Cruise Booking Question

[cruisingtrucker]

I have been on two cruises so far and both of them I booked directly on the cruise line's website. I was wondering a few things though.

 

1. How many of you have good/bad experiences booking through other sites?

 

2. Do you still get your loyalty points for the cruise line if you book through an external site or travel agent?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you all can give.

Edited February 15, 2015 by cruisingtrucker
removing website names

[GUT2407]

I have been on two cruises so far and both of them I booked directly on the cruise line's website. I was wondering a few things though.

 

1. How many of you have good/bad experiences booking through other sites such as orbitz or cruise.com?

 

2. Do you still get your loyalty points for the cruise line if you book through an external site or travel agent?

 

Thanks in advance for any help you all can give.

 

 

This thread might not last because you mention TA [online ones] names.

 

But yes you still get your loyalty points.

[cruisingtrucker]

This thread might not last because you mention TA [online ones] names.

 

But yes you still get your loyalty points.

 

Thanks. sorry about that. i removed the names.

 

Have you ever booked through them? I was looking at... one of the sites... and it was showing free prepaid gratuities and onboard credit. sounded like a good deal but I didn't want to just jump on it until i got some advice.

[GUT2407]

Thanks. sorry about that. i removed the names.

 

Have you ever booked through them? I was looking at... one of the sites... and it was showing free prepaid gratuities and onboard credit. sounded like a good deal but I didn't want to just jump on it until i got some advice.

 

 

I've never used either as I'm in Australia the Grats and OBC may even be from the line, but either way I've never had any problem getting any benefit I've been allocated by either the cruise line or the TA.

[cruisingtrucker]

I've never used either as I'm in Australia the Grats and OBC may even be from the line, but either way I've never had any problem getting any benefit I've been allocated by either the cruise line or the TA.

 

Oh, ok. Thank you. Do you generally find it is a better deal to go through a travel agent or the cruise line directly?

[GUT2407]

Oh, ok. Thank you. Do you generally find it is a better deal to go through a travel agent or the cruise line directly?

 

 

I've booked direct, with agent online and with bricks and mortar travel aganet, all have worked out OK

[GUT2407]

And don't forget insurance, I'm nor sure about in US but here I won't go without t, the medical expenses could bankrupt you if you have an emergency.

[mizLORInj]

Oh, ok. Thank you. Do you generally find it is a better deal to go through a travel agent or the cruise line directly?

 

We use a travel agent and always get a better deal than with the cruiseline directly. Usually it's in the form of onboard credit. This lowers the net cost of the cruise.

 

Just check the cruiseline's website too to see what perks they are offering; many times you can get the TA perks on top of the cruiseline's.

 

We have not ever had any problems booking with online TAs. All promised perks do show up and any changes have been handled just fine.

[paul929207]

We always book thru a travel agent. We get everything the cruise line is offering plus about 15% discount and OBC from the TA.

[Hlitner]

We have booked more then 70 cruises over the years, and 69 of them have been booked through various online Cruise Agencies. Why? Because it saves us a lot of money (sometimes thousands of dollars on a single booking. Our advice, which we have repeated ad nauseam is simply (and we think very wise). Simply shop around for the best overall deal for any cruise. Only use reputable agencies and make sure you perform your due diligence before using an agency.

 

So, what do we mean by "due diligence." You simply spend a little time researching the reputation and policies of an agency. This means reading the fine print of their policies, knowing if they charge extra fees for cancelation, repricing, making changes, etc. Do they have a good online "booking engine" that links directly to the cruise lines (i.e. it will show cabin availability and your online booking goes immediately into the cruise line computer system). Also do a general "Google" search on the agency to see if there are any negatives out there in cyber land. And finally, it never hurts to check the National Better Business Bureau data base to learn a little about the agency, complaints, etc.

 

So over the years, we have developed on own personal "short list" of favored cruise agencies. When we decide to book any cruise (and we cruise over 70 days a year) we simply check-out that particular cruise on each agency's web site (and sometimes even call the agency). Whoever offers us the best overall package (which is the cost of the cruise, amenities, on board credits, etc) gets our business.

 

Hank

[cruisingtrucker]

ALSO, big question that I left out for some reason: Can you still do the payment plans when you book through TA's?