Travel Agent "Etiquette"???

[kristenrice]

Being a DVC member, I have never used a TA for a Disney reservation. As of now, I have no more points to use this year, but I would like to take a trip for my birthday in October. I want to go over a weekend during F&W festival so I know that I need to start getting my stuff together.

I would like to try a travel agent for my Disney reservation, but since my plans aren't firm and entirely dependent on cost, I do not want to "bother" anyone with a bunch of quotes and then decide that I can't afford it.

Is it "ok" to ask for a quote(s) and then not book? I would like to book something, in the hopes that a code will come out, and then apply the code if I can. But, if I can't get a code/discount, and the price of the trip exceeds my budget, I would have to cancel.

I'm also not sure if I would be traveling with my BFF or my DH. If I go with BFF, I will only have to pay half of the cost. If DH comes along, it's double, and thus the reason I really need a ballpark figure. As of now, with no discounts, I could not go with DH, and my BFF will not commit to anything yet.

Any tips, advice or "etiquette lessons" are appreciated.

[SunshineGirl]

I think as long as you intend to book if the price is right, you should definitely give the TA a shot!

[MouseUnlimited]

Being a DVC member, I have never used a TA for a Disney reservation. As of now, I have no more points to use this year, but I would like to take a trip for my birthday in October. I want to go over a weekend during F&W festival so I know that I need to start getting my stuff together.

I would like to try a travel agent for my Disney reservation, but since my plans aren't firm and entirely dependent on cost, I do not want to "bother" anyone with a bunch of quotes and then decide that I can't afford it.

Is it "ok" to ask for a quote(s) and then not book? I would like to book something, in the hopes that a code will come out, and then apply the code if I can. But, if I can't get a code/discount, and the price of the trip exceeds my budget, I would have to cancel.

I'm also not sure if I would be traveling with my BFF or my DH. If I go with BFF, I will only have to pay half of the cost. If DH comes along, it's double, and thus the reason I really need a ballpark figure. As of now, with no discounts, I could not go with DH, and my BFF will not commit to anything yet.

Any tips, advice or "etiquette lessons" are appreciated.

It can be said that if you're just "window shopping", and you know what you want, you should probably just run a quick quote on Disney's site. However, if you're looking for advice, or more than one quote for various options, there's no reason why you shouldn't request a quote from a Travel Agent. While there are agencies that discourage you from requesting a quote if you have no intention of booking, there are still plenty of us who will work for your business - even if it's for a trip down the road.

We even have a handy Quote Request Form on our site, so you can request exactly what you're looking for, and also provide additional comments (including a note that you're just shopping).

And what's even better is that if you book with us, you'll earn Sunshine Rewards Cash Back!

We have many, many happy clients - and several of them are Sunshine Rewards members....some who can definitely attest to our willingness to send quote after quote, even if it doesn't work out.

You can e-mail me directly at tom AT mouse unlimited DOT com and/or submit a Quote Request through our site. We'd love to have you as a client!

[kristenrice]

Thanks for the info!

I obligate myself to have my entire trip budget available by the day I leave on a vacation. We have a trip to HHI planned for April and, as of right now, I have almost enough rewards earnings to pay for the trip without touching our vacation savings account. So, *if* I can pull off the HHI trip on freebies alone and don't touch the vacation account, I will have about $1000 left over. That is plenty for me to travel with my BFF, but I would need to do really well with my rewards to earn enough for DH to come instead.

As you can probably tell, *I* want to go to WDW...who will be joining me is still up in the air.

[MouseUnlimited]

Thanks for the info!

I obligate myself to have my entire trip budget available by the day I leave on a vacation. We have a trip to HHI planned for April and, as of right now, I have almost enough rewards earnings to pay for the trip without touching our vacation savings account. So, *if* I can pull off the HHI trip on freebies alone and don't touch the vacation account, I will have about $1000 left over. That is plenty for me to travel with my BFF, but I would need to do really well with my rewards to earn enough for DH to come instead.

As you can probably tell, *I* want to go to WDW...who will be joining me is still up in the air.

Well, just keep in mind that Room-Only bookings can be canceled 6 days out with no penalty, and packages can be canceled 45 days out with no penalty.

If you book now, you'd need to pay a deposit, but you can always have us cancel the trip before the 45-day mark if you haven't solidified a travel partner yet.

Shoot me an e-mail when you get a chance