Booking a cruise online

[Leebo]

I was thinking of booking a cruise through cruise411.com and was just wondering if anyone else has ever done so before and if you had any comments on it. Also, is there anything else I need to purchase (insurance, etc...) or fill out if I go this route? Thanks.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

I havn't booked with them specifically, but have used 2 other agencies in the past. Have had no problems. We are cruising again in January, and have booked insurance only because of the time of year, and the fact that we've been so lucky so far. Plus we booked a suite this time.

[Leebo]

Sweet (get it...suite=sweet...BUAHAHAHAHAAHAAaaaa...wooo...i'm too funny...ya...*ahem*)

 

Yes I'm a nut. :D

 

So was there anything else you had to book other then the cruise? I was talking with a travel agent and she said that when you book online you don't get something...can't remember what she said but I'm going to ask her when I talk to her today and I'll repost what it is she was talking about.

 

Thanks!

[Tatka]

I've booked 3 cruises with 2 different agencies. Never had a problem. I usually go on-line and compare prices offered by different agencies, however I prefer not "interenet-only" agencies ,but those that I can call in case I have question/problem.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Leebo,

Things may be different now that some of the lines have started a no discount policy. If you run a search you can read all about it. You don't get extras when you book online, but you do get a good price. Our last Celebrity cruise I saved about $500. Plus the upgrade fairy struck too. We had booked a 1A (this was right when they were starting the concierge service, and when we checked in found out they had upgraded us to a Sky Suite. Very Sweeeet!!!! :p

[Leebo]

Ya, I was just talking to the TA and she said that it was stuff like the Transfer service that I wouldn't get in order to get to the boat, where as if I booked with her, she said I would get stuff like that in my package. Not that it matters, as we're going to be in italy for a week before the cruise starts, then we'll go back to Rome and catch our cruise there.

[geoherb]

I booked our last cruise with a TA I found on the Internet. Everything worked great. The Celebrity website had us in there a few minutes after our phone conversation ended. Our documents came on time.

 

Leebo: It sounds like your TA is trying to talk down the competition. I'm sure there are online TAs that can get you the same perks. (P.S. I hope you're going to Civitavecchia to get on the ship. It's hard for the ships to make it to Rome.)

[Leebo]

LOL...ya I guess the ships have a hard time getting through the Colloseum.

 

Hehe, yes, I meant we're going through Civitavecchia. :p

[hdawson]

Leebo. You sound inexperienced. You're investing alot of money. A good TA can help you insure you don't get a less desireable cabin and so many other things a newbie doesn't think of. A few hints; you can probably save alot of money booking your air yourself; same for hotels and most will suggest going to the port a day early. Also buy travel insurance (from a travel insurance company rather than the cruiseline (http://www.insuremytrip.com for policy details and comparisons)) Don't stress out about having the absolute lowest price among other passengers. The plan is to have the best darn vacation of your life. How are you choosing the cruiseline, ship or itenerary? Do you want an elegant cruise with lots of refinement? Very good food or just ok? You can get information on ports in teh Ports of Call board right here on Cruise Critic. Good luck. Also there are some very good travel agents that advertise here on CC. Check the Bargain and Community pages.

I responded above not noticing that it was a cruise from Italy. Much of what I said I still feel is true. It sounds like the travel agent you've spent time with has invested at least some time with you. Wondering why you aren't planning on booking with her/him. Of course personal service is a good comodity, especially when you have lots of questions and investing alot of money. Sometimes when things go wrong they can clear up problems.

[alicruiser]

A good travel agent is your best resource for booking and should be able to get the best price also. This is how TA's make their living and some are very good. It is nice to have someone to talk to about all aspects of cruising. Fly in early get hotels transfers etc, a good agent can't be beat!:)

[Leebo]

Ya, that's the opperative words "good travel agent". The travel agent I went to phoned Celebrity and gave me Celebrity's price ($3500 per person for a 10 day Europe cruise) even though I told her I found the same cruise for $1500 per person on Cruise411.com. Now I don't care if I have to pay for an extra few bucks for transfer or even the TA's time...but I ain't payin no $3500 per person. I guess that's why I'm thinking just buy it online. We're trying another TA tomorrow, but I don't have a lot of time to hunt down a TA cause the cruise is in 5 months and it's getting booked up.

 

BTW, I'm not saying you guys are wrong...I totally agree with you. I'd rather do it through a TA as well so that everything is taken care of. But like I said, it's not worth paying $2000 extra per person for that. That's why I was asking about booking online.

