[Poll] Which free gift would you rather have when booking a WDW trip with TouringPlans?

Really good point. The chocolate on my pillow at bedtime was one of my favourite things about our cruise this year :joy:

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I still insist that I would be far more.likely to refer people if I could use a referral code where the person DOES NOT get a TP subscriptjon. I know they want to build TP subscribers for life.

Or maybe Inshould change my handle to one that is not so easily identifiable!

I donā€™t expect anything. I used a TA for the first time for my familyā€™s November 2019 trip. I like that they helped me get a decent rate at the Contemporary Garden Wing, but Iā€™m not sure if I benefitted otherwise. Pretty sure I put in more work trying to deal with the TA than if I had done it myself. I tried to give them another chance for my early 2020 solo trip (got that one in right before Covid), but the response time was bad, my previous agent stopped working, my request fell through the cracks, and they ultimately offered me rooms that were not what I was looking for. I booked it all myself and saved some money.

Didnā€™t mean for this to be a rant, but the moral of the story is that good service is better than small gifts.

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I have been using a TA since 2007. My first one was a bit of a miss, the second was from AAA and absolutely horrifically bad, and third one was a melding of the minds. :slight_smile:

I love a TA that knows how to gauge how much guidance they need to provide and is willing to adapt as needed. They are knowledgeable and understand the language/lingo, how Disney operates, how to navigate Disneyā€™s systems, and how to find the answers to things they donā€™t know.

Basically I send an email w/ dates and what I think I want and I get back either exactly what I expected OR a better option that I wasnā€™t aware of. :slight_smile: I take care of ADRs, park reservations, etc and hand over anything that is commissionable to themā€¦and I donā€™t have the headache of rebooking for better deals or changing things on my own.

Also, I like being able to refer friends and family knowing that they will be taken care of ā€¦even when they arenā€™t as knowledgeable about WDW/DCL/DLR.

Using a good TA is definitely worth itā€¦and I donā€™t expect anything from them, at all.

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So @OBNurseNH was 100% rightā€¦

Someone get me a tin hat

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They donā€™t call me the Voice Of Reason for nothing :wink:

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The bag of chips and cookies is a lose:lose proposition.

Nothing is free. Someone is paying for it. In this case the agency loses money by paying for the ā€œgiftā€ and the client loses money because the cost of the gift could have gone towards a reduction in the price of the trip.

ā€œFreeā€ gifts only have value if theyā€™re something I want but canā€™t buy myself. If I want cookies and chips Iā€™ll buy some. I donā€™t want to be stuck with your selection.

Either give me money off, or a Disney gift card, or service so good that Iā€™m grateful I used you and I should be the one buying the gift. And I donā€™t want you disincentivised or cutting corners because you have to pay me $80 for my business.

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Meandering a bit off the path, but related I swear.

Using a TA is new to me, our upcoming trip is our first with one.

Iā€™ve planned and booked our own trips for decades and now canā€™t really imagine doing it all on my own ever again.

I will definitely be recommending them as much as I can.

How else can I show them our appreciation for everything theyā€™ve done for us?

(FWIW, I definitely Iā€™m not interested in a gift that would costs a TA money.)

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Refer everyone you know to them. Seriously, itā€™s the highest compliment - aside from repeat business - I can receive.

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Agree with @OBNurseNH 100%. Referrals are the best thank you I could receive.

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I do like the TP bag I got. I normally hate and despise having brand names or words on my clothing. But, Iā€™m perfectly happy to display that one. Only Theoretically in the parks since DH is content to be our sherpa so he carries the family backpack. But, I use it as a sort of being active but non-park purse.

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