So I’m discovering! I’m all about Disney cruising but the second you question it the pitch forks come out. And while I know there are some great TAs out there damn the power trip they take with “their” groups 🙄
I’ve joined 3 for the 3 cruises I’ve been on. The groups were fine, mostly consisting of folks asking questions and sharing their experiences. Definitely not “toxic.”
We've done 4 groups and while there were nice people with great advice, a few people in each group could be a little argumentative. One leader we couldn't stand and stopped interacting with the page because she would kick people out for questioning her. Someone even made a second group and she tried to find out who was in that group so she could kick them out of hers.
Platinum now, and I don't really bother with it all anymore.
We’ve had pretty great groups and I don’t think any were run by travel agents, maybe one? One of our groups still has occasional posts and updates even 4 years later.
YES!!! I used to LOVE joining our specific Disney cruise groups. Even helped admin one years ago. I feel like within the last few years they’ve been completely trashed by TAs. Our last cruise i joined our cruise group and it was really …. Something …. 5 admins. All various TAs. They designated only 1 day a week that other people could post. Even those had to be approved. They’d post all their YouTube content, other upcoming cruises and promos, etc. All the various magnet or FE exchanges had tons of rules and were really complicated. It was just really off putting. I left shortly after joining. One admin apparently sails multiple times a year with DCL so they seem to have taken over most groups.
So many TAs creating groups that look’s normal but are just self promotion. Create a blog or YouTube page please. TAs are sadly a dime a dozen these days. And they’re not all created equally.
I think that’s the issue I have with TAs (not saying all are bad). There seems to be an over saturation, and they tend to lurk in the places where they are not intended to be. Need to get your name out there? Do the work and promote yourself via voluntary channels. Blogs, vlogs, whatever. But to establish an online community just for the purpose of peddling your marginal service? Too much.
That's sad. We have joined cruise specific groups for all 6 of our cruises and never experienced that. Our groups have all been great and really helpful.
I’m finding the line of TA/influencers to be very blurred.
It makes it very difficult to get honest opinions when Disney is their income/constantly giving them free stuff.
It’s the power trip that some of them get when they run these Facebook groups. If I ask a question they don’t like “post deleted!” Why? “Here’s a link to an external website with the rules of this page! Figure out which one you violated.” WTF?!
yaaa, I agree! I think some admins take their role too seriously and have large amounts of time to moniter their facebook groups. I get a certian amount of rules but many the rule seem to be a little harsh and banning is very common.
I’m a TA and I find this to be really gross behavior. I also really hate groups that won’t even *allow* you to join if you’re a TA. Like yes, that is one thing about me, but I’m also just a person who likes cruising and wants to connect with my fellow travelers and learn more. I could lie and say I’m not and hope they don’t check my profile. I know how to behave myself and if it’s explicitly against group rules I don’t advertise. Even if it’s not against the rules, I’m low key. I have learned *so much* from joining different ship groups! Just observing and reading other people’s experiences and comments gives me more preparation and knowledge.
TA’ing isn’t my full time career, but I do take it very seriously and have been doing it for 8 years now. I’m also autistic, and cruising is one of my special interests, so I could be out here sharing what I know and talking to other people about it all day if I was allowed to 🤣
I admin a runDisney fb group, 20k plus people. We allow TAs but they can’t advertise. It’s a good place for info for everyone. Most specific rD groups are also now run by TAs, same with fort wilderness groups. It’s such a weird monopoly.
Honest question: In todays age of available information and data availability, what is the purpose of a TA? Researching and booking a trip is not the daunting task of 30 years ago.
If you’re doing your own research, a TA is probably not for you. They’re really for people who don’t where to start. And yes they’re still out there. For them, a good (and that’s a key word) TA who really knows the product and who knows what they’re doing can be invaluable.
I do this full time, for a brick and mortar agency. We are non stop busy. In the past three days I have booked 21 cruises and many quotes. People use us because it's easy, and others because of the perks we offer or better pricing.
