Why use a Disney Travel agent? (From a non-agent)
Should you use a travel agent for your next trip to Disney World? I’m not an agent, so this is an objective opinion. The best agent will be beneficial to you whether you are going to Disney for the first time or are a seasoned, button-trading, favorite-snack-having veteran. The best travel agent for Disney will also likely be associated with an agency that Disney has certified as an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner. Let’s go over all the advantages, so you don’t miss out on it. But these are only the tactics of the best Disney travel agents and agencies. You’ll have to decide for yourself.
Travel Agents for Disney Know Stuff
This is extremely important if you’re just starting out. Good agents go through the Disney College of Knowledge to learn all the ins and outs of booking and Disney in general. They know how to get the good reservations. They know when to get the reservations, like how far out we need to book dining for Disney or excursions on cruises. When we first started out, we had no idea what was good. Melanie (our agent) walked us through all the different options for park days, resorts, and dining, giving us price points for lots of different things. Then she put it all together for us with different price points and answered our questions. She never tried to upsell us on anything.
First time in forever (see what I did there?) at Disney in 2017. Who knew we’d become obsessed?
Travel Agents for Disney Know How to Get Stuff
On our next trips to Disney World, my wife just did a whole bunch of googling and reading Facebook group comments. Then she came to our Disney World travel agent with all of her ideas. Melanie booked almost everything we wanted—Cinderella’s Royal Table, California Grill during the fireworks, Ohana during the fireworks—sometimes for 7 people. We didn’t realize how hard that was until we tried to do it on our own for a separate trip. But now when we want to book an awesome trip, we just go about our ordinary lives, while she’s busy putting together hard to get opportunities months before our trip.
Clearly I now know what I’m doing when it comes to Toy Story Mania, so I could probably book my own Disney trip (but I won’t). Player 2 still needs help, though.
By now, we are more than capable of doing the booking ourselves. We’ve been to Disney dozens of times. We know the deadlines, booking windows, and how to use the app and website. But we still use her because it takes so much stress out of our planning. We’re not people that enjoy planning (other than picking a date), or doing things ahead of time, so without her, it means we either stress or miss opportunities. She landed us a Space 220 reservation a week after it opened. But speaking of our procrastination…
Good Agents Stay on Top of Things
On our last cruise, months after we booked, our Disney travel agent reminded us of booking windows opening, registration and passport due dates, and other tedium. Last year, she helped us navigate all the Covid testing. She made sure we had everything ready, so we wouldn’t show up at the port and get turned away.
Disney travel agents also stay on top of the ever-changing things at Disney World— dining plans, Genie, Genie+, Lightning Lanes, Individual Lightning Lanes. Even when we’re aware of the changes, we may not know how that affects the user experience on the app, or how it will affect crowd control. They know this stuff. It’s both their job and their hobby. I feel like Melanie takes my calls and emails while she is actually in Disney World as often as not.
Agents Know About the Deals
When Disney offered free dining plan options in the summer and early fall of 2019, there was an email from her waiting for us in our inbox the day it was released. On another trip, she helped us find the right cruise rooms to capitalize on 35% off deals. She even told us about the wonders of Park Hopper PLUS, so that when we visited in July one year, we could go to the waterparks for free several times. Of course, this is all stuff we could have found on our own. But she did the research and the booking, so we didn’t have to.
Second Dad to the Right at California Grill for free-ish 2019
Good Agents Fix Broken Stuff
There have been several times where Melanie has spent several hours on the phone with Disney trying to sort out a missing reservation or a broken website. When Disney Cruise Lines released the Disney+ deal (where kids go free), it crashed the site. She stayed on the phone for hours to book our reservation. Another time, when my wife and I rope-dropped Universal, our tickets weren’t working. She got on the phone at 7:30 AM on a weekday and sorted it out. If we have a missing dining reservation, she’ll find it. Heck, if it doesn’t work, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had Mickey waffles delivered to us.
All children, except the sharp-dressed baby, were free thanks to Melanie
Agents Are Almost as Excited as You Are
These people aren’t just travel agents. They specialize in Disney for a reason. The reason is that they love Disney. They want to be at Disney. They want to talk about Disney, and since they are good people, they get excited about helping you go to Disney. Melanie knows all my kids’ names (there’s three—even I struggle sometimes) and talks about certain things they’ll love. She knows any family member who’s gone with us. She gets excited that my girls are excited about character breakfasts or my son winning Jack Jack’s Incredible Diaper Dash on the cruise. (I try to work his victory into most of my blog posts)
Jack Jack’s Incredible Diaper Dash Winner
Good Agents for Disney Go the Extra Mile
Here’s the craziest part of having an agent. In fact, it’s the reason I’ll never become an agent. Melanie frequently gets up at 7:00 AM with us to book virtual queues. We’re all trying at the same time, and because she’s not slowed down by Disney’s internet, she’s usually the one to get them. We’re talking Rise of Resistance, Guardians, and Ratatouille just after they opened. I’m hoping to give her a shot at Tron really soon. I’m not a morning person. Doing this for someone else’s vacation is beyond amazing. In fact, this is something that no other travel agent for any other style of vacation would have to do (that I can think of).
The Best Disney Travel Agents
So, how can you make sure you’re working with a good travel agent, with all the education, information, and expertise that you need as a first-timer or a veteran? Consider asking them these questions;
Are they a College of Disney Knowledge graduate?
In other words, do they really know what they’re doing? All the tricks and tips?
When was the last time they visited a Disney property?
In other words are they huge fans, or is this just a job?
When was the last time they visited the Disney property you are looking to book?
In other words, if they don’t know the resort or park, how can they properly recommend it or prepare you for any changes to it?
Can they be both a professional champion of the destination and also able to articulate the realities of travel and special requests?
In other words, can they get you pumped up for the trip without giving you unrealistic expectations, and can they offer you exciting opportunities without pushing more expensive options too aggressively?
Hopefully, this post has made you more comfortable and informed about getting a Disney travel agent. I can’t imagine doing this without one. I probably wouldn’t love Disney the way I do.
Now you’re ready to go and find a good agent you can trust. Of course, you’re welcome to use mine. Here’s the contact info for the best Disney travel agent with one of the best Disney travel agencies.
Melanie Rickert- My Mickey Vacation
https://mymickeyvacation.com/team/melanie-rickert/
melanie.rickert@mymickeyvacation.com
