Who to reserve through?

I ponder this a lot. I've never actually used a travel agent, though I've considered it -- especially when things are really, really busy and I don't have time to money-crunch all of the deals.

(I know that Disney "deals" won't always save me money over other options like using an annual passholder discount, so that money-crunching can get complicated and time-consuming.)

So, to answer, I use Disney websites and phone calls to book everything at the moment. I do fear feeling "out of the loop" and wondering if I'm getting great service from the TA. Chances are, I'd double check everything they did, which would mean it wasn't worth it in the first place!

I'm so "high maintenance" that I'm inclined to do it myself. I feel like I'll just be looking over my TA's shoulder constantly and annoying them. I'll doublecheck everything anyway, might as well just go ahead and do it.

I do all the planning, reservations, and ticketing myself. TA's are not a good value for me. I've learned to do the things they charge for, and I'm more comfortable with the quality of my work than theirs.

LIFL: I would just like to comment. Where you state "I've learned to do the things they charge for". In the past I have used a travel agent probably three or four times, and I have never been charged by any of these TA's if you have been paying for their services you should look into it. I now do all my own planning through Disney or airlines directly and prefer it but the TA's told me that they get their pay through the cruise lines or airlines or Disney etc.

I've never used a TA, either. Planning, calling Disney to make reservations, and crunching those discount numbers is part of the fun for me.

I was speaking generally, but even without a fee you're likely to pay more for the same product through a TA. You are paying for that service one way or the other.

I'm not knocking the industry or the friendly professionals that work in it. I've used them and I have family who did that for a living. When we travel overseas, we'll use a travel agent. In a case like that, I need their knowledge of the area 'best practices' - if you will.

I think it's a good point to mention that travel agents can come in VERY handy when you're traveling somewhere you don't know well (as LIFL said, when traveling overseas). Places where I don't know the local language, customs, money, etc., I trust someone else to be the expert.

Disney, though -- I just use myself!

I think TA's are best for places that you don't plan on going again any time soon. If I were going to Russia for the first and likely last time, their experience would be invaluable and give me a crash course. If it's someplace I might make my recurring summer holiday destination, I'd prefer to learn the place since I'm going to be going back.

I think I also have a kind of unrealistic expectation of TA's, given that I don't use them very often. I think I'm always kind of disappointed because I'm expecting them to make all the stress go away and there's only so much they can do.

I've been a bit disappointed by TA's when I've dealt with them. Usually we'd decide "this is too stressful, let's get a TA." Then we'd usually find that they didn't really reduce the stress that much. There's a limit to how much another person can decide for you. I think it may have to do with the personality types. We may just be too much of control freaks.

If a TA has ever tried to charge you for booking a Disney vacation, you found a TA who's double-dipping. They already get paid by Disney for bringing in business, they shouldn't be charging you. Normally, I like to book my own travel, but with Disney, I didn't mind leaving it to an expert.

For Disney World, the best TAs are not generalists, but Disney Specialists.
The biggest benefit of using a Disney specialist TA is that they know when all the good discount codes are coming out and can jump on them for you. That's why I went with a Disney TA for my first trip: I work during the day and didn't have time to be on the phone for a long period of time waiting to get through the reservations line so I could take advantage of a discount code--I knew there were a limited number of rooms available at that discount, and tons of people who wanted them (including a lot of SAH moms who could be on the phone as long as it took to get through). So I passed the responsibility off to my TA.

She did such a great job for me, I used her again on my 2nd trip. I didn't have to the 2nd time, but I did because it was no skin off my nose to throw some business her way. I already knew the quality of her work, so I trusted her to get me what I wanted. And she did. It's like having a personal assistant: You tell them what you want,
they get it for you--without you having to lift a finger. Or pay
them. It's a sweet deal. And mine always told me upfront what things
were going to cost, so I could do my own research and decide if it was
a good deal or not. It was.

And talk about responsive! It didn't matter what time of day or night, even on the weekends, if I sent her an email, she emailed me right back immediately. I think she may sleep with her blackberry on her pillow.

I've never used anyone but myself to book Disney 'stuff'. My comment and my position in general relates to TA's on the whole. Booking airfare, rental car, park tickets, special events, other attractions, meals, hotel (off property in my case), etc.

If all someone is buying is Disney tickets, by all means a TA may be a great option.

Wow SoloFriendly -- I wish the TAs I've dealt with have been that responsive!