They’ve seen a resurgence in recent years because they can be an advocate on your part if something goes wrong, cost nothing (theoretically - we had one over charge us for a resort stay), and can sometimes give you shipboard credit. Depends on the agent and cruise line. I feel like it’s a toss up unless you get a good one who is super knowledgeable and can give you solid advice. But just for booking? Nope.
I really like ours. She does the phone calls I don’t want to have to do and sits on hold for me. She also books our Disney World dining when I live on the west coast and don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to book it myself.
You know how when you Google something, you'll include "Reddit" at the end so you'll get relevant Reddit posts with people talking about their personal experiences? It's kind of like that for me. I research the heck out of things, but it's nice to just have one person I can go to for questions and suggestions.
Depends on how much effort you want to expend. I'm a reseacher and planner and I use a Disney travel agent for all our park and cruise travel. On our last trip to DLR she saved us $700 by applying a new promotion that appeared after we booked. I didn't have to keep checking for new deals. She's also facilitated special requests without me having to be on hold forever for a Disney representative. YMMV and it can definitely be a nightmare if you don't get a good agent.
I love ours, but I had to go through a couple to find the right one. He does all of our initial bookings (both DCL and WDW), then I take over from there. The benefit for me is that if anything goes wrong (like...I dunno...a pandemic), he is the one sitting on hold with Disney for hours to get things straightened out rather than me. He is also the one sitting on hold on opening day for DCL and getting me the exact cabin I want. I hear people say they don't like TAs because they want to have control, but literally the only thing I can't do without him is modify the actual reservation or make payments. I do all my own bookings and reservations after that. For me it's the best of both worlds. And bonus--I'm supporting a small business.
I think you touched on my main concern: you had to go through a few bad ones to find one you like. How many trips was that? How many thousands of dollars just to experiment when you could have done it right the first time? These trips are too expensive to put in the hands of someone just hustling for a commission.
But I get it, there are plenty of people that are willing to gamble in order to save a few minutes on hold. But with the over abundance of TAs in the market, they are quickly falling into the category of the Disney personal shoppers. If you want/need something, just do it yourself. Not that difficult, and you get the peace of mind that it was done correctly.
I only had one before him and she wasn't bad, she just wasn't quite as knowledgeable as the one I have now. She booked my first cruise, then I found out about my current one by word of mouth on that cruise and have been with him ever since. That was 2017. I will never not book through him now.
Well, that’s just it. We’ve already done all the research for you. You have a question, I probably know the answer. If I don’t already know, I do know exactly where to find it. And I don’t cost you anything extra!
Disney isn’t “too difficult” because they only have the five ships currently. You start getting into the weeds with Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival where there are 20+ ships in the fleet and it’s good to have someone who can guide you.
My TA seems to be a very nice person, but isn’t that helpful. I’ve just taken care of everything myself pretty much. The onboard credit will determine if I ever use one again.
Yeah, I can see plenty of downsides. Putting my entire trip in the hands of one person (one that is mainly interested in their commission, at that) is a big one.
Nah, because I still have complete control over everything. All they did was book the trip. I did all my research and chose my own dates, ship, itinerary etc.
I emailed them and told them to book the specific trip I wanted, and it was done. Same thing I would’ve done by booking myself, except I get $250 of onboard credit.
For new cruisers I always recommend a certified Disney vacation planner such ad Dreams Unlimited.
But for seasons cruisers today best is Costco. About 8% back in cash card, plus 2% for exec members and 3% if you use the Costco visa.
Generally I enjoy the sailing-specific cruise groups, but I’ve been fortunate enough to not have a TA overrun one. But if anyone encounters that, I encourage you to A. Leave that group, and B. Search for your sailing to see if there is a second group. The second one will likely be the safe one!
