Booking through Cruise company or travel agent?

[Habs_Fan]

I book mine with a TA out of state. I've never met her, but she came highly recommended by someone so I gave her a shot and glad I did.

[A2Mich]

I know you can't recommend TA's on here, but can everybody tell me whether you have a local TA or go through online and/or out of town TA's? Generally wondering whether people get OBC's, perks, and other benefits of using a TA by going with someone local or using someone that you don't even actually see (which sounds a little scary to me). We don't really get anything out of our local TA. We drive to port, so we only need our cruise booked, which we have been able to do online or over the phone with the cruise line. We have a different TA every time due to staff turnover, so there's no relationship being built.

 

 

I have a cruise only TA in Florida, and have booked all of our cruises through her. My mother and step-father have also used her for all of their cruises. Although we moved from Florida to Michigan and then to Colorado, we still use her no matter what. We have met her several times, and have had dinner with her as well. She is always available (during reasonable hours) and I have even e-mailed and called her over the weekend - and sometimes just to shoot the $%&^. I have always gotten some type of OBC, as well as other things, like a bottle of wine/champagne, a photo album, or a travel bag, etc. True, the "gifts" don't amount to a lot, but it is still the thought that counts. Our TA owns a franchise of a national company, and has a small office staff, though I've always dealt with her only. We have been using her services since before she had any additional staff members, and therefore, will only deal with her personally. I wish I could give you her contact info, but the forum rules prohibit this, so I'm sorry about that. If you have any friends or relatives that have cruised several times, I would find out if they have an exclusive TA that they use.

 

Our TA has mailed us tons of brochures and DVD's, etc. As we look through the info, we just let her know what we're interested in. She knows us well enough to know what we would most likely care for, and will make honest recommendations. One of her personal favorites, Celebrity, she has recommended that we not book with them, due to the age of our kids, as she's afraid the children's program may not be suitable or have enough kids on board, so we consider her advice. She has been wanting to try NCL and RCI for some time now, so we're booking our next cruise on Royal Caribbean - still not too sure about NCL - have heard very mixed reviews about them, but that's a whole other issue, so we decided that RCI may be a good fit for us. We used to always book Carnival, but even her comment was along the lines of "Carnival gets the job done and are OK, but I think you all are looking for something maybe a bit nicer." So, we're taking her advice and booking RCI. Point being is that if you find a good TA that you are happy with, I would stick with them. As they get to know you better, they can help guide your decisions somewhat so you can make a more-informed decision. Most good TA's have sailed on the mainstream lines, and maybe even some of the less popular ones, and can give you first hand knowledge and experience. I had also thought that maybe she was always trying to steer us to the more expensive cruises where she would make more money, but that hasn't been the case, at least with us. She would rather us have a good time and stay within our budget. Booking us on an expensive cruise that we would not be happy with will not earn her repeat business, and she very well knows that, so she has always been fair and honest with us, and has not steered us wrong.

[gilboman]

Same thing happens to me with the TA. She logs onto the cruise line booking system and makes the reservation. I hang up and have an email as well as being able to view it online on the the Cruise line's site.

 

At midnight? I just like ability and often do it whenever I feel like, ofter outside of regular business hours. I just don't see any value added by a TA and I like to be in control and make changes when I want anytime I want.

[DCP]

We used a TA for our first cruise, and she was great. We called her first for possibly booking one for this year again, and were not impressed at all. We got a better deal from NCL directly. The *personal cruise consultant* we were assigned did fine...and gave us some OBC that the TA didn't offer. Now, that being said, we are purchasing our own travel insurance and airline tickets, the pricing for those was outrageous IMO through the cruise line.

[fleckle]

What are the pros and cons of booking directly with the cruise company vs. booking with a travel agent? I just don't see the benefit of including a middle man, so I must be missing something here.

There are pros and cons both ways. We like to do a combo of both, booking directly with the cruise line, but sometimes transferring the booking to a travel agent afterwards.

 

We like to keep control of our own reservation for as long as possible and are in no hurry to turn it over to a travel agent.

