Should I use a travel agent for a solo trip in Feb 2018?

[ChadHitchGhost]

First off, hi, I'm Chad and I'm new here. I'm in the beginning stages of planning a 7-8 night solo stay at WDW the first week of February 2018. (Also my first WDW trip, ever.)

I'm curious if any solo travelers have used a travel agent? Were you able to get better deals on tickets, room stays or other events like tours or experiences? Most deals I have heard people talk about are targeted towards trips with couples and families. So is there any point to having a travel agent looking for deals when they might not exist for the solo travel style?

I'm an obsessive planner so I don't necessarily need a travel agent for the planning side of things. Just someone to lookout for deals and help out with the nuts and bolts of things I might not be aware of.

My budget puts me at a moderate resort but I might stay at Pop Century just to have more spending money. I won't bother with a dining plan because I won't be doing sit down restaurants other than maybe trying to get breakfast once at Be Our Guest.

 

[msk]

I love planning my WDW trips and have been many times. I always use a travel agent. However, I can't imagine going to WDW for the first time ever without having an agent to help out. They will sit on the phone, make reservations, and generally take some of the hassle out of the planning. You can always change things on the app if you want. (I often do). It also doesn't cost you anything. In my opinion it is a no brainer - go with a travel agent. (I hear there are quite a few really good ones associated with this site!

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Yes to a travel agent if only to keep an eye out for discounts should one hit for you. And discounts are generally room or package based so it matters not if you are a solo or a group. Since it's your first time, you can also ask for tips and help about FP+ ressies.

As for dining, don't be afraid to eat at some table service meals even though you are solo. If you're up for it and do not mind eating alone, you can experience some great restaurants That said, you might sometimes need to make a dining reservation for 2 as trying to book a table for 1 can trip-up WDW's reservation systems. Actually, I have wondered if their system is purposely set up to discourage solo bookings since it takes up a table for two - annoying but understandable from a money standpoint. Whatever ... give it a try!

 

[samantha217]

I listen to the Mouse Chat podcast all the time and they work for Pixie Vacations- no charge! I'd look them up and give them a call!

 

[Daniela Rose]

Welcome!

I'm a very obsessive planner. I used a travel agent solely to monitor promotions and they know more than me. If something goes wrong it's nice having someone fight your battles while you're in the park having fun.

With that said, i booked all my adrs and will book all my fast passes. I'm too big of a control freak to let anybody do anything for me.

 

[curiouserandcuriouser1989]

I have been to WDW 5 times without using a travel agent, but always with my family. I love planning all of the details of my trip, but I decided to use a travel agent for my next trip because it is my first solo trip and they can help me out with discounts, etc. without me having to keep such a close eye on everything. I will admit that I priced out the vacation I was looking for before I did the quote to confirm that what they quoted me was the same. This way I can plan most of what I'll do, but also have someone else who is also responsible for my trip so if I get distracted by something else, I don't lose out on a good promotion or something!

 

[georgina]

We used one for our first trip in 1998, but not since. I like being in control of my plans; if I want to change days or resorts I can just do it without having to go through the agent. Be careful what agent you choose; not all are extremely knowledgeable about all the Disney necessities. If you are just booking a room at Pop with few ADRs, I'm not sure what an agent can do for you, unless you prefer them to call to apply a discount to your reservation if one comes out (like I said, I prefer to do it myself). Most discounts are available to the public, especially at a Value resort I doubt you would get an agency discount, just the public one you could apply yourself.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

As for discounts, having an agent for that is a plus. I have heard horror stories of a guest hearing about a general public discount with limited availability and being on hold for literally hours with WDW reservations to have the discount applied to his reservation. I don't know about you, but I would rather have a travel agent be the one on hold for hours on end.

I do agree with the previous poster that if you think you want to do a lot of customizing along the way, asking an agent to do that many times during your planning stages might be a bit much to ask of a travel agent. I'm sure they would do it but I would start to feel uncomfortable asking an agent to do that and I might be less likely to rock the boat, if you know what I mean. But if you are pretty set with a one resort without much switching, an agent might be an asset for you for the mere task of setting it up and watching out for discounts. Good luck!