DU agent, what would you do?

[Capitalangel]

I just don’t see the value in using a TA at all. The OBC is not worth not having control of my own destiny.

I don’t use an agent for more then my Disney Cruises. I did it the first time for the OBC but have continued because my TA has been great with answering questions such as good places to eat near the port, what hotels offer transportation, that the larger stateroom might be better when we were traveling with an infant in a pack n play, and one time I requested a stateroom on the side that overlooks Castaway Cay and she reminded me that the ship backs in so I would want a room on the other side. I figure I love the disboards and Disunplugged show so I have no problem giving them some business. It doesn’t bother me that I have to put my payments into their site instead of directly to Disney. I am paying the money either way. Also, when I have had an issue then I am not the one who has to sit on the phone waiting for help. Besides the ability to cancel I am not sure what part of my “destiny” I am not in control of. My TA and I talk about stateroom preferences, locations, dining, etc. Once it is booked then besides payments I don’t usually need to make any changes.

 

[Capitalangel]

I wanted to know what I should expect of an agent. I'm worried my expectations are too high.

For example - how to communicate (phone, email), response time, other help they provide.

Thanks!

My TA usually gets back to me within the day except for weekends ( except she must monitor on weekends because I have gotten a weekend response the time it was a little more time sensitive. I have never talked to her on the phone. As stated above she has given me advice on staterooms, hotels, and restaurants

 

[eeyoreandtink]

I don’t use an agent for more then my Disney Cruises. I did it the first time for the OBC but have continued because my TA has been great with answering questions such as good places to eat near the port, what hotels offer transportation, that the larger stateroom might be better when we were traveling with an infant in a pack n play, and one time I requested a stateroom on the side that overlooks Castaway Cay and she reminded me that the ship backs in so I would want a room on the other side. I figure I love the disboards and Disunplugged show so I have no problem giving them some business. It doesn’t bother me that I have to put my payments into their site instead of directly to Disney. I am paying the money either way. Also, when I have had an issue then I am not the one who has to sit on the phone waiting for help. Besides the ability to cancel I am not sure what part of my “destiny” I am not in control of. My TA and I talk about stateroom preferences, locations, dining, etc. Once it is booked then besides payments I don’t usually need to make any changes.

You have been lucky with a good TA. I haven't had that kind of luck the one time I tried to used DU. I don't like waiting 2 days or more for a response, and then not getting what I wanted when I could have gone in an made the change myself in minutes.

 

[jtntx34]

I am SO glad you posted this. I am taking my first Disney Cruisein December. It is also my first solo cruise. I tried to use DU because I thought having an expert help me and answer all my questions would be great. Plus, I liked having the OBC to help pay for gratuities.

Well, first I had a tiny issue with requesting a quote. I really wasn’t wanting an official quote on a specific room exactly yet. I had questions, so I emailed DU and was told to ask for a quote. Their system requires you to specify a room category. This is my first Disney Cruise. I didn’t know what the different categories were, but I could easily look online and see the specific room/s I would be interested in, so I just picked one.

I was assigned an agent. She seemed nice enough and was responsive, but when I would ask her specific questions about this cabin vs that cabin, she didn’t really answer me.

I decided to book a Verandah cabin and immediately had buyers’ remorse, so I told her I needed to cancel. She didn’t communicate well about the cancellation process. She didn’t tell me when she had submitted the request or how long it would take to get my money back. Anyway, I really did want to take the cruise but was feeling uneasy with her. After my money was refunded, I looked for another agent. I found one at DU I thought I might like and emailed her directly with my questions. All she did was look in the system and saw I had booked with DU before (it was literally about five minutes between my book it and cancel it emails), and she sent me back to the first agent.

First agent, once again, did not answer any of my questions. She just said she’d be happy to help. Well, then why not try actually helping and answer some dang questions?!

I just gave up and booked it myself. I would have used DU if I could have switched agents. I wish the second agent would have at least asked me why I was contacting her when I’d used another agent without copying the first agent. I could have explained and if she was unable to take new clients, she could have referred me to one of the owners or someone who could help.