[hdawson]

There is something definitely wrong with the differences in pricing. Hard to believe that it's for the same cabin category, same dates, same ship, exactly the same itenerary, etc, etc. Especially since Royal Caribbean and Celebrity have instituted a policy of no discounting. There could be some difference because of a TA holding group space. Other than that they should have basically the same pricing. Have you checked Celebrity's website for their price? Do you know if there are any special promotions such as resident specials or senior specials? Of course either of those would be available for all agents. Are both including all port charges and other non-commisionable fees and taxes?

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Leebo,

Don't let the transfer make or break your deal either. It's usually easier and faster to just take a cab on you own. ;)

[Randyk47]

Personally I have no problem booking on line. Between business travel and personal travel my wife and I are very experienced and that includes cruising. We have in the past used a TA, in fact, a very experienced TA who I fully trust and who has never misled me. Having said that there was no way she could come anywhere close to matching the online deal I was able to get for our upcoming cruise. The difference was in the $1,200 range, too significant to brush aside and certainly not within the range to be offset by a bottle of wine or $50/person ship board credit. However, I'm not against TA's. They are wonderful for those folks who are either inexperienced or want/need help planning, coordinating and executing their travel plans.

[ldrabek]

We booked our upcoming cruise through an internet agency. Our previous 2 cruises were booked through a TA. I felt bad going through the internet, but the TA couldn't even get close to the prices we got. We are paying the same for 4 people to go, as we paid for 2 people to go last time. We even called another TA to check prices, to see if our regular TA was way out of line... they quoted nearly the same price and also said they couldn't match the internet price. Since we've done this itinerary before, and we feel comfortable booking this way, we went with the internet agency. Again, I feel bad that we're not giving our TA more repeat business, but you just can't pass up savings like that.

[Leebo]

Doesn't matter anymore. I guess I'm not going to be going on this cruise. The stupid Travel Agent kept telling me to wait because she was going to get me a price (and she was SO busy that she didn't have time to do it right away) and so when I checked cruise411 this morning, all the oceanview cabins were gone and the one I had put on hold no longer existed (I guess putting a cabin on hold for 1 week doesn't mean much). The only cabins left it seems are inside cabins on the Penthouse or Vista deck. I like a window...does it make a big difference without one?

[Leebo]

Forget what I just said...I called up Cruise411 and they still had my cruise on hold (for some reason it wasn't coming up online in My Cruises). So I just booked it online as I didn't want to miss out on the deal. She also said I can book other things with her as well, such as the transfer from Rome to Civitavecchia later on. She told me all the fees were included such as port charges and what not.

 

I just wanted to say thank you to hdawson, as you gave me all the questions I needed to ask her about what was included in the price as well as other things. I think it's good to be a little overcautious sometimes when you're paying out that kind of money.

 

Anyway, thanks for all of your help and opinions everyone. I really appreciate it. Sorry I got all frazzled, but I was really looking forward to this trip as it is probably going to be the last "big" trip we take for a while as my wife and I are going to start planning to have little bambino's when we get back.

[hdawson]

Leebo. I'm very happy for you. Have a great time.

[geoherb]

We were in an inside cabin for Christmas and New Year's on the Century. Our cabin was on the Vista Deck, which was great for us. Just two decks below the Islands Cafe, three decks to the Grand Dining Room. (Can you tell what we enjoy most?)

 

We have had inside cabins, obstructed views, outside cabins, balconies, and mini suites. We've enjoyed every cruise. The cabin isn't as important as the ship to us. Of course when we've had balcony cabins, we have spent more time enjoying them--room service breakfast, for instance, and drinks on the balcony before dinner. But we'd rather go on a cruise in an inside cabin than stay at home.

[Donnaluv2cruise]

Leebo,

 

 

Congrats! Have a great time!

[Leebo]

You know Herb...you're right. I guess I was so mad because I thought I had lost the cabin I had wanted, that I didn't look past 2 feet in front of me. After I had settled down, I was starting to think...well heck...I'll just book the inside and we'll take what we can get...it's a cruise after all. But then I phoned the TA and she told me everything was good. But you're right man, just being on the cruise is worth it, it wouldn't matter where I layed my head.

 

My name is Lee...and I'm a cruiseaholic.

[dakrewser]

"Good travel agent" and "online" are not mutually exclusive terms. I use three different TAs (one for Celebrity, one for HAL, one for NCL) and have never met, or spoken to, any of them. One's in Boston, one in Miami amd one in LA. I handle arrangements thru their web sites and by email. They've booked cruises, tours, transfers, transportation, shore excursions, and more with barely a hitch. In fact, the only "hitches" have been directly attributable to the cruise lines themselves!