Advise needed. Carnival.com or TA

[dubroben22]

Hi All

I am considering booking May 2019 cruise to Panama canal from NYC.

This is my first time with carnival.

Should I book through Carnival.com or travel agent? (can travel agent get any extra perks. I do not have one yet)

 

Thx in advance

 

 

[kren250]

I just booked through Carnival.com.  I've never used a TA, and I don't plan to start to now;-). I enjoy doing all my own research though; your mileage may vary if you don't like that sort of thing.

[1025cruise]

I always used to use a TA, until I went to book my first Carnival cruise. At that point, my TA pointed out that she did not book Carnival. So we booked ourselves. No issues. I have since booked two other cruises on my own. 

[tallnthensome]

34 minutes ago, kren250 said:

I just booked through Carnival.com.  I've never used a TA, and I don't plan to start to now;-). I enjoy doing all my own research though; your mileage may vary if you don't like that sort of thing.

^^^^ This .... No need for a travel agent unless you have no idea how to use the internet. 

[Treyatl2006]

I'm too much of a control freak to do a TA... I want to be able to make changes, get price adjustments and etc without having to go through a third party or TA. Keep in mind Carnival will not talk to you if you booked through a TA. You have to contact your TA for and question or concern and they have to contact Carnival if they are unable to answer or handle it themselves. However, some TAs will offer perks that you may not get with booking yourself. And some people like the hands off, just take my money and go on vacation approach.

[lasekeye]

We use Carnival.com to research specific cabins we want, then call Carnival to actually book.  Sometimes our agent gives suggestions of Cabin locations we might like better in the price level we are comfortable with.  She has also been able to compare the 2 different profiles (Hubby is Casino rates, I have more cruises) to find us the best offers, which is easier than going back and forth myself on-line.

We are Canadian, so our Carnival agent is also able to convert the rate from USD to CDN for us, and we talk about flight options too.

[jimbo5544]

If there are any components of your plan that involve other travel tied to the trip, the answer is TA.  Forgetting about any perks, the knowledge a TA offers costs you nothing.

[bakersdozen12]

Travel agents are not necessary in my opinion. There’s nothing that they can do that you can’t do yourself. I prefer to do all the research so that I’m 100% informed. Then there’s no surprises due to relying on someone else that may not have communicated everything to you. Plus, you have complete control of your booking. 

[ugagal07]

I only book with a TA.  I price it out, meaning see who has the best OBC offering, through that website where they compete for your cruise business.  95% of the time, my guy offers the best.  He's with an agency, so if he's busy, I can always get someone else.  Never had any problems with price drops, room changes, etc.  Cruising on the Miracle next month, $125 OBC.  Oasis with Royal in March, $150 OBC.  Breakaway with NCL next year, $400 OBC.  I see that as partially pre-paying my gratuities, free money.   I know some who pay a booking fee with a TA, that's crazy, I'd never do that. 

[teknoge3k]

I know some people love their TAs but they're not for me. I'd never use one. I know how to use the Internet just fine. Plus I want full control over everything and planning my vacation is half of the fun. 

[joepeka]

If you're a bit of a control freak and have the time/inclination to do your own research and stay on top of the little details, then book yourself directly. If you're less inclined in that direction, then use a TA - a good one I might add. We've done both TA and direct booking and find advantages to both depending on our situation at the time.

[jeff92k7]

We have never used a TA due to the limitations placed on those bookings (all changes have to be made through your TA and you cannot even call Carnival yourself about your own booking).  We have booked online for some cruises and used a Carnival PVP (personal vacation planner) for other cruises.
 
The benefits of using a Carnival PVP are that they can usually make arrangements that you cannot do online.  For example: some specific cabins usually cannot be booked online (certain suites, connecting cabins, etc).  Online cabin selection is also limited to some occupancy restrictions (i.e. it won't even show you a cabin that requires 4 people for booking if you selected only 2 people).  Additionally, online will only let you select from 10 cabins at a time on any deck and section, where a PVP can get you any available cabin.  Online bookings also require an adult (25 or older) in each cabin where a PVP can actually go by Carnival's printed policy where kids under 13 can be next door or across the hall, and kids 13-17 can be up to 3 doors away.
 
Pricing with a PVP is identical to the website, but it's nice having a Carnival employee that you can call when (if) issues come up on a booking that you made through them.  Bookings through a PVP can still be managed online as well, just like any online booking or booking made through the regular phone agents.

[dbrucern]

6 hours ago, dubroben22 said:

Hi All

I am considering booking May 2019 cruise to Panama canal from NYC.

This is my first time with carnival.

Should I book through Carnival.com or travel agent? (can travel agent get any extra perks. I do not have one yet)

 

Thx in advance

We always book through our Carnival PVP - if there is a discount before we cruise he always takes care of it so I don't have to fill out the form and send in.  He makes recommendations on rooms and they have been spot on.  He always calls before we leave and after we get back to see how things went. But most importantly he tells me about better deals and always emails and calls to let me know when final payment is do, that is especially helpful if you have a busy work life and things get forgotten about.

 

 

 

[Tyhunt]

We research the the cruises then use a Carnival PVP   they are a great help especially if you have a price drop. 

 

[riclop]

TA so you can get extra OBC.

[Sagittarius traveler]

I always use Carnival’s website but it might seem like a silly question do you still get your Sea day points if you book with another source?

[Sagittarius traveler]

4 hours ago, fyree39 said:

Absolutely.  You'll still need to complete your check-in process on the Carnival website even if you book through an agency and your sea days will update a few days after you return from your cruise.  

 

 

Thank you for answering I might do a TA if I book the 7 day cruises just for the extra perk hahaha. 

[mredandchis]

i call a Carnival booking agent.  He reserves the room and all.  Looks for discounts and Sends me an email with the data and all and if the price drops for any reason calls me to tell me he took the lower price for me. And he works for carnival so no charge.  

[Loritd]

We always use a travel agent. A small mom and pop shop in our home town. We don't get any extras from what the cruise lines gives us but she works for us not the cruise line. If a problem should come up she goes to bat for us. If I see a price drop I call her and she calls the cruise line. When we had to cancel a week out because my Dad took a turn for the worse one phone call to her and she took care of everything, filing the insurance claims, cancelling our airfare and pre-cruise hotel. Just make sure any travel agency you use doesn't charge for changes or cancellations you want to make in your bookings.