Booking through Disney vs. Travel agency, help needed

Hello Disney Friends:

I'm planning my 1st Disney cruise. I've done my research and narrowed it down to booking through Disney or a Travel agency. The difference in price for the same room is $92 cheaper with the Travel agency; which I've never used.

I like being in charge of my own reservations, checking prices, upgrades, paying without calling a 3rd person, etc. The Travel agency person did not seem to be 'too happy' helping me plan anything; on the other hand, I gotta give it to Disney for answering every question with a smile over the phone.

What would you do? what are the advantages/disadvantage of booking through either one? please help, I would really like to book this cruise:), thank you

I most always book on my own. I'm a little obsessive in checking out shore excursions, looking for price drops and looking for the best deal. A lot of travel agents will charge a change fee if you want to upgrade or a cancellation fee if you cancel. For $92, I'd keep my own reservation. The only time I've used a travel agent and been happy about it, I used a big box agency that gave me a several hundred dollar gift certificate on my return. This wasn't for a cruise though, it was for an Adventures by Disney trip - no shore excursions to plan and Adventures by Disney was happy to speak to me directly. With cruises, the cruise line won't speak to you directly. All questions have to go through the TA.

Hello Disney Friends:

 

I'm planning my 1st Disney cruise. I've done my research and narrowed it down to booking through Disney or a Travel agency. The difference in price for the same room is $92 cheaper with the Travel agency; which I've never used.

 

I like being in charge of my own reservations, checking prices, upgrades, paying without calling a 3rd person, etc. The Travel agency person did not seem to be 'too happy' helping me plan anything; on the other hand, I gotta give it to Disney for answering every question with a smile over the phone.

 

What would you do? what are the advantages/disadvantage of booking through either one? please help, I would really like to book this cruise:), thank you

Make sure you're comparing apples to apples. DCL doesn't allow any TAs to discount their fares. The price for the cruise should be the same whether you purchase direct from DCL or through a TA. What a TA can do for you is offer perks (onboard credits, bottle of wine, free meal in upcharge dining room, for example) for using them to book the cruise.

Are all the taxes, port charges, etc included in both quotes? For the same stateroom?

Golly $92 seems a small price to pay for what you will get - you'll be in control, and not a travel agent. Plus dealing with Disney reps is a great experience. I booked my last Disney cruise through Disney with no problems and it was a very pleasant experience. Make sure you check the "specials" on their website as they run some lower prices for the next month or so.

Thank you folks. I will be calling Disney as soon as I finish this post and book through them. I also agree that $92 is not much of a difference when it comes to peace of mind.;)

I have the same dilemma as you, but some the agencies I have considered offer some onboard credit which I am not sure if giving up that control is worth it. Haven't decided yet, but I have time as we are not going to till 2016. Was trying for 2015 but I don't think that's possible for us.

I guess I don't understand why you think you are "giving up control" when you use a great travel agent. True, anything that involves finances must be handled thru your TA--adding or removing transfers, changing cabin categories, etc. But you can still do all the on line bookings (nursery, adult dining, excursions, spa, etc.), if you are booking concierge you still deal with the shoreside concierge yourself, you do gift purchases yourself.

I've booked both ways. My agent is excellent. I feel no loss of control because I need to call her for whatever, and at times having someone on my side has been a huge benefit. In addition, I get a nice on board credit as a thanks for booking thru them.

I guess I don't understand why you think you are "giving up control" when you use a great travel agent. True' date=' anything that involves finances must be handled thru your TA--adding or removing transfers, changing cabin categories, etc. But you can still do all the on line bookings (nursery, adult dining, excursions, spa, etc.), if you are booking concierge you still deal with the shoreside concierge yourself, you do gift purchases yourself.

 

I've booked both ways. My agent is excellent. I feel no loss of control because I need to call her for whatever, and at times having someone on my side has been a huge benefit. In addition, I get a nice on board credit as a thanks for booking thru them.[/quote']

You are lucky you have an excellent TA. I've been cruising for many years and still can't find a good one; however, my experience with Disney was so amazing, that I couldn't be any happier about booking directly through them.

 

The TA company I was thinking of using was charging $25-$50 for every single change you made to your reservation (moving cabins, getting a price drop, etc).

