How to find good cruise travel agent?

We have a travel agent we use only occasionally as I do most planning myself and we rent houses or apts. around the world as we like to live like a local in foreign countries and cities. Our travel agent is not a cruise specialist and so far she has not been very informative as I ask preliminary questions about a possible Alaska cruise this summer. I would love to talk to or email a cruise specialist who can really answer some questions, and perhaps save us a bit of money. We are looking at 7 day RT from Vancouver on either HAL or Celebrity in June. Can anyone recommend a cruise specialist with the proper "certifications" I have read about or steer me in the right direction please? We live in Northern California. Thank you!

We have a travel agent we use only occasionally as I do most planning myself and we rent houses or apts. around the world as we like to live like a local in foreign countries and cities. Our travel agent is not a cruise specialist and so far she has not been very informative as I ask preliminary questions about a possible Alaska cruise this summer. I would love to talk to or email a cruise specialist who can really answer some questions, and perhaps save us a bit of money. We are looking at 7 day RT from Vancouver on either HAL or Celebrity in June. Can anyone recommend a cruise specialist with the proper "certifications" I have read about or steer me in the right direction please? We live in Northern California. Thank you!

Check out this Cruise Critic article: Finding a Cruise Travel Agent

By the way our guidelines prohibit recommendations of travel agents.

Hi, I'm sorry but it is against the forum guidelines to mention specific travel agents or agencies, online or in real time. Sorry.

Try a travel agent in your local area who specializes in cruises. Ask friends and family for their recommendations.

We were a few years before we found a travel agent that we have been happy with for over 25 years.

We asked friends and co-workers who they used. A co-worker suggested the TA we are using.

Hope you find someone that will be of assistance to you.

Host Walt has pointed you in the right direction. The article does give good advice on the selection of a TA.

I would ask friends whose opinion you respect for recommendations. Even when you cruise you can ask others you meet for recommendations.

As you might do selecting a lawyer, physician, realtor, interview a few agents before you finalize the one for your cruise.

Experience does count.

Keith

Check out this Cruise Critic article: Finding a Cruise Travel Agent

By the way our guidelines prohibit recommendations of travel agents.

Thanks for the link. Will definitely read the article once we get back from current cruise :)

Far too often I have seen people recommend that someone talk to a TA who specializes in cruises, but never gives any advise on how one finds such a person. My experience with TA's has been spotty, and it seems that good ones are far and few between. But I wonder - as our son gets older, we plan to do more land-based vacations, especially to Europe. Have most people found that their cruise TA was equally qualified to do both cruises and land-based trips, or do you need two different TA's?

Thanks for the link. Will definitely read the article once we get back from current cruise :)

 

Far too often I have seen people recommend that someone talk to a TA who specializes in cruises, but never gives any advise on how one finds such a person. My experience with TA's has been spotty, and it seems that good ones are far and few between. But I wonder - as our son gets older, we plan to do more land-based vacations, especially to Europe. Have most people found that their cruise TA was equally qualified to do both cruises and land-based trips, or do you need two different TA's?

Some TA's are better with land programs and others with Cruises.

Sometimes (that is our case) we found a TA who is part of an agency with expertise in both areas. So we are provided with a lot of support not only when it comes to cruises but also to other areas of travel.

If you can't find one, then yes, go with two types of TA's.

I highly recommend interviewing several of them.

Just my advice but something we've done.

I got recommendation for three to five TA's. I sent them all the same e mail with questions and asked that they provided me with answers and then once I received them I would schedule telephone interviews. Their preparation in terms of providing the answer told me a lot about them in terms of thoroughness and organizational skills and the questions provided me with answers that included their background.

Then on the telephone interviews I due deeper and also it gave me a sense of the type of rapport we would have.

Again, basically I interviewed them as I would other professions that we would utilize.

I am a believer that a strong TA is worth their weight in gold. As cruise and travel savvy as I am, my TA has saved us quite a bit of money and most importantly has cut through red tape to get resolutions to items.

Another suggestion. Get a TA with a support system in place so when they are out of pocket there are other go to people who will take care of things while they are away.

Keith

Some TA's are better with land programs and others with Cruises.

 

 

 

Sometimes (that is our case) we found a TA who is part of an agency with expertise in both areas. So we are provided with a lot of support not only when it comes to cruises but also to other areas of travel.

 

 

 

If you can't find one, then yes, go with two types of TA's.

 

 

 

I highly recommend interviewing several of them.

 

 

 

Just my advice but something we've done.

 

 

 

I got recommendation for three to five TA's. I sent them all the same e mail with questions and asked that they provided me with answers and then once I received them I would schedule telephone interviews. Their preparation in terms of providing the answer told me a lot about them in terms of thoroughness and organizational skills and the questions provided me with answers that included their background.

 

 

 

Then on the telephone interviews I due deeper and also it gave me a sense of the type of rapport we would have.

 

 

 

Again, basically I interviewed them as I would other professions that we would utilize.

 

 

 

I am a believer that a strong TA is worth their weight in gold. As cruise and travel savvy as I am, my TA has saved us quite a bit of money and most importantly has cut through red tape to get resolutions to items.

 

 

 

Another suggestion. Get a TA with a support system in place so when they are out of pocket there are other go to people who will take care of things while they are away.

 

 

 

Keith

Thanks Keith - this is excellent approach. We are actually planning to do something similar to find a realtor to sell our house. Never thought of interviewing TA's. My experience has been walking into Brick-n-Mortar TA, and talking to the agent on duty, and in past 10 years and maybe 6-8 visits, and rarely ever speaking to the same person. It was frustrating. The first agent I spoke to about taking our first cruise suggested Oasis, without ever asking a single question about our interests. We had a young son, and that was all she knew. When I found out later that they had special deal on Oasis, I lost a lot of trust in that agency.