I see the benefits of a good travel agent. I just think they are hard to find. Many travel agents are really just booking agents, and I can book it myself. Even with a TA, I find I end up doing a ton of research to get answers to my questions as well. So, for me, I am not convinced of the value. (And no, I am not interested in booking with Costco since I am not a Costco member.)

 

[Marriedwith2kids]

It does come down to personnal preferences...although I was sure glad to have a TA last March. I’m usually one to overplan and would not need/use a TA. That was the case for our 4-5 first trips to WDW. But after watching the posdcast for so many years, I decided to give du a try for our Disneyland trip and our first cruise. Last March, we missed the Magic (second cruise) due to the plane having to make an emergency landing in Washington. Never again will we fly in the morning of for a cruise, always the day prior. On that occasion, My TA spent about an hour back and forth on the phone between me and Disney trying to get us a spot on another cruise. She managed to move our reservation over to the Fantasy leaving out of PC the next day, we got the very last stateroom on that sailing. I would not have been able to pull that off on my own from the airport terminal. She managed to save our family vacation. It was a long drive between Miami and PC when our plane finally landed at 10:00 pm that night but what a wonderful cruise we had (SWDAS to boot). Still today, I don’t really require/need a TA for the planning or answering questions. Finding out on my own and planning on my own is part of the fun, in my opinion. However, a TA can be a lifesaver in occasions like these.

 

[bumbershoot]

I just don’t see the value in using a TA at all. The OBC is not worth not having control of my own destiny.

Once the cruise is booked the only things you need the TA for are things that will change your room or room cost. Pretty much everything else can be done by you.

And while I don’t know how much obc du gives, I think the cash card Costco gives is definitely worth it. (And for royal, the obc). I do know well to NOT look at the dcl site during times that the TA is closed. Having that temptation when you can’t do anything about it is maddening.

But really, you’re not losing much of your destiny, lol.

 

[cwboy]

In Denmark (actually I think it's the entire of EU now) we have a huge advantage in using TAs for booking both flights, hotel and the cruise, since we will be protected by a "package deal protection". So if the flights suddenly get cancelled or are too late to get to the cruise, it'll be the TAs problem...

 

[mammacaryn]

Side note to this conversation. I've used DU for our last cruise and this current one. (5th/6th)I too felt our first agent was a bit hard to reach, especially since I hardly had to contact her(no flights to book or hotels or transfers etc).

John was able to get me switched to a new agent before I made a deposit and it was a simple quick fix.

Here is my question/gripe though, and I have noticed this with both my agents through this agency. Although I really, for the most part only use an agent for the OBC-I can do the rest by myself for the most part, I do feel like there should be a certain amount of unsolicited communications to me, from the agent that doesn't involve copy and pasted information-they do after all make a commission off of my vacation (don't they?).

Neither of my agents seemed to acknowledge that I was a return cruiser, often answering questions as if I'd never cruised before. Not a big deal, except, when I do have a question they are generally pretty specific and require a knowledgeable answer not a copy and paste from the FAQ section of DCL.

No emails to see if I had questions etc, or if my luggage tags arrived etc.

Nothing telling me when our GTY assignment came though(on Dreams Unlimited it still shows no room #, but we were assigned one), or the fact that there was a glitch in the system saying I was paid in full on the DCL website (I told her about that) when I was not-this could have been problematic for a first timer.

The only emails I have received where I didn't ask a question were those telling me about new sailing dates and increases in tips, the typical copy and paste DCL emails.

To me, it should mean something when you have clients that don't make you jump through hoops. If you haven't heard from a client in a month or two, check in

I want to book a placeholder this cruise and in all honesty I'm a bit torn what to do with the travel agent part of it now, because this is something that is NEW to us.

The agents we used in the past were with AAA (online agents as well-not at my local office)back when they offered OBC deals with DCL, and I got emails often, just checking in to see how planning was going, asking if I needed help or had questions, and checking in AFTER to see how my cruises went. (And not too many either, not invasive, just enough that I knew my agent was there and was aware of my reservation) I haven't had anything close to that with Dreams Unlimited.

So thats it. Just thought I'd share my view of my experience as of late. Not completely dissatisfied but service could be a bit bette and more personal.