 

Meanwhile, we can take our time to check around and compare offers. We can then transfer the booking to the travel agent who makes it most worthwhile, or not transfer it at all

 

To us that means the travel agent will at least pre-pay the gratuities and give us onboard credit, or equivalent, the value of the onboard credit varying according to the price of the cruise.

 

It is simply not worth the bother of messing with a travel agent if all they will offer is a free specialty restaurant dinner and bottle of wine.

 

Sometimes a travel agent will offer a better initial cruise price by putting you into a group, but that can backfire, as a lot of people found out when they got burned that way. The initial lower price may look attractive, but then you may miss out if big price drops come along later.

 

Some people weren't even aware that their travel agent had booked them into a group until they requested a price drop that others on their cruise were receiving. Then their travel agent told them they didn't qualify for it because they were in a group.

 

Also, when you control your own booking there is no charge to make changes or cancel a cruise before final payment.

 

If you use a travel agent, some of them charge the customer a fee for making changes while others don't. So if you decide to use a travel agent, be sure that you find out their policy up front to avoid any surprise charges later.

 

Everyone always says to get a good travel agent. That is very easy to say but you never really know whether or not you have a good one until a serious or unusual problem arises. They all can handle the usual, routine stuff.

 

If you run into a serious problem and your travel agent can't handle it, then you are stuck because the cruise line won't even talk to you if you are using a travel agent.

 

You can't even transfer your booking to another travel agent without getting permission from the first one, which they are reluctant to do because it means they will lose their commission if they agree to let you off the hook.

 

Using a travel agent can also be a nuisance if you need to play telephone tag with them, especially if it is a small agency that has only a few people.

 

You call and their lines are busy so you get their voice mail. You leave a message and need to wait for the middle-man (or woman) to contact the cruise line. Then they call you back and leave a message for you. Then when you have a follow-up question, you need to repeat the whole cycle again.

 

If you control your own booking, you can do most things online yourself at your own convenience without needing to call anyone.

 

But even if you need to call the cruise line, you talk to a live person instead of voice mail. Then if you have any follow-up questions, you ask them and get them answered too, all right on the same phone call.

 

So Midiana, I'm sorry that there is no easy right or wrong answer here. It basically just comes down to tradeoffs, doing whatever feels best for you in each situation.

 

As for us, although we dislike using a travel agent in general, we find that at times a travel agent offers sufficient incentives to make the inconvenience of bothering with a middle-man worthwhile.

[calliopecruiser]

It's like deciding whether or not to use a real estate agent when you're selling a house. There are costs and benefits (different ones will matter more or less to some people than to others), and while a good real estate agent is priceless, a bad one is worse than none at all. It's possible to do it without one if you know what you want and you're experienced at it, but much easier to do with a good one.

[ranger10!]

Is it to forward to ask who some of your TA's are. I have tried two different ones recommended to me and had problems with both. Each of them wouldn't give us an OBC when the price of the cabin dropped. I had to call the cruise line myself and get that done.

 

Our first cruise our TA didn't tell us that we needed our birth certificate or passport to go. She knew this was our first cruise. We almost didn't get on the ship. We figured that since we boarded on USA soil we didn't need it. Stupid us. But it would seem to me that would be your TA's responsibility in letting a new cruiser know that info. This of course was before all the new passport laws and cruise critic. We also didn't receive our boarding information until a week before we left. At that point we were to busy packing and getting ready to go to look at them to closely. I know stupid us!!!

 

I do have a representative at Carnival I work with and he emails me to let me know when the price drops and to give him a call to get the OBC put on our account. I have also found with Carnival if I book well enough in advance and book the early saver option going through a TA in our area isn't any cheaper.

 

So any recommendations of TA's would be helpful if it is true that you can really save lots of money.

 

Thanks!

[A2Mich]

Is it to forward to ask who some of your TA's are. I have tried two different ones recommended to me and had problems with both. Each of them wouldn't give us an OBC when the price of the cabin dropped. I had to call the cruise line myself and get that done.

