HAL or Travel Agent

[croozer10]

We have only been on one HAL cruise and loved it. I booked directly through HAL and everything worked out. I am not sure though if this is the best way to book. Can you tell me the advantages/disadvantages of booking through a TA.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have a local TA that we have used for 24 years.

But there may come a time when she will be gone.

Since I don't want to book with any of those online agencies -- I will probably book directly with HAL.

Our TA knows us -- knows the type of cabin we like -- dining preference -- little things like that. I am sure that if we had to switch to HAL -- once we get assigned to a TA there -- that person would also recognize what we desire and there shouldn't be any difference.

[m steve]

that booking thru a TA gets us better prices and perks than with the cruise line. Some airline travel programs offer cruises with lots of miles as a bonus. Our TA gives us lower prices as she is part of a network that books lots of cabins and gets special rates and privledges. We have used online agencies in the past but are ahppy with our agent. We always check their prices against a large online service.

[Randyk47]

For us it all comes down to money. We save on the average of 12%, sometimes higher, on our cruises by booking with our on-line TA's. Been booking through the Internet since 2004 and never had one issue or problem. HAL cannot, will not, match the fares we're getting so I see no point or reason in booking with HAL directly.

[gregdude]

I only use the cruise line direct method with my cruises. I know I am probably paying a few dollars more, but am confident that I have full control of my reservation and money and not a third person. I have also had a lot of luck working directly with HAL Air on being able to select times and flights, again without getting a third party involved.

Many use on-line agents and many have had success, but also many have lost some or all of their money when the agency went out of business. Given the current economy I will remain my own travel agent.

[taxmantoo]

Many use on-line agents and many have had success, but also many have lost some or all of their money when the agency went out of business. Given the current economy I will remain my own travel agent.

We have been dealing with the same on-line agent for several years. We now deal with him directly via e-mail or phone and get the advantages of large on-line agent prices combined with personalized service. The agency does not receive any money from us directly nor does it process the charges to our credit card. They simply act as a middle man between us and the cruise company. They forward our credit card info directly to the cruise company. All charges to our credit card are processed by HAL and paid directly to HAL.

[Randyk47]

:)We have been dealing with the same on-line agent for several years. We now deal with him directly via e-mail or phone and get the advantages of large on-line agent prices combined with personalized service. The agency does not receive any money from us directly nor does it process the charges to our credit card. They simply act as a middle man between us and the cruise company. They forward our credit card info directly to the cruise company. All charges to our credit card are processed by HAL and paid directly to HAL.

I forgot to mention that in my earlier post. Our Internet providers all handle transactions the same way as Taxmantoo mentioned. Within reason there's virtually no risk since they don't handle the charges through their company accounts. When I book a cruise with one of my Internet providers I can usually verify directly on the HAL website within an hour or so. I wouldn't book with any agency or agent that operated any other way. Should say that we typically book B category, actually mostly deluxe suites, or above so our minimum 12% savings is more than a couple of dollars. :)

[jhannah]

If you choose the right online or brick-and-mortar travel agent, you will likely save some money (as noted above.) But that's a big "if." Do your homework. Some are wonderful, others less than helpful and forthright.

If you use HAL directly, you may be more likely to receive an upgrade (according to some who have experienced that.) Plus, you are dealing directly with the source.

Since there are advantages either way, pick the one that contributes most to your comfort level.

[DSLibrarian]

We booked our Dec 2012 cruise directly with HAL but just transferred the booking to a bigbox TA. Was very easy and saved quite a bit - about 10%. They will continue to match any price decreases.

[gte937k]

If you choose the right online or brick-and-mortar travel agent, you will likely save some money (as noted above.) But that's a big "if." Do your homework. Some are wonderful, others less than helpful and forthright.

If you use HAL directly, you may be more likely to receive an upgrade (according to some who have experienced that.) Plus, you are dealing directly with the source.

Since there are advantages either way, pick the one that contributes most to your comfort level.
Do you have a suggestion as to how to do our homework? I am confident that I can find online travel agencies through my own devices. I can compare best price and benefits. However, how do I know if they are reputable and who provides best service?