I've read folks RAVE about their agents through DU and I have to wonder what is going on that makes them feel that way.

By the way, I am NOT slamming DU. Just giving an example of my experiences with them.

 

[amhawthorne]

Side note to this conversation. I've used DU for our last cruise and this current one. (5th/6th)I too felt our first agent was a bit hard to reach, especially since I hardly had to contact her(no flights to book or hotels or transfers etc).

John was able to get me switched to a new agent before I made a deposit and it was a simple quick fix.

Here is my question/gripe though, and I have noticed this with both my agents through this agency. Although I really, for the most part only use an agent for the OBC-I can do the rest by myself for the most part, I do feel like there should be a certain amount of unsolicited communications to me, from the agent that doesn't involve copy and pasted information-they do after all make a commission off of my vacation (don't they?).

Neither of my agents seemed to acknowledge that I was a return cruiser, often answering questions as if I'd never cruised before. Not a big deal, except, when I do have a question they are generally pretty specific and require a knowledgeable answer not a copy and paste from the FAQ section of DCL.

No emails to see if I had questions etc, or if my luggage tags arrived etc.

Nothing telling me when our GTY assignment came though(on Dreams Unlimited it still shows no room #, but we were assigned one), or the fact that there was a glitch in the system saying I was paid in full on the DCL website (I told her about that) when I was not-this could have been problematic for a first timer.

The only emails I have received where I didn't ask a question were those telling me about new sailing dates and increases in tips, the typical copy and paste DCL emails.

To me, it should mean something when you have clients that don't make you jump through hoops. If you haven't heard from a client in a month or two, check in

I want to book a placeholder this cruise and in all honesty I'm a bit torn what to do with the travel agent part of it now, because this is something that is NEW to us.

The agents we used in the past were with AAA (online agents as well-not at my local office)back when they offered OBC deals with DCL, and I got emails often, just checking in to see how planning was going, asking if I needed help or had questions, and checking in AFTER to see how my cruises went. (And not too many either, not invasive, just enough that I knew my agent was there and was aware of my reservation) I haven't had anything close to that with Dreams Unlimited.

So thats it. Just thought I'd share my view of my experience as of late. Not completely dissatisfied but service could be a bit bette and more personal.

I've read folks RAVE about their agents through DU and I have to wonder what is going on that makes them feel that way.

By the way, I am NOT slamming DU. Just giving an example of my experiences with them.

I have cruised 2 times with other cruise lines and once with Disney. I am going to take my second disney cruise in September.
For both DCL vacations I have used DU because I enjoy the Dis podcast and the Dis videos on YouTube. I felt I should give them my business since I use their content. However, I doubt I would use them again. The first cruise (4 night Dream) I also had my father and sister use DU as their TA. The e-mail communication Was awkward for me and I felt it really didn’t answer my questions, a real conversation would have produced a better faster result . Waiting a day for responses to continue a conversation could take days to complete.
Example
We are a family of 3 my Father wants to join our sailing if we book 2 people in each room it would help my father with his cabin cost. I want my TA to verify what the change in price would would be if I changed our cabin from 3 people to 2 - I could then give the cost of our 3rd person to my father to help him with the cost of his double occupancy cabin. I don’t want to commit to any changes until we know what it will cost. My dad is loosing the hold on his cabin b/c our DU TA has not gotten back to me yet. I hope my dad doesn’t loose his cabin while I wait.
I think i will go back to a traditional TA.

I’m not bashing DU it just hasn’t worked well for me either.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Example
We are a family of 3 my Father wants to join our sailing if we book 2 people in each room it would help my father with his cabin cost. I want my TA to verify what the change in price would would be if I changed our cabin from 3 people to 2 - I could then give the cost of our 3rd person to my father to help him with the cost of his double occupancy cabin. I don’t want to commit to any changes until we know what it will cost. My dad is loosing the hold on his cabin b/c our DU TA has not gotten back to me yet. I hope my dad doesn’t loose his cabin while I wait.
I think i will go back to a traditional TA.

I’m not bashing DU it just hasn’t worked well for me either.

