Booking on the U.S. site

Hi

Wonder if anyone can help. I’m looking at a cruise in Australia next year and on the U.K. site it’s around £4500. On the U.S. site it’s coming in at $4500 which is far cheaper.

Can I book on their site instead? Are there any pitfalls or complications that may arise?

Many thanks.

I live in Israel, my sister in Germany -- we're both booked with an US cruise agency, using our real addresses.

Much cheaper than in our respective countries.

The only "complication" that I'm aware of is the high conversion rate to dollar when performing the payments....

Are there any pitfalls or complications that may arise?

You won't be able to using your UK address, but you can by simply using some US address. An easier way to do it (and it has some perks) is to use a US TA.

You CAN book on the American site or have an American TA do that for you. The only REAL drawback is that should decide to change or cancel your reservation, you would later have to continue to use either the US site or the US-based Travel Agent for such changes.

This means that should the UK site's prices later drop or even be lower than what you paid on the US site. You can't transfer reservations between the two sites.

The UK price also has certain protections and I think it might include drinks too not 100% make sure you look at just what it gives you.

Thanks all. The U.K. one does include a drinks package but works out around £1200 more expensive and we aren't big drinkers.

How do I find a U.S. travel agent? Or can that not be discussed on here? Thanks.

Thanks all. The U.K. one does include a drinks package but works out around £1200 more expensive and we aren't big drinkers.

 

How do I find a U.S. travel agent? Or can that not be discussed on here? Thanks.

This website does not permit the mention of specific travel agents.

Try talking to friends and associates, also people you meet on cruises.

You CAN use a US TA and you don’t need a US address. There are two TA’s in particular that I “use” all the time and I technically no longer have a US address (see next paragraph).

I do a lot of internet shopping in the US and for the places that do not ship to the U.K. I have been using MyUS.com for years. This is where you can get a very legitimate US address if you want one whether you want to use their redirect shipping services or not.

Among other things one of the benefits of a US TA is that you can take advantage of changes in rates with a single phone call. No such benefit here in the U.K. You must keep in mind that rates are USUALLY better but not always. Caribbean cruises always seem to have better pricing but Med cruises are frequently cheaper through a U.K. TA. Certainly OBC promotion are essentially standard in the US and only are given in the U.K. when offered by the cruise lines themselves. Homework can save a lot of money.

Of course you have to take into account exchange rates but the pound holds up very well against the US dollar. I use a credit card that does not charge an conversion fee only a going exchange rate.

As for ATOL/ABTA protection, the chances of a major cruiseline going under and leaving you stranded are pretty slim.

I have also used a USA TA for years. I like the flexibility and benefits of price drops and cancellation refunds. There are rare occasions where the UK pricing is cheaper - such as very short ex UK sailings or the Dubai itineraries - but for most cruises the USA is far better.

There is no need to have a USA address.

All communication with her is done by email (or even a social media messaging site).

She even has a programme that monitors price fluctuations so one morning I may wake up to an email saying that my cruise has dropped in price and she has already adjusted to the new costings. Now that is service.

The only thing is the fluctuations in $£ rates which got me one year and my cruise was about £700 more than I had planned, but still slightly cheaper than the UK price - but whenever the rate is good I just email her telling her to pay off another chunk....

Thanks all good to know it’s possible. Just need to fathom a way out to find a decent agent in the U.S. as we don’t know anyone over there.

I believe you'll also have to pay gratuities if you use a US travel agent. But yes, the conversion rate is going to hit you a bit.

I believe you'll also have to pay gratuities if you use a US travel agent.

My US travel agent pays the gratuities for me as a perk, and almost always has a group rate too.

Thanks all good to know it’s possible. Just need to fathom a way out to find a decent agent in the U.S. as we don’t know anyone over there.

I totally agree with you this certainly seems a good way to get a better deal, but where to find a reputable TA.

Thanks everyone for your help. I’m either going to book with RC (US site) direct or with a TA in the U.S. - I’ve searched and found a couple who seek to specialise in cruises so I’ll just do a bit more research first.