The good ones don't have to worry about my comment and concerns, Mary.
But I have checked these boards off and on for several months and have seen heavy arguments regarding those codes, between agents and people who took advantage of them. Several agents seem to resent the fact that many travelers are taking advantage of anything that helps them skip the purchase of those packages, saving hundreds of dollars each time they travel to the parks. It is not a secret that each package takes hundreds of dollars out of your wallet, not accounted for if the components were itemized.
The first time I took my family to Disney I booked through a
travel agent. When I found how much money I overpaid, compared to booking on my own, I could not believe it! I was given vouchers that I had to stand in lines to swap for tickets at Mears and the parks anyway and was placed in a hotel offsite with "free transportation to the parks". They did not tell me that the buses were hot, packed like sardines, came every four hours, and always arrived about at least a half hour late...
The second time I booked on my own, saved about $700. The third time, I used codes. Saved close to $1,000. This year, I compared Delta's Skymiles packages to the expenses of booking on my own and I must admit that their fares came very close to what I came up with, but that is not what I normally find. I compared Disney's packages and am saving well over $1,000!!
Most travelers want to save money when visiting the parks, and many travel agents seek the perks that come with selling those packages. I never met one that offered to get me the most economical alternatives. I only dealt with those that recommended basic packages over deluxe, instead. How are they going to make a commission otherwise?
When I noticed the sudden disappearance of the codes, I was naturally suspicious. Not meant to insult honest travel agents, I believe my comment was not offline.