ashking, as you may notice I said "you'll see very quickly whose interests
MOST travel agents look out for". Glad you enjoy your job and helping others. Maybe you are one of the better agents. In all honesty, I really don't care what travel agents make nor do I believe that there's truly a necessity for them - but that's just me. Other people who need the hand holding and want the personal attention that a travel agent like yourself could give them are more than welcome it. You can make a living any way that you please - I just don't need nor would I pay for your services.
However, let's not lose sight of the fact of what the past few posts stated and the whole reason this thread was started - because the travel agent was not taking care of their customer properly, and Disney was shirking its ultimate responsibility to the customer. Just because Disney or other travel provider gives you a commission or other form of payment, does not relieve them of their obligation to the customer - because that is who is paying the fare in the end.
Does Disney help you with getting a rental car or research an amtrak schedule,
Is getting a rental car difficult? I don't ever recall a time in the past 20 years when it was more difficult than picking up the phone or browsing a couple of websites. Is it really that difficult to rent a car these days? Amtrak? Typing in
www.amtrak.com is so difficult? I am sure that some people may need help with that kind of stuff, but, I assure you, the overwhelming majority of people who have the ability to post a message on this board, have more than what it takes to do these things on their own with a few mouse clicks.
arrange a surprise in your room if you are having a birthday, send you a menu ahead of time to get you excited about your trip?
All you have to do is tell them, ask, and speak to the right people - they will help arrange whatever you like. For our anniversary, our stateroom was all decorated before we even opened the door. We had an anniversary cake, singing, etc. the night before our anniversary in the main dining room and we had an intimate dinner at Palo the night of our anniversary with another cake. I arranged EVERYTHING before we even left home (yes, that includes reservations at Palo before even boarding the ship). A menu ahead of time? How many
DCL websites are there that post Navigators, menus, and everything else? Most information "to get you excited about your trip" (whether DCL or other) is available online. Maybe 10 years ago you had an information advantage, but today, no way.
And, yes, Disney does send us thank you letters and even gifts for cruising with them.