Authorized Disney Vacation Planner Agencies are specialist authorized Disney Travel Agents. They operate in the United States only and can plan every aspect of your vacation. There is no charge for their services, and the income they earn is a commission from sales. For the Disney part of your package, the cost of your vacation will be the same as booking directly with Walt Disney World.
In other countries, there are package holiday companies and travel agents who specialize in selling Disney Holidays. However, package holiday companies in the United Kingdom often work out considerably more expensive. In addition, following the demise of Thomas Cook, their business model might be unsustainable long term.
New Information Following Reopening of Walt Disney World
The rest of this article was written before Walt Disney World closed in 2020. Previously we have recommended you don’t need to use a Disney Vacation Planner. We still do not think this is necessary for most guests, but it might present a more stress-free option. Disney Vacation Planners are likely to have access to all the latest information and rumors. In an ever-changing situation; this might feel very comforting.
What to consider before using a Disney Vacation Planner
Disney Vacation Planners are expert in Disney Vacations. This knowledge is not limited to Walt Disney World; they will also have specialist knowledge in Disneyland, Aulani (a Disney Resort & Spa), Disney Cruise Line vacations, and Adventures by Disney. Most agents will also have good knowledge of other Orlando attractions, including Universal Orlando Resort. However, this knowledge isn’t difficult to obtain via your own research online.
Disney Vacation Planners offer a stress-free booking experience and will often even take care of your dining and Fastpass reservations. However, you are not in control of your vacation. As a family, we appreciate the benefits of having full control of our vacations.
You will see that the majority of Disney Blogs recommend the use of Disney Vacation Planners. Many of these blogs either own or earn a commission from these vacation planners. You should note there is potentially a conflict of interest in their recommendations. We do not doubt that most blogs make their recommendations in good faith, but we feel you should be aware of this potential conflict of interest. We have chosen, here on Modern Life is Good, not to affiliate ourselves with any Disney Vacation Planner.
Planning a Disney Vacation can certainly be challenging and daunting at first. However, there is nobody better at planning your vacation than yourself. There is so much material available online that within a short time, you can become a Walt Disney World expert. If you keep to our Vacation Planning Timeline, you can easily do it yourself.
Also, shopping around will often provide you with much better deals on flights and other additional purchases. We also highly recommend booking through cashback sites which can offer a decent return on your purchase. Cashback Sites usually offer some cashback on Disney Vacations.
The decision on whether to use a Disney Vacation Planner is a personal decision, but do not think it is the only option. If you want to look for the best bargains, do your own research and keep control of your vacation; make your own reservations.
However; if you want a stress free experience, then a travel agent or Disney Vacation Planner might be your best bet.
Read More About Walt Disney World
Our Guide to Walt Disney World for Beginners is a great place to start planning a Walt Disney World Vacation. The guide has tips &tricks for Newbies and Repeat Walt Disney World Visitors. We have created an updated guide which has all the latest reopening information.
As a Disney Travel Planner, I respectfully disagree. 🙂 I personally find that MANY people just don’t have time to sit around and check on all the latest updates, etc. Some people do, and that’s great, but a lot of people find planning their own travel a headache and want to use their time in other ways! Even with it comes to Universal, which seems easy compared to Disney, there are so many tips that a Travel Agent can give. Everyone is difficult and I blog tips for those who want to DIY their vacations, but many want to have it done for them and that’s okay too!
Hi Amy
Obviously the purpose of this post was to create some debate and I was surprised it took so long for a Disney Vacation Planner to leave a reply.
Don’t disagree with anything you say and I think the post reflected that for many guests having someone to arrange it for you can make your life a lot easier.
However, I do think if you have the time a DIY package can bring benefits including some cost benefits, although I agree you need to be very committed to achieving this.
There are 2 points in my post which I think are most important for readers to consider:-
1 I do recommend caution when reading other Disney Blogs which fail to make clear they either own a travel agency or affiliated to one. Having looked at your own blog I can see that is clearly not what you do.
2 For UK guests the UK package holiday industry is ridiculously expensive and it is fairly impossible not to save a significant sum of money by doing a DIY package.
Hopefully, the link to your blog is working so readers can check you out.
Best Wishes
David
I’ve done both planned my own, did the research & booked it all. Had a great trip. But now we use a agent. It does take a lot of stress out of it. My agent either loves or hates me though. Because I have 99% of details figured out before I ever contact her to book the trip. She just has to book everything. She has saved me from making a few mistakes though & I no longer stress about it. That being said, I enjoyed booking our own trip & still research everything myself.