Small ship expedition - booking directly or through an agent?

[genegri]

For those of you who book small ships, do you book directly with the expedition company or through a TA?

 

I am re-thinking the Azamara cruise and decided it would be worthwhile to go for a small ship instead. But need to figure out where to start.

 

Many thanks in advance! :)

[digitl]

For those of you who book small ships, do you book directly with the expedition company or through a TA?

 

I am re-thinking the Azamara cruise and decided it would be worthwhile to go for a small ship instead. But need to figure out where to start.

 

Many thanks in advance! :)

I book through my local (excellent) travel agent and she splits the commission with me. I buy my own flights as the web can, weirdly enough, be cheaper than an agent.

[sailingjamie]

A close friend of mine just came back from the Antartic on a small expedition ship this last summer. I live in Chile (my summer) He used turismonuevomundo easy enough to find them online I am sure. He chose them over direct as he was coming in from Canada and they took care of everything. Airport, hotels ultimately the expedition. Then we went on wine tours here in Chile afterwards. I enjoyed that part. As a Canadian I have had enough of the whole ice and snow thing. Enjoy your trip.

[PerfectlyPerth]

Personally I think its best to book directly through the expedition company. They - better than any random travel agent - can answer specific queries about their ships, their crew, their team, the climate, the zodiacs etc etc.

 

I see no reason to deal with a middle man (person) who is just selling for a commission and will cost you more in the end and they wont have any actual experience with polar travel.

[digitl]

Personally I think its best to book directly through the expedition company. They - better than any random travel agent - can answer specific queries about their ships, their crew, their team, the climate, the zodiacs etc etc.

 

I see no reason to deal with a middle man (person) who is just selling for a commission and will cost you more in the end and they wont have any actual experience with polar travel.

It 's not always as simple as just booking with any old ('random') agent.

 

We attended an Hurtigruten presentation before our first Antarctic trip and asked a lot of questions. These were followed up by phone later.

 

We then booked through our travel agent who has a very close working relationship with Hurtigruten. Booking that way got us a 5% discount which, on an Antarctic expedition trip, is well worth having!

 

For our second Antarctic trip we've, again, used the agent to book and, again, got a 5% discount. Any questions we had on the itinerary were asked on board the Fram during the first trip.

 

Our travel agent certainly hasn't cost us a penny, she's saved us hundreds of ££s.

[Shawnino]

Going with Lindblad to Antarctica next year.

 

This will be my very first cruise, and my missus' second. A neighbour's parents cruise a lot, and I asked his Mum for any/all possible advice. She went on about how so much was personal preference but the one thing she really pounded the table on was finding a reputable agent and going that way.

 

That's what we did. The agent has somehow managed to save us over 10% off our bottom line from what Lindblad was quoting. (Lindblad was not budging off brochure prices.) We also got a post-trip excursion gratis. All-in this saved us thousands. Nothing more to say.

[diane.in.ny]

I book through our TA who we have used for almost 20 years now. Not only has she saved us significant $$ but she's also perked us with things like an upgrade from a balcony cabin to a mini suite