Travel Agency

[jxd0326]

Hello

 

I had a question has anyone used an agent to book thier cruise. I always book myself but I wanted to see if I find a better deal. I also am afraid of the agency to be a scam. Any info would be great.

 

Thank you

[griffy116]

A Travel Agent can't get you a better price with Royal Caribbean. They stopped that many years ago. What they can do is offer a "perk" that they pay for, like dinner at a Specialty Restaurant, or On Board Credit, bottle of wine, etc. We can't recommend a travel agent, but you want to chose one that specializes in cruises. They will have been on the ships and you'll have someone to do some of the legwork for you. We place a call and our TA knows our preferred location on the ships, and over the years, if we tell him what ship we are looking at, he'll give us his opinion on what we will and will not like about the ship or itinerary, etc. He'll work the numbers for us and figure out the best options for cabins. He once called us back with an option that would save us money, which was great. I've heard that some TA's have a charge if you change or cancel. Ours doesn't. If there is a drop in price, some TA's will automatically call for the new price. Ours doesn't. We have to watch the prices and give him a call. SO, you have to weigh the advantages, like a perk and the disadvantages, like losing control of being able to call and get changes directly through RCCL.

[JBC11]

Hi Guys,

I live in Asia, can I use a USA based travel agent or does it have to be one in your own country.

 

Thanks

John :)

[Clarea]

Hi Guys,

I live in Asia, can I use a USA based travel agent or does it have to be one in your own country.

 

Thanks

John :)

We have several friends who live in Europe that use US travel agents.

[Cruise a holic]

My problem with TA's, unless from a very large organization, is that many go out of business. We have had a few in my county that were, years ago very successful close their doors. My DH and I book directly for the control and peace of mind. The perks aren't worth the stress, IMO

[colesc15]

Ours is one we have used for the last 6 years and they only do cruises. They're based in a different state than us as well and can only be reached via phone. We typically get on board credit, gratuities, specialty dining or a combo. This upcoming cruise we're getting $350 on board credit from them and $300 on board credit from Royal.

[cruisinfanatic]

My problem with TA's, unless from a very large organization, is that many go out of business. We have had a few in my county that were, years ago very successful close their doors. My DH and I book directly for the control and peace of mind. The perks aren't worth the stress, IMO

That is just not true. Even if one did and they booked your cruise correctly, the deposit was charged to the cruiseline. Regardless, your credit card company would protect you.

 

Just don't understand what stress you think you'll have.

On a $2000 cruise, you don't think $150 OBC is worth it?

$5000 cruise, $450 OBC?

[Dina7]

I use an online travel agency that specializes in cruises. They are located in the state where I live. I book my cruise on their website so I can see the deck plan & rooms available. Then if I ever have any questions, I either call or shoot them a quick email, which they always answer promptly.

 

By using them I receive extra OBC in addition to what the cruise line offers, along with free travel insurance on cruises 5 nights or longer. They also have their own little loyalty program where you can redeem points earned on past cruises booked with them for small OBC amounts or onboard gifts.

 

I have never had a problem with this travel agency and enjoy receiving the extra OBC. No stress whatsoever:)

[papaflamingo]

I've used our TA for around 10 years. I use her not for any perks, a $35 dinner isn't worth it, but because we have a great relationship, she is extremely knowledgeable, and will work very hard for me. I am eligible for "Interline Rates" (airline personnel) and have to use an Interline TA to get the rate. But, even when I don't use those rates she is always who I book through. About 2 years ago I booked an Oasis cruise for 3 CL's (retirement cruise with kids and grandkids) directly with RCCL to transfer to my TA. I had to actually pull up the "fine print" on their website, read it verbatim to the agent, and she STILL had to get it "approved" by her supervisor to get the rate and perks offered. Took me way too long. I vowed I'd never deal directly with RCCL again. With my TA, I simply email her with what I want and it's done. My point is this... .perks are fantastic, BUT if you book with a TA to get $100 OBC, you do NOT own your reservation, they do. So if they are not all that savvy, you could rue the day you "sold" your reservation for $100. Make sure you find a TA who actually knows what he or she is doing, is easy to get ahold of, and will work cheerfully with you. Oh yeah, make sure there's no cancellation fee.

[caribsun]

Hello

 

I had a question has anyone used an agent to book thier cruise. I always book myself but I wanted to see if I find a better deal. I also am afraid of the agency to be a scam. Any info would be great.

 

Thank you

At the top of this page click on "Find a cruise". Look for a cruise you want to take and then follow link to that Travel Agency. They are all well known.

[cruisegirl1]

We generally book with RCCL ( via phone or on board) then within the time period, transfer the booking to our TA. We get about 8% on the cruise (portion ) price back in cabin credit.

 

I like to do the booking myself so if a particular cabin is not available, I can speak to RCCL directly and get the cabin or category I want. Sometimes I might know the category until I learn the price or RCCL perks. One learns a lot on CC and by cruising and learns of specific desirable that some TA's might know about. I can make the decision without having to go back and forth with anyone. ( seems the Travel Agent often has to call RCCL for some pricing get back to me). So when the booking is complete, I transfer it to the agent for the On Board Credit. I use a large company, I have a specific agent but the company has 24 service should an emergency come up. I've called after hours when I saw a price drop and have been accommodated. by another staff.

 

M

[KamiKake]

We use a TA through an online website. We use the website to narrow down what we are looking for, then call her to do the booking for us. The first time we did it, we didn't need a lot of help, but she was wonderful in answering questions and making sure we got the best bang for our buck. She could see things we simply couldn't see in her system. This last cruise, we did the same thing, then called her to book. We ended up adding my father-in-law and she was able to explore options and with her advice, move our rooms around so we could be near each other. Then even later, we added my 2 boys and she was again able to help us make the best decision. Her experience in the field was just invaluable!