Book direct or through travel agent?

[brillohead]

14 hours ago, Ret MP said:

My take from this discussion, ask the TA, large, small, or big box, if an urgent situation arises at 2:00 AM on a Sunday morning, will he/she or someone from the TA answer the phone.

I'm trying to imagine a scenario that would necessitate calling anyone at 2am on any day, let alone a Sunday.  Other than Air2Sea, Royal's customer service isn't open 24/7, so calling your TA at 2am is pretty pointless, since they won't be able to contact anyone at Royal at that hour anyway??

 

 

With that being said, my TA (who is affiliated with a large organization with group rates) is able to be contacted pretty much 24/7.... although I wouldn't bother with calling him in the middle of the night as there would be no reason to do so.  I just send him an email and I get a response back, usually before 6am, which is plenty early for me.
 

[Morecruisesplz]

On 9/27/2022 at 10:54 AM, moposh said:

I book direct.  I use my RCI cc and get points and then if I want to use my points towards the cruise.  I like being able to have control over my reservation.  I don't really know what the advantage is of having a TA book it.  

 

We were going to do a Celebrity Cruise through AAA and booked through AAA.  I don't really think there was any advantage though.  Cruise was cancelled as it was 2020.

Using the wrong TA.

[Tree_skier]

15 hours ago, brillohead said:

although I wouldn't bother with calling him in the middle of the night as there would be no reason to do so.

Maybe we should try and see what happens 😝

[Ret MP]

16 hours ago, brillohead said:

I'm trying to imagine a scenario that would necessitate calling anyone at 2am on any day, let alone a Sunday.  Other than Air2Sea, Royal's customer service isn't open 24/7, so calling your TA at 2am is pretty pointless, since they won't be able to contact anyone at Royal at that hour anyway??

 

 

With that being said, my TA (who is affiliated with a large organization with group rates) is able to be contacted pretty much 24/7.... although I wouldn't bother with calling him in the middle of the night as there would be no reason to do so.  I just send him an email and I get a response back, usually before 6am, which is plenty early for me.
 

I think you are focused on the actual cruise reservation.  I'm sure there are many situations in the middle of the night that a little help would be deeply appreciated.  Off the top of my head, you arrive at your hotel, the one the night before your cruise, at say 1:00 AM, go to check in and the desk clerk says that he/she doesn't have your reservation that was booked through your TA and the hotel is completely booked.  Your car rental is all screwed up.  And on and on.

[retird]

On 9/27/2022 at 1:03 AM, Stealthdog said:

We always booked through a TA for 2 important reasons:

 

1) we get additional goodies from the TA in addition to whatever promotions the cruise has.  Sometimes its a bottle of wine, chocolate strawberries, additional OBC.  

 

2) If we encounter any problems or issues with the cruise, the TA deals with it.  Sometimes its hours of calls with the cruise line to address or fix things.  I'm happy with the TA getting his/her commission (the cruise price is still the same whether you book through a TA or direct), knowing that he/she spends the hours on hold or talking to customer service to resolve any issues we may have.  

 

Ive had the opposite experience, but I’ve been told that U.S. travel agents are more generous with goodies than Canadian TAs.    When i first started cruising i tried twice to us a TA. On both occasions i had researched available cabins but both TAs said the cabins were not available.   Later found out that they were available , just not in that TAs inventory and the wanted to sell their inventory before offering me my choice.    Since then I have always booked direct with cruise line consultant….  Have nit had any problem getting in touch for-any changes.   This is just myexperience

[Morecruisesplz]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

I think you are focused on the actual cruise reservation.  I'm sure there are many situations in the middle of the night that a little help would be deeply appreciated.  Off the top of my head, you arrive at your hotel, the one the night before your cruise, at say 1:00 AM, go to check in and the desk clerk says that he/she doesn't have your reservation that was booked through your TA and the hotel is completely booked.  Your car rental is all screwed up.  And on and on.

You are better off using a cruise only TA. There is no money in hotels or air, so do thar yourself. Stuff does with hotels but if your reservation is missing they will find you a room nearby.

[Morecruisesplz]

52 minutes ago, retird said:

Ive had the opposite experience, but I’ve been told that U.S. travel agents are more generous with goodies than Canadian TAs.    When i first started cruising i tried twice to us a TA. On both occasions i had researched available cabins but both TAs said the cabins were not available.   Later found out that they were available , just not in that TAs inventory and the wanted to sell their inventory before offering me my choice.    Since then I have always booked direct with cruise line consultant….  Have nit had any problem getting in touch for-any changes.   This is just myexperience

The TAs group rates are always less.

