Book through RC or a TA?

[ski_mom]

Even though this is our 9th cruise, it's the first time we've booked one ourselves on RC. About half of our cruises are with a group booking, so I'm really not involved in the booking process. The other cruises that I've booked myself have been on other lines.

 

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out if it makes a difference booking directly with Royal or if there is a benefit to booking through a TA and the best way to go about finding a good one if there is. I get lots of emails from online companies that book cruises - do I just pick one of those??

 

Sorry for the basic question, but I searched through the forum and didn't really see this addressed (although I could have just missed it).

 

Thanks for any advice!

[KiwiGal117]

It depends... if you book directly you are in control of the reservation and can call RC to make any changes you need. If you use a TA he/she would have to do that for you.

 

If you get a good TA that offers perks (like OBC or free gratuities) that is likely worth it.

 

We've done both. However our TA did not offer any perks, so I wouldn't bother using her again. Easy enough to book yourself.

 

 

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[silentbob007]

I've been using a TA because the perks I've gotten by now far outweigh any potential price drop missed which is my biggest worry. I also tend to be very low-maintenance. I book the cruise and I go ... I don't tend to need much from a TA.

[Pandabear90]

Even though this is our 9th cruise, it's the first time we've booked one ourselves on RC. About half of our cruises are with a group booking, so I'm really not involved in the booking process. The other cruises that I've booked myself have been on other lines.

 

Anyway, I'm trying to figure out if it makes a difference booking directly with Royal or if there is a benefit to booking through a TA and the best way to go about finding a good one if there is. I get lots of emails from online companies that book cruises - do I just pick one of those??

 

Sorry for the basic question, but I searched through the forum and didn't really see this addressed (although I could have just missed it).

 

Thanks for any advice!

 

Depends, if you feel like doing half the work yourself or letting your TA do it.

 

If you feel like you are going to want to be heavily involved or make multiple changes, then just do it yourself.

[matj2000]

If you just use the "search this forum" tab on the RC page of this site.

 

Type in " TA ".

 

It will bring up around 500 previous ongoing threads on this very topic....

[Desert Cruizers]

i search the cruise we want and pick out our room, then call our TA and she takes over. The drawback as mentioned, if you need to make changes then you need to go through your TA.The bottom line is your happy with your price and arrangements regardless of who handles it for you, Cruise line or TA. One plus with a TA, should a problem occur with your booking, a TA has more pull then I would thus can resolve the problem more easily. An example, we were without notice moved from a Mid ship balcony to forward. Our TA promptly called back and had us back in our cabin in less then 5 min.

[Goldheart]

A good TA will work to answer all your questions and ensure your trip is optimum. They should add great value and services.

 

 

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[DisneyDatknee]

TA's most of the time have group pricing, which saves a lot compared to Royal's site pricing. My Empress sailing, I paid $400 less and got $75 OBC. Just compare reviews and value to other TAs. I had a bad experience with my new TA for my upcoming HAL sailing, but most TAs are great!

[Lionesss]

We still book on board to get the discounts and then have RCI transfer to our TA.

 

She handles all our busy work.

 

Works for us.

 

Sea Ya

[Pet]

My personal experience over 16 years of booking cruises is that these days there is very little financial incentive to book with a TA rather than the Cruise Company direct. That didn't used to be the case but now days there is very little difference pound wise between the various UK agents I check before booking. A lot of it is smoke and mirrors. You will see a great incentive such as OBC or paid gratuities offered, but if you compare it often the cruise price is that much more to compensate for the freebies.

 

Nevertheless, you can save money in a number of ways if you are prepared to take a slight risk, such as booking a long time in advance. We have booked a cruise round the South Pacific next year which is close to a grand cheaper than being offered by a number of TAs. This is because we booked it cruise only via the Company then booked our own flights a week early than the cruise date so as not to fall into the Easter holiday trap. Yes, we still have to pay for accommodation in Sydney but that is compensated for by the cheaper flight costs. :)

[Desert Cruizers]

Pet, we did two cruises from Sydney back in March & April of 2014 and since there were the 4 of us, we did better in pricing by going with the Apartments then Hotel, especially since we had a 9 day Post cruise stay before the Transpacific.

 

I book our cruises the moment the dates open for a cruise we are looking at, this gives us a better price in the long run plus our room of choice. We did catch a price break on the 3rd portion of our trip on the Hawaii to Vancouver cruise.

[grandgeezer]

My personal experience over 16 years of booking cruises is that these days there is very little financial incentive to book with a TA rather than the Cruise Company direct. That didn't used to be the case but now days there is very little difference pound wise between the various UK agents I check before booking. A lot of it is smoke and mirrors. You will see a great incentive such as OBC or paid gratuities offered, but if you compare it often the cruise price is that much more to compensate for the freebies.

 

Nevertheless, you can save money in a number of ways if you are prepared to take a slight risk, such as booking a long time in advance. We have booked a cruise round the South Pacific next year which is close to a grand cheaper than being offered by a number of TAs. This is because we booked it cruise only via the Company then booked our own flights a week early than the cruise date so as not to fall into the Easter holiday trap. Yes, we still have to pay for accommodation in Sydney but that is compensated for by the cheaper flight costs. :)

 

That isn't the case in the U.S. If you can find the right travel agent. I've booked 39 cruises through them and have saved anywhere between 10% and 20% of the total cost, in perks, with little to no risk. This is above and beyond what I get through the line. Except for getting in on "group books" several times the price I paid is exactly what I would have paid going through the cruise line.

