Really good point. The chocolate on my pillow at bedtime was one of my favourite things about our cruise this year
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 donāt expect anything. I used a TA for the first time for my familyās November 2019 trip. I like that they helped me get a decent rate at the Contemporary Garden Wing, but Iām 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.
Didnāt mean for this to be a rant, but the moral of the story is that good service is better than small gifts.
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.
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 Disneyās systems, and how to find the answers to things they donāt 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 wasnāt aware of. I take care of ADRs, park reservations, etc and hand over anything that is commissionable to themā¦and I donāt 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 arenāt as knowledgeable about WDW/DCL/DLR.
Using a good TA is definitely worth itā¦and I donāt expect anything from them, at all.
They donāt call me the Voice Of Reason for nothing
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 āgiftā and the client loses money because the cost of the gift could have gone towards a reduction in the price of the trip.
āFreeā gifts only have value if theyāre something I want but canāt buy myself. If I want cookies and chips Iāll buy some. I donāt want to be stuck with your selection.
Either give me money off, or a Disney gift card, or service so good that Iām grateful I used you and I should be the one buying the gift. And I donāt want you disincentivised or cutting corners because you have to pay me $80 for my business.
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.
Iāve planned and booked our own trips for decades and now canāt 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 theyāve done for us?
(FWIW, I definitely Iām not interested in a gift that would costs a TA money.)
Refer everyone you know to them. Seriously, itās the highest compliment - aside from repeat business - I can receive.
I do like the TP bag I got. I normally hate and despise having brand names or words on my clothing. But, Iām 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.