 

Our first cruise our TA didn't tell us that we needed our birth certificate or passport to go. She knew this was our first cruise. We almost didn't get on the ship. We figured that since we boarded on USA soil we didn't need it. Stupid us. But it would seem to me that would be your TA's responsibility in letting a new cruiser know that info. This of course was before all the new passport laws and cruise critic. We also didn't receive our boarding information until a week before we left. At that point we were to busy packing and getting ready to go to look at them to closely. I know stupid us!!!

 

I do have a representative at Carnival I work with and he emails me to let me know when the price drops and to give him a call to get the OBC put on our account. I have also found with Carnival if I book well enough in advance and book the early saver option going through a TA in our area isn't any cheaper.

 

So any recommendations of TA's would be helpful if it is true that you can really save lots of money.

 

Thanks!

 

It's not too forward to ask who our TA's are, but it's not allowed on the forums. Believe me, if I could tell you mine as a recommendation, I would, but the forum rules expressly prohibit this. While we can't specifically tell you the name of, or the agencies that our TA's work for, my personal suggestion is to locate one that deals with nothing but cruises, but as for you living in the Dakotas, finding a B&M cruise only agent is not very likely, but may be possible.

[paul929207]

Unfortunately, the Cruise Critic guidelines prohibit mentioning TAs.

 

What I have done is collect TA names when cruising. If someone says they got a great deal, I ask the name of the TA. I have built an EXCEL file with all the names. When I am booking, I work my way down the list getting quotes. Some of the TAs that others have raved about give the same quote as the cruise line (Princess), but others offer significant discounts and/or perks like OBC, free gratutities, free insurance, etc.

[A2Mich]

Unfortunately, the Cruise Critic guidelines prohibit mentioning TAs.

 

What I have done is collect TA names when cruising. If someone says they got a great deal, I ask the name of the TA. I have built an EXCEL file with all the names. When I am booking, I work my way down the list getting quotes. Some of the TAs that others have raved about give the same quote as the cruise line (Princess), but others offer significant discounts and/or perks like OBC, free gratutities, free insurance, etc.

 

I would not have thought of that. Excellent idea! Let them bid against each other, so to speak.

[suezyq50]

Can TAs be given via email? I hear about people getting great deals, but as stated, who do they use? I have used TAs for two cruises. I haven't gotten any deals that I read about.

[A2Mich]

Can TAs be given via email? I hear about people getting great deals, but as stated, who do they use? I have used TAs for two cruises. I haven't gotten any deals that I read about.

 

Below is a sticky, listed under the Royal Caribbean Stickies, as posted by a moderator:

 

Mentioning of Travel Agents By Name The mentioning of specific travel agents on the Cruise Critic forums is a violation of the Community Guidelines. This INCLUDES travel agencies that advertise on this web site. Also, giving hints of your travel agents name is prohibited. Asking someone to email you their travel agents name is also against the rules. Travel agent discussion must be general in nature. Violation of these rules can result in the suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Thanks for your cooperation.

Sorry.

[scapel]

I have been using a travel agent for years and am happy I have a good one that is responsive to my needs; She books with different cruise lines and has her favorite contacts with each cruise line. If I were to book a cruise directly with the cruise line I doubt I would get the service I get with the TA. In addition each new cruise line I tried I would get a different agent. I use my TA and she does the moving around with the cruise line and as I said since she does this for a living she is better at getting things done then I would be. It is very time consuming to even arrange a cruise yourself and then try and change something later.

I always book my own air. There is where I have control. If booking with the cruise line you have no control and frequently don't know your seat number, just that you have a seat somewhere on the plane.

I always book my own hotel since the cruise lines are trying to make money there also and I can do better talking directly with the hotel.