It shouldn’t be too hard to figure this out. On your reservation it should detail what the cost of the third person in your room is. For example for my cruise with 3 in one stateroom, my itinerary shows exactly what each passenger costs. In my case it’s $1,755 each for #1 and 2, and $608 for #3. That’s before the port taxes and fees of $368 per person.

So in my case removing #3 should simply remove $608 + 368 from my room.

The only trouble is if you booked a while ago and now Dad books but the prices have gone up. But.... If that’s not the case, then in my example Dad’s room would be ($1,755 + 368) X 2. So you could give your dad $608 + 368 to lower his cost.

 

[roac8362]

I used a DU agent and was not completely thrilled with her but like everyone else I wanted the on board credit. I've recently decided that the on board credit just may not be worth it. I always felt like I was a bother when I reached out for questions but the biggest problem I had is when I purchased a placeholder on our last cruise and then later booked a cruise with it. Unfortunately I had to cancel my placeholder cruise do to life. I was not told that I would completely lose my placeholder by cancelling that cruise, I just assumed that I still had my 2 years to book my trip. When I asked the agent about it I was pretty much just told "you cancelled your placeholder cruise so you no longer have it." I would have like to know that BEFORE hand and instead of cancelling I could have possibly moved it further out to a different cruise. I don't know, I'm not a placeholder expert but I would have liked a little advice from an expert (which I assumed she was) when I cancelled that cruise.

 

[dkostel]

I just don’t see the value in using a TA at all. The OBC is not worth not having control of my own destiny.

I felt the exact same way but this time I gave it a go because I love all the free content I get from the DIS. There were probably 8 cabins that met my exact requests and she had a hold on 2 of them before I woke up on the day I was booking. And I have an OBC that will likely cover one port's adventures. I won't hestitate to use DU again.

 

[Jess_S]

I agree with everyone about changing agents. My DU agent is very responsive (even on nights and weekends, which actually makes me feel guilty) and she give me personalized responses to my questions. She does also send the standard DU emails, but always with a personalized note up top. If your agent is not meeting expectations, I would let them or the company know.

 

[Dug720]

Nothing telling me when our GTY assignment came though(on Dreams Unlimited it still shows no room #, but we were assigned one), or the fact that there was a glitch in the system saying I was paid in full on the DCL website (I told her about that) when I was not-this could have been problematic for a first timer.

The only emails I have received where I didn't ask a question were those telling me about new sailing dates and increases in tips, the typical copy and paste DCL emails.

To me, it should mean something when you have clients that don't make you jump through hoops. If you haven't heard from a client in a month or two, check in .

I do not think the TAs get notification about cabin assignment either.

Those are the only types of emails I get from my non-DU agent and that is all I would expect. Maybe I’m too low maintenance to not expect a “Hey, how are things going? Thinking of booking any trips?” email?

 

[MickeyD]

I have used DU since our second cruise with DCL way back in the early 2000's. Luckily, I have been able to use the same agent each time as well. I get the same "canned" emails, even after 13 years of using this ta, and it is annoying to get "first time"-type emails when I am almost Platinum! But, I will say that if I send something to her personal related, she responds in like fashion. She traveled to my neck of the woods this summer and I was able to give her some info. I will say that I do not expect much from her because I know what I want and I just give her the info and she books it. She has always been responsive, even on weekends and nights, and emails when she will be out of town. However, I will add that after this last Fantasy trip in Feb I did not book a placeholder because I feel like the giftcard from Costco is a better deal than the OBC I get from Dreams, that, and I have plenty of magnets, cards, glow sticks, etc from my Dreams baskets over the years.
I would just urge folks to consider when using Dreams that they are an online travel agency with far reaching exposure and you may not (most likely are not) the only client they have. I think with today's technology, everyone feels they need immediate attention, and as someone who wades through hundreds of emails for work, it takes time to respond. However, if the agent is making you feel like you are a bother for reaching out to her, then definitely contact John at Dreams and request a change. They do receive a commission based on our booking and therefore work for us. Respect both ways, goes a long ways.