[brillohead]

2 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I think you are focused on the actual cruise reservation.  I'm sure there are many situations in the middle of the night that a little help would be deeply appreciated.  Off the top of my head, you arrive at your hotel, the one the night before your cruise, at say 1:00 AM, go to check in and the desk clerk says that he/she doesn't have your reservation that was booked through your TA and the hotel is completely booked.  Your car rental is all screwed up.  And on and on.

Well, this is a cruise forum, and people are talking about using a TA to book a cruise to get lower cruise fares and OBC on their cruise, so yeah... I'm thinking of the cruise reservation. 

I don't have my TA book my lodging or airfare -- it's simpler and just as cheap to do it myself.  

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, retird said:

Ive had the opposite experience, but I’ve been told that U.S. travel agents are more generous with goodies than Canadian TAs.  

I'm in the USA, but my TA is in Canada.  My previous TA was in the USA, but I get better service and better rates with my current Canadian TA. 

[Ret MP]

13 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I don't have my TA book my lodging or airfare -- it's simpler and just as cheap to do it myself.  

So, nobody else does?  Yes this is a cruise forum that we talk about cruise fares, TAs and ancillary items TAs provide. Many folks book many ancillary items along with their cruise booking.  Many consider their TAs as their own concierge.  I don't think it beyond the scope of the discussion to discuss all aspects of TAs services and capabilities.  Sorry, I didn't realize we had to put blinders on in this discussion.  YMMV, of course.

 

So, there is some possible needs to call a TA (that you booked your cruise with) in the middle of the night, even at 2:00 AM on a Sunday morning.  

[time4u2go]

1 hour ago, brillohead said:

Well, this is a cruise forum, and people are talking about using a TA to book a cruise to get lower cruise fares and OBC on their cruise, so yeah... I'm thinking of the cruise reservation. 

I don't have my TA book my lodging or airfare -- it's simpler and just as cheap to do it myself.  

Agreed. My TA provides no benefit from booking lodging or airfare with them. But they most definitely give me significant benefits from booking cruises with them! 

[brillohead]

1 hour ago, Ret MP said:

So, there is some possible needs to call a TA (that you booked your cruise with) in the middle of the night, even at 2:00 AM on a Sunday morning.  

I volunteer with a consumer advocacy group, and in the vast majority of times when there's a problem with a hotel reservation/booking or a flight, the person booked through some sort of third party, which added a whole new level of complications when it comes to getting refunds processed.  So that's one reason to book those direct.  (With a cruise booking, the actual payment is processed directly by Royal, so the refund comes directly to me without being routed through a third party.)

Since hotels and flights aren't paying travel agent commissions like they used to, I would expect a TA to charge me to process those things. So not having to pay a fee is a second reason to book those myself.

And I also like to pick-and-choose where I stay and which flights I take, factoring in both convenience (location of hotel, connecting airport/layover time/flight departure and arrival times) and money.  By the time I worked up an algorithm to give the TA to follow, I could have just booked the whole thing myself.  So that's a third reason I book those myself.

But yes, TAs CAN do more than just book cruises.... but for the scope of this particular thread, the booking of cruises and the reasons why people choose to use a TA were all that I was thinking of.

[Ret MP]

58 minutes ago, brillohead said:

I volunteer with a consumer advocacy group, and in the vast majority of times when there's a problem with a hotel reservation/booking or a flight, the person booked through some sort of third party, which added a whole new level of complications when it comes to getting refunds processed.  So that's one reason to book those direct.  (With a cruise booking, the actual payment is processed directly by Royal, so the refund comes directly to me without being routed through a third party.)

Since hotels and flights aren't paying travel agent commissions like they used to, I would expect a TA to charge me to process those things. So not having to pay a fee is a second reason to book those myself.

And I also like to pick-and-choose where I stay and which flights I take, factoring in both convenience (location of hotel, connecting airport/layover time/flight departure and arrival times) and money.  By the time I worked up an algorithm to give the TA to follow, I could have just booked the whole thing myself.  So that's a third reason I book those myself.

But yes, TAs CAN do more than just book cruises.... but for the scope of this particular thread, the booking of cruises and the reasons why people choose to use a TA were all that I was thinking of.

This is just too rich........... I can't......  Never mind.  

[Stealthdog]

4 hours ago, retird said:

Ive had the opposite experience, but I’ve been told that U.S. travel agents are more generous with goodies than Canadian TAs.    When i first started cruising i tried twice to us a TA. On both occasions i had researched available cabins but both TAs said the cabins were not available.   Later found out that they were available , just not in that TAs inventory and the wanted to sell their inventory before offering me my choice.    Since then I have always booked direct with cruise line consultant….  Have nit had any problem getting in touch for-any changes.   This is just myexperience

 

Im not sure what you mean by the "TAs inventory".  Sometimes rooms can be placed on hold, but only for a couple of days. Unless its a full or partial charter with a group, and that group manages rooms reserved for the charter, Im not aware of various travel agencies owning rooms like that.  You have ruined my stereotype view of Canadians - if US TAs are more pleasant than Canadians, my world view is thrown upside down.

