Booking a Placeholder...Pros and Cons To Transferring to a TA

[Mousequake]

"Best" depends on what you're looking for.

A lot of people use Dreams Unlimited (sponsor of this board), while others have a Travel Agent they've used for years, and wouldn't think of changing. Still others prefer using Costco (no onboard credit, but a cash card equal to 6-9% of cruise cost for use after returning. There are those who feel a TA that's reachable 24/7 is more important than OBC. Some TAs give gifts (photo packages or bottle of wine) instead of OBC. And there are TAs who don't give anything extra.

You need to ask around at various TAs and find one that works for you.

Excellent answer. If perks are your the reason you want to use a TA, shop around for one that will give you the most onboard perks. However, also be aware that in my experience these are usually the ones that will not give you a great level of service, as they're giving away most of their commission to give you those perks. They're more about booking volume, since they're not making as much per booking, rather than spending a lot of individual time meeting their clients' needs.

If great service is your thing, read their reviews, ask friends, etc. Most importantly, contact a few agents-- 'interview' them, essentially. You'll quickly get a good feel for which one is right for your needs.

 

[n2mm]

We change our placeholders and our on board bookings to a TA and have not experienced any downside to doing so. We do get some additional credit.

I agree! I can't think of any reason not to do it, unless you don't like your TA. If that's the case, you need a new TA. I use dreams unlimited and it's good for all sides. They get the commission from dcl, I get my placeholder obc plus obc from DU. My TA is the one on the phone making the reservations or changes. Been doing it this way for years now!

 

[Shanti]

On my upcoming cruise I will be booking a placeholder for a 2019 WBPC once announced. What are the pros and cons to moving it over to a travel agent? I think I might lose some onboard credit? Does it take longer for me to book my own room via the phone call to DCL or do the TA’s have a faster method? Trying to think of any other reasons to use them. TIA.

Some people like using TA's, others don't. I prefer having direct control over my own reservations, as I would find having to go through a 3rd party cumbersome when I want to tweak our plans. The OBC isn't enough of a financial incentive to make it worth losing my direct control over my reservation. I've found DCL very accessible and easy to deal with directly.

 

[n2mm]

I must say, I thought using a TA would stop me from having control. That seems to be not true. My TA booked my reservation on opening day using my placeholder and was successful getting my desired cabin. After that I just log into dreams unlimited and make payments. I log directly onto dcl and do all my own checkin, and book all my own plans and excursions. My book is sent straight to me, not my TA. The only thing I can't do is add a request. My TA calls dcl on my behalf to request a specific server or a specific rotation. That's it, so having a TA does not mean giving up control. Maybe that's an old wise tale. Btw, I use Dreams Unlimited.

 

[luv2cruisedisney]

Please refresh my memory

When does a place holder have to be transferred?

within 30 days of booking it
or
within 30 days of using it to book your actual cruise

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Some people like using TA's, others don't. I prefer having direct control over my own reservations, as I would find having to go through a 3rd party cumbersome when I want to tweak our plans. The OBC isn't enough of a financial incentive to make it worth losing my direct control over my reservation. I've found DCL very accessible and easy to deal with directly.

This is what Ive been thinking about. If my TA still has to call, well I could do that as well. I thought maybe they had a special TA line or other info not available to the customer.

 

[Cackyschmackers]

This is what Ive been thinking about. If my TA still has to call, well I could do that as well. I thought maybe they had a special TA line or other info not available to the customer.

It's all in what you are looking for, but a good TA definitely has more insight than the regular customer. Our TA communicates directly with Disney to book our room, but as I said I do everything else including picking the exact room, and as other posters said booking the excursions, picking your PAT, exactly which other activities that you want, etc. If you are interested in opening day prices, I think this is where a good TA definitely benefits you as previous posters noted. No need for you to be on the phone on hold all day. To me it's just free money. Lol Win-win. Good luck!

 

[lanejudy]

Please refresh my memory

When does a place holder have to be transferred?

within 30 days of booking it
or
within 30 days of using it to book your actual cruise

Within 30 days of booking the placeholder -- so shortly after you return from your cruise.

I thought maybe they had a special TA line or other info not available to the customer.

They do have a TA line, which I think generally gets them connected more quickly than the general public line. But on early-booking days the TA line also gets jammed up so the TAs spend a lot of time on the phone as well.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Within 30 days of booking the placeholder -- so shortly after you return from your cruise.




They do have a TA line, which I think generally gets them connected more quickly than the general public line. But on early-booking days the TA line also gets jammed up so the TAs spend a lot of time on the phone as well.

Enjoy your cruise!

This is exactly what I thought. The fact that they can do the phone calling (and be on hold) is worth it for me! Yes definitely need her to book on opening day. We want to use this placeholder for the WBPC spring 2019. This cruise books fast!

 

[ludari]

Without reading through all these comments I can say that I find using a TA to be very beneficial for me. My TA (like most) will provide some type of shipboard credit for my cruise in addition to whatever shipboard credit that DCL will provide. For advance cruise bookings for new cruise date releases my TA will contact me via email a few days before the cruises opens to make my selections and will call me with prices on opening day for my Castaway Club Member Status so I can make my decision on what I want to book or not book. A few times I have been lucky to have my TA on board the same ship and they invite me to their stateroom for free cocktails and appetizers. Also if my TA is on board the same ship they have in the past scheduled a private tour at a particular port and they always go above and beyond to provide a memorable experience. I also enjoy talking to my TA when on the same cruises to pick his brain about cruises and listen to his advice. Last year I booked and sailed on my first non-Disney cruise with my TA and when I booked it I inquired about shipboard credit they said that none was offered for that particular cruise line but since I had been a loyal customer for years they actually gave me shipboard credit which I though was very nice.

Overall I cannot think of any downsides of using a TA especially some of these smaller ones that go above and beyond to make you happy. I also like the fact when I call most everyone in the TA office knows me which is comforting.