Why You Should Use A Disney Travel Agent
Using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner (travel agent) can take the stress out of planning a Walt Disney World or Disneyland vacation, which can be a complicated and overwhelming task for the first-timer. Heck, even for a regular visitor, a Disney TA can make things a lot easier.
This is something we regulars often forget once we’ve learned the ropes. Thanks to years of experience, many of us veterans know all of the basics of planning–from where we should book ADRs, to the best FastPass+, to leveraging discounts and more–inside and out. However, the whole process is foreign and often daunting to newbies, which is why there’s serious value in using an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner.
If you’ve read other posts on the blog, you might be aware that we recommend Be Our Guest Vacations as our preferred Authorized Disney Vacation Planners. However, this isn’t merely a sales pitch for them. (In fact, we encourage you to recommend your favorite TAs in the comments.) My advice holds true irrespective of which travel agency you’re choosing. While some agencies and agents definitely do a better job and have more thorough knowledge of Disney than others, the vast majority of them are helpful. If you are overwhelmed planning, a Disney TA can help.
The first and biggest reason to use an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner is the service. Imagine the knowledge-base of this blog (assuming you think I’m knowledgeable), but in a form that can apply the tips here to your particular circumstances, preferences, and needs. That’s what a good Authorized Disney Vacation Planner provides. It’s a back-and-forth dialogue, and they’re there to hold your hand and give you personalized advice.
Unlike traditional, large-scale travel agencies, most Disney-specializing agents got into it not due to a desire to build some highly profitable business empire, but because they love Disney and really enjoyed planning their own trip. This is why I distinguish between “Authorized Disney Vacation Planner” (the words you want to look for) and traditional travel agents. The latter are professionals who book trips to myriad destinations, but don’t have a Disney focus. This usually means they don’t have the expertise to provide high-quality service for Disney destinations. (Which is a big reason I don’t recommend national, non-Disneycentric travel agencies when booking Disney vacations.)
Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are usually Disney fans who exclusively plan Disney travel. Most I’ve encountered over the years are good people. They’re mom and pop start-ups who are passionate about what they do. I’d say this is true 95% of the time, at least. And, because they’re passionate about Disney, they actually know about Disney. A traditional travel agent faces obsolescence because they were (basically) just someone to outsource the booking of vacations and had no firsthand knowledge of destinations to which they booked trips.
On the other hand, Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are only becoming more relevant thanks to the service and answers they provide in response to Disney vacations becoming increasingly complex. They know Disney inside and out (they are literally tested on it!) and have lots of first-hand experience. They will be up at the 180-day mark to make your ADRs, prepared to score you the prime FastPass+ selections, constantly monitoring new discount offers to see if they can reduce the cost of your trip, and generally able to assist with other facets of trip planning.
Beyond that, there’s no cost to you. Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are paid commission by Disney on the trips they book, so you’re not paying anything extra. I don’t know why Disney pays them, but my educated guess is because it’s essentially Disney ‘outsourcing’ the planning resources they’d otherwise need to provide. If you’re calling your travel agent, you aren’t calling Disney directly, tying up their guest services or other Cast Members.
This is win-win-win. Disney doesn’t have to deal with your questions, the Authorized Disney Vacation Planner is able to make money doing what they love, and you’re able to get free advice and help planning your trip. The biggest ‘winner’ there is arguably you. You have one contact who gets to know you, is responsive to your requests & questions, and feels a vested interest in making sure you have a great trip. You don’t call Disney, wait on hold for an interminable amount of time, and receive inconsistent answers from random Cast Members.
This is especially true in the era of My Disney Experience, MagicBands, FastPass+, etc. The Authorized Disney Vacation Planner is a liaison (or buffer!) between you and Disney, putting out fires and fixing problems as they arise. They save you headaches and stress in solving these problems. (Again, I speak from the experience of having to deal with these headaches myself–although things are getting better with these systems. I love Disney Cast Members in the parks, but my experiences have not been overwhelmingly positive on the phone.)
With all of that said, using a travel agent isn’t for everyone. Some people have obsessive personalities and like total control over their vacations, or actually enjoy spending hours reading blogs like this one (and thank you to those of you who tolerate all of my corny jokes! 😉 ). Although we used Authorized Disney Vacation Planners years ago, I’ll admit that this now describes me. I love figuring this all out for myself, and I’m a total control freak.
Even if you are a control freak like me, it might make sense to book through a vacation planner so they monitor discounts and be your liaison with Disney in the event My Disney Experience issues arise, while you can do the “fun” stuff like planning ADRs and FastPass+. Most vacation planners are as hands on or off as you specify, and it’s pretty easy to let them know what expect of them and what you’d like to do yourself.
You can find the exact same prices as a travel agent. I don’t know why there’s this mistaken belief out there that some travel agents find better or worse prices when it comes to Disney–any variance in pricing is a result of games Disney plays with its inventory and special offers at different times. All you do by ‘comparison shopping’ with vacation planners is waste their time and yours.
The advantage they do provide when it comes to price is that they are knowledgeable and diligent about discounts, and are more likely to get the best discount applied to your package. Take Free Dining, for example. I know several Authorized Disney Vacation Planners who were up all night Sunday into Monday morning, getting Free Dining applied to existing packages by 5 a.m. By contrast, if you waited until 7 a.m. to call Disney to book Free Dining–or found out about it days later–a lot of availability was already gone. So, in that sense, they are finding better prices for many of their clients, but it’s indirectly as a result of that knowledge and diligence.