[iancal]

We have dealt with the same on line agent for some time. Why?

-excellent service

-TA provided OBC's and once in a while a great group rate on a cruise

-no charge for repricing/ changing cabins

-long hours-if we cannot reach the agent we get someone else...last time it was the company VP who took care of us when we had a substantial fare decease that we wanted to jump on immediately. Someone is available weekends, holidays, and good hours within our particular time zone.

-cruise is always billed to our credit card by the Cruise Line

-emails if she knows that an itinerary we are interested in is or is about to go on a special with one of our preferred cruise lines. Independent....if we are about to book a cruise on let's say Princess she will tell us if she is aware of a HAL or Celebrity ship at a much better price that has a similar itinerary in the same time frame. This happened just last month on a Med. itinerary that we were interested in-we saved a nice sum of money and got a better cabin.

[HokiePoq]

We also use an online agent. We've booked with three online agencies and prefer one over the other two. Last one fouled up our booking at the last minute but did manage to straighten it out before we left home.
Never a problem with multiple bookings with the one we prefer and we use the same agent each time.

We have also booked direct with HAL. Sometimes both are the same price and I LOVED our personal cruise representative. Alas he's left for another job and I haven't yet heard who the new one is. I would call him and ask for information/confirmation about the online offering. The other poster is right that they do not compete with travel agents. They can tell you that you have a good deal or information about the ship/itinerary/schedules, etc. and then I'm more confident going ahead and booking with an online agent.

[Sir PMP]

We have only been on one HAL cruise and loved it. I booked directly through HAL and everything worked out. I am not sure though if this is the best way to book. Can you tell me the advantages/disadvantages of booking through a TA.

Both options are good, just compare..

[shandryl]

I have used a TA and have booked on the cruise lines website or in person while on the cruise ship. :) I prefer to take care of the booking myself :D I love the booking/planning/budgeting/hotel/flights/shorex/beverage cards/obc/counting the sleeps and everything else about the whole process re:Cruising!! :D

Its not for everybody but what ever works for you wether using a TA or online or in person..........thats up to you and what you are comfortable with. :D

[Randyk47]

Do you have a suggestion as to how to do our homework? I am confident that I can find online travel agencies through my own devices. I can compare best price and benefits. However, how do I know if they are reputable and who provides best service?

I got really lucky and met a fellow CC'er on a cruise back in 2004 who pointed me in the right direction. He was in a deluxe suite for substantially less than I was in a superior suite on the Oosterdam and that got my attention. :) From there I first used his recommendation and have subsequently tried a couple of others with good results but still primarily use the same Internet agent recommended to me back in 2004. Unfortunately we're not allowed to really discuss much more about travel agents or agencies than we have here so I can't really say much more than that.

[Himself]

Personally, I would deal directly with HAL rather than a travel agent--unless I had a real good one.

[northernphoenix]

Personally, I would deal directly with HAL rather than a travel agent--unless I had a real good one.

This is our second cruise using a TA, and I can't say that I was impressed with the effort. In both cases we had better results managing our own pre and post cruise arrangements. I plan to use HAL for our next vacation, since neither agency offered any additional perks, or actually seemed to be able to offer more info than I found via the Internet.
Marilyn

[tcook052]

IMHO an impartial, professional opinion can be an asset so go with a good TA.

[DSLibrarian]

This is our second cruise using a TA, and I can't say that I was impressed with the effort. In both cases we had better results managing our own pre and post cruise arrangements. I plan to use HAL for our next vacation, since neither agency offered any additional perks, or actually seemed to be able to offer more info than I found via the Internet.
Marilyn

I can still manage our pre & post cruise arrangements. Our info & booking is on the HAL website so I can add &/or change any on-board purchases or excursions. I made our initial booking with HAL so got exactly the cabin & other preferences we wanted - but transferred it to the TA afterwards to get the better deal. No problem at all - and we saved over $500 so far.