RSLeesburg, we did the same thing as you did for our first few cruises. Just walked into a local brick and mortar agency and sat with the first agent there. After a few cruises we realized that was not the way to go.

Keith

One tactic that I suggest; see how intensively the prospective agent interviews you. If it's a superficial where/when chat, you're dealing with an amateur.

A good agent who knows the cruise business will need to know all of your preferences and expectations so he can steer you to the right cruise line(s), with the right activities that goes to the right ports and provides a meal service that meets your preferences.

Far too often I have seen people recommend that someone talk to a TA who specializes in cruises, but never gives any advise on how one finds such a person.

Well some years ago, we used the yellow pages. Now, you have a good resource at your fingertips: the Internet. Do an online search for local travel agents. You will find several who specialize in cruises.

I'm curious as to why the OP thinks they need a T/A. They stated they plan and book houses in places around the world themselves. To me, anyway, this would seem to be more involved than a relatively simple Alaska cruise.

I use a travel agent who has a good reputation which I found through adds. I then looked them up, see how long they have been in business and then see if I can get personal recommendation.

But sometimes I have gotten the better deal directly with cruise company. You can either check the website or phone them and ask for details. Check out compare prices app on this website so you know if you are getting a deal. Decide on the price range and stick to it. If you go direct remember they want to get the most out of you, you don't need the most expensive room on the ship (unless this is in budget ) and try not to get over excited about options available.

We have a travel agent we use only occasionally as I do most planning myself and we rent houses or apts. around the world as we like to live like a local in foreign countries and cities. Our travel agent is not a cruise specialist and so far she has not been very informative as I ask preliminary questions about a possible Alaska cruise this summer. I would love to talk to or email a cruise specialist who can really answer some questions, and perhaps save us a bit of money. We are looking at 7 day RT from Vancouver on either HAL or Celebrity in June. Can anyone recommend a cruise specialist with the proper "certifications" I have read about or steer me in the right direction please? We live in Northern California. Thank you!

There are quite a few "cruise specialists" in the SF Bay Area (including brick & mortar/website combos) both in the City itself and in smaller towns as far north as Novato. You can start by doing a Google for "cruise specialists". Interview them. Have they won any awards (or are they on the recommended lists) from travel publications like Conde Nast Traveler (which does publish occasional "best of..." lists). Are they members of a preferred provider club for the specific line you are considering (e.g., Oceania's Connoisseurs Club). We've used one locally (though we dealt with an agent in their main office up in Washington) for a particular group cruise. But, more recently, we use an Orlando based TA who is a top producer for our preferred line, Oceania.

You may also want to peruse the travel sections of the newspapers of larger cities (e.g., SF Chronicle, NYT) for cruise stories where particular TAs are often quoted for their expertise. Also, If your college alumni association does travel trips, see who they use for a "cruise specialist." Also, some cruise lines have a link on their web that will connect you to an agency with member TAs. But, do interview and compare your short list!

Note that some cruise lines pay better commissions than others (again, e.g., Oceania), which can translate to as much as 10%+/- OBC from the TA to you. And those commissions may be highest to their top producing TAs. Note as well that many of the better TAs won't normally do bookings for budget cruise lines like Carnival (unless it involves a group). So, try to find a top producer for the line(s) that interest you.

Beyond OBC (and ability to guide you through the cruise selection process in an unbiased fashion), a great value of a good TA is that, because they may do millions in business with a particular line, their concerns about problems you may experience will be addressed immediately by that cruise line.

And don't confuse a TA with some cruise lines' "Personal Cruise whatever" who is the line's employee and beholden to who pays their check.

In addition, a TA can help you determine the true "net daily rate" of your cruise vacation, which is a far better comparison tool than cabin cost. (Since you're looking at HAL or Celebrity for Alaska, you may want your TA to price Oceania's Regatta, which includes airfare, specialty restaurants, beverages and, if you book before 12/31/15, tips/internet/excursions at no additional charge). Compare the bottom lines of ALL planned expenses minus OBC/credits/cash back/etc. - all figured as a net daily rate.

When you look at "net daily rate" instead of cabin cost, you'll find O to be in the same cost range as HAL but with far better food, a smaller passenger load (and better crew ratio), and far more restrictive smoking policies.

We were a few years before we found a travel agent that we have been happy with for over 25 years.

We asked friends and co-workers who they used. A co-worker suggested the TA we are using.

Hope you find someone that will be of assistance to you.

I second this approach. The woman who works at my optometrist's office referred me to her travel agent that she uses to book all her cruises and she has been awesome. I'll take a referral from a friend, co-worker, acquaintance, etc. any day rather than picking a name from an online directory. Just start asking around the office (or your next eye doctor appointment ;-)) and you'll likely get a few options to try out. Good luck!

Honestly, asking questions on here has beat every knowledgeable cruise travel agent I've talked to.

However, a good one can be an enormous help when booking in terms of pricing, scheduling the itinerary, etc. Particularly if they have a bigger agency and have access to extras like their own preblocked set of rooms, an established relationship with the cruise line for special requests, etc.

That said, I've done cruises that was 99% me with help from this board that went wonderfully.

Oh, and a main reason I used an agent is for the OBC they offered. I had a bunch compete for my services. Then, I took the best offer and did a google search on their agency. I felt comfortable with them, even though I saw some complaints. I'm not 100% thrilled. I added something and she seems to not want to give me an updated invoice. However, everything checks out on my credit card statement and the cruise line so I'm not going to stress about it. I would use her again based on how much more of an OBC I got vs others.