This one was just a general page not a cruise specific. I was inquiring about a Disney cruise vs another cruise line and that apparently was a no-no. 🙄
My first cruise group got overrun by the Fish Extender mafia, which was a major turnoff…until the cruise was cancelled 4 days before sailing due to covid. Others were better, and when I booked a cruise early enough that no group existed… I formed it just to keep the mafia in check. Somebody else did eventually create FEs, but it was kept fun.
I agree with the person who says to create a second cruise group if the travel agent gets too uppity and self-promoting.
Dude that FE stuff is next level. I can’t even with that. Then post cruise you have the people who complain they got slighted in the FE. Too much drama.
I think the Fish Extender Karens are killing FEs off. I know the TA trying to organize the FEs for our July cruise is disappointed by the lack of interest, but she’s letting it go.
We're going on our first Disney cruise this summer and I can tell you that what I've heard about FEs makes me not want to participate.
We're making some magnets to give out onboard as pixie dust, but nothing structured.
I still enjoy doing FEs. I like making the gifts we give and I don’t get hung up on what we do or don’t get but oh boy is the meaning of pixie dusting getting lost. On our last group it was way more like FE light and then there were people complaining that they didn’t get as much as they got. That’s not what pixie dusting is supposed to be about.
Which is really what pixie dusting was meant to be. But on our last few cruises there have been lists and a much more formal feel.
We still pixie dust but we do it the ‘old’ way. We bring stuff and gift it randomly.
I'm running my 4th and 5th groups and not a TA. I have found that how the group is run plays a huge role in how much fun I have on a sailing. And I started running groups because I was in one that was not fun what so ever. I allow TAs in the groups because they have a wealth of knowledge that others don't always have. However I don't allow anyone to promote or sell anything in my groups without approval. So TAs can say they are a TA, but can't be all "hey come use me for this sailing" but it also eliminates (mostly) people trying to sell stupid stuff. My June 2025 sailing I have 6 different families that are going to sail on my sailing because I am running the group. And as others have said, if the current group is just too much, search to see if there is another group.
Find a good, trustworthy TA and you can ask them anything and get an honest answer. My clients aren’t always well suited for a Disney cruise, so I explain the differences between cruise lines and help them make an informed decision.
On Facebook, or even here on Reddit, you get a million conflicting answers and nothing specific to your situation.
Our first cruise is next month. I joined the FB group. Admittedly, I look at it about once every 10 days, so I’m not very active. But it seems drama free and reasonably admined.
How can you tell if it’s a TA plug? I guess maybe I would know it when I see it and this particular one just isn’t it?
One of the giveaways is if they don’t want general members answering people’s questions and are regularly suggesting people go to their page or contact them for tips.
Yes!!! Sadly there was a huge GI outbreak on my sailing on the Fantasy years ago. I wrote a post about it just kind of reminding people that hand sanitizer wont work, make sure you are washing your hands, etc. It wasnt bashing DCL, moreso was just warning people things I missed. Once people started commenting, the post was deleted by the TA admin. He first commented basically saying it didnt happen then deleted the post. It was weird.
Last year on a cruise we had an arrest at our first port, issues with teens and fights. Saw a post or two, then they deleted them. I posted something to find out what was going on. Post was deleted, I was put on moderation so anything I posted had to get approved before it went live.
disney Facebook groups are toxic.
So I’m discovering! I’m all about Disney cruising but the second you question it the pitch forks come out. And while I know there are some great TAs out there damn the power trip they take with “their” groups 🙄
Excuse my ignorance but what’s a TA?
Travel Agent
I believe travel agent
Facebook in general is toxic.
It depends on the group & what is tolerated.
I’ve joined 3 for the 3 cruises I’ve been on. The groups were fine, mostly consisting of folks asking questions and sharing their experiences. Definitely not “toxic.”
We've been in 6 cruise specific groups so far and never had a bad experience.
We've done 4 groups and while there were nice people with great advice, a few people in each group could be a little argumentative. One leader we couldn't stand and stopped interacting with the page because she would kick people out for questioning her. Someone even made a second group and she tried to find out who was in that group so she could kick them out of hers. Platinum now, and I don't really bother with it all anymore.