[superoma]

If it was up to me alone, i would book with HAL or an online travel agent and deal with everything myself. However, we are cruising with another couple who like the warm fuzzy feeling of a bricks and mortar travel agent. I must say, in all the cruises we have booked with her, we got our first OBC this time. Years ago we used to received wine in the cabin but that stopped at least five years ago.

[lvz2cruz]

We have a TA which we rarely use because I like the flexibilty of handling the booking myself. She would send us a check for $50 as a bon voyage gift--that was our savings. Many times I would find a sale on a weekend and she was not available, so I missed the savings if I had it booked with her.
For example, this Saturday I got an email from HAL about the Mariner sale. I was able to move from an outside cabin to a balcony and saved a little money. Since it is an FCC I also increased OBC a small bit. An hour or so later the cabins were sold out so if I had booked through her we would have paid more money to be in an OV than a verandah.
We usually cruise the Caribbean or Bermuda and do not need advice. When we branch out to Europe, we might trade the flexibility for her expertise.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

At the moment, we deal with a TA sometimes and directly with the cruise lines for other cruises. I think I am moving towards dealing direct as it is more convenient on weekends even though our TA checks her email. I recently booked a cruise totally online with HAL, a first. We'll see as time goes by what my preference will be.

[tangerinebunny]

I like to be in charge - but - our TA just saved us $500 on our June cruise. She has access to a lower rate that just won't come up for me at the HAL website. So for $500, she can be in charge - for the moment.

(But after reading about some TA problems, I sat there while she paid the deposit to HAL and I know that it's done!)

[HomeSweetSeattle]

Agreed - go with the TA. I booked my very first cruise earlier this year directly with HAL. It was a wonderful experience, but in retrospect I wish I had booked through a TA to receive onboard credit or other perks. At the very least, look into making a booking through the "vacations" arm of your favorite airline. Had I done this, I would have received a not insignificant number of frequent flyer miles when I booked our cruise, at the same price at which I booked through HAL directly.

[djhsolara]

We booked our first sailing ever through on online TA and received a free Pinnacle Grill dinner. Other than that we have NEVER found a price or benefit better than a price offered directly through HAL for any sailing we've done with them (granted we've only done what I call "common" sailings with them). Everytime we go to book a sailing we go to our local brick & mortar TA and they can never get the prices that we see on HAL's website.

We also like to be in control of our reservation. If I want to do something I want to be able to do it, I don't want to have to call my TA to do it.

If I weren't internet-saavy perhaps I would rely more on a TA, but being able to do all of the research and booking ourselves is our way to go.

:) :)

[jhannah]

We booked our first sailing ever through on online TA and received a free Pinnacle Grill dinner. Other than that we have NEVER found a price or benefit better than a price offered directly through HAL for any sailing we've done with them (granted we've only done what I call "common" sailings with them). There are always exceptions, of course, to almost everything. But I have found cheaper fares and/or more onboard benefits for every cruise we've taken with a TA ... brick-and-mortar or online ... with the exception of west coastal cruises. Those are generally "rock bottom" repositioning sailings, so will appear the same on HAL's and the TA's websites.

[Randyk47]

We booked our first sailing ever through on online TA and received a free Pinnacle Grill dinner. Other than that we have NEVER found a price or benefit better than a price offered directly through HAL for any sailing we've done with them (granted we've only done what I call "common" sailings with them). Everytime we go to book a sailing we go to our local brick & mortar TA and they can never get the prices that we see on HAL's website.

We also like to be in control of our reservation. If I want to do something I want to be able to do it, I don't want to have to call my TA to do it.

If I weren't internet-saavy perhaps I would rely more on a TA, but being able to do all of the research and booking ourselves is our way to go.