I ALWAYS seek out an experienced and professional travel agent! I ALWAYS way the advantages of detailed and in-depth experienced individuals to guide me and navigate rough waters. The money you save could even be used for a shore excursion, on board credit or even travel insurance! There are some agents that are even Platinum Castaway Club trained! Some of them have memorized the Disney Dream deck plan! Others know about the new apps for Iphone and Android while traveling with Disney Cruise line. So trust your investment to a professional. One that has traveled Disney recently and knows about the Navigator!

You are lucky you have an excellent TA. I've been cruising for many years and still can't find a good one; however, my experience with Disney was so amazing, that I couldn't be any happier about booking directly through them.

 

The TA company I was thinking of using was charging $25-$50 for every single change you made to your reservation (moving cabins, getting a price drop, etc).

I agree with you. I haven't found any excellent TA's yet as well, but my family also doesn't vacation often so its more difficult for one to "know" certain things if we take vacations every 3-4 years. But because of reading these boards and others, I always seem to know more than the TA and that is one thing that bugs me. But I will most likely try another one if the onboard credit is right. I'm doing my research though since I am not booking until the 2016 dates are released.

Unfortunately we are not allowed to share info about our great agencies/agents on this web site...and as far as I know, there is no way to do so privately.

I will tell you what I look for in an agency....

One that communicates MY way, whether that is phone, e-mail, snail mail, etc. If they do everything thru e-mail, forget them.

A full service agency. They will help with hotels, flights, etc. if I wish. May not be a big deal if I'm talking about Orlando, but what if it's Barcelona? They will also have options other than DCL insurance. If all the agent does is punch the same DCL computer buttons that I can do on my own, I'm not interested no matter what the OBC might be.

A "bricks and mortar" office where I have a file. If the agent I normally deal with isn't available (they do have time off!), someone else can help. And I like that within the agency, they are not on commission. Each agent in the office is MY agent. Real professionals--many years of experience in the business. If the "agency" you consider is nothing more than a loose association of homemakers working from their computers...well, not my choice.

People who have actually been on at least one classic and one new ship in the last couple years. Never cruised on DCL? Not my agent.

Extended hours--evenings and weekends.

Each agent has had REAL Disney training. I've been told (can't verify) that there are 3 levels of Disney training and if one agent in an office has completed the most basic level, they can display a sign claiming to be Disney Specialists. The first level is on line--they don't even have to go to WDW or meet a Disney person. The other 2 levels are much more involved. NOTE--this is just what an agent told me...NO personal insight.

You get the picture. I'm looking for a "been there, done that" available to help me when I want/need it expert.

Book your own...take it from one who has learned the hard way...I called DCL directly this time and the rep was great. In the past we used TA's because we traveled in a group. By using a TA some cruise lines won't allow the travelers to are certain changes. This is annoying if your agent isn't available. Booking yourself you can make any change you'd like and you leave out the middleman and a possible booking error.

I see you are in Florida. DCL offers a Florida resident rate, FLR. It doesn't apply to all cruises but to ones it does, it is a great discount. In fact, when I have checked my FLR rates against other travel sites that boast ship board credits, the FLR rate was always better.

A couple times I had "cruise dollars" on credit cards and had to use their travel agency. Before I booked with them, I checked for the best DCL rate and made sure that the agency's quoted rate was the same or better than the FLR rate. If it isn't, just ask. Many times an agency will guarantee there rates.

If you do use an agent that offers ship board credits, make sure you take their name and phone number with you on the cruise. One time on Royal Caribbean, only half the credit was appearing on my statement. After 3 days of getting no where on the ship, I called the agent about the problem and with in a couple hours, the credit appeared on my statement. There was no way I was going to over pay and then wonder if it gets resolved when I got home.

Which ever way you go, do you own price checking.

Yurisa,bsddc is right.I also live here in Florida.We just started sailing with Disney in 2012.We did our first 2 cruises on the big ships,then in January I saw a great Florida rate for Panama,and booked it.It was oceanview,and at the port we checked for a balcny upgrade and got one at a reasonable price.This year we had planned 2 trips for our 40th ann.We saw Southern Caribbean after we had paid for this years Alaska trip,but couldn't do it.A week after returning from Alaska great rates for this cruise were up for Florida residents,and so we did it!You just have to watch the special rates area!