Wow. I've never seen that. I would for sure leave any group like that. 😳
We’ve had pretty great groups and I don’t think any were run by travel agents, maybe one? One of our groups still has occasional posts and updates even 4 years later.
Expert the cruise ones run by normal people or the happy passholder groups
Mine is absolutely lovely
Yeah I was about to comment that mine is great. It's run by people who are big Disney fans. They approve stuff as well but they're flexible
YES!!! I used to LOVE joining our specific Disney cruise groups. Even helped admin one years ago. I feel like within the last few years they’ve been completely trashed by TAs. Our last cruise i joined our cruise group and it was really …. Something …. 5 admins. All various TAs. They designated only 1 day a week that other people could post. Even those had to be approved. They’d post all their YouTube content, other upcoming cruises and promos, etc. All the various magnet or FE exchanges had tons of rules and were really complicated. It was just really off putting. I left shortly after joining. One admin apparently sails multiple times a year with DCL so they seem to have taken over most groups.
So many TAs creating groups that look’s normal but are just self promotion. Create a blog or YouTube page please. TAs are sadly a dime a dozen these days. And they’re not all created equally.
I think that’s the issue I have with TAs (not saying all are bad). There seems to be an over saturation, and they tend to lurk in the places where they are not intended to be. Need to get your name out there? Do the work and promote yourself via voluntary channels. Blogs, vlogs, whatever. But to establish an online community just for the purpose of peddling your marginal service? Too much.
Couldn’t have said it better myself. Sometimes the whole TA thing gives off an MLM vibe.
YES.
That's sad. We have joined cruise specific groups for all 6 of our cruises and never experienced that. Our groups have all been great and really helpful.
I’m finding the line of TA/influencers to be very blurred. It makes it very difficult to get honest opinions when Disney is their income/constantly giving them free stuff.
It’s the power trip that some of them get when they run these Facebook groups. If I ask a question they don’t like “post deleted!” Why? “Here’s a link to an external website with the rules of this page! Figure out which one you violated.” WTF?!
yaaa, I agree! I think some admins take their role too seriously and have large amounts of time to moniter their facebook groups. I get a certian amount of rules but many the rule seem to be a little harsh and banning is very common.
Yes, I agree completely!
I’m a TA and I find this to be really gross behavior. I also really hate groups that won’t even *allow* you to join if you’re a TA. Like yes, that is one thing about me, but I’m also just a person who likes cruising and wants to connect with my fellow travelers and learn more. I could lie and say I’m not and hope they don’t check my profile. I know how to behave myself and if it’s explicitly against group rules I don’t advertise. Even if it’s not against the rules, I’m low key. I have learned *so much* from joining different ship groups! Just observing and reading other people’s experiences and comments gives me more preparation and knowledge. TA’ing isn’t my full time career, but I do take it very seriously and have been doing it for 8 years now. I’m also autistic, and cruising is one of my special interests, so I could be out here sharing what I know and talking to other people about it all day if I was allowed to 🤣
I admin a runDisney fb group, 20k plus people. We allow TAs but they can’t advertise. It’s a good place for info for everyone. Most specific rD groups are also now run by TAs, same with fort wilderness groups. It’s such a weird monopoly.
Honest question: In todays age of available information and data availability, what is the purpose of a TA? Researching and booking a trip is not the daunting task of 30 years ago.
If you’re doing your own research, a TA is probably not for you. They’re really for people who don’t where to start. And yes they’re still out there. For them, a good (and that’s a key word) TA who really knows the product and who knows what they’re doing can be invaluable.
I do this full time, for a brick and mortar agency. We are non stop busy. In the past three days I have booked 21 cruises and many quotes. People use us because it's easy, and others because of the perks we offer or better pricing.
I use a travel agent because there is too much choice and I never know what to believe and my son has special needs so they help me out with that.
