Booking a Trip

[Ratchet04]

Who do you use? HAL website, TA, online TA?

Are there benifits to one over the other (assume price is the same)?

[kazu]

Who do you use? HAL website, TA, online TA?

Are there benifits to one over the other (assume price is the same)?

it depends upon what you need or want;)

If you need a lot of advice, then you will want to find a good TA.

If you know what you want, use a good on line TA. That's what we currently do. assuming price is the same, they usually offer some other incentives (like a very nice obc) as they work in volume.

Booking through HAL means you will deal directly with them which some people feel has real advantages:D

[1cruiselvr]

We have booked thru online TAs and directly with the cruiseline. But mostly, we use an online TA, whoever quotes the cheapest taking into consideration their cancellation and other fees they may have. Usually the CL is higher IMHO but some folks prefer to book that way. As another posted, if you need alot of hand-holding, then a regular TA is probably the best way to go. Happy Sailing!

[English_in_Spain]

I always prefer dealing direct with the cruise line. I don't need the advice from a TA (I probably know more than they do) and I prefer to keep control.

[catl331]

Even though we don't need any hand-holding, we usually book through a local TA that we've been using for close to 10 years mainly as "assistance insurance" in case of any problems.

Once we had to cancel a non-cruise trip and all we had to do was make one phone call and wait for the insurance check to arrive.

On our current booking there was a major price drop, and again we just had to make one phone call and tell him what we wanted. It was done in about 2 hours.

Once we booked on board and had the booking transferred to him, and were immediately upgraded six steps of outside cabin for the same price.

In addition to this, he often (but not always) can give us OBC's, PG dinners, $100 worth of beverage cards, a bottle of wine, etc.

I think if he retires or changes jobs we might begin using a HAL Personal Cruise Consultant. We did that once and it worked out fine.

[Randyk47]

We book with an on line TA. The price is not the same and our savings over the years have ranged from 10% to 26%. More recently we seem to have settled into savings averaging 12%. It comes down to a few considerations for us. One, we do not need assistance from a TA to pick an itinerary, a cruise line, a ship, or a cabin category. Two, we don't need a TA to arrange travel to and from the embarkation/disembarkation ports. Three, we don't need a TA to arrange pre or post cruise hotel arrangements. Four, we book the higher level categories so, using our present average, 12% savings is substantial.

[Ratchet04]

So there is really no advantage to booking on HAL's website? If there is no benefit to book on the HAL website (OBC's, first call on upgrade etc) sounds like it may be an online TA for me!

Thanks!

[English_in_Spain]

Who do you use? HAL website, TA, online TA?

Are there benifits to one over the other (assume price is the same)?


The original question said 'assume price is the same' so giving a reason of saving money is not relevant.

In the US, you have TAs that know about cruising. Most TAs in the UK don't have a clue.

I used a well known UK cruise specialist (supposed to be a HAL expert) last year and they insisted that an SY cabin on the Noordam was a suite with all the full suite privileges :confused:

[Randyk47]

So there is really no advantage to booking on HAL's website? If there is no benefit to book on the HAL website (OBC's, first call on upgrade etc) sounds like it may be an online TA for me!

Thanks!

There is some debate about whether or not folks who book directly with HAL get better consideration for upgrades, some seem to think they do, others do not. Since guarantees are not a bargain, unless you do get upgraded, they're not attractive to me so I don't book them. I've never seen HAL get particularly generous with OBC's, sorry but a Pinnacle Grill dinner and a bottle of wine don't do it for me, but then again I look for a reduced fare not flowers and chocolate covered strawberries from my Internet providers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been fortunate to have a great TA that we have used for 24 years.

As for upgrades and upsells -- hard to explain how HAL decides who will be offered what.

[Nasmas]

We use a HAL personal consultant (the same one everytime) and she has been wonderful. We used to use an online cruise booking service but one we used and had good luck with bellied up. Everyone probably knows who I'm referring to, and I've been a little afraid to use one again. Years ago, we had a TA but once we got internet, the prices were so much lower, and she told us she couldn't get anywhere close to the price. So, we quit using her. We will continue to use the personal consultant until they give us a reason not to.

[twodogmom]

I now book directly with HAL initially and prior to final payment I change to an on line travel agent. I like being able to call HAL directly, and not having to go through a travel agent with any questions. Why do I change to an on line travel agent prior to final payment, so I can get their discount.

When I was thinking of booking a future cruise, I asked my on line agent his opinion, since I wasn't sure I would actually go on the cruise. He said to do what I preferred, and it was very easy for him to switch it later. It saves him time while I am trying to decide exactly what I want to do. I just booked a 42 day and a 27 day cruises for 2012 and 2013. The 2013 conflicts with the 2013 world cruise, so depending on the price of that, I'll decide what I want to do. Saves the online agent a lot of time. Once it is near to final payment I'll switch to the on line agent.

[Willsot]

We previously booked online with HAL every cruise. Then I found a TA where we accumulate points for each cruise booked, based on price. The points are then applied to future cruises, resulting in discounts vs. HAL prices. For last-minute cruises I use a different independent online agency with no problems and significant discounts (like $299 for a 7-day S. Caribbean, inside cabin).