 

[n2mm]

We have used a travel agent for 3 of our 4 cruises. I’m really not a fan of the one we always get assigned. Every time I submit a request for quote I always end up re routed back to the same agent. I’ve even tried specifically requesting a different agent but always end up re routed back to the same lady. She takes forever to get back to me on questions and made our place holder last year a nightmare.
But I don’t know what to do about it. I would really love to try a different agent for our upcoming cruise but I’m afraid about how to go about it. I don’t want to get anyone in “trouble” by requesting them to be removed from our account but I would really love someone more friendly and accessible.
But I’m afraid if I upset someone, they’ll mess with our reservation and screw us on things like our waitlist for main dining or our request to be linked with family that’s traveling in the same cruise, etc.
what would you do?

The owner seems open to feedback. I’m sure he would let you change your TA. Sometimes things don’t fit.

I’ve been using DU for years. I’m very happy with my agent. I was a little confused by the booking quotes comments. When I need to book or use my placeholders, I just email her. I like to be in control so don’t need any handholding. My TA takes care of the things I just don’t want to do, like dealing with DCL. She does all the phone work. She’s the one on the phone on opening day converting my placeholders. She changes cabins and makes requests like a specific server or dining rotation. While I know she has specific hours, she did go above and beyond during one release to help me get a specific room connecting to my daughter. It’s a perfect fit for me.

 

[KashasMom]

I have an agent that I love what we've used for our last several cruises. I recently booked 3 rooms (first time with DU) since they gave me a bit better OBC. I asked for another quote (new cruise). I responded back Friday to go ahead and book. Didn't hear anything. Sent another email yesterday. Crickets. Just sent another email to someone else who had helped when the original TA was out (she had an OOO message with a contact name). If I don't hear back that it was booked by tomorrow, I'm going back to my original TA.

 

[Budzooka]

This thread scares me, and nothing against DU, but just how hit and miss the experience can be based on the individual, which is the case anywhere. I used a TA with a different agency for our first two cruises and she was fantastic. Very responsive and helpful, but doesn't offer any sort of OBC. I decided to go with Costco this last go around and won't do that again. I don't have the time to sit on hold for hours and hope they get me booked at some point. So, I have been considering using DU as a TA on our next cruise, mainly for the OBC. But this will be for a summer 2021 European cruise and I saw how fast those filled up this release and need to be sure I have TA that is on top of it. Maybe I should stick with my original TA and just forego the OBC.

 

[kylaura]

Found my agent on a Facebook group for a cruise we took. She's very easy to work with. Send me a message if you'd like her name and contact info.

 

[ProgressCity]

I used a DU agent and was not completely thrilled with her but like everyone else I wanted the on board credit. I've recently decided that the on board credit just may not be worth it. I always felt like I was a bother when I reached out for questions but the biggest problem I had is when I purchased a placeholder on our last cruise and then later booked a cruise with it. Unfortunately I had to cancel my placeholder cruise do to life. I was not told that I would completely lose my placeholder by cancelling that cruise, I just assumed that I still had my 2 years to book my trip. When I asked the agent about it I was pretty much just told "you cancelled your placeholder cruise so you no longer have it." I would have like to know that BEFORE hand and instead of cancelling I could have possibly moved it further out to a different cruise. I don't know, I'm not a placeholder expert but I would have liked a little advice from an expert (which I assumed she was) when I cancelled that cruise.

This is the kind of thing that, had you been able to call in and cancel with Disney, you would have been told. We were trained to never cancel a placeholder without first explaining that you can push it out in order to keep the offer. (In fairness, this is also an advantage to phone communication: it allows more back and forth.) Disney cast members really are great at answering questions and spending a lot of time with guests. I don't understand why people book with a TA when you can book direct with people who do this for 8 hours a day 5 days a week and nothing else.

That said, I also liked it any time I saw DU on a reservation because the agents were easy to work with as a cast member and it was nice to be confident that I could refer the guest back to DU knowing that the owners were good people who would help them out. I was always 100% confident when I had to tell a guest to contact DU that their issue would get handled professionally, and that's saying something. It's the only agency I felt that way about when I was a cast member. They have a stellar reputation at DCL.