What benefits of using a travel agent?

[nat8199]

I am using a TA for the first time. A seemingly great girl from Dreams Unlimited. What is stopping me from making my own ADRs and FPs, if I want to? I linked my reservation to my Disney account, so I can make them, right?

I mean, I will probably let her make them, because she seems totally on top of things. I had contacted her months ago and she made my reservation the morning 2018 rates came out.

But if I wanted to try for a hard to get ADR right at 7am, I could, right?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

I am using a TA for the first time. A seemingly great girl from Dreams Unlimited. What is stopping me from making my own ADRs and FPs, if I want to? I linked my reservation to my Disney account, so I can make them, right?

I mean, I will probably let her make them, because she seems totally on top of things. I had contacted her months ago and she made my reservation the morning 2018 rates came out.

But if I wanted to try for a hard to get ADR right at 7am, I could, right?

Just tell her you prefer to make them.

 

[nat8199]

Just tell her you prefer to make them.

Thank you. I think I am happy to let her make the ADRs, because I care less about them, but I want to make my FPs.

 

[tcufrog]

The first time I went I got a fabulous free TA who was very patient with answering my questions and got us everything we wanted in terms of room and ADRs. She also drew up a touring plan for us. When I needed to switch restaurants while we were at WDW she handled it for us and we were able to enjoy ourselves. She also sent me a cute tote bag.

The second time I used that agency I had to go with another agent who was awful.

 

[SL6827]

I use a TA for the agency exclusive rates, but honestly I only know of one agency that does this sort of thing. So there are more than just one?

 

[BWV Dreamin]

They offer convenience. I use a TA because they can book my cruise on opening day for me. I work and can't be on the phone waiting to book. I can set up all of my criteria with her before hand. That in itself is worth it for me.

 

[robinb]

I use a TA for the agency exclusive rates, but honestly I only know of one agency that does this sort of thing. So there are more than just one?

There may be but we don't know since the DIS is sponsored by Dreams Unlimited we are not allowed to talk about other TAs by name.

 

[MillauFr]

There may be but we don't know since the DIS is sponsored by Dreams Unlimited we are not allowed to talk about other TAs by name.

I am pretty sure there is only one offering the exclusive rates. What I can't figure out is why? I don't believe Disney offers only one travel agent these rates. Why don't the other large travel agents like Dreams Unlimited do the same? I'm sure many us would support the sponsor of these boards if they offered us the same deal as the unmentionable travel agent.

 

[SL6827]

I am pretty sure there is only one offering the exclusive rates. What I can't figure out is why? I don't believe Disney offers only one travel agent these rates. Why don't the other large travel agents like Dreams Unlimited do the same? I'm sure many us would support the sponsor of these boards if they offered us the same deal as the unmentionable travel agent.

I googled and found a couple more. But they do not have near the offerings that this certain TA we are talking about has. No where close, but they are out there.

 

[therapistalexandra]

For me, my TA not only somehow always has decent discounts (I seriously cannot figure out how she does it) but she also handles booking our dining, and again, somehow always gets me and DH whatever we ask for. All we ever have to worry about is a flight and FP. We both have very dangerous and stressful jobs, so it's one more step in lowering our stress levels.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

I need a new TA!!!
My beloved TA is no longer going to be doing it. In fact we are (I believe) her last clients. I am heartbroken...
She has scoured for deals, she has magically obtained every FP I wanted at the times I wanted, secured every hard to get ADR, and she had even arranged for gifts from her for booking at our resort. (Totally unexpected, but much appreciated!)
I would really like a Disney dedicated TA, not someone who does Disney and other things..
Can (and are you allowed to) you give me any recommendations?
TIA,
NonnaT

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

They offer convenience. I use a TA because they can book my cruise on opening day for me. I work and can't be on the phone waiting to book. I can set up all of my criteria with her before hand. That in itself is worth it for me.

This. And the onboard credits from our TA are nice too!

 

[DuffyForPresident]

One word answer: price.

More word answer: We are hyper planners and love all that, so we prefer to do that all ourselves, so we never considered a TA and had many great trips. Then we became aware of a great deal from a TA, inquired, and booked it. So now we always check in with her and compare that offer to whatever the current best deal is, AP discount or otherwise. If her price is best, we book it. If not, we'll say 'thanks anyway, we'll check in with you next trip!'

