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Travel Expo- purchasing cruises

heathluvsing
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heathluvsing

heathluvsing

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Has anyone purchased their Celebrity Cruise at theTravel Expo?

 

If so, what can I expect? I want to book the Holy Land cruise in October. I would also like to purchase flights and hotels to complete the trip.

 

 

 

Any feedback is appreciated.

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cassamanda

cassamanda

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Posted (edited)
Has anyone purchased their Celebrity Cruise at theTravel Expo?

 

If so, what can I expect? I want to book the Holy Land cruise in October. I would also like to purchase flights and hotels to complete the trip.

 

 

 

Any feedback is appreciated.

 

Just go along to pick up the latest info and then do it yourself through the cruise line. Unfortunately we are not allowed to mention names but most Australian TAs wouldn't know Arthur from Martha when it comes to cruising.

Edited by cassamanda
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Kiwi Kruzer

Kiwi Kruzer

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Just go along to pick up the latest info and then do it yourself through the cruise line. Unfortunately we are not allowed to mention names but most Australian TAs wouldn't know Arthur from Martha when it comes to cruising.

I am afraid I have to agree. I have never seen any bargains at a Cruise Expo....they have to pay for putting it on for goodness sake.:rolleyes:

I have also given up going to them as most of the staff on hand , know very little about cruising.

As said above ...Go by all means and pick up as many brochures as you can. If you have a specific cruise in mind it would pay to start shopping around for a few quotes . We have generally found that once we settle on a cruise agent and their deal , we work with them , and sometimes get access to better flight and Hotel deals that do not get put up on the net.

 

 

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Pushka

Pushka

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I went to one cruise expo held by a TA who is supposed to be Australias best. They swore black and blue that there was no way I could have booked a cruise the day before with another TA as the cruise had been booked out for months. I went home quite disappointed but as I hadn't paid any deposit I wasn't financially disadvantaged.

 

Lo and behold, first thing Monday I received an email from the other TA advising the cruise was ready to be booked and deposit needed to be paid. So much for cruise experts who put on Cruise shows.

 

 

They also were quoting something like $25,000 for a combo cruise land Alaskan package. It was hosted. I priced up all the individual components and it was thousands cheaper.

Just DYOR.

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Royalty X

Royalty X

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If it's the Travel Expo I think you're thinking of, there are cruise specialists who will be there who can do everything for you. Plus, there are a lot of deals/discounts (flights, cruises, insurances) which you won't be able to get elsewhere, outside of the expo.

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MicCanberra Holiday Sharing Rare

MicCanberra

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If it's the Travel Expo I think you're thinking of, there are cruise specialists who will be there who can do everything for you. Plus, there are a lot of deals/discounts (flights, cruises, insurances) which you won't be able to get elsewhere, outside of the expo.

 

I agree that there are a lot of deals, and if you have researched what you want to do and see what they can offer you, you may be lucky. Often they have their own specials which do not suit and if it is a real bargain that they are offering you have to sign up there and then with no chance at researching if there are better deals at better times (often there can be).

I suppose my point is if you are flexible with your itinerary and timing then a great deal may present itself, otherwise just use the expo for research.:D

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Kiwi Kruzer

Kiwi Kruzer

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The deals on offer could be the ones that don't sell in the countries of origin and you could be pressured to signing up for a really cheap offer only to find out later that maybe ...

 

*the river cruise is during the flood or drought season...

*the cruise to the glaciers is the first of the season and the seas are still iced up so you cant get in...

*the cruise is in hurricane or typhoon season...

*the cabin is be a premium one , when you may have been happy with a standard one at much lesser cost...

 

there are lots of traps out there for the unwary.

Research , Research , Research , before signing up to any travel venture.

 

 

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heathluvsing

heathluvsing

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Thanks Kiwi Kruizer. That happened with a "good deal" to the Maldives. We did our research and found that it was because the dates were monsoon season. Needless to say, we didn't book that!

