Why use MJ?

[Giselle]

What if any is the advantage to making reservations through magical journeys vs. the WD website or other travel agency?

[Strmchsr]

1.) Magical Journeys agents are the friendliest, most Disney knowledgable TA's I've ever met.

2.) WDW's website seems to malfunction regularly making even paying your bill a chore. Plus, if you book something in advance and then a discount is released later it can be a REAL hassle changing your reservation yourself. MJ handles it for you automatically. They also work hard to give you all the possible options so you find the best deal.

3.) MJ agents have the patience of Job. They answer all your questions and deal with all your worries whereas many other TA's (and certainly WDW's site) would not be as patient or helpful.

4.) What it really boils down to is knowledge and helpfulness. Everyone has the same pricing opportunities. There's no money saved using MJ in terms of them having a special no one else has. Disney controls pricing very tightly, so, with the exception of AAA who has their own discounts, everyone has the same pricing. However, I've never found another travel agency that would be up at 4 am working on putting discounts on your reservations the second they are released. With any other TA (and definitely with WDW) you pretty much have to find out about any discounts yourself then call and try to have them applied.

I used to prefer doing it myself, but I've used MJ for 5 trips now and will never do Disney any other way again.

[BMan62]

Everything Chris (Strmchsr) said plus the feeling you get when dealing with one of the TAs at MJ - it is like dealing with family. After a trip or two, they know you and can almost anticipate what your needs and wants will be.

There hasn't been an agency or TA that I had wanted to recommend, but I highly praise Denise at MJ for everything she has done for us and have sent family and friends her way with no worries that they will not be satisfied.

[Figment!]

Magical Journey's will find you any applicable discounts for your vacation and apply them and/or make sure the most cost saving discounts are applied.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

1.) Magical Journeys agents are the friendliest, most Disney knowledgable TA's I've ever met.

2.) WDW's website seems to malfunction regularly making even paying your bill a chore. Plus, if you book something in advance and then a discount is released later it can be a REAL hassle changing your reservation yourself. MJ handles it for you automatically. They also work hard to give you all the possible options so you find the best deal.

3.) MJ agents have the patience of Job. They answer all your questions and deal with all your worries whereas many other TA's (and certainly WDW's site) would not be as patient or helpful.

4.) What it really boils down to is knowledge and helpfulness. Everyone has the same pricing opportunities. There's no money saved using MJ in terms of them having a special no one else has. Disney controls pricing very tightly, so, with the exception of AAA who has their own discounts, everyone has the same pricing. However, I've never found another travel agency that would be up at 4 am working on putting discounts on your reservations the second they are released. With any other TA (and definitely with WDW) you pretty much have to find out about any discounts yourself then call and try to have them applied.

I used to prefer doing it myself, but I've used MJ for 5 trips now and will never do Disney any other way again.
All this and more!

Simply--Terrisue!

(We used to compulsively do it ourselves, but not since we found her here on Intercot!:wave:)

[caryrae]

I have changed Resorts a few times and Kathy at MJ has made the changes each time and pretty fast too. Also whenever I want to make a payment I just send her an e-mail asking to pay so much to the card they have on file from me and usaually the same day or next day she sends an e-mail with a new conformation showing my new amount paid. If you want too you can call the agent you are working with very easily.

[NotaGeek]

Magical Journey's is great! They are professional and really understand the desire for INTERCOT Members to get the best deal for the lowest price. Their ability to handle all the details that come with planning your vacation takes the work out of the equation .. all you have to do is plan for the fun!

The best part ... MJ is a sponsor of our site, so your booking helps INTERCOT stay the leading source for WDW Info on the web!

[PETE FROM NYC]

I have always done all the bookings myself for the 12 trips we have taken.After reading all of the praise of MJ here on Intercot, I decided to give them a shot.Tink 1(the boss) hooked me up with Denise. After a bunch of phone conversations with Denise, DW and I are very happy with her. And, believe me when I say that DW and myself can be a real pain at times.
So far,Denise has gotten us everything we wanted, and is an extremely pleasant and knowledgable person to work with. If all the TAs at MJ are like her then I recommend MJ very highly.
Nuff said.

