Pros/Cons of using TA

I am starting to plan our next cruise but considering using a Travel agent for the first time. Can anyone offer some pros/cons of doing so vs booking online? I'm open to any opinions. Thank you for your time! I appreciate it.

You will almost always receive a better deal through a TA (especially the online ones) then you will through RCI directly. That said, you give up some flexibility with managing your own reservation, and the TA may have cancellation and/or change fees that Royal doesn't have.

Pros are some offer perks for booking with them such as OBC or free specialty dining

Con- They have control of your booking so if you see any price changes and want to change cabins you have to go thru them. So if a price drop happens on a weekend and your TA is closed you could lose that price drop by the time they open.

Disclaimer- I book direct with the cruise line:)

Besides the service you get, using a travel agent can get you perks, such as on board credit, free gratuities, free specialty restaurants, free insurance, etc.

One downside is that you can no longer deal directly with the cruise line with issues such as price drops, payments, cancellation, stateroom change, etc.

Depending upon your personality and how reliable your TA is, it can be nothing but "Pros". For me, it's not a downside that I can't deal directly with the cruise line; it's an upside that I don't have to.

I have used a TA the last couple times because the price difference ($300 pp) was huge, due to them getting blocks of cabins. IF there was not such a price difference, I would have booked on my own. I know it depends on if you can find a great TA but so far mine has caused me more headache, than doing it myself. I am currently waiting to get our two cabins linked, so they will seat us together for dining, changing to earlier dining and bed arrangements. Yes, I could just do all this on board but in the past, I had this all squared away before getting on the ship.

Depending upon your personality and how reliable your TA is, it can be nothing but "Pros". For me, it's not a downside that I can't deal directly with the cruise line; it's an upside that I don't have to.

I'm with Paul65... I don't want to deal with the cruise line. BUT... I have a great TA that I've used for years. No perks.. she just handles everything for me. I want to book a cruise... I email her the info and cabin number... it's done. I want to change cabins... email the cabin number... it's done. I have a problem, email her the problem... problem solved. I see a lower rate, email her the new rate... rate changed.

BUT (again), she does go to bed at night, takes weekends off, goes on vacation. However she usually checks emails and it's rarely been a problem.

My advice... if you know a great TA use him or her regardless of perks. If you don't, read the fine print very closely. Some have booking fees that are non-refundable. Sometimes a free specialty dinner or OBC isn't worth it. A friend of mine went for the online agency and the free $100 OBC. She sat in my house, on the phone with her agent and I had to tell her to tell him the process involved for using a Future Cruise Booking. Then she had to call him again, while I explained to her to explain to him that it's lower deposit. Then when the rates dropped, I had to explain to her to explain to him that the rate could be changed. Bottom line, not a good experience. So if you use a TA pick a good one. If you book on your own... good luck.

Depending upon your personality and how reliable your TA is, it can be nothing but "Pros". For me, it's not a downside that I can't deal directly with the cruise line; it's an upside that I don't have to.

I agree, we have a great TA and very little downside. There have been one or two price drops on Sunday afternoon that I've missed, but those are far outweighed by the excellent service we have received over many years.

I use a travel agent from Expedia and she had been great. Checks email even when on vacation. When a room I wanted was not available because it was a part of a block of rooms on hold she called and got one for me because of the volume they do for Expedia. She also for them to apply an expired obc for me by dealing with the RCCL district rep. Sure she isn't online 24/7 but nice to have her handle all my changes instead of having to call RCCL myself.

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Had one years ago and it was more of a problem then it was worth. It was faster and easier to book direct and if changes were needed to just call direct.

I recently found an amazing deal with a TA for our Harmony sailing through cruise compete. You do have to invest the time to shop around, compare prices from several agencies and make sure you know exactly what you're paying for.

Pros are some offer perks for booking with them such as OBC or free specialty dining

 

Con- They have control of your booking so if you see any price changes and want to change cabins you have to go thru them. So if a price drop happens on a weekend and your TA is closed you could lose that price drop by the time they open.

 

Disclaimer- I book direct with the cruise line:)

I use one of the warehouse agencies and they are available via online chat and phone on weekends and whenever I tried to contact them. There is no waiting for them to get back to you... if they need to contact the cruise line, they put me on hold, contact the cruise line and come back to me with confirmation of the change or resolved issue. On my last cruise, they tossed in an extra $190 in OBC on top of the $300 that RC was offering. That almost paid for our drink packages.

I think if you are experienced cruiser it is better to deal with the cruise line directly, but that is my opinion

I agree, we have a great TA and very little downside. There have been one or two price drops on Sunday afternoon that I've missed, but those are far outweighed by the excellent service we have received over many years.

