Every time we have gone to WDW we have always booked through the Disney website or called them directly to book it. I have heard some really good reviews of Magical Journey's but really haven't seen a difference. Thanks for any advice.
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Every time we have gone to WDW we have always booked through the Disney website or called them directly to book it. I have heard some really good reviews of Magical Journey's but really haven't seen a difference. Thanks for any advice.
The main reason for me is that I do not have to check on any specials that come out. MJ does it directly for you and in some cases, they know of the special before it is publicized. Also, if there is a problem with your room or some "mistake" while there, you have an advocate that is working for you, not WDW.
I'm someone who booked on my own for years and years (I won't tell you how many!).
A few years ago, I began using Magical Journeys. Could I do the same thing on my own? Yes.
Why do I use Magical Journeys? Because, with one e-mail, someone else does all the legwork for me. I may want to stay in this resort or that one? I get a response that prices both out for me. Oops, I've changed my mind? How about that resort instead? Another response and I don't need to do a thing.
Once I've made my decision and booked my trip, my Magical Journeys agent keeps an eye on my booking as well as on any special discounts that Disney is offering. If a discount may apply to me, I get an e-mail from my agent saying they just changed my reservation and I've now saved "x" dollars. Again, absolutely no extra effort on my part.
A couple of years ago, we had a room only reservation for our trip. The reservation fell during the time frame when Disney announced free dining for the first time. My Magical Journeys agent e-mailed me and suggested that we take advantage of this special offer as it would save us money. We did. Again, super easy - no sepcial effort!
I agree with Faline. I used to book everything myself, then, every chance I had I'd be checking for discounts (on my favorite website, INTERCOT). Now I just book with MJ and they stay on top of it for me.
I always booked on my own also until I discovered MJ. Three years ago I had already booked when Disney announced free dining. MJ automatically changed my package and gave me credit for the dining. I've used MJ ever since then - they're great and on top of things.
I think faline said it very well. I was a die hard do it yourself until I had major problems making reservations one year. Wendy of MJ got us exactly what we were trying to get and I have stayed with her ever since.
I might add that in 2006 when we arrived they , by mistake, had canceled one of our rooms. While waiting we called Wendy of MJ and explained what we had happened. She told us exactly what to do and we did so.
When I ask for and talked to the supervisor he already was aware of our situation. I know MJ had talked to him. He moved us to the concierge building and could not have been more helpful to correct our situation.
We use MJ exclusively and would not think of going any other way.
:) The first trip I went on to Disney was booked through my sister's travel agency who booked our trip (room and tickets only) and a rental car for us....when we went to pick up our rental car, we found out that company did not allow the vehicle to be taken out of state...the rep said well, just take it and don't tell us where you're going, right and have wreck and get sued.....also, this agent did not have first hand knowledge about Disney and did not mention the meal plan (we ate 3 Table service meals and the rest were Counter Service-and our costs were well above the cost of the dining plan)
Second trip, I researched myself and got a better price than the trip 3 years before and found out about the dining plan saving us a bunch of money....so I too was reluctant to try MJ...but they are a Disney approved Travel Agent and all the positive comments on this website convinced me...I booked our trip yesterday with Karen and things look great...Just to check, I priced it myself before she gave me the price.
I am using MJ for the first time this year and so far it's great! I am a big control freak and a planner so it's kind of hard for me to give the reigns to someone else but I like knowing that I don't have to keep looking for discounts. Knowing me, I would always be wondering if I missed something. Also, MJ is free so if for some reason there were no discounts available to you and your trip price through MJ comes out to be exactly what it would be if you called Disney yourself, it's not a loss cause you don't have to pay for the services of MJ. Go with MJ, you will love it!
Over the past 4+ years, DW and I have made 4 trips to WDW, with a 5th coming this September.
Our first trip was booked through AAA. Costs were relatively high and there was no way to modify the reservation once it was booked.
Second and third trips I booked through WDW Online and constantly kept checking back for upgrades to the reservation. If I found something new that we could take advantage of, I had to call to have the change made and hope I was in time to be able to get the offer.
Fourth trip was booked through MJ. It was a relatively short-notice trip, booked 6 weeks before we were going to leave. After reading all the good reviews of MJ, I decided to get a quote from them while doing my due diligence on the side to see how the best price I could find on my own would compare with the quote. Denise from MJ came back with a quote that was $200 better than the best I could find.