[Scott C]

I agree with everything above -- and Terrisue is handling my July trip. The thing is there is absolutely no reason not to. I don't have to stress about anything.

Thumbs way up
Scott C

[Scott C]

Just noticed your location -- near E'ville???

Thanks
Scott C

[WDW&MK]

I have made WDW reservations myself with the Disney reservation center, through a travel agency and through MJ. MJ was the best by far. No headaches. They are efficient and fast. Helpful and do a great job. I will go through them for all future WDW reservations. Life's too short to have the kind of hassles I had going through a travel agency. When WDW changed from length of stay packages to MYW ticketing my travel agent had absolutely no clue how it worked and how to get me the best deal - I knew more than she did about the change. That did it. I was leary at first to go through an internet travel site, but I have been extremely pleased with every trip I've booked through them and all of the answers to my questions have been answered quickly and with accurate info no matter how insignificant the question was. Wendy is our agent and she's great:number1:

[disneymom15]

I also feel the same as the above posters. Terrisue is great. She has two trips in the works for us right now. Only way to go.

[iheartdisney]

I have made WDW reservations myself with the Disney reservation center, through a travel agency and through MJ. MJ was the best by far. QUOTE]

Ditto!

[QUOTE=PETE FROM NYC;1903522]I have always done all the bookings myself for the 12 trips we have taken.After reading all of the praise of MJ here on Intercot, I decided to give them a shot.

Until a few years ago, I was the same, compulsive planner that I am I HAD to be in control of my bookings. But I'd heard so much here about how great MJ is I decided to try them out. I have NEVER been sorry with the switch and they have literally saved us thousands of dollars. They stay in touch with Disney and all of the deals and when one applies to your trip they apply it to your account. You reap the savings with no effort on your part. One trip we received an email saying we qualified for a new deal (on a trip we already had booked) and we were going to save approx. $800. Debbie is amazing and we love her! Thanks Debbie and MJ!

[where_else]

I also have to say Debbie is wonderful :number1:! We have used her for several trips now, before that I always did the planning and went to a local travel agency. This last trip (May 09), we booked a standard @ POFQ with AAA discount. Debbie kept on top of things and when a discount came out she contacted me immediately. She was able to get us a king-size bed with water-view room for less than the AAA standard. It was a wonderful room, very quiet - no one running up and down in front of the room or slamming doors, etc. I will always use MJ!

[SBETigg]

I was skeptical. I usually book my own trips with Disney Travel and I'm happy with that, but I decided to try MJ out for my last trip. At first, the price was the same as the Disney quote I got online, so I was still feeling unsure. Then, a month or so before my trip, Denise at MJ saved me $600 by applying a discount I didn't know about previously. It was very sweet news for me. I'll happily return to MJ next time I book.

[SnowWSue]

Love MJ!!!!

Debbie is the best. She's handled a bunch of vacations for me. We have an upcoming trip in August planned and she has had to change the dates a couple of times for me. I always feel bad making her do extra work but she always quick to help.:thumbsup:

[faline]

:thumbsup: The folks at Magical Journeys are all wonderful!

Melissa has booked (and rebooked) (and added) (or changed) multiple trips for me now! She makes it so easy and is always pleasant even when I've changed my mind for the umpteenth time!

[hubbyofadisneyholic]

For 20 yrs we handled making our own ressies, with my wife spending God knows how many hrs sitting on hold with WDW reservations.
Then spending the rest of the wait hoping we didn't miss a discount if it became available.

Now, a couple emails go back and forth with Terrisue and we are set. Even if we need to make changes, she patiently handles everything.

MJ is the way to go in my book...:thumbsup:

[JPL]

It's very simple a worry free, hassle free process. I simply e-mail Wendy(who :rocker: ) say I would like a room for a certain time and usually with in a few hours I get an e-mail back saying you are booked. Then a few weeks later a discount come along and if it applies to my situation I get another e-mail saying you just saved money with the new discount. I send a simple e-mail and I know I am taken care of and someone is looking out for my best interests.

