Planning a family vacation to Walt Disney World or a cruise with Disney Cruise Lines can often be a daunting task. One question that we hear from people every once in a while is whether or not to use a travel agent to book your family’s vacation.
The short answer basically is whatever you are comfortable with, using a travel agent or booking directly with Disney, is the method you need to go with. After more than 25 trips, we still mostly use a travel agent.
Here are a few examples of why we have used a travel agent in the past.
Travel agents can help you with complicated trips – multiple parties, multiple rooms, etc.
One of the first times that we used a travel agent, we had multiple parties, which meant multiple room bookings. This trip we also had 6 people for all of our sit down advanced dining reservations. Our party ranged from a four year to an 80 year old. This also brought a few mobility issues that we needed to make certain we handled appropriately. Our travel agent took care of every single detail that we needed for this trip. She made all of our advanced dining reservations, contacted a service to get a ECV for use to use the entire trip, and made certain our rooms were correctly booked an paid for. This took so much stress and worry out of a trip that we wanted to be magical!
Travel agents can make sure you get the best specials.
We have also used a travel agent to books tons of other trips for us. We booked one trip that was about a year and half away. Once we booked, the agent kept up with any specials that Disney released while we were on the count down. She has been able to get room discounts and free dining for different trips for us throughout the years. This has saved us countless hours on hold with Disney to get these special discounts!
On cruises you can get onboard credits for using a travel agent.
We have also been on several Disney cruises. Our agent helped us get every single aspect of these trips booked with ease. We even booked a new cruise before we disembarked from our first cruise. We were able to get the booking transferred to our agent with no problems! Also, our agent has given us some perks for using her agency’s services. We have received on board credits to us as we needed to on the ship! Score!
Need help finding a travel agent? You can always do a Google search for a Disney certified agent. There are also several Facebook groups and message boards on line that can help find a reputable travel agency. Or you can always ask any friends and colleagues who have used an agent!
Although we do not use a travel agent for every trip we book to Disney, we love to be able to have the flexibility. You do not have to pay agents. So when you use a Disney certified agent, they are truly working to give you the best experience possible. Agents also help to take the headache out of the majority of the planning so that you can relax and enjoy your vacation!
Feel free to contact our travel agent – Linda Norton with The Magic for Less! Thanks Linda for helping us plan many magical trips!