Now, I am not only using MJ for our next trip, I am letting everyone I know that is planning a Disney trip know that MJ is the way to go!
Thanks for all your comments they really help. After you book with MJ do you still do allyour other planning? Like meals, tours etc..
I do!Quote:
Originally Posted by Hayden's Dad
it is best for you to do your planning for meals, tours, etc. because if the time or place you want is not available then you can work something out right there cause you know what is best for you. if you do it though MJ they have to contact you and say that what you wanted wasn't available, then you have to tell them new plans, they have to get back to disney, etc. it's all too much. also, i think a lot of MJ agents won't do meals, tours, etc because of what i mentioned above. all you have to do is call disney with your confirmation number and book your meals and stuff from there.
Ditto. Just as an example, my MJ agent saved us about $300 because she caught a new discount that I didn't even know had been announced. ($300 buys an awful lot of Mickey Bars! Thanks Wendy!)Quote:
Originally Posted by faline
Bottom line: Using a travel agency, such as MJ, can be a great help, doesn't cost you anything, & can even save you money.
Robyn:mickey:
We LOVE Magical Journeys!!!
We've saved countless dollars and all the agents are so NICE!!
They don't ever seem to mind our pestering with new hotel ideas or different dates or "oh, wait! what if we want to add the DDP?", etc.
Best of all, you can just sit back and rest assured they are working to get you the most for you money. If a new deal gets announced, you get a nice little email from them and you don't have to do a thing! (Instead of getting on the phone with Disney after you finally read about the new discount here on Intercot)
We truly think MJ is GREAT!! :yay::joy::clappy:
Ditto to everything everyone else has said. I'm a compulsive planner and had a difficult time relinquishing control to Magical Journeys. But once I did? The amount of money we've saved (thousands of dollars in the past 6 trips) has convinced me to let MJ do the work. I'm not kidding.....thousands of dollars! :minnie:
I planned many trips myself. Even tho MJ does our room or pkg booking, I still do the ADR and other fun stuff booking.
Perhaps the best reason to use MJ is that your MJ agent knows her stuff while some Disney CMs apparently don't. YOU get to work with the competent person while your MJ agent gets differing info, sometimes every time they call.
I suspect that you would much rather spend your time dealing with a competent person, thus reducing some of your frustration level.
Even tho MJ is doing the booking you still have as much control over your resort/room/ etc. Maybe more, as MJ can keep looking for cancellations if your first choice is unavailable.
Jan
I agree with positive feedback given on booking with MJ. My TA is Terrie Sue and she has been terrific (1st time booking with MJ, AAA booked our 1st trip)! MJ vs. AAA (in my personal experience) was far superior in service and being on top of discounts. In fact, originally I could not obtain the AAA discount to book 4 nights AKL savanna rooms. Terrisue booked booked 2 nights AAA discount standard and 2 nights AAA savanna. She said she would continue to check back to see if all 4 nights opened up for the AAA discount savanna. Sure enough, she kept checking and she was able to obtain all 4 nights savanna at AAA discount. Having her do the work saved me a lot of time. I highly recommend MJ!
Triple ditto to everything. We used MJ on our last trip in Nov and Debbie was awesome (saved us $100 on 2 rooms at Poly!). True, MJ cannot make discounts "magically" appear but when Disney does announce discounts, they seem to be the first to know (even before some CMs at reservations!) and act on them so your chances of getting the discount is much greater even if you spend all your time combing the Disney sites for announcements. I had actually gone to the beach when Debbie emailed us that we got the discount. We (ok I) still do all the ADRs, planning days, events etc but it is so nice to know that someone is looking out for our reservation and helping us get the best deal (something I know Disney directly or AAA does not do). You will not pay MORE by using MJ so why not?
I have to agree with all the above posts. I, too, am very obsessive and controlling when it comes to planning things and had a hard time letting go and letting someone else do this for me, but I will say that it has been very nice to let things go and allow someone else help me. And working with Terri Sue has been great, she has been very quick to respond and give me my options as well as answer all of my questions.
THANKS MJ - it has been great.:):thumbsup: