Who to book with?

[Goofy Pluto]

So what are the plusses/minuses of booking with AAA, Disney, or someone like Magical Journeys? I'm assuming AAA and Disney would not have any additional fees. Would Magical Journeys charge a fee? I'm assuming so.

We have AAA so I'm leaning in that direction vs. directly through Disney to save on park tickets, but I'm just wondering if anyone knows any reasons to book through one versus another. Thanks.

[Strmchsr]

MJ does not charge you a fee and supporting them supports Intercot.

There is no real advantage to going through Disney directly. You get less personal attention that way. The big advantage to going through MJ is that they can get you all the discounts (AAA) included, and give very personal service. The work closely with you to help you decide the right choices for your vacation while Disney and AAA just want you to tell them what you want so they can get on to the next customer. The other advantage is that the MJ reps often know about discounts and apply them to your reservation before you even hear about them. This saves you the great hassle of having to go back, cancel your existing reservation, and rebook if a better discount comes along after you've booked. Disney makes all discounts available through all their agencies, so AAA wouldn't have a discount that MJ couldn't get and vice versa. Therefore, you're going to pay the same price no matter who you go through - AAA, Disney, MJ, etc. You pick the company for the service because price will be equal.

[CanadianWDWFan]

We have booked through AAA before to get the discounted package. Only AAA can get discounts on packages, any other TA can only get you the AAA discount on room-only reservations. When we booked with AAA we saved a couple of hundred dollars on the package. After we got back I found out about a deeper discount that any TA could have given us. This discount would have saved us anothe couple of hundred dollars above what AAA had saved us. Our AAA agent was the Disney "expert" and she knew nothing of this discount.

So the next time we went we booked with MJ and haven't looked back. Elaine and MJ has saved us a small fourtune by being on top of all discounts as they come out. You don't have to do anything, just let MJ do it for you.

[faline]

I'd highly recommend working with Magical Journeys!

There is no cost to you and you get personalized attention. If a new discount comes along that you qualify for, they will notify you and change your reservation! This is service you are unlikely to get from other sources including AAA and Disney!

[BellewanaB]

Deb at MJ is my girl!

She ALWAYS gives us the best deals from free day on passes to free dining plans to vouchers to Planet Hollywood- and that's WITH my AAA discount!

Back in college we would stay off property and search the internet ourselves for hours and hours trying to find the best deal, even driving to Kissimmee to buy "cheaper" hopper passes. After staying in less-than-optimal hotels, paying for rental cars, getting lost, and loosing luggage on multiple connecting flights- I leave it all up to Deb now. In fact, m parents are celebrating their wedding anniversary this May and Deb gave them a five day package with free Water Park, Fun and More add on!

[Disneyatic]

If you already have your vacation booked directly through disney and your ADRs made, how hard is it to transfer that over to MJ?
Also, can you pay them out over a period of time like you can through WDW?

[Strmchsr]

If you already have your vacation booked directly through disney and your ADRs made, how hard is it to transfer that over to MJ?
Also, can you pay them out over a period of time like you can through WDW?

It's not difficult to transfer at all. Just shoot them an email and they'll walk you through the process. And, yes, you can do a payment option. You put the deposit down and then have until 45 days before arrival to pay in full.

[RockChalkKimball]

Definately try Magical Journeys. We tried them about 4 years ago and have used them ever since. We work with Wendy and she has saved us hundreds over what we could get ourselves. They also provide terrific service. Wendy called me last week about a question and we spent 30 minutes on the phone talking about restuarants, park hours, holidays and our kids! She is the best and I recommend her to everyone I know who wants to visit WDW.

[Wolf]

How do yall book flights when yall use MJs? I looked into them but really dont know how to get flights. Is it really that good of a deal?

[Strmchsr]

How do yall book flights when yall use MJs? I looked into them but really dont know how to get flights. Is it really that good of a deal?

You book your own flights. Depending upon where you are, lots of folks can tell you who has the best airfare in Orlando from your area. Again, though, it's not that MJ gets you a better deal than anyone else, it's better service. They save people a ton of money because they know about discounts, options, and ways of structuring your package to take advantage of Disney's best discounts. While you could get the same deal yourself if you knew how, their expertise saves a lot of hassle and headaches. That's what makes them such a good deal.

[Goofy Pluto]

Not to be a cynic, but I'm assuming Magical Journeys does not just do this out of the kindness of their hearts. They don't charge ANYTHING for their service? Then how do they make money? Am I going to have to go on a timeshare visit? Receive tons of spam mail? Offer my first born? What's the catch?

Just curious how this works and how they can offer their services for free or if there's something else I should know.

[Roger Rabbit 89]

MJ gets their money from Disney. They are paid just like any other Travel Agency.

I used them last year and did not have to go on a timeshare visit, I don't receive spam, and I didn't have to get rid of my first born!

They actually saved me over $600 from what I had orignally figured up through Disney.

You can fill out a quote with them and then grill them with all your questions. They will be happy to explain anything!

Michael

[Here we go again...]

Not to be a cynic, but I'm assuming Magical Journeys does not just do this out of the kindness of their hearts. They don't charge ANYTHING for their service? Then how do they make money? Am I going to have to go on a timeshare visit? Receive tons of spam mail? Offer my first born? What's the catch?

Just curious how this works and how they can offer their services for free or if there's something else I should know.

There is no catch!
Magical Journeys makes their money directly from Disney. So, why do they work so hard? It IS from the kindness of thier hearts. They are all Disney lovers and know more about Disney than most of us. They are happy to share their knowledge and make money too.

I loved working with Melissa. It makes me a little sad that she can not book my DVC trips. It was fun booking trips with her because I felt like she was as excited as me every time I booked. I will still use her for our cruises though!

Book with MJ, you will be glad you did

[Tink1]

Offer my first born? What's the catch?

.

No we have our own teenage first borns to deal with, we do not want yours!

I do have a well used husband that is up for grabs many days. Can I load him off on you?

We are paid comission by Disney, plain and simple.

Nanc

[Goofy Pluto]

No we have our own teenage first borns to deal with, we do not want yours!

I do have a well used husband that is up for grabs many days. Can I load him off on you?

We are paid comission by Disney, plain and simple.

Nanc

OK. I get it now. Thanks for the information. We'll get our plans together and it's possible we'll be contacting you next month!