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Old 24 Jun 13, 10:27 PM  
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michala
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Book dcl direct/ ta uk or ta USA?

Ready to book our Disney Magic cruise for 2014 August. What are the advantages of booking through a USA tour operator? Or should we book direct on the DCL page? Final option UK tour operator. Price difference seems minimal.

There will be eleven of us in 5 I/S staterooms probably going for cheapest grade cabin as we only sleep in cabin. That puts us on deck 2 of the ship, anyone have any comments to help us?

Also what extras are we likely to be charged besides alcohol and trips ashore? Is there a policy re tips?

Thanks
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Old 25 Jun 13, 07:25 AM  
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Hi Michala .. Have you read the sticky at the top of this forum? It gives you details of why most of us book with a US TA including the benefits. Personally, I would never book with a UK TA .. Their T&Cs are awful.

Also, the guidelines for tipping are in the sticky .. Recommended $12 per person per day including children/babies. Booking through a US TA may give you some extra onboard credit which would go towards paying these.

We love deck 2, it's only 1 flight of stairs to restaurants, shops, theatre and guest services, plus the elevator is always empty should you need to go to the top!
We're on deck 2 again this year and deck 1 next May .. Love the lower decks.
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Old 25 Jun 13, 07:27 AM  
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We book with a US TA all the time for the OBC. Oh and I get a nice Gift basket in my room also from my US TA.

Downside with any TA is any changes at a later date need to be done thru your TA. We email ours with any items we require.no bother.

There is loads of info on DCL on the Web. The items you pay for are tea/ Coffee from Cafes on the ship, Bar items.. Room service items that are pre packed snacks and Cans of Soda. Spa treatments and use of Spa.

You Tip bars staff Room 24hr Room Service as you would at Disney world or anywhere in Florida. tips per order.

Your room attendant and Dining staff Tips are all pre added to your onboard account for the staff that are due tips. You can take money away from tips if the staff member was not good and you were not happy, but usually you are adding extra because they are so good.
That's all I can think of.

Edited at 07:44 AM.
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Old 25 Jun 13, 07:31 AM  
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We tend to book direct with Disney, just find it easier but obviously no obc! X
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Old 25 Jun 13, 07:40 AM  
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Originally Posted by NatsyNoo View Post
We tend to book direct with Disney, just find it easier but obviously no obc! X
I would say its easier letting a US TA book it for you as a whole. One email telling them what you want (you can check online if its available and the price). If you only ever book a room, stick with that room and don't need to make special requests or amendments, then it would be the same experience but with no extra OBC ... But if you need to change anything, a TA comes into their own as they handle everything for you. Room swaps, dining rotations, special requests, cancellations and rebookings .. All hassle free with a TA.

Of course, if you don't mind missing out on the OBC, stick with booking direct. I think it's $200 for our cruise next May ... Not a small sum to miss out on!

ETA: I'll need to check that OBC amount!
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Old 25 Jun 13, 09:07 PM  
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Originally Posted by Bats View Post
But if you need to change anything, a TA comes into their own as they handle everything for you. Room swaps, dining rotations, special requests, cancellations and rebookings .. All hassle free with a TA.
How does a TA handle excursions and Palo bookings? Do you have to email them ans wait for a response? We have booked direct and I was up early one morning so that I could book my excursions and Palo reservations direct through the DCL website. I would worry that I would lose out on one of these in the delay caused by emailing. You can also change cruise, room dining time through the website.
But obviously, you miss out on the extra OBC, but as far as I can see that is the only benefit (which I agree may not be a small one benefit)
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Old 25 Jun 13, 10:16 PM  
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Originally Posted by nigelp View Post
How does a TA handle excursions and Palo bookings? Do you have to email them ans wait for a response? We have booked direct and I was up early one morning so that I could book my excursions and Palo reservations direct through the DCL website. I would worry that I would lose out on one of these in the delay caused by emailing. You can also change cruise, room dining time through the website.
But obviously, you miss out on the extra OBC, but as far as I can see that is the only benefit (which I agree may not be a small one benefit)
You can still book Palo and excursions yourself, that doesn't change.
Recently, DCL changed their scheduling and within days of it happening, people who had booked with a US TA had new bookings made to their satisfaction. Those who had booked through a UK TA (namely Virgin) called them only to find out they knew nothing about it.
Cue long and drawn out process.

Just one more reason to choose a US TA for us. If people prefer booking direct, then go for it, but it makes more sense for us to use a US TA and get the extra help should we need it and that OBC

Each to their own.
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Old 26 Jun 13, 06:40 PM  
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Originally Posted by Bats View Post
Just one more reason to choose a US TA for us. If people prefer booking direct, then go for it, but it makes more sense for us to use a US TA and get the extra help should we need it and that OBC
I wasn't meaning to be critical just trying to clear things up.

For our first cruise, we tried a US TA but initially they couldn't find the cabin we wanted (because fully booked at that level). However, by constantly checking the DCL website, we found that the cabin we wanted was suddenly released so we booked it there and then. Since then we have always booked direct - maybe next time we should try a US TA.

One question - when re-booking on board, how do you transfer to a US TA?
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Old 26 Jun 13, 06:53 PM  
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Originally Posted by nigelp View Post
I wasn't meaning to be critical just trying to clear things up.

For our first cruise, we tried a US TA but initially they couldn't find the cabin we wanted (because fully booked at that level). However, by constantly checking the DCL website, we found that the cabin we wanted was suddenly released so we booked it there and then. Since then we have always booked direct - maybe next time we should try a US TA.

One question - when re-booking on board, how do you transfer to a US TA?
When you make your booking onboard just tell the DCL reservations CM your TA name and they should have the details and do it for you, your TA will write to confirm after, but keep the ressie no and let your TA know if it takes longer.
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Old 26 Jun 13, 06:53 PM  
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