Travel agent or book your own?

[joeinsb]

Although we have 22 cruises under our belt(s), we're babes in the woods when it comes to booking cruises. Mostly, we just call the line, ask for a specific cabin (very important to us), then pay the bill. But we're always hearing about the great deal someone or other got on a cabin we paid a lot of money for. Or we're told that some travel agent gave a client a nice gift,shipboard credit, etc.

 

So how do we do it? Get the cabin we want at a good price. With something thrown in to sweeten the deal (for us)?

 

One more thing: how do people get themselves booked on a maiden voyage, or on one of the first after a ship comes into service? We got lucky only once when Radiance of the Seas did a three-day sampler just after she arrived in Miami from her European builder.

[Cuizer2]

Get a quote from the cruise line. Then check out the travel sites (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity ...). Then check out a few of the on line travel agencies. If you have a TA near you that you trust, contact him/her. Then make the best deal you can.

 

As for a maiden voyage, though I have not been on one, I have been invited to two. You receive these invites if you are a member of the cruise line club (Crown & Anchor for Royal Caribbean - Carnival Vacation Club for Carnival ...). Or, if you know a travel agent that does a lot of business with the cruise line, contact that travel agent.

[jcanino]

Mostly, we just call the line, ask for a specific cabin (very important to us), then pay the bill.

 

The same way that you call the cruise line and request a specific cabin, you call the TA and do the same thing. If you shop the agencies and talk to and price it with several to find out their prices, you may get shut out of your cabin. Reason being is that once a TA prices it for you, they may put your cabin on a courtesy hold which take it out of inventory and the others can no longer see that cabin availalbe.

[Keith1010]

If you want to get a TA then I would recommend that you talk to people that you have cruised with to see if they have recommendations rather than just using some general internet company.

 

Then when you ask them to price a cruise, I would give them a priority list of cabins that you are interested in so that they know what your cabin preference is.

 

There are magazines (Cruise Travel) that have an article once a year that lists all of the new ships projects for the next few years and Books such as Berlitz Ocean Cruising that do likewise. Use this to make a list of new ships and then you can see when they start taking bookings for their maiden voyages. Two things about maiden voyages. First, is that when you book a maiden voyage be prepared because sometimes the cruise ship is not ready in the projected time frames and the maiden voyage gets canceled. Second, many times on the maiden voyage everything is not up to par so be flexible as you likely will encounter problems as they work the kinks out of the ship.

 

Keith

[melika091900]

i would agree about the online websites

much cheaper..

we were on the star 1/28 and we had a balcony room , it was 2100 total for 2 people on orbitz. , on NCL website it was 2600 ,,, for the same room, same deck etc.... thats a good difference , so we used orbitz of course ..

 

when im ready to book it , i check all the websites and compare, some give upgrades ,,, or free DVD rentals for 1 year, or ship credit,,, its best to look at all of them and then book it...

we just used expedia and we got the free dvd rentals..

and on orbitz we got ship credit before when we used them , weve had great experiences with both compaines...

 

melissa

[cruisamania]

I found that when on the ship I got the best deal and then came home and checked with a TA to see if it was better to transfer the booking over to them (but you have to be in control of your booking on the ship

when holding it, found that out the hard way). Sometimes they had a

group or blocked space and I was able to transfer my booking and keep

my shipboard credit.

 

Our agent at discountcruisedeals.com was great for us, but there are

alot of places out there so "shop around".........you would be surprised

at who offers what.

 

Most important to us and probably everyone else is service besides the

price. Now I am talking about common questions, nothing to drive a agent crazy..................most of the info we find on the boards most of

the time or direct with the cruise line we are going on.

 

Cruising is what we love to do!!!! Found out so far unless they are having a special somewhere, it was the best value for our money to date.