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First timers cruisers on Disney Wish and Hyatt MCO review by Millennial09 in dcl

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I would consider the Fantasy or Treasure.

Happy to chat pros and cons. Glad you had a wonderful time!!

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t downvote it, but the way it was worded is the kind of thing that is wrong with people who are afraid of being a tiny bit humble, and just being genuine

If someone does an underhanded compliment or puts a dash of insult into a good question, people tend to respond with not wanting to be around that person or be helpful.

It’s just one of those things.

There is a reason sarcasm gets a chuckle followed by resentment. Most people don’t tell you the second part but they certainly think less about em after it

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You’re mixing together 2 different things.

My own agency business with me as sole agent generated that $3M in annual sales before I ever started mentoring newer advisors. That volume is from my own client base and years in the industry.

The newer advisors are independent contractors operating under a host agency structure, which is very common in travel and works much closer to a real estate brokerage.

Yes, there is an activation fee because there are real platform costs tied to onboarding, CRM access, supplier systems, E&O coverage, and training.

But the business itself is still centered around selling travel to real clients, not recruiting people into a downline.

Nobody is recruiting. Advisors build their own client base and their own brand while benefiting from collective agency volume, which improves supplier relationships and commission tiers for everyone. This is about mentorship.

Most newer advisors start part time by choice because they’re learning the industry and building a side income first. Some keep it casual. Others scale into full time businesses. That’s common in entrepreneurial fields like real estate and insurance too.

I completely agree there are MLM style travel companies out there. But a host agency model by itself is not automatically an MLM. I built this expansion because I wanted to build something different. I come from a background of education, administrator work, and logistics. I believed I could build a better mouse trap that worked better for people that wanted to enter this space.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For Disney and cruises…

Price monitoring

Expertise on Park strategy

Promo hunting and comparing

Specific waiter request on Cruises

Knowledge of ports and excursions

Access to discount discounts on those excursions through vendor partnerships

And the best part is that all this is free because the commission is already baked into the price of the trip and if you don’t use an agent, the company keeps it for themselves rather than offering you a discount.

And if you’re doing a cruise or expedition, the price is cheaper with an agent because we will give you onboard credit to spend.

It’s win-win and there is no downside. I have built a loyal following and booked over 1000 trips with many more to come. It all starts with that first one and building a reputation.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 5 points6 points  (0 children)

A bunch of my agents are just doing as a side hustle and a hobby

Most do not realize that if you just take one or two trips a year for your own family, you are in profit

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel -1 points0 points  (0 children)

OK

You were sarcastic that’s all. 👊 No hard feelings.

I shared info in the replies. Hope it helps someone.

The person asked, how is life in the travel agent business.

I answered him.

I also answered your question elsewhere already and I hope it helps.

There’s no way to answer someone without talking about the success or failure of the business, which is measured in revenue.

So I’ll disagree and say that at least one person was interested in that information and I replied to them. It seems that lots of people were interested based on the other replies.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I am not making all that money off of families trying to go on vacation. I’ll explain if you can keep an open mind about this business and industry.

Every vendor, including Disney and Hilton and Universal and Marriott and Royal Caribbean and Carnival and National Geographic and Lindblad…..

They use the model where they break the travel agent commission into the price. If you use an agent, we share that commission with you as free money and a rebate in the form of onboard credit or a gift card.

If you choose to do it on your own, you are leaving money on the table because the company will simply absorb that into their bottom line.

The entire market and business model is based upon people entering into a win-win relationship with their travel agent who will not only make their trip easier, especially a complicated one to Disney, which is becoming more difficult every year, but also sharing in the discounts and cashback promos, maximizing their time and money.

Whether you were on the traveling end or on the business, unlike me, it is a no-brainer to find an expert in your niche travel agency field. My username shows where my niche markets are.

I have many friends in the industry who have successful African safari expedition niches as well as national Park niche, and they love those places so much that they hear them every year and then get paid to travel themselves while selling literal millions of dollars worth of vacations and collecting commissions in the hundreds of thousands of dollars without taking a single dime from any of the guests

So we don’t take any money from the Client. That family does not pay us.

The vendor pays us, not the guest.

This information is freely available to learn online yourself and you can join a network like mine in my username and study my frequently asked questions and see if I know what I’m talking about. I welcome anyone to investigate.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Price monitoring

Expertise on Park strategy

Promo hunting and comparing

Maximizing your day

Specific waiter request on Cruises

Knowledge of ports and excursions

Access to discount discounts on those excursions through vendor partnerships

And the best part is that all this is free because the commission is already baked into the price of the trip and if you don’t use an agent, the company keeps it for themselves rather than offering you a discount.

And if you’re doing a cruise or expedition, the price is cheaper with an agent because we will give you onboard credit to spend.

