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#1
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
My family and I are are think of going on a Disney cruise and I was
wondering if we should book using a travel agent or right at the Disney online website. I have the price, date, airfare, cabin, ect all in the booking online. Would a travel agent get a better price? My wife and I have took a cruise 5 years ago so it's not our first time. Any help would be great! Kurt |
#2
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
Kurt,
On this newsgroup you will get a lot of information based on fact and a lot based on personal experience. Based on personal experience why would anyone EVER not use a travel agent to book a cruise? It wasn't a cruise, but about 20 years ago we booked a week at Paradise Island through Liberty Travel. We prepaid everything but when we arrived at the hotel they had us down for the wrong food plan. Because we had a TA we were able to call Liberty and within minutes the problem had been corrected. We go to Vegas every other year when we are not cruising, and while we could easily book hotel and flight ourselves, because we have issues which have us traveling with a "service animal" we still book through Liberty so that when the three of us arrive at the hotel on eight legs, the hotel knows what is coming. If you book online and there is a problem, will there be someone available to help you on the day of departure? -- DG in Cherry Hill, NJ ABB "Typhoon" wrote in message ... My family and I are are think of going on a Disney cruise and I was wondering if we should book using a travel agent or right at the Disney online website. I have the price, date, airfare, cabin, ect all in the booking online. Would a travel agent get a better price? My wife and I have took a cruise 5 years ago so it's not our first time. Any help would be great! Kurt |
#3
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
Dick,
Based on MY personal experience. I NEVER use a TA unless it's a group thing where the agent has blocked out rooms and got a special rate, etc. I have saved LOTS of money by dealing directly with the hotel, airline, cruise line, etc. or an online service (I realize that some of those are technically TA's). I have had too many bad experiences with TA's. I am sure there are some good ones out there, and you appear to have found one, but have you ever compared prices online with what the TA is charging you? That is what you are paying for the "service". Specific to Las Vegas, since I live here and often get rooms for visitors, try this one: http://www.nevhotels.com/ They have good deals all the time. For example, for New Years Eve they got us a room at Bourbon Street, one block from the strip for about $100, when other quotes were in the $200's and higher. Try them the next time you come to LV, if only to compare. You could always call a hotel in advance and discuss your service animal but I doubt that there would be any problem. I have seen service animals many times in even the poshest hotels and restaurants. Specific to Disney, a few years back I booked a cruise on them. Initially went to a TA and got a price, then looked online at the Disney site and got a price much lower (a few hundred dollars for a party of three). went back to the TA and she "checked" and lowered her rate to match. Now I don't even bother with the TA. Just my experience, to each his own. OT: BTW, the casinos are now taking bets for Super Bowl XXXIX, and the Eagles are leading the pack at 6 to 1. Better hurry out here and get your bet down! g Jim On Mon, 2 Feb 2004 13:33:49 -0500, "Dick Goldhaber" wrote: Kurt, On this newsgroup you will get a lot of information based on fact and a lot based on personal experience. Based on personal experience why would anyone EVER not use a travel agent to book a cruise? It wasn't a cruise, but about 20 years ago we booked a week at Paradise Island through Liberty Travel. We prepaid everything but when we arrived at the hotel they had us down for the wrong food plan. Because we had a TA we were able to call Liberty and within minutes the problem had been corrected. We go to Vegas every other year when we are not cruising, and while we could easily book hotel and flight ourselves, because we have issues which have us traveling with a "service animal" we still book through Liberty so that when the three of us arrive at the hotel on eight legs, the hotel knows what is coming. If you book online and there is a problem, will there be someone available to help you on the day of departure? |
#4
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
Typhoon wrote: My family and I are are think of going on a Disney cruise and I was wondering if we should book using a travel agent or right at the Disney online website. I have the price, date, airfare, cabin, ect all in the booking online. Would a travel agent get a better price? My wife and I have took a cruise 5 years ago so it's not our first time. Any help would be great! We always book our cruises with a travel agent, that way if something happens, I have a real person with experience to help me. The only way a TA will get you a better price on a Disney Cruise, is to take less commission on your booking, which some do. We sailed Disney last jan and the price quotes we got were all very close to each other. Enjoy your cruise, we loved the Magic!! sue |
#5
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
"Typhoon" wrote in message ...
My family and I are are think of going on a Disney cruise and I was wondering if we should book using a travel agent or right at the Disney online website. I have the price, date, airfare, cabin, ect all in the booking online. Would a travel agent get a better price? Why don't you get some prices online, from a variety of websites (Travelociity, buycruises.com, Orbitz, etc.) - that way you'll have a general idea of what the cruise is selling for. Then, if you have a TA (maybe one that's been recommended to you by a friend), see if their price competes. Then, you'll know if a (bricks & mortar) TA will get a better price than an ecommerce TA. You've done all the research already, so it's an easy sale for a bricks & mortar TA if they come in at a better price. In my experience, local TAs haven't been able to touch internet prices. They've all advised me to buy online. Each time I book, I try a traditional TA first, and end up booking on line. Lee |
#6
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
Unless you don't care about the price- compare several agencies. Via online is
easy and this group can give several recommendations. You may also wish to post an "ad" on www.cruisemates.com bargain finder board. |
#7
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
JLeary256 wrote: Unless you don't care about the price- compare several agencies. Via online is easy and this group can give several recommendations. You may also wish to post an "ad" on www.cruisemates.com bargain finder board. When I was doing research for our Disney cruise, I checked with a number of TA's, plus travelocity etc. The prices all came in within a very small margin of each other. sue |
#8
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote in message ...
JLeary256 wrote: Unless you don't care about the price- compare several agencies. Via online is easy and this group can give several recommendations. You may also wish to post an "ad" on www.cruisemates.com bargain finder board. When I was doing research for our Disney cruise, I checked with a number of TA's, plus travelocity etc. The prices all came in within a very small margin of each other. I'm not surprised for a Disney cruise. Not sure how it is now, but they didn't used to discount much - the price was the price. Very different than the other big cruise lines. Lee sue |
#9
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
Lee wrote: Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote in message ... JLeary256 wrote: Unless you don't care about the price- compare several agencies. Via online is easy and this group can give several recommendations. You may also wish to post an "ad" on www.cruisemates.com bargain finder board. When I was doing research for our Disney cruise, I checked with a number of TA's, plus travelocity etc. The prices all came in within a very small margin of each other. I'm not surprised for a Disney cruise. Not sure how it is now, but they didn't used to discount much - the price was the price. Very different than the other big cruise lines. They still don't discount. As long as they fill the ships, why should they. sue |
#10
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Disney Cruise....Travel agent or online booking?
On Tue, 03 Feb 2004 19:36:39 -0500, Sue and Kevin Mullen
wrote: They still don't discount. As long as they fill the ships, why should they. Hi Sue, We see many discounts on Disney during non-peak times. Best regards, Ray LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL 800-719-9917 or 805-566-3905 http://www.lighthousetravel.com |
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