[yellen97]

I just need to echo everything everyone else has said. I was just having this conversation today w/my mom about how nice it is to be able to email the tiniest questions to the same person again and again instead of having to call a number and speak to a random person every time you have a question. I have had some pretty annoying, stupid questions and Denise answered me promplty every time. It was comforting to know that our reservation was "supervised" by someone rather than just booked into an automated system. Since it costs no extra money (or even saves you!) why not opt for the added personal service?

WE LEAVE TOMORROW MORNING!!!:cloud9:

[mickeys_princess_mom]

I just need to echo everything everyone else has said. I was just having this conversation today w/my mom about how nice it is to be able to email the tiniest questions to the same person again and again instead of having to call a number and speak to a random person every time you have a question. I have had some pretty annoying, stupid questions and Denise answered me promplty every time. It was comforting to know that our reservation was "supervised" by someone rather than just booked into an automated system. Since it costs no extra money (or even saves you!) why not opt for the added personal service?

WE LEAVE TOMORROW MORNING!!!:cloud9:
Have a great time! Glad you discovered MJ with us!

[DisneyBabies]

Love, Love, Love, Love, Love Kathy!!!

Our first trip to the world we went through AAA and the TA sold us things that we really didn't need although we didn't understand that until after we got back. We started to go through AAA again for our DS's trip, but after a huge $$ mixup that the TA wanted ME to fix, I decided to look elsewhere and found ...

KATHY!!

She handled the trip we took with our son and applied the b4g3 deal before I even heard about it. And she was very interested in what we had planned and how things went after we got back. MJ takes a lot of pressure off the planning process and they stay patient no matter how many times you change your mind about what you want (thanks again Kathy :blush:). Kathy is also going to handle our trip with our DD in 2011 and she already got some information from us to help us decide where to stay. I wouldn't plan a trip without Kathy again.

[mickeefan]

We became aware of MJ in 2004, I believe, when I had an impossible situation with reservations at the Polynesian and was so frustrated I was ready to cancel the whole trip. I thought why not, so I contacted MJ. Wendy replied immediately and in just a few days had exactly what I wanted and what Disney kept saying was not available.
I found out she kept adding to my reservation I had a day at a time until I was all set.
I went from a die hard do it yourself to Wendy who has done it all for us ever since.
Wendy has not only been a great TA for us, but a true friend.
If a new discount comes out she immediately compares it against what we already have and lets us know what she feels we should do.
She has handled our last 8 trips and I could not be more pleased.
You will not regret using MJ.

[morrismhs]

I booked a trip with Karen at MJ for the end of July. We are staying at WL - club level. Karen was able to apply the AAA discount. THen an AP discount came out and she was ableto apply that one saving even more money. Then Disney offered the 35% discount and Karen got that as well. Overall I saved $1000! And I did'nt have to wait on the phone or call. She took care of everything and e-mailed me the good news. MJ all the way!!:thumbsup:

[Cinderella's Lady in Waiting]

We've done both! MJ was wonderful, never had a problem with them. However, (don't beat me up:hide2:) I also have no problem booking everything myself. Calling WDW-DINE adds to the anticipation of the trip, never had a problem making any ADR's, organizing confirmation numbers on my own spreadsheet :cloud9:. I'm also a stay at home mom who has the time to be organized.

[faline]

WE LEAVE TOMORROW MORNING!!!:cloud9:

Off topic but - Have a great time! :mickey:

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

My mother was a travel agent for over 15 years and always did my travel. She retired a few years ago and at that point I booked all my vacations myself.

Last year I decided to give MJ a try since everyone raved about their service. I submitted my request and quickly received a response from Kathy. She was wonderful - quick and full of information (never stayed at a value but were looking into it). She did such a wonderful job last year we decided to use her again this year. She's so quick to respond to my emails and answer any unusual questions I have. She emailed me the MNSSHP dates before they were released to the public. She emailed me the link to the TA site for Sept before it was available online so I could start planning my days. After reading several bad reviews about ASMovies we decided to go back to ASMusic. Kathy quickly changed the reservation and we even had her add on a day.

MJ is the best travel service to use if you are traveling to Disney. I can do it myself but MJ saves me time and hassle of doing it. And Kathy keeps an eye out on deals so if something better comes around she's rebook it and save me money.

So I guess what I'm saying is MJ is a great travel agency and Kathy is a wonderful TA.:thumbsup: