How Do You Book Your Cruises?

[NoWhiners]

Thank you for confirming the Big Box store. I will have to agree with you...I have used them sometimes and have always got good service. And in Canada if you use their credit card, it gives you 2x the 'cashback' points.

 

Wow, 2X cashback, that's a great deal. If we use the new Costco Visa, we get 4% of travel costs back but yours sounds better:D

 

And they recently dropped foreign transaction fees, so that is a plus.

[Hlitner]

I agree that some are posting completely false information. We have been on far more than 100 cruises (all over the world) and have only booked a single cruise directly with a cruise line? Why? Because we can always save 7-10% (even more on some longer cruises) by shopping around among our favorite high volume reputable online cruise agencies. What Rocketman does not seem to understand is that the savings may not necessarily come in the form of a reduced cruise price (because some cruise lines impose strict price controls). However, the savings comes in other forms such as a generous On Board Credit (OBC), prepaid gratuities, comped meals in alternative restaurants, etc. On longer cruises our savings can be in excess of $1000 (our record savings was over $3000 on one cruise when compared to the cruise line's best deal).

 

When it comes to folks talking about "control" we simply shake our heads. We actually have more "control" when we use our favorite cruise agencies. These agencies do a high volume and this gives them clout with the cruise lines. If we have an issue it usually is a matter of sending a quick e-mail to our cruise agency to have the issue resolved. If we need to call an agency they answer their phones without putting us on hold :). Another great benefit of agencies is that they deal with many cruise lines which is a great benefit to us since we cruise on many different lines. As to paying agency fees, in over 100 bookings we have never paid 1 penny of fees to any of our favored cruise agencies.

 

Hank

[varoo]

Celebrity agents have explained to us that when we give our booking to a TA, the TA becomes the client of the cruise line and the passenger then becomes the client of the TA.

 

As long as everything goes smoothly, the whole process is transparent. But when things go wrong, complications can arise.

We learned this years ago when we booked a Celebrity cruise with a TA, and then the cruise later got canceled.

We had applied a couple of cruise certificates to that cruise, which we had previously received from Celebrity as compensation for some ship problems on one of Celebrity's famous azipod problem cruises.

So applying those certificates substantially reduced the amount we needed to pay for the next cruise.

 

When that cruise got cancelled, we received a full refund of the amount we had paid.

We were satisfied and thought nothing more about it at the time, as we still had the unused certificates in our possession, mistakenly believing that we could simply apply them to another cruise.

 

But when we tried to apply them to a new booking, they were rejected.:eek:

 

That was how we learned that we were no longer the owners of those certificates that had our names clearly printed on them. They now officially belonged to the TA from the previous cruise that got canceled.

 

It was a hassle for a while, but Celebrity's Resolutions department eventually was able to get our cruise certificates officially transferred back to us, so it ended well.

This experience taught us some things we had never known before about what happens to the ownership of a reservation when you give your booking to a TA.

We already knew that it limits what you are able to access and do in your online reservation, and that it limits your direct contact with the cruise line, but we didn't know anything about it beyond that.

We still transfer our bookings to a TA when the benefits of doing so exceed the restrictions, which they do most times. But we don't go in blindly, assuming that there is no downside to doing so.

 

Edited June 17, 2018 by varoo

[RocketMan275]

What Rocketman does not seem to understand is that the savings may not necessarily come in the form of a reduced cruise price (because some cruise lines impose strict price controls). However, the savings comes in other forms such as a generous On Board Credit (OBC), prepaid gratuities, comped meals in alternative restaurants, etc.

 

I do understand that savings can take many forms. In fact, I've been offered choices between rebates, discounts, or OBC. The point remains 10% cost savings are not uncommon if one knows the right TA. My personal preference is, in this order, discounts, rebates, then OBC. We tend to book high end suites so $1400 in OBC isn't all that useful. Bottles of cheap wine are not savings in my mind.

[Hlitner]

I do understand that savings can take many forms. In fact, I've been offered choices between rebates, discounts, or OBC. The point remains 10% cost savings are not uncommon if one knows the right TA. My personal preference is, in this order, discounts, rebates, then OBC. We tend to book high end suites so $1400 in OBC isn't all that useful. Bottles of cheap wine are not savings in my mind.

 

Even when we have been in a suite or booked a cruise that was essentially all-inclusive..it has not been too difficult to use our "non refundable" OBCs. In some cases DW has gotten a very nice gift from the jewelry shop. On other cruises we have managed to drink some of the better wines :). And on other cruises we have actually received payments from the cruise line because of unused refundable credits (this is quite common on Princess).

 

Hank

[Chef Heather]

Sooooo.......if I'm understanding all of you experienced cruisers correctly (I"m totally new at this!!) - it appears that the cruise can be exactly the same price from various online TA's - but it's a matter of what extra "perks" they throw in?? Ex - we're really considering a 12 Night British Isles cruise next July and I checked 3 sites online; all had the EXACT same price; literally down to the .32 at the end; however, one offered a $200 in-store cash card; another $450 in store cash card and another $100 OBC and priority embarkation. Does that sound about right??

[Hlitner]

Sooooo.......if I'm understanding all of you experienced cruisers correctly (I"m totally new at this!!) - it appears that the cruise can be exactly the same price from various online TA's - but it's a matter of what extra "perks" they throw in?? Ex - we're really considering a 12 Night British Isles cruise next July and I checked 3 sites online; all had the EXACT same price; literally down to the .32 at the end; however, one offered a $200 in-store cash card; another $450 in store cash card and another $100 OBC and priority embarkation. Does that sound about right??

 

Well, it does sound about right for shopping among a few of the "big box" stores. But don't limit your shopping to only those places. Also explore a few of the large, high volume reputable cruise agencies. And by the way, this relatively new "priority embarkation" thing can be more of a marketing con then reality. Ask yourself a simple question. What do you think happens at embarkation when nearly everyone has "priority?"

 

Hank

[NoWhiners]

Sooooo.......if I'm understanding all of you experienced cruisers correctly (I"m totally new at this!!) - it appears that the cruise can be exactly the same price from various online TA's - but it's a matter of what extra "perks" they throw in?? Ex - we're really considering a 12 Night British Isles cruise next July and I checked 3 sites online; all had the EXACT same price; literally down to the .32 at the end; however, one offered a $200 in-store cash card; another $450 in store cash card and another $100 OBC and priority embarkation. Does that sound about right??

 

Yes, these are good examples. It may come down to what perks are most useful to you and when. For example, I don't like getting a store cash card as much as OBC but it's better than nothing. They are an OK deal if you shop at the store a lot. But as Hank noted, you should look at several options and pick the one that gives you the best deal. You will have to decide what 'best deal' looks like but you do have plenty of choices. I can say I wouldn't book thru the cruiseline unless somehow they were offering the 'best deal'. I haven't ever has this happen, but I think I have read about others doing this.

 

Good luck, you'll do fine

ML

 

...few of the large, high volume reputable cruise agencies. ...What do you think happens at embarkation when nearly everyone has "priority?"

 

Hank

 

Hank

 

I agree with your points but here's my issue--how do I know which is a "reputable cruise agency'? Can you give a hint as to 1 or 2 of these? (The CC policy of not naming TAs drives me crazy sometimes:)).

 

I have looked at some of these agencies but I'm not comfortable with them saying "give us your email and we'll send a quote" or similar things. I don't want to provide any personal info just to see how much a cruise might cost. And I have gotten some great pricing and perks from our big box club--enough that I'm not sure i can do better at these online agencies. And I do take heed of the cautions about cancellation or rebooking fees, neither of which happens when i book thru the club.

 

Any suggestions/advice?

ML

[TFree]

We were just on a cruise in April/May and booked two new 2019 cruises, without listing a travel agent. So we had 60 days to deal with this. Here is the process I went through. Having done it this way once, I would probably shortcut it the next time, but this was the first time I tried to systematically go through the analysis. My suggestion is to do something similar for your own analysis.

 

First, I got recommendations for two small but reputable individual travel agents from another Cruise Critic member, by email. Then I checked with the large online TA that had handled the cruise we just finished. Then I checked with the big box store that many of us belong to. Finally, I checked with the travel department of a high-end credit card my wife has. I will just give you the figures on one of the cruises, but the results for both were similar. This was a Celebrity Sky Suite reservation for a cruise in 2019, total cruise fare for the two of us was $9798. Here were the offerings:

 

Individual TA No. 1: $500 OBC

Individual TA No. 2: $522 discount on cruise fare

Large Online TA: $600 (combined discount + OBC)

Big Box Store: $855 cash card + 2% for Exec Membership + 3% for credit card

High End Credit Card: $300 + extra points + bottle of champagne

 

It doesn't bother me getting a cash card after the cruise, instead of OBC for use during the cruise (I know others feel differently about this). So for me it was an easy choice and we went with the Big Box store. The contact with the big box is impersonal (no specific agent is assigned to us), but at this point we are choosing our own cruises and don't feel as if we need a lot of advice on choosing cruises. Plus the big box has no change or cancellation fees, and we are highly likely to change at least one of the two new 2019 cruises we booked into a 2020 cruise.

 

Tom & Judy

[bluesplayer]

I love the 1.50 hot dog - on line Travel Agency. Executive members get a higher percentage back on their branded credit card.. plus other perks!

[RocketMan275]

Even when we have been in a suite or booked a cruise that was essentially all-inclusive..it has not been too difficult to use our "non refundable" OBCs. In some cases DW has gotten a very nice gift from the jewelry shop. On other cruises we have managed to drink some of the better wines :). And on other cruises we have actually received payments from the cruise line because of unused refundable credits (this is quite common on Princess).

 

Hank

Perhaps, but discounts/rebates are much simpler. Sure, we could spend the OBC on some things we probably wouldn't buy otherwise, but we prefer the cash.

 

Cash, like discounts/rebates, are simply a better option. If we do buy something on board, the cash we receive will pay for it when we get the credit card bill.

[CEOofVacation]

One thing to note that most OBCs that are given by travel agencies are usually refundable, which means you get the balance back on your credit card at the end of the cruise.

[NoWhiners]

First, I got recommendations for two small but reputable individual travel agents from another Cruise Critic member, by email. Then I checked with the large online TA that had handled the cruise we just finished. Then I checked with the big box store that many of us belong to. Finally, I checked with the travel department of a high-end credit card my wife has. I will just give you the figures on one of the cruises, but the results for both were similar. This was a Celebrity Sky Suite reservation for a cruise in 2019, total cruise fare for the two of us was $9798. Here were the offerings:

 

Individual TA No. 1: $500 OBC

Individual TA No. 2: $522 discount on cruise fare

Large Online TA: $600 (combined discount + OBC)

Big Box Store: $855 cash card + 2% for Exec Membership + 3% for credit card

High End Credit Card: $300 + extra points + bottle of champagne

 

...The contact with the big box is impersonal (no specific agent is assigned to us), but at this point we are choosing our own cruises and don't feel as if we need a lot of advice on choosing cruises. Plus the big box has no change or cancellation fees, and we are highly likely to change at least one of the two new 2019 cruises we booked into a 2020 cruise.

 

Tom & Judy

 

Thanks for this, pretty much the same process we used when we booked our first cruise thru the Big Box store. They always seemed to have the best terms for us, now we just book thru them all the time. Last year, we got a 30% member rate discount on a RCI cruise around NZ. Never saw a lower price and we still got a big chunk of OBC.

 

It is impersonal, but we don't need a lot of help these days, so their model works for us. And their web site is a lot easier to sue than some of the cruise lines :D (and you don't need to be a member to use it, just to book).

 

ML

[southernbreezes]

Big Box TA; always... Hands Down!!! Cheaper with lots of benefits!

In the past, one time we booked with the Cruise line itself and then transferred

it to our Big Box TA. We received many benefits that way.

I agree with you, never ever book with Celebrity. Big Box TA always have group sales most are like one right now "Fire Cracker Sale". Example SE Aisa on the Millennium March 2, 2019, A2 Stateroom go best which is all 4 perks... Celebrity price today is $10,360.00, my Big Box TA price is $6,109.00. They do not buy blocks of rooms they make deals with cruise lines to sell cabins. No, you do not get a 1 CAT upgrade, yes you pay $50pp if you cancel so what I save $1,000's. We have booked our last 15-17 cruises with them, great customer, service. Go ahead search for a "Firecracker Cruise Sale" see for your self. Save money take more cruises. I booked the March 2, 2019 cruise and paid $5,600.00 month ago!

[Princess Fi]

I always book with this TA too but quite often I get the one category upgrade. It depends so always good to ask. The sale going on now you need to have pre registered to get the email so if you didn’t can’t view the deals currently being offered

 

 

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[GoGiantsfan11]

I am shocked how much cheaper I can get the same package from my car insurance provider.. In fact they just took over the booking and lowered the rate by 500.00 but I still kept my go big promotions. I was going to go with the firecracker sale one but this was cheaper.

[s1amblue]

I book through my United Airlines [emoji568] . Get same $$ and huge amount of bonus FF miles which equals thousands of $$ in value when booking my business or first class air to Europe to join the ship!

 

 

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[jsf]

We booked a cruise last week with a big online cruise agency that I have used before.After reading this thread I just did a mock booking with this big box warehouse for the same cruise. First the price was $120. per person higher and I got some of the perk's but not all. It pays to do your research and try different sources, and further we belong to that warehouse as exec members but they never asked.

J.