Advantage to booking thru travel agent or directly with Celebrity?

[Threedox]

Thanks, everyone. I really appreciate your replies.

[sakigemcam]

I used to do all my booking - cruises, international travel, myself, as I thought I'd get the best deals without paying commissions, etc. WRONG. Not only does my amazing "travel concierge," as I call her, get better rates than I do, she gets more perks, drops all trip details including excursions or air I plan myself into an app, notifies me of changes, updates, price drops, handles dining reservations, etc. She also sends me tons of tips and tricks and information I may not have learned myself (even about cruises).

 

I LOVE being taken care of. I deserve it as long as it's done correctly. And I save money. And we get upgrades and special perks.

 

We are just booking an international trip with her and doing the math, she's already saved me $1500 on the exact itinerary I chose vs the prices I can find myself bc she's aligned herself with consolidators who can package things.

 

And to boot, I really like having someone there to handle changes or concerns, if something comes up.

 

It's definitely worth looking into using an agent, at least to compare. We have been thrilled.

[chaps612]

The online TA I usually use typically offers more perks that going direct thru Celebrity. I often book onboard, then switch picking up one or two extra perks and maybe even some OBC.

 

 

Can you PM me with your online agency? I’m at yahoo with screen name.

[jaitip]

ThreeDox,

 

 

 

There are travel agencies that sell 3rd party travel protection insurance that will cover pre-existing conditions if you purchase it with-in 7 days of making the booking with no 60 day look-back. Your are covered from day one. I do this all the time!

 

 

 

Always book with a travel agent, and if you agent doesn't have such a policy find one who does.

 

 

 

Also, always book with good travel agent. There is no disadvantage, and many times they have access to group rates or amenities or promo's that are not available directly through the cruise lines. You just want to make sure that you book with a service oriented agency that will not charge you any kind of extra booking or cancellation fee other than the what the cruise lines charge.

 

 

 

Feel free to contact me if you need some help.

 

 

 

May I ask which agents you usually use?. Do they allow people not from US to book?

 

Thank you.

 

 

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[WanderingRN84]

My TA saved me a boat load of money and got me an extra perk. And I'm a first time cruiser. Found it know more difficult to go through the agent then the website.

[lovedecruise]

We had always booked direct with Celebrity but this time decided to do it through a Travel Agent. The extras we got were a calendar, wallet for our documents and a couple of lanyards - something I think would be pretty standard for all travellers.

I did miss being able to communicate directly with Celebrity as I did have a few questions. They just referred me back to the agent but I persevered, and they did help me.

I think it totally depends on whether you get a good, reliable agent who will go in to bat for you if needed.

[Flatbush Flyer]

We've used our cruise travel agent for Mediterranean cruises ((Seabourne, SeaDream) and the Caribbean (Star Clippers). But I'm less inclined to do so for a cruise from Bayonne, NJ (we live in NJ) to Bermuda (where we've traveled to by air several times) on the Celebrity Summit. Any thoughts? I was planning to do my own research on room types/deck, etc and then request specific rooms (and category--I'd like the aqua class perks). Also, how far in advance do we need to book for a late May sailing in order to secure a good aqua class room? (I have health issues, so I'm reluctant to book until closer to the sail date, and I don't qualify for trip insurance because of 60-day prior to trip preexisting illness.) Any advice is appreciated. TIA.

 

 

 

Do you fully understand what is a "preexisting condition?"

I'm assuming you are in the US. You can have a chronic illness when you deposit your cruise and purchase your insurance. It would only be a PEC if it had changed significantly (requiring modification in treatment/medication) during the look-back period of X months prior to the purchase date. Likewise, anything newly diagnosed during the look-back would be a PEC.

If you buy the insurance within the insurer's specified window after depositing the cruise you should be able to get a waiver of PECs.

As to the TA: there's a ton of threads on CC regarding the benefits of using a TA. The more expensive is the cruise- the better perks you'll get from one of your chosen line's top performers. Think 7-10% of commissionable fare in refundable OBC. Other things (e.g., tips) are also possible.

 

One caveat about sites like insuremytrip. They are brokers. They certainly can help whittle down the list. But always compare their version of policy X to the same named one offered by the actual insurance company. They may cost the same but there may be differences in the fine print with the broker's offering being more limited.

 

Finally, IMO, never buy insurance from the cruise line that may become the object of your claim.