The cost of the perks being built into the price of the cruise is what you have now with the BBB promotion.

[RCI Cruisers 004]

We always book everything ourselves. It's very easy to do and gives you complete control of your reservations. If you need to make a payment or change or add something, it's done immediately, rather than relying on a TA that has closed.

[kalliekae]

We always book through the cruise line because on our first cruise, we had a bad experience with a TA. We've never found another TA that offers anything more than a $100 OBC and that's just not enough to lose control of your booking, IMO.

[sochon75]

We have done both. We don't do many changes once we pick the ship and cabin. We find we get WAY more obc with the TA vrs the cruise line. I recently researched several TA's and compared prices. Some were $400 different in obc. For us $400 takes care of the extras we are going to do anyway. I found this works well for us because we don't change much once we commit and if we do we need to get on the phone anyway it doesn't matter if it's to the TA or RC.

 

 

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[Intent2smile]

This is our first cruise, we leave on November 6.

We were going to book through Royal Caribbean directly but then a friend suggested we use a travel agent that they always use. I was skeptical especially since the price was very similar.

Anytime we have needed anything though our TA has been there to help us and even go above and beyond.

We called a while back because we saw the prices for ocean view rooms had dropped. My husband spoke with the travel agent and he quoted him $1100 to upgrade to a better room. So we told him thanks but no thanks.

5 minutes later the TA calls back and he has Royal Caribbean on the phone. He was able to upgrade us to an ocean view for free.

After our room upgrade our luggage tags on line still had the old room number. I called Royal Caribbean directly because I figured I could get them to fix it without bugging the travel agent.

Boy was I wrong!! The first person I spoke with at Royal Caribbean was rude and told me that i would get new tags at the port and he acted like I was asking a really stupid question.

So I emailed Royal Caribbean and the lady in the e-mail was more worried about trying to get me to buy a drink package instead of fixing my luggage tags.

I finally gave in and decided to bug our Travel Agent. He apologized for how Royal Caribbean had treated me and told me he would call the next day and get the luggage tags fixed, he explained that Royal Caribbean is not easy to get things fixed on the weekend so he would do it first thing in the morning.

I would definitely book with a travel agent again, and probably the same one. Our experiences showed me that I would have went nuts trying to fix it without the Travel Agent. It could have been something that Royal Caribbean could not do without the travel agent requesting it but, the Royal Caribbean people could have stated that instead of giving me the run around

[mvh]

TA's most of the time have group pricing, which saves a lot compared to Royal's site pricing. My Empress sailing, I paid $400 less and got $75 OBC. Just compare reviews and value to other TAs. I had a bad experience with my new TA for my upcoming HAL sailing, but most TAs are great!

 

I agree with you 100%. I find the cruise I want and then search agencies. I saved over $600 plus free gratuities and $50 obc on my next European cruise for a window cabin.

[cookiersmom]

I have done both, and usually find my cabin myself thru the website and then contact TA. In the past TA has helped get better cabins as cruise got closer, once even got us a suite upgrade. A good TA can keep checking for you and that is worth a lot.

And, yes, TAs that are part of a company that does a lot of biz with the particular cruise line do get specials and then pass them along as OBC.

I just switched TAs for this reason, plus a few others.

 

Just be sure your TA knows your preferences. Ours accepted an "upgrade" on our last cruise without telling us. We did not like the new cabin or category (Aqua on Celebrity) We now make clear our preferences.

[nelblu]

I've booked my last 6-7 cruises via an on-line TA due to the nice percs offered. Came across a very interesting situation. This specific TA is running a special in conjunction with RCL's WOW sale. For new bookings, besides RCL's OBC which I'm not eligible due to the balcony discount, they are offering the following special:

 

- 10% of the final booked cruise, ex. taxes/fees,

- prepaid grats for balcony/suite, &

- dinner for 2 at a specialty restaurant up to $80.

 

As background when I was on the Aug. 25th Anthem cruise, I booked a future 12 nite cruise sailing on Jan. 28, '18 and received $200 in obcs . I called them this TA on Friday and asked for the promos. I was informed that I was not eligible because the booking was not for the covered period. I was offered$200 in obcs, however, this TA charges $100 per (12 nites) if I cancel. Don't the know if it's worth as the cruise is some 15+ months in the future. I would chance/gamble for the full promo.

 

Can any TA on this board enlighten me as to why it is not considered a new booking by the TA. Certainly the transaction is distinct between RCL & the TA. I'm not sure what economic downside is to the TA. As I've said, I've been a loyal to this TA for a number of years.

 

In retrospect, I think that I will avoid booking any cruises on board as it limits the level of future percs.

 

Ps. Wonder if I call them and tell them that I will cancel RCL's booking and rebook with the TA. If I'm ever asked by RCL, during one of the follow-up review of a taken cruise, I will certainly mention this unusuality.

[Angelsea57]

If the cruise is over 6 months out, maybe a TA.

Sometimes the perks are pretty good.

On the other hand some of those travel agencies do charge

a $50 dollar cancellation fee per person. That adds up quick.

I like the freedom of calling the cruise line directly and

not have to wait for the answers.

Our last experience booking with Royal Caribbean was

great, the agent that helped us was super nice and

got us the best rates and a couple of perks.

Plus we have called several times when the price dropped,

dinner reservations, cabin changes, no problem there.