Travel Agent

[justme0729]

I would like to use a travel agent to transfer our booking to to get the onboard credit but I'm nervous that I won't be able to see my reservation on the DCL website, book my excursions myself, cancel on time if I need to, change my guest information (we're having a baby who is currently entered as TBD.. will need to update his real name) etc. What won't I be able to control or do from the DCL website? Is Dreams Unlimited still a reputable company?

 

[happycamper47]

You can still see everything and do all the shore excursions etc. Basically, only thing you can't do is make payments or as you said change the guest(s). I've been using a TA (not Dreams) for years since I prefer dealing with a smaller company.

 

[CamColt]

As noted above, anything to do with the reservation, payments, changing guests, changing rooms, changing dates, etc...will need to go through the TA. As far as booking activities or excursions you can certainly do that. You will still have access to the reservation on the app/online, you just cant do anything that affects the actual reservation.

And yes, Dreams is still a very reputable company, and they sponsor these boards. When using them you will get their on board credit and a gift basket.

 

[fredandkell]

I love booking things on my own but have always used DU for the great OBC. One thing I never thought of, though, was how helpful having a travel agent was when our 2017 cruise got completely disrupted by a hurricane. She stayed on the phone for hours with Disney to get us on a different sailing which saved me so much time and cost me nothing! The minor inconvenience of not being able to make certain changes is greatly outweighed by the huge time savings if something goes wrong with your cruise.

 

[cinnamoroll]

I just transferred a few reservations over to a TA for the same reason. I can still do everything myself in the app except for changing staterooms and making payments. I ended up reaching out to several agencies (they all seem to offer the same OBC amounts) and went with the one with the quickest response rate (varied from within a few hours to 5+ days). I’d hate to be stuck with an unresponsive/slow-to-respond TA.

 

[Cheburashka]

I would like to use a travel agent to transfer our booking to to get the onboard credit but I'm nervous that I won't be able to see my reservation on the DCL website, book my excursions myself, cancel on time if I need to, change my guest information (we're having a baby who is currently entered as TBD.. will need to update his real name) etc. What won't I be able to control or do from the DCL website? Is Dreams Unlimited still a reputable company?

I used to book directly with DCL, and now book via Costco Travel for the Costco Shop Card (8.5% of the base cruise cost- wow) after the cruise. Here is my experience using a travel agency:

1. You will see your reservation on the DCL website. After the cruise you will get credit for the increased Castaway Club status, etc., just like for any other cruise. You don't lose any DCL perks by using an agency. You can book a placeholder onboard just like you would if you hadn't used an agency.
2. You will independently do online check-in as usual and independently book all of your excursions and other activities online on the DCL website as usual.
3. You can cancel if you need to or change things if you need to, but you do it via your agency. In fact, I just changed our stateroom twice today lol. It's easy to do that with Costco because you just call them up and talk to an agent like you would with DCL, but if you're using a more individualized agent via another travel agency, it's my understanding that they make changes within 24 business hours at least.
4. You can't directly control things like changing cruises, changing staterooms, cancelling, or adding things on like hotels or transfers, directly via DCL. You will have to do it via the agency.

 

[Magical_Suitcase]

I would like to use a travel agent to transfer our booking to to get the onboard credit but I'm nervous that I won't be able to see my reservation on the DCL website, book my excursions myself, cancel on time if I need to, change my guest information (we're having a baby who is currently entered as TBD.. will need to update his real name) etc. What won't I be able to control or do from the DCL website? Is Dreams Unlimited still a reputable company?

Not all travel agents offer onboard credit as the money comes out of their commission. If onboard credit is important to you, check with the chosen travel agent first to see if it is offered. Even if it is not offered, a good agent will hold your hand as much as you need, they will remind you of when and how to "do stuff", they will sit on the phone line for you to make changes if you need changes made or if a new promotion comes out or if there is a problem. As with the onboard credit, check with the travel agent to find out what and how much they do. Some places, like Costco, will book your vacation and provide an onboard credit, but that is all they do. If there are any issues or questions, you are own your own.

You can see your bookings in the DCL site. You can book/cancel your excursions. You can change your dining time if the time you wish is available, you can add special requests like dietary issues or celebrations, child amenities like a play-n-pack, etc. If you need to cancel, change a guest, change your stateroom, then you will have to contact your travel agent.

There are many great travel agents out there that book Disney. Look for one that is Earmarked meaning they have a lot of experience with Disney. Levels are: Bronze (the lowest), Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond (the highest).

Smiles, Kate

 

[lanejudy]

I would like to use a travel agent to transfer our booking to to get the onboard credit

Also be aware that transferred reservations may receive a lower OBC offer. If this is a cruise you just booked, you may want to simply have the TA do a new booking for you to receive full OBC, then cancel the reservation you made.

 

[rdevans_2000]

I would like to use a travel agent to transfer our booking to to get the onboard credit but I'm nervous that I won't be able to see my reservation on the DCL website, book my excursions myself, cancel on time if I need to, change my guest information (we're having a baby who is currently entered as TBD.. will need to update his real name) etc. What won't I be able to control or do from the DCL website? Is Dreams Unlimited still a reputable company?

Have used DU many times. Love em.