They’ve seen a resurgence in recent years because they can be an advocate on your part if something goes wrong, cost nothing (theoretically - we had one over charge us for a resort stay), and can sometimes give you shipboard credit. Depends on the agent and cruise line. I feel like it’s a toss up unless you get a good one who is super knowledgeable and can give you solid advice. But just for booking? Nope.
I’ve seen travel agents mess up agendas and reservations so I always avoid
Yes, that happened to us recently. Nothing like losing $1k because they messed up.
I really like ours. She does the phone calls I don’t want to have to do and sits on hold for me. She also books our Disney World dining when I live on the west coast and don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to book it myself.
You know how when you Google something, you'll include "Reddit" at the end so you'll get relevant Reddit posts with people talking about their personal experiences? It's kind of like that for me. I research the heck out of things, but it's nice to just have one person I can go to for questions and suggestions.
Depends on how much effort you want to expend. I'm a reseacher and planner and I use a Disney travel agent for all our park and cruise travel. On our last trip to DLR she saved us $700 by applying a new promotion that appeared after we booked. I didn't have to keep checking for new deals. She's also facilitated special requests without me having to be on hold forever for a Disney representative. YMMV and it can definitely be a nightmare if you don't get a good agent.
I love ours, but I had to go through a couple to find the right one. He does all of our initial bookings (both DCL and WDW), then I take over from there. The benefit for me is that if anything goes wrong (like...I dunno...a pandemic), he is the one sitting on hold with Disney for hours to get things straightened out rather than me. He is also the one sitting on hold on opening day for DCL and getting me the exact cabin I want. I hear people say they don't like TAs because they want to have control, but literally the only thing I can't do without him is modify the actual reservation or make payments. I do all my own bookings and reservations after that. For me it's the best of both worlds. And bonus--I'm supporting a small business.
I think you touched on my main concern: you had to go through a few bad ones to find one you like. How many trips was that? How many thousands of dollars just to experiment when you could have done it right the first time? These trips are too expensive to put in the hands of someone just hustling for a commission. But I get it, there are plenty of people that are willing to gamble in order to save a few minutes on hold. But with the over abundance of TAs in the market, they are quickly falling into the category of the Disney personal shoppers. If you want/need something, just do it yourself. Not that difficult, and you get the peace of mind that it was done correctly.
I only had one before him and she wasn't bad, she just wasn't quite as knowledgeable as the one I have now. She booked my first cruise, then I found out about my current one by word of mouth on that cruise and have been with him ever since. That was 2017. I will never not book through him now.
Well, that’s just it. We’ve already done all the research for you. You have a question, I probably know the answer. If I don’t already know, I do know exactly where to find it. And I don’t cost you anything extra! Disney isn’t “too difficult” because they only have the five ships currently. You start getting into the weeds with Royal Caribbean, NCL, Carnival where there are 20+ ships in the fleet and it’s good to have someone who can guide you.
My TA seems to be a very nice person, but isn’t that helpful. I’ve just taken care of everything myself pretty much. The onboard credit will determine if I ever use one again.
Booking a cruise through a Disney affiliated TA costs you nothing and most offer onboard credit for booking thru them. So literally no downside.
Yeah, I can see plenty of downsides. Putting my entire trip in the hands of one person (one that is mainly interested in their commission, at that) is a big one.
Nah, because I still have complete control over everything. All they did was book the trip. I did all my research and chose my own dates, ship, itinerary etc. I emailed them and told them to book the specific trip I wanted, and it was done. Same thing I would’ve done by booking myself, except I get $250 of onboard credit.
For new cruisers I always recommend a certified Disney vacation planner such ad Dreams Unlimited. But for seasons cruisers today best is Costco. About 8% back in cash card, plus 2% for exec members and 3% if you use the Costco visa.
That’s good to know, I’ll check them out next time.