 

We know exactly what cruise we want. Since the 1,2,3 promo doesn't end until the end of Feb, we are going to go at the beginning of the month to the expo. We need flights to Rome, hotels etc... So hopefully we can get some discounts.

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Kiwi Kruzer

Kiwi Kruzer

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Thanks Kiwi Kruizer. That happened with a "good deal" to the Maldives. We did our research and found that it was because the dates were monsoon season. Needless to say, we didn't book that!

 

We know exactly what cruise we want. Since the 1,2,3 promo doesn't end until the end of Feb, we are going to go at the beginning of the month to the expo. We need flights to Rome, hotels etc... So hopefully we can get some discounts.

 

Way to go:):)

Knowing exactly what and when you want , you could do very well from the Expo.:D ..Good luck.

 

 

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benjoon

benjoon

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We have stopped going to these Expos. By the time they come around I have done so much research that I think I could work there. We wanted to do a China tour & found the perfect one. When we asked at the Expo the person said he was just paid to be on the stand and for us to go to our local TA to find out all the T & Cs of the tour. It was a real waste of our time. If you are looking for Bali or Thailand then thus is the right place for you.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app on iPhone

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heathluvsing

heathluvsing

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Hey guys, we booked yesterday when Expo deals released with our TA. We may go to the actual expo today (we will see). We got about 10-20% off our flights. Our cruise purchase only received 1,2,3 promo (non-expo related) and $100 OBC. We also received 10% off travel insurance & hotel bonuses. It was conservative savings but I'll take it!

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dean1972

dean1972

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We completed a transatlantic from Barcelona to Fort Lauderdale in December last year.

I agree with previous posters and have found most T/agents know squat about cruising

However it is probably worth a look at the expo for research purposes/ brochures

I did a ton of research & got a few quotes from the net.

We ended up booking cruise directly with the cruise line & flights were booked at the expo

We ended up with great deals on the flights we booked at the expo & literally saved thousands.

In reality our flights cost more than our cruise on the Equinox for 14 nights.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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The_Big_M

The_Big_M

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Hey guys, we booked yesterday when Expo deals released with our TA. We may go to the actual expo today (we will see). We got about 10-20% off our flights. Our cruise purchase only received 1,2,3 promo (non-expo related) and $100 OBC. We also received 10% off travel insurance & hotel bonuses. It was conservative savings but I'll take it!

 

That tallies with what I've seen in the past.

 

Glad you found an appealing deal!

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MMDown Under Holiday Sharing Rare

MMDown Under

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I went to a local travel company's international travel day today (land and cruise).

 

By talking to the local wholesalers direct, I gained a wealth of valuable information for future travel.

 

For those who had already done their research, they had some good deals for those willing to place a deposit.

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Royalty X

Royalty X

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There are a few cruise specialist TA's at these expos who know a hell of a lot about cruising! Don't just assume that a TA knows squat! And the cruise lines and wholesalers will know which agents know their stuff.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

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bazzaw

bazzaw

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We have been to a number of Travel Expos and find them to be very useful -- but we would never attempt to book anything at one. For us, they are good for two reasons - firstly you can get lots of travel brochures at them (I find that it is not easy getting brochures out of bricks and mortar TA's - they are always locked away and the TA's are always busy) - secondly, most TAs only offer limited choices, they sell what it most beneficial to them and don't promote what is not beneficial to them. However, the travel shows do sometimes teach us something that we didn't know about . We "discovered" Korean Air at a travel show some years ago - and have flown with them to Europe a few times -- but see how many TAs will offer Korean Air as an option to fly to Europe. (almost none!!)

 

Barry

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heathluvsing

heathluvsing

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I guess each travel expo is different. We found it really easy to talk to people and it was easy to get brochures. I will say I wouldn't book at one unless I thought I needed to. It's just easier to book with your TA as they can access the deals I'm their stores.

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