 

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[ICUQT]

I am looking at this question from another angle as why book direct or use a TA. First off I use a TA. Local and not from a big box online store. I often ask myself why use a TA at all your (me) smart enough to do it yourself. I mean after about 30 cruises on all (combined) cruise lines you should be able to do it. But I find myself asking the question what is the advantage of not using a TA. Hey if I am smart enough to do it myself what incentive does the cruise line pass on to or offer me that they give to a TA? I mean I'm not a control freak with a reservation but even using a TA I monitor pricing and sales and if need be to save money or to get a better cabin I have no problems to re-fare and have the TA do it. I am new to Celebrity but I am willing to bet that if I called them up to book a cruise directly and at the end of the booking asked how much of a booking discount I receive for doing it myself instead of using a TA the answer would probably be "none" .I view my TA as the middleman. She receives a commission from the cruise line for her services. For the sake of argument let's say the industry standard for commission is 10-15%. I don't know what my TA receives it is none of my business and I have never asked in over 25 years with her. Let's say I book a cruise for $3500 pp for my wife and myself. The cruise line pays the commission $700+ to the TA who simply picks up a phone or enters my information in the computer. Basically the same thing I would do if booking directly. This is how I equate it in my mind and this folks is me. I'm at a supermarket and you can use a cashier or self check-out. I'm going to use that cashier (human) not because I can't do it myself but because the cashier is working his or her butt off to pay bills and put food on the table. I respect that and on the way out I say thank-you. That is how I feel about using a TA instead of doing it myself. I'm putting a few bucks in her pocket and helping her stay employed and I am thankful for her service.

 

bob

[bEwAbG]

We had always booked direct with Celebrity but this time decided to do it through a Travel Agent. The extras we got were a calendar, wallet for our documents and a couple of lanyards - something I think would be pretty standard for all travellers.

I did miss being able to communicate directly with Celebrity as I did have a few questions. They just referred me back to the agent but I persevered, and they did help me.

I think it totally depends on whether you get a good, reliable agent who will go in to bat for you if needed.

 

You do have to shop around if you're looking for the best deal. Not sure how they do it in New Zealand but in the US it's pretty standard for TAs to offer additional OBC. Not using a TA essentially costs you money. If I contacted one who told me I'd only get a free calendar, I'd politely thank them and move on.

[CEOofVacation]

I was told by my TA that they receive 13 to 15% commission depending on the cruise line. A big box store and my TA both pass back around 8% of the commission to me in the form of either a cash card or OBC. My next 3 upcoming cruises, one is witth a big box store and 2 are with my TA. We have developed a good relationship with our TA and he will be our first go to person in the future. We text him, email and call him and there is no official office hours. He is very responsive and hardworking and when there are issues, he is on the phone with the cruise line immediately until it gets sorted out.

[cltnccruisers]

We had always booked direct with Celebrity but this time decided to do it through a Travel Agent. The extras we got were a calendar, wallet for our documents and a couple of lanyards - something I think would be pretty standard for all travellers.

I did miss being able to communicate directly with Celebrity as I did have a few questions. They just referred me back to the agent but I persevered, and they did help me.

I think it totally depends on whether you get a good, reliable agent who will go in to bat for you if needed.

 

I've never used a TA but did have conversations with one regarding a 2019 cruise we're planning. She emailed price and perks and they match exactly what I found on site with X. She said that is her starting point then once the booking is transferred to her agency they improve on that. I have no idea if that is true or not. But we'll likely book the 2019 cruise while on board in March. If we're happy with the on board deal we'll probably transfer it to the TA on the assumption that we've got nothing to lose. :cool:

[shipshape sam]

We've used our cruise travel agent for Mediterranean cruises ((Seabourne, SeaDream) and the Caribbean (Star Clippers). But I'm less inclined to do so for a cruise from Bayonne, NJ (we live in NJ) to Bermuda (where we've traveled to by air several times) on the Celebrity Summit. Any thoughts? I was planning to do my own research on room types/deck, etc and then request specific rooms (and category--I'd like the aqua class perks). Also, how far in advance do we need to book for a late May sailing in order to secure a good aqua class room? (I have health issues, so I'm reluctant to book until closer to the sail date, and I don't qualify for trip insurance because of 60-day prior to trip predicting illness.) Any advice is appreciated. TIA.

 

For what its worth, we do our own research and then call our TA to book it for us. Have had a couple of issues, both before and during, and both times our TA jumped on issue and got it resolved. Once while on cruise where I emailed TA of issue and then went back to enjoying the cruise with an email later that day telling me issue was resolved and I went to customer service to see that I had been credited $300 OBC that was due me.

 

I like having someone who does this for a living on my side, but that is me. :)

[NantahalaCruiser]

I've never used a TA but did have conversations with one regarding a 2019 cruise we're planning. She emailed price and perks and they match exactly what I found on site with X. She said that is her starting point then once the booking is transferred to her agency they improve on that. I have no idea if that is true or not. But we'll likely book the 2019 cruise while on board in March. If we're happy with the on board deal we'll probably transfer it to the TA on the assumption that we've got nothing to lose. :cool:

If that TA is not willing to inform you of their "improvement" prior to your transfer, then look for a different TA.

[cltnccruisers]

If that TA is not willing to inform you of their "improvement" prior to your transfer, then look for a different TA.

 

Sage advice. Thanks. :)