Bob, you are so knowledgeable, I thought YOU were a travel agent. ;)

Bob, you are so knowledgeable, I thought YOU were a travel agent. ;)

No, but I have learned much from the travel agents who share their knowledge on this forum.

I'm normally the type to say it's easier and faster to book directly with the cruiseline. But after spending a half hour on the phone with Royal's customer service to change a minor thing, which turned into a huge debacle involving supervisors and whatnot and after the phone call finding my booking changed and things added on it which I never requested I'm changing my tune.:D Having a TA to speak to Royal on my behalf is worth it. Which is why I need one ASAP:D

Definitely use a TA!

We leave on 4/30 for our Oasis of the Seas cruise and we are travelling with another couple. We used a TA and they didn't. Differences, many.

While working with our TA along with great service we also got a dinner for 2 at one of the specialty restaurants, VIP check-in, champagne us greeting in our room. And her experience when booking excursions and which ones to stay away from.

Our friends got none of the above and they booked directly through the cruise line.

My last cruise, we had difficulty with the airline and seating/no seating and the TA got me another ticket to be used at another time. Great service!

Just a few thoughts, but I'll always go with a TA

My local TA is quite good. One advantage is that she knows all the details about travel insurance. She helped us immensely when a medical situation required our leaving the ship. We had a much easier time with her help.

I have always booked directly, but I would like to use a TA for a couple of upcoming trips that are more complicated. How do I go about finding a good TA? Many of you say "I have a wonderful TA", but mentioning their names on this forum is against the rules. Is there a web site that has evaluations of TAs or can someone recommend another way?

I have always booked directly, but I would like to use a TA for a couple of upcoming trips that are more complicated. How do I go about finding a good TA? Many of you say "I have a wonderful TA", but mentioning their names on this forum is against the rules. Is there a web site that has evaluations of TAs or can someone recommend another way?

We got our TA by talking to our fellow cruisers onboard.

I am starting to plan our next cruise but considering using a Travel agent for the first time. Can anyone offer some pros/cons of doing so vs booking online? I'm open to any opinions. Thank you for your time! I appreciate it.

The big benefit of booking yourself directly with the cruiseline is that you don't have that third party in the way, i.e. the TA. If you want to make a change to your booking or you see a price decrease, it only takes one phone call and its done. My experience with a TA has not been good. Phone calls not returned, missed price drops because they didn't respond quick enough and so on.

The only reason I would use a TA now is if there was a good deal being offered - free tips and free upgrade or some such thing. Other than that, I book and control my own trip thank you very much.

The big benefit of booking yourself directly with the cruiseline is that you don't have that third party in the way, i.e. the TA. If you want to make a change to your booking or you see a price decrease, it only takes one phone call and its done. My experience with a TA has not been good. Phone calls not returned, missed price drops because they didn't respond quick enough and so on.

 

The only reason I would use a TA now is if there was a good deal being offered - free tips and free upgrade or some such thing. Other than that, I book and control my own trip thank you very much.

For me, it's one email to the TA and it's done. Less than 1 minute of my time. You do have to have a good TA though.

For me, it's one email to the TA and it's done. Less than 1 minute of my time. You do have to have a good TA though.

Agree. I see price drops cited frequently as a reason that booking directly is better, but some travel agents will even watch for price drops for you. Personally, though, in nine Royal Caribbean cruises, I've only seen a price drop once. They might be a little more common for the frequent cruisers who tend to have things booked a year+ in advance, though.

But, for that one time I did see a price drop, I sent my TA an email about it, and he took care of it.

I still think it's mostly a matter of the individual personalities, though, whether direct booking or using a travel agent is the best way to go. Some people like dealing directly with the cruise line, and if that's what you like, having a go-between is not going to make you happy.

I typically book directly with Royal Caribbean because I get 10% off using certificates purchased through my credit card. Those can only be used booking directly. Plus I like to have more control of my bookings.

I booked my first cruise directly through RC. My second and third cruise, I booked aboard the ship on that first cruise, but transferred to a TA.

That experience has been great... no problems at all and the agent has been a pleasure to work with. With the new Royal Suite Class features being rolled out, back in Feb/March, RC was saying our 2 bedroom AquaTheater suite did not qualify for the Star class benefits. My TA jumped all over it and dealt with the 30 different reps saying 30 different things until she was able to get a senior resolutions person to look at it and agree with us along with putting a note on our reservation to that effect.

It was great having someone else take the bull by the horns so to speak and run with addressing the problem.

I'll most likely continue to pick my own trips and research on my own... but the TA has been great to work with on post initial purchase issues. Well worth it IMO.