:) :)

All I can say is that since I went to my Internet TA's seven years ago HAL has never, ever been able to even come close to the offers I've gotten and I'm not talking about a free Pinacle Grill dinner or a bottle of wine. :) I also don't feel like I've given up control of my reservation when I book with a TA but on the other hand I've never made any changes to my reservation or booking. We've always booked what we wanted when we wanted and other than canceling a cruise we've left the cabin arrangements alone. We too don't need or want the assistance of a TA. We're quite capable of picking our own cabin, making our own air travel, pre and post cruise hotel arrangements, etc., and an Internet TA who is basically just booking the cabin for us meets our needs. What I like about HAL, particularly in the past couple of years, is the ability to book excursions, services, etc., on line prior to the cruise. That's just between me and the computer and I don't need anybody but my own time to do that.

[we're sailing away....]

A good TA is always better

[taxmantoo]

There are always exceptions, of course, to almost everything. But I have found cheaper fares and/or more onboard benefits for every cruise we've taken with a TA ... brick-and-mortar or online ... with the exception of west coastal cruises. Those are generally "rock bottom" repositioning sailings, so will appear the same on HAL's and the TA's websites.

Very true. And even on the west coastal cruises we have gotten better prices. We use the TA's website as a reference but conduct all our dealings with him via phone or e-mail and get further reductions on the internet advertised site most of the time.

[Randyk47]

Very true. And even on the west coastal cruises we have gotten better prices. We use the TA's website as a reference but conduct all our dealings with him via phone or e-mail and get further reductions on the internet advertised site most of the time.

With the advertising restrictions most cruise lines have in place right now you have to deal directly with an Internet provider. If you're simply looking at their published rate on the web then you're missing out by not emailing or calling them to see what their real offer is.

[love to cruz]

We just transferred our December 23 booking on the Noordam from HAL to our favorite online agent. Imagine our surprise & delight when she sends us an updated invoice showing we saved $673 plus get a $175.00 ship board credit by switching our booking. Bottom line-never again booking directly through the cruise lines. We will now be totally loyal to Jean.

[iancal]

We do the same. We do the deal on the phone. We never pay the posted on line rate. We only want OBC's. Free this and that are of no particular value to us. And after it is done, we watch for price changes until final payment date.
We purchased our last cruise, and our cruise next month, inside the cancellation window. The economy is soft and prices seem to be dropping substantially after final payment. Our on line TA is very good at giving us various options in this window.

[Diving Rabbit]

I noticed that not a single post mentioned a specific travel agency by name. I have to assume that is a rule on CC? Please advise, as I do not want to violate any of the CC rules. We used a very well known nationwide online price club travel department and saved 8% on our upcoming Zuiderdam cruise. Funny thing is, the first time I called, the person that I got knew less than I did about HAL, the ship, or the itinerary. So I hung up and called again and the 2nd person I spoke with was VERY knowledgeable and answered all my questions and guided me to the cabin, side of the ship, dining preference, everything. The money we saved was almost the exact amount that our airline tickets cost, so by using them, we basically got our air included for what it would have cost to book just the cabin through HAL.
The Carnival and RCC cruises that I booked in previous years, I booked directly through the cruise lines. I learned from cruise critic to continually check for price drops and get credits when they happen. I have read that doing that through a travel agent can sometimes be a hassle. On one Carnival cruise, I had booked an oceanview cabin on deck 2. There were three price drops in a matter of 2 months and the first 2 times, I called my Carnival rep and she gave me an onboard credit for the difference. The 3rd price drop, when I called, my rep wasn't there and the rep. that was covering for her told me, and I quote, "Okay, we are upgrading you to a balcony cabin, so don't call us again." When I got the upgrade e-mail notice, the onboard credits were still on my account, as well. That is something that I don't think that a travel agent could have gotten me.
That is a long way of saying, both ways have their advantages.

[Randyk47]

I noticed that not a single post mentioned a specific travel agency by name. I have to assume that is a rule on CC? Please advise, as I do not want to violate any of the CC rules.

You assume correctly, we can't discuss or mention a specific agency or agent by name. We also can't solicit people to contact us to share or get that information.

[Diving Rabbit]

You assume correctly, we can't discuss or mention a specific agency or agent by name. We also can't solicit people to contact us to share or get that information.
Thanks for the information Randy. Although I may be unruly, I can appreciate the need for rules. :D