 

[JKalai]

I am pretty sure there is only one offering the exclusive rates. What I can't figure out is why? I don't believe Disney offers only one travel agent these rates. Why don't the other large travel agents like Dreams Unlimited do the same? I'm sure many us would support the sponsor of these boards if they offered us the same deal as the unmentionable travel agent.

I know this is a late reply, but the answer is that they purchase a giant block of rooms at a discounted rate (like what you would do at Sam's/Costco) and sell it to you directly. They sign a contract to sell the rooms and if they do not meet the requirement, they would pay some sort of penalty. Usually the difference.



I'm a room reservations agent for a big resort here in Las Vegas, and I deal with all sorts of travel agents all over the world that book here all day every day. Some TA's are absolutely great and some are horrible. I've seen some agents really screw up peoples vacations. The bad ones are usually the outsourced agents in other countries that will just take your money without any follow up/help with modifying anything. When you book through a third party, the hotel is never allowed to touch their reservations. You always have to go back through the third party website/travel agent which can either be a great experience or horrible one.

If anyone decides to go with a TA, I would always recommend getting a referral from someone you know personally. Disney in particular has their own list of approved travel agents you can go through which they have vetted for quality assurance.

Look for this logo:

 

[MillauFr]

I know this is a late reply, but the answer is that they purchase a giant block of rooms at a discounted rate (like what you would do at Sam's/Costco) and sell it to you directly. They sign a contract to sell the rooms and if they do not meet the requirement, they would pay some sort of penalty. Usually the difference.

Yes but what I can't figure out is why this small fry travel agent can corner the market on these massive discounts. I would think that the large online travel agents would do the same thing and put them out of business.

 

[dhardawa]

Yes but what I can't figure out is why this small fry travel agent can corner the market on these massive discounts. I would think that the large online travel agents would do the same thing and put them out of business.

What I can’t figure out is why I’ve spent hours digging through old posts and on google and can’t find this one TA. How is it everyone else here knows this big secret and acts like it’s so easy to find, but I can’t find it?

 

[MommaVail]

I tried to get a quote from a travel agent and when I was quoted $1000 more than what I was looking up online, I decided to do it myself. I don’t know if she didn’t realize we were FL residents or what, but I figured if they didn’t pay attention to that important detail, they would miss other details as well :-( It was a reputable travel agency but I didn’t trust the person after that.

 

[JKalai]

Yes but what I can't figure out is why this small fry travel agent can corner the market on these massive discounts. I would think that the large online travel agents would do the same thing and put them out of business.

What we perceive as a unknown travel agent on here as the name is not discussed, is actually a pretty big agency as it is mentioned quite frequently on other forums.

What I can’t figure out is why I’ve spent hours digging through old posts and on google and can’t find this one TA. How is it everyone else here knows this big secret and acts like it’s so easy to find, but I can’t find it?

Keep searching and emailing around. I was able to find it after about 5 quotes from different travel agencies. I booked with them last year, had no problems with the agent and got an insane rate at the Poly for a week.

I tried to get a quote from a travel agent and when I was quoted $1000 more than what I was looking up online, I decided to do it myself. I don’t know if she didn’t realize we were FL residents or what, but I figured if they didn’t pay attention to that important detail, they would miss other details as well :-( It was a reputable travel agency but I didn’t trust the person after that.

The great deal that everyone talks about on this forum is through a specific travel agency.

 

[MillauFr]

What we perceive as a unknown travel agent on here as the name is not discussed, is actually a pretty big agency as it is mentioned quite frequently on other forums.

Doesn't Expedia do more business in 5 minutes than that travel agency does in an entire year???

 

[JKalai]

Doesn't Expedia do more business in 5 minutes than that travel agency does in an entire year???

Expedia definitely does corner the market on hotel reservations, but they are a different type of booking as they are a wholesale company open to the public. The highly discounted rooms through the specific travel agency is booked as a group sale like a convention coming through which are normally not open to the public. There are a lot of insane rates that float around the internet to stay at Disney all the time, but you can only access them through a specific link that the group coordinator has access to.

It would actually be interesting to see how much Disney relies on third party bookings as the Disney website does a pretty good job as being a one-stop shop for room and ticket packages and free dining that are so popular. That's what makes WDW so much different than any other property.