daytime hours, I received responses within minutes during what I assume were her nighttime hours. Great service every time.

 

[Lisa Skier]

Loved having booked through a Travel Agent on my most recent cruise - the ill fated Dream Cruise that left this last Friday. They were on hold for a number of hours to cancel (yes the TA was on hold for a number of hours - I was talking to them and could hear the Disney we are sorry you are on hold in the background) and got everything squared away without me having to sit and wait. If you want to know who I use please PM me.

 

[sukhakuli]

I used a travel agent for both of our cruises. We used Small World the first time based on recommendations here. She was awful. So I went back to the travel agent we used previously for our WDW trips. She's wonderful! If you want her info let me know. She's with Ears of Experience.

 

[BadPinkTink]

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately I can’t book through Dreams Unlimited because I live in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, booking through a TA is handy for planning the complete trip through one company.

I live in Ireland and I have booked with Dreams Unlimited. You just pay in US Dollars. On my credit card bill it shows the amount in US Dollars and then the converted amount in Euros which I have to pay.

I got the On Board Credit, its just the gift basket that can not be sent to Europe.

Also by booking in US Dollars you can book the stateroom gifts through the APP, at any time where as anyone who does not book in US Dollars has to phone a few weeks before departure.

 

[olafLover]

.

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Oh good to know! Additional questions...

Do you normally receive the Disney Cruise confirmation number through your TA right away, so you can add the reservation to your account?

If you have to pay in full through your TA later than the actual date I could make online reservations for excursions etc. is that a problem? I would like to make the additional reservations as early as I can...

 

[Mommb]

A travel agent should send the confirmation number soon after booking.

A travel agent should be able to accept payments earlier than DCL requires. It won't hurt to send your payment to the travel agent a few extra days before your booking window opens, just in case there's a lag somewhere, but I've always received a confirmation from my travel agent showing the payment to Disney Cruise within a day, and usually within a few hours, of asking her to make the payment. I have the agent charge the credit card she has on file for me -- the first time, I called her with the credit card information, but some travel agencies have an online payment system where you can enter the information just as you would on the Disney site.

 

[DreamsElaine]

Thanks everyone! Unfortunately I can’t book through Dreams Unlimited because I live in the Netherlands. Nevertheless, booking through a TA is handy for planning the complete trip through one company.

You can book through Dreams Unlimited no matter where you live!

 

[fredandkell]

Loved having booked through a Travel Agent on my most recent cruise - the ill fated Dream Cruise that left this last Friday. They were on hold for a number of hours to cancel (yes the TA was on hold for a number of hours - I was talking to them and could hear the Disney we are sorry you are on hold in the background) and got everything squared away without me having to sit and wait. If you want to know who I use please PM me.

This. We were on one of the "Irma-ed" cruises in 2017 and our TA did all the calling and waiting on the phone for us. Normally I like booking things myself, but I went with a TA to get the OBC and then after the hurricane nonsense I realized just how much TA's are worth if there's an emergency or cruise that's been re-scheduled or canceled.

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Okay so it worked and I can see the reservation in my account now! Yay!

The systems says I can book my extra’s from 1 June 2020 but the other stateroom (my parents) from 16 June 2020. But how does that work? We ofcourse want to plan our activities together...! I was assuming I could book things for us together. Can anyone clarify?

 

[clten]

Since you are going on your second cruise, you are silver castaway club and can book activities for people in your stateroom at 90 days before sailing. Sounds like your parents are on their first cruise with DCL so their booking window doesn't open until 75 days before sailing. Your reservations may be linked but that does not extend your Castaway Club benefits to the additional stateroom. So when you go in on June 1st to book your activities, you will see your parents names but they will be grayed out (not selectable) until their booking window opens on June 16th. So your options would be to book activities for your stateroom on June 1st and then on June 16th try to add your parents to the same activities. Or to wait until June 16th and book everyone at the same time.

I guess there is another option as well but I always think it's more effort than it is worth. That's to change names on the reservation and have someone who has sailed before in each cabin. That would make both cabins Silver level and able to book activities on June 1st. Once on board, sleeping arrangements can be changed to how you need them and you can either have a separate KTTW card to the other cabin or have the KTTW card keyed to the cabin you are actually going to sleep in.

 

[Joyce_Belle]

Since you are going on your second cruise, you are silver castaway club and can book activities for people in your stateroom at 90 days before sailing. Sounds like your parents are on their first cruise with DCL so their booking window doesn't open until 75 days before sailing. Your reservations may be linked but that does not extend your Castaway Club benefits to the additional stateroom. So when you go in on June 1st to book your activities, you will see your parents names but they will be grayed out (not selectable) until their booking window opens on June 16th. So your options would be to book activities for your stateroom on June 1st and then on June 16th try to add your parents to the same activities. Or to wait until June 16th and book everyone at the same time.

I guess there is another option as well but I always think it's more effort than it is worth. That's to change names on the reservation and have someone who has sailed before in each cabin. That would make both cabins Silver level and able to book activities on June 1st. Once on board, sleeping arrangements can be changed to how you need them and you can either have a separate KTTW card to the other cabin or have the KTTW card keyed to the cabin you are actually going to sleep in.

Thank you very much, this is very helpful!