If you’re convinced that a travel agent is for you, there are a few things to consider when choosing one. First, while I think it’s poor form to comparison shop or seek information without actual intent to book through them–as this is their job and they’re only paid on bookings they actually make–I do think it’s a good idea to make sure you “click” with an agent after requesting a quote.
It should be pretty easy to tell based on their first email or two whether they’re someone you want to work with, but if you’re still unsure, request a quick phone call. You are trusting this person with your vacation and (potentially) will communicate with them a lot, so you should make sure they aren’t impersonal or will treat you like a number. This is typically a total non-issue, as most vacation planners I’ve encountered are incredibly pleasant and enthusiastic, but it’s good to double-check if things don’t seem right from the get-go.
Second, make sure they’re providing the level of service detailed here. If you want someone to make your ADRs, FastPass+ bookings, or make recommendations with things like stroller rental, make sure those are things they do. Not all agencies offer the same services, so be sure the one you’re considering will help in the areas you’d like assistance.
Finally, they have to know their stuff. Confirm they’ve been to whichever Disney destination you’re considering (and have been there recently). If you’re planning a Walt Disney World trip, you don’t want a Disneyland regular–they’re totally different destinations from a planning perspective. If you’re taking a Disney cruise, your travel agent having stayed at every Walt Disney World resort hotel is meaningless. You get the idea. I’m not saying they need to spend 50+ days per year in the parks, but you want them to know their stuff.
Most of the time, this is a non-issue. As mentioned above, the majority of Authorized Disney Vacation Planners are doing this because they are fans who are passionate about planning vacations. Failing that, Disney actually tests them on their Disney knowledge.
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Your Thoughts
If you’ve used an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, how was your experience? Which Disney TAs do you recommend? Any other tips you’d like for choosing a vacation planner? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!
Is there a website or somewhere I can find a ADVP in my area? I’d prefer to work with someone who is local 🙂
Thanks!
My question is a little unique. Are there any Authorized Disney Vacation Planners that can help with things like dining reservations, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, etc. if we are staying at Shades of Green? The only thing stopping me from fully committing to Shades is I don’t know if there are any travel agencies that can help with just the reservations (and yes, I’m aware Shades is DoD owned). Thank you so much in advance!
If you wanted to do something like that where the only services you’d need are planning activities and such, a travel agent would definitely be able to help, but, most likely, you’d be charged a planning fee. Not everything Disney offers pays a commission, so we’d need to get paid somehow.
Plus, without getting into the nuts and bolts of it, we have to make money to cover our E&O Insurance, hence the planning fee.
I’d be happy to help you with any other questions you might have…you can click on my name for my Facebook page or email me at j.kazmaier@mmvagent.com if you’d like. Hope this was helpful…have a great day!
Well since it was encouraged to plug our travel agents…I recommend me! I work for Magical Moments Vacations and we are a Diamond Disney EarMarked Agency. There are only a handful of agencies that received this top level distinction from Disney! For the reasons Tom listed above, I HIGHLY recommend using a TA that specializes in Disney like I do. I am a graduate of the College of Disney Knowledge (yes, it’s a thing 🙂 ), am an annual passholder (from Ohio no less!), and am a Disney Vacation Club owner, so you can see why I can say I specialize in Disney destinations. There is no fee to use my services, Disney pays me, so you get exemplary service, personalized attention, and someone in your corner working hard to make sure you have the best vacation possible, without more money out of your pocket! Even for the Disney pros out there, why not use me to book your package and support a small business instead of letting the giant corporation keep the money?! 🙂 And you can still do all the planning you’d like! Check out my Facebook page by clicking on my name or any of my social media (@mmvkazmaier on the big 3) and I look forward to working with you soon! Have a Magical day!
I’m looking to book a trip to Disney World now that it’s open again . Looking at 3 week of September.
We are looking at coming next September. When we book through you; do we pay the $200 deposit to hold it and pay if off 30 days before? Or do we pay for the full trip up front?
@Kimberly Hale – yep, it works just like booking direct through Disney. Unless you add travel protection, which has to be paid in full WITH the regular deposit, a $200 deposit holds your reservation until final payment date (30 days out). The nice thing about that is it’s like a 0% interest payment plan built in…you can make payments along the way if you’d like to stretch it out a bit instead of the big chunk at final payment…or just the 2 payments, deposit and final. I’d be more than happy to help you out with your trip…you can email me at j.kazmaier@mmvagent.com and we can get started! I hope to hear from you soon and have a great day!
John
I am a little nervous about using a Disney planner since the one I have been in contact with is asking for my credit card information and my account password. I know they need it for reservations, but is there supposed to be a more secure way or is this how it works? Just need some ease of mind!
To my knowledge, that’s the way it works–at least with the credit card. I’ve always wondered why there Disney doesn’t create some sort of secure payment portal.
Thanks for that fast reply!
I requested a quote for an Adventures by Disney and received the first email from one of the agents at BOGV. Do I ask them if they have done the chosen destination? If they haven’t, how do I go about asking for a different agent?
You can certainly ask if you want, but I probably wouldn’t bother. There aren’t a lot of planning variables associated with Adventures by Disney, so they don’t need to have done the itinerary to book and arrange it for you.
You’re highly unlikely to find many travel agents who have done multiple Adventures by Disney itineraries, anyway.
We plan to go next year inAugust, is it too early to email them and start planning? Or will they prefer to wait as it gets closer?