Travel agents recommendations Orlando?

carlosevenos

hey everyone, I plan on going to Orlando at the start of November this year for 2 weeks.
Trying to look for holidays is really hard as not sure which companies are reliable and offer a good holiday.
Last year I was supposed to be going New York with BA, but I got caught up in the computer systems going down, so my flight like so many others got cancelled.
I got compensation from BA but had to fight for ages to get my flight tickets refunded by Travel Up, and also had to lose £100 in fee's to get it back.
So this year I'm a bit paranoid and want to make sure I can have a good holiday.

I've looked on travel supermarket, and they have by far the best prices. They have companies that have tempted me such as Travel Republic, Holiday Genie, Love holidays and Southall travel.
Has anyone had any experience with these airlines? Good of bad?

I've also looked directly at Virgin and TUI and they are both a bit more expensive, especially with Virgin where you have to pay £30 extra each trip if you want to reserve seats together!
Is it worth paying the extra cost to go directly from the airline? Chances are I'll be using a flight from one of these companies even if I go through a third party.

I've also looked at booking the flight and hotel separately but it seems a few hundred quid more expensive.

My minds a bit lost, so In summary what I'd like advice on is-

- Any experience with Travel Republic, Holiday Genie, Southall travel and Love Holidays? Good/bad?

-travel supermarket a good place to book from?

-better to fly with Virgin Atlantic or TUI?

-Is it better booking direct with airlines? Or is the extra cost not worth it?

-Any other recommendations? Or things to avoid?

thanks very much

jpsartre

carlosevenos wrote: »

I got compensation from BA but had to fight for ages to get my flight tickets refunded by Travel Up, and also had to lose £100 in fee's to get it back.

Don't book flights from a 3rd party and you won't have these kinds of problems. Many of the companies you mention (Travel Republic etc) will just cobble together separate elements for you anyway so you may as well book direct. You can book flights + hotel combinations from BA, Virgin and TUI and you'll have a true package which means should your flights get cancelled, you are entitled to a refund of everything you booked.

peachyprice

You don't need a travel agent to arrange a holiday in Orlando. Flights, hotels, villas, cars, park tickets etc are easily bookable direct, usually at far better prices than any travel agent.

izzitme

Loads of generally good advice can be found on the DIBB.
https://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/
If you can't find an answer just ask. Somebody on there will be able to advise.

meer53

Charter Travel in Reading.

stephen160

Do it yourself and save , use Skyscanner for Flights and hotels, or book a private villa
steve