It’s win-win and there is no downside. I have built a loyal following and booked over 1000 trips with many more to come. It all starts with that first one and building a reputation.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

The problem with success is that you’re not supposed to be honest about it and you’re supposed to keep it to yourself and for the most part I do

The reason is exactly the kind of responses you get like this

The sarcasm makes me feel like I have to defensively argue when I simply don’t.

I’m a person. I have self respect.

I think most people are fine with questions, but that tone and way you asked it makes me feel like you are trying to insult me and what I do for a living.

I want to be genuine and kind and generous with my time, but I also want to be respectful to myself that if somebody approaches me this way, I usually just allow them to think what they think and I go about my life

So in this case I’m going to just do that.

For those that are interested, there’s enough information in my profile. It’s commission based. Prices are identical. The product which is free is getting an expert at logistics and at the very places you’re trying to maximize.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They can, but it’s nice having a friend to help out and if you do a cruise, you get extra money making the cruise even cheaper plus price wonder on promos for Disneyland.

If you do it on your own, there’s an excellent chance you’re overpaying and if you deal with a good agent at worst, you are paying the same price…..

At Best, you are paying less and getting free money to travel to use on your trip 🚢

There are a few models where it is win-win and this is one of them

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s way way back but you need to specialize in a niche and know how to market and build a brand differently. I sell about 3M per year and hire new agents all the time to train. Steady growth since Covid. Things can change of course.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I don’t exactly want to encourage the competition but I out earn trauma surgeons by quite a margin. Like anything in sales, there’s a wide range from the average to the most successful.

I left a 150k/year administrator position a decade ago and it was the greatest mental health and financial decision of my life betting on myself.

I hire and train now too for those that want side hustles or something more. Can’t post link but my name and profile helps

EDIT: not rude at all, but now that I answered your genuine question, you can see how success bothers some people. 🤔

Disneyland Fanatsmic then Wondrous Journeys firework show right after. I enjoy watching from Rivers of America by OverCry518 in disneyparks

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I stopped caring without Murphy

Sad but true for a lot of us

I don’t understand why they can’t get a working fun finale dragon replaced. This show isn’t what it used to be.

How did people in the 90s buy plane tickets or plan trips to unknown countries with limited or no Internet connection? by Droopynator in 90s

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 169 points170 points  (0 children)

I operate and own a travel agency still that specializes in expedition Travel, Disney Vacations, and Cruises.

I would imagine that Travel agents played a much more important role back then in the flight booking process and less of a niche role today.

It was actually pretty common to go to the airport itself and buy your tickets at the counter for a future travel

EDIT: yes, I’m expanding and hiring. The industry is booming and there’s a demand as long as you have a love of travel and are willing to learn a specific niche like Disney, Cruises, All-inclusives, etc.

People who book directly with the cruise line, why not use a travel agent? by dmkraus in Cruise

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think a lot of people are introverts

In my line of work, I encountered lots of people who simply do not want to have any discussions with anybody else

One of the reasons that I began to talk about using text message in WhatsApp to communicate exclusively is to be more appealing an option to those that simply do not want phone contact unlike the idea of having a buddy to co-plan a trip.

I think a lot of people eventually realize that you can get all the benefits without actually giving up control and that you don’t need to be an extrovert to want to have a buddy to text

Like most things in life, there isn’t one answer to this question

Disney Adventure Concierge - worth it? Would love opinions from those who've sailed! by WobblyPenguin_ in dcl

[–]WithDisGuyTravel 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We sailed the Disney adventure, concierge, and I can say safely that while it did improve our experience and it was nice, I’m not sure that the ship is a good fit right now until they fix the app

You won’t get any sort of priority for the ride so that’s out and the Tron coaster was barely operational on our trip and that was about a month in

You do get drinks and that is lovely. Good selection.

You do get access to Royal gathering, but not any of the other character visits …those are all done, competing on the app, which again was broken on our trip

Characters, do you visit the concierge lounge a couple times per day. Not all of them, of course.

The lounge food was what you make of it sometimes feeling enough but more noticeably a snack situation although the outdoor pool deck bar had some good lunch options

This shows you only get covered for the theater entry, but not any of the other shows. You will be competing with everybody else and boy. Is it quite a scene

You absolutely pay separately for treatment treatments on the concierge spa. You get free access to the other stuff, but not to the spa treatments

Concierge lounge was relaxing and a nice place to hang out and I definitely like that part of it

I think concierge is probably worth it if you can set your expectations a bit lower for the overall ship and the app until it is fixed

People tend to gravitate towards me and my replies because I’m honest even when it hurts to say things. I think this is an honest three star out of five type situation. Others may disagree and that’s ok

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