But booking the cruise--A good travel agent can't be beat for service. Now I'm not even talking about better prices here. Believe me, I booked a cruise once while on board and wanted a certain cabin. The Celebrity agent on board said that the cabin was not available. When you book on board they assign the booking to your personal TA. Well my original TA could not get me the room, but when I accidently put something on line and this agent called me I said can you get me a certain cabin. She called back and got it. I transferred the booking to her and of course made the Celebrity agent mad and my first TA mad, but I got a good TA, the cabin I wanted and $300 cheaper also. I don't know if it was luck, but this TA has been doing my work for about 8 or 9 years now years now.

[ranger10!]

Unfortunately, the Cruise Critic guidelines prohibit mentioning TAs.

 

What I have done is collect TA names when cruising. If someone says they got a great deal, I ask the name of the TA. I have built an EXCEL file with all the names. When I am booking, I work my way down the list getting quotes. Some of the TAs that others have raved about give the same quote as the cruise line (Princess), but others offer significant discounts and/or perks like OBC, free gratutities, free insurance, etc.

 

 

Thank you ! This is a great idea! I will work on this during our next cruise! :)

[paul929207]

Thank you ! This is a great idea! I will work on this during our next cruise! :)

Glad to help.

 

BTW, I don't even ask what the deal was. I figure just accummulate names. As long as you are interested in a specific cruise, it is easy to work thru the list. I use a laptop and sign on the couch watching TV as I send off the requests.

[scapel]

Glad to help.

 

BTW, I don't even ask what the deal was. I figure just accummulate names. As long as you are interested in a specific cruise, it is easy to work thru the list. I use a laptop and sign on the couch watching TV as I send off the requests.

 

For me price is not as important as service

[janice4559]

I just finished checking the price of my cruise and noticed a price change. Final payment isn't due until late June. I simply called RCCL and saved $200 in two minutes. I know from experience that these price changes sometimes last for only hours. If I booked with a TA and for some reason I couldn't reach them (which has to happen; I don't believe those that say their agent is available 24/7) I lose out. I just don't see paying someone 10% to simply take my order and pass it along to the cruiseline. If they don't provide value to the transaction, they shouldn't get payed.

[kittycat1234]

I have the best TA - hope he never retires.

[Flatbush Flyer]

I just finished checking the price of my cruise and noticed a price change. Final payment isn't due until late June. I simply called RCCL and saved $200 in two minutes. I know from experience that these price changes sometimes last for only hours. If I booked with a TA and for some reason I couldn't reach them (which has to happen; I don't believe those that say their agent is available 24/7) I lose out. I just don't see paying someone 10% to simply take my order and pass it along to the cruiseline. If they don't provide value to the transaction, they shouldn't get payed.

 

 

No TA I've used charges 10% of anything for anything.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[scapel]

I always use the same TA, If I see what I think are better deals, I either get the same or better with my TA or an explanation about why it is not better. We have been working together now for about 10 years. She just seems better able to find the cabins I want.

[Markanddonna]

I think much depends on the cabin category when we discuss really great perks. The cabins on my next sailing range from $21,000 for the owner's suite to $3,200 for the least expensive suite to $1,200 for the least expensive inside. I managed to get in at the bottom (thus far) and even a $600 perk wouldn't convince me to change.

 

When people post about their great perks, we really don't know who we are listening to. Is it the person in the suite category or someone with an inside? A TA selling a suite or maybe a balcony likely has a lot more to give away with those cabins.

 

So, we may be talking apples and oranges. I agree with the others who are good researchers that booking directly is often the way to go if you are in the less expensive cabins. I personally haven't found a travel agent who knows more about cruising than I do so their advice isn't all that valuable. I have the time, tenacity and the resources of all of you to count on, so I say that with humility. My cruising experience has been greatly enhanced in so many ways through the knowledge I have gained on Cruise Critic. I remember chatting with a cruise specialist TA at a party and ended up sending THEM a few online resources they had not heard of.

 

Now, if I traveled in suites, I would definitely use a TA and expect some nice perks.

[CPT Trips]

I think much depends on the cabin category when we discuss really great perks. The cabins on my next sailing range from $21,000 for the owner's suite to $3,200 for the least expensive suite to $1,200 for the least expensive inside. I managed to get in at the bottom (thus far) and even a $600 perk wouldn't convince me to change.