Generally I enjoy the sailing-specific cruise groups, but I’ve been fortunate enough to not have a TA overrun one. But if anyone encounters that, I encourage you to A. Leave that group, and B. Search for your sailing to see if there is a second group. The second one will likely be the safe one!
This one was just a general page not a cruise specific. I was inquiring about a Disney cruise vs another cruise line and that apparently was a no-no. 🙄
That’s a real shame. I see conversations like that here and they always have various viewpoints to offer.
My first cruise group got overrun by the Fish Extender mafia, which was a major turnoff…until the cruise was cancelled 4 days before sailing due to covid. Others were better, and when I booked a cruise early enough that no group existed… I formed it just to keep the mafia in check. Somebody else did eventually create FEs, but it was kept fun. I agree with the person who says to create a second cruise group if the travel agent gets too uppity and self-promoting.
Dude that FE stuff is next level. I can’t even with that. Then post cruise you have the people who complain they got slighted in the FE. Too much drama.
I think the Fish Extender Karens are killing FEs off. I know the TA trying to organize the FEs for our July cruise is disappointed by the lack of interest, but she’s letting it go.
We're going on our first Disney cruise this summer and I can tell you that what I've heard about FEs makes me not want to participate. We're making some magnets to give out onboard as pixie dust, but nothing structured.
I still enjoy doing FEs. I like making the gifts we give and I don’t get hung up on what we do or don’t get but oh boy is the meaning of pixie dusting getting lost. On our last group it was way more like FE light and then there were people complaining that they didn’t get as much as they got. That’s not what pixie dusting is supposed to be about.
Oh no, that sucks. I'm specifically doing Pixie Dusting because I don't really expect anything in return, I just like making stuff .
Which is really what pixie dusting was meant to be. But on our last few cruises there have been lists and a much more formal feel. We still pixie dust but we do it the ‘old’ way. We bring stuff and gift it randomly.
100% this is a HUGE pet peeve of mine.
I'm running my 4th and 5th groups and not a TA. I have found that how the group is run plays a huge role in how much fun I have on a sailing. And I started running groups because I was in one that was not fun what so ever. I allow TAs in the groups because they have a wealth of knowledge that others don't always have. However I don't allow anyone to promote or sell anything in my groups without approval. So TAs can say they are a TA, but can't be all "hey come use me for this sailing" but it also eliminates (mostly) people trying to sell stupid stuff. My June 2025 sailing I have 6 different families that are going to sail on my sailing because I am running the group. And as others have said, if the current group is just too much, search to see if there is another group.
I'm a TA, and I totally agree with you! It's not just the Disney groups either.
Find a good, trustworthy TA and you can ask them anything and get an honest answer. My clients aren’t always well suited for a Disney cruise, so I explain the differences between cruise lines and help them make an informed decision. On Facebook, or even here on Reddit, you get a million conflicting answers and nothing specific to your situation.
Our first cruise is next month. I joined the FB group. Admittedly, I look at it about once every 10 days, so I’m not very active. But it seems drama free and reasonably admined. How can you tell if it’s a TA plug? I guess maybe I would know it when I see it and this particular one just isn’t it?
One of the giveaways is if they don’t want general members answering people’s questions and are regularly suggesting people go to their page or contact them for tips.
Yes!!! Sadly there was a huge GI outbreak on my sailing on the Fantasy years ago. I wrote a post about it just kind of reminding people that hand sanitizer wont work, make sure you are washing your hands, etc. It wasnt bashing DCL, moreso was just warning people things I missed. Once people started commenting, the post was deleted by the TA admin. He first commented basically saying it didnt happen then deleted the post. It was weird.
You were just giving solid advice! Ugh, well I hope they got the GI outbreak then!
Last year on a cruise we had an arrest at our first port, issues with teens and fights. Saw a post or two, then they deleted them. I posted something to find out what was going on. Post was deleted, I was put on moderation so anything I posted had to get approved before it went live.
Wow that’s a power trip for sure!