 

When people post about their great perks, we really don't know who we are listening to. Is it the person in the suite category or someone with an inside? A TA selling a suite or maybe a balcony likely has a lot more to give away with those cabins.

 

So, we may be talking apples and oranges. I agree with the others who are good researchers that booking directly is often the way to go if you are in the less expensive cabins. I personally haven't found a travel agent who knows more about cruising than I do so their advice isn't all that valuable. I have the time, tenacity and the resources of all of you to count on, so I say that with humility. My cruising experience has been greatly enhanced in so many ways through the knowledge I have gained on Cruise Critic. I remember chatting with a cruise specialist TA at a party and ended up sending THEM a few online resources they had not heard of.

 

Now, if I traveled in suites, I would definitely use a TA and expect some nice perks.

 

The TAs we use give decent perqs for any booking. Most often it is an OBC . . . something close to 10% of the fare. Obviously, the more you spend, the higher the dollar value of obc and/or more perqs.

 

But it always includes the deal the cruise line is giving at the time plus the TA's added bonus. When I get a deal like this, I am not too concerned that they don't give me great "what to do on a cruise" advice.

 

The other big thing with TAs is that they sometimes have blocked cabins, unavailable to the cruise line sales person, and group rates that are lower than what the cruise line sales agent can give you. Not that long ago we booked a specific outside cabin through a TA at the cruise line's quoted price plus a nice obc from the TA. A couple hours later I got a call from the TA letting me know that they had a "Sweet 16" balcony at a group rate less than the cabin I booked and with more perqs asking if I wanted to change our booking. Duh . . . yes!

[Love2Cruise4Less]

I’m sure my question has been asked and answered a million times but I can’t find them. Too, I realize this thread is about using TAs which is not my question. Most of my past cruises were booked as a group so I didn’t have to mess with the bookings. On my last couple of (solo) cruises I booked with an one particular online company. That all said, to my question….

 

Given that the price and perks shown are all the same, does it make any difference at all which online company one uses to make one’s booking (given, of course, that the company is reputable)?

[Jasalth]

Given that the price and perks shown are all the same, does it make any difference at all which online company one uses to make one’s booking (given, of course, that the company is reputable)?

 

Do you mean you have gotten the same price and perks from multiple companies? The price yes, I have gotten that since many cruise lines don't allow discounting anymore unless it is a group booking.

 

The perks I have found can be VASTLY different though. The cruise I just booked I got "offers" from as low as $25 OBC, to $100 OBC + Priority Boarding Pass (Carnival cruise which you can pay for), a group rate at $75 less & $150 OBC, and an offer of $250 OBC.

 

Out of all of those, the base price was the same except for the group booking. And even though the group booking cost less, I came out $25 ahead with the $250 OBC instead.

 

I think the biggest thing in deciding on who to use is who is the most reliable. The offer I had for the group booking came with a better room for the price so I was going with them. The lady I spoke to 7 days ago was attempting to get me the current Carnival sale to go with it, and had to see if she could get it done and said she would call me back the next day once she talked to those in the company that set up the rates. Still waiting on her to call me back!

 

So I looked more and found the $250 OBC. Found out I already had an agent with them because of a cruise my mother booked years ago that had a room in my name with them. Figured I would have to wait for him. Nope! The lady I spoke to happily booked me and answered all my questions w/o her getting credit for the booking or the commission! Had to call back for something else and my TA wasn't available again. Another person happily answered all my questions and I was on my way.

 

In general you will have some agencies whose agents are in it for themselves. Other agencies (like the one above) work as a team for all the clients who book with them. I don't know, maybe the split commission or something (I feel it would be rude to ask..) but knowing that no matter what I can call and someone will pick up the phone and help me? That is amazing IMO!

[AnchorsAweigh2011]

We usually book on the ship and then transfer the booking to our TA On our upcoming 11 day cruise we ended up getting an additional two classic nonalcoholic packages for my son ans my niece, which was a bonus, and we were able to keep all our perks we got for booking onboard.