Edited September 30, 2022 by Stealthdog

[mpdog42]

On 9/27/2022 at 7:30 AM, Ret MP said:

I believe this cruise social media forum is the largest, excluding Facebook (which I left about a year and a half ago).  I don't agree with some of the moderation in here, just like I didn't agree with the moderation in another social media site/forum and recently left, it was totally one sided.   In here, I've already been given a "REMINDER" for an opinion I gave and a few threads have been either locked or deleted.  So, you/I kinda have got to go with the flow and navigate around the moderation Bots or individuals. 

Your preaching to the Choir!!

[ReneeFLL]

8 hours ago, Tree_skier said:

Maybe we should try and see what happens 😝

Reading this I don’t think he will answer the phone now. 🤣

[ReneeFLL]

6 hours ago, Ret MP said:

I think you are focused on the actual cruise reservation.  I'm sure there are many situations in the middle of the night that a little help would be deeply appreciated.  Off the top of my head, you arrive at your hotel, the one the night before your cruise, at say 1:00 AM, go to check in and the desk clerk says that he/she doesn't have your reservation that was booked through your TA and the hotel is completely booked.  Your car rental is all screwed up.  And on and on.

If you knew who this TA is you would think differently. 
 

Edited September 30, 2022 by ReneeFLL

[Ret MP]

8 hours ago, ReneeFLL said:

If you knew who this TA is you would think differently. 
 

Sorry, I'm not following/not sure what you're saying.  

[Ret MP]

13 hours ago, fredmdcruisers said:

You are better off using a cruise only TA. There is no money in hotels or air, so do thar yourself. Stuff does with hotels but if your reservation is missing they will find you a room nearby.

I do only use a TA for cruising (the OBCs).  Almost every cruise I've booked, exception for about, maybe 3 have been with a big box TA.  Why, because we, with the exception of one cruise (out of Seattle, never again), drive to the port and we only book one night in a hotel and I know exactly (geographically) where I want to go to and my wife loves to do the hotel shopping.  If we cruise out of Canaveral, we drive in that day.  If we go to Galveston, we stay with our cruising friends in Seguin, TX., and drive in from there.

 

Also, being retired from the Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport AND Port Everglades, my second retirement, believe me, I've heard the horror stories both where TAs helped and where they didn't.  

 

This discussion about ancillary services TAs can provide is based upon decades of being in these social media sites and from being heavily involved in a traveling family, friends and military.  I'm fully aware of the hotel industry almost destroying the TA industry, it's a damn shame.  The TA industry had to make a lot of business model changes, that's for sure and some didn't survive.  Hence, the growth in the big box cruise focused TAs.  

 

So, the bottom line for me, and my comments aren't really directed towards you or any one person, use a TA or don't, use a TA for all your traveling needs or don't, it's a wonderful thing to have options, choices and the ability to freely make your own decisions on just about everything/anything, TAs included.  I'm not discussing/advocating for or against TAs.  It's just nice to be informed.

[3kidsncats]

2 hours ago, dada2199cc said:

 

CC was bought by Tr_p Adv_s_r in 2007 who were then bought by Exp_di_ and then they split up again into two companies.  

 

There's a massive amount of bias in that relationship which is why I go out of my way to run adblockers and NEVER click any pricing links out of here.

 

A lot of cruisers who aren't the snarky "know it alls" have moved to other platforms for good reason.

That makes a lot of sense.  I’ve been here, on and off, for quite a few years and the overall change has become quite noticeable.  I’ve never paid any attention to the booking part of the site, and certainly don’t plan on starting.  Especially after finding out the ownership history.  I’m not a fan of the particular travel brokers you mentioned.  I do miss the great roll calls though.  Of course, there are other venues for engagement but it’s just not the same.

[FamilyCruiserUK]

Totally down to where you are. We are uk so get bugger all free stuff from TAs, when ever we want to check or change anything royal tell us to go through our TA. If you have a good TA then great, sadly the last one we used was average. I would say make sure you use a good cruise specialist TA, there are some out there really on the ball. For any unbooked future cruises we will go direct to royal.

 

[Morecruisesplz]

14 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Im not sure what you mean by the "TAs inventory".  Sometimes rooms can be placed on hold, but only for a couple of days. Unless its a full or partial charter with a group, and that group manages rooms reserved for the charter, Im not aware of various travel agencies owning rooms like that.  You have ruined my stereotype view of Canadians - if US TAs are more pleasant than Canadians, my world view is thrown upside down.

TAs do hold/own blocks of cabins up until final payment. We have often cruised as part of a TAs group benefiting from the reduced rates and some freebies, but not actually being involved with or in the activities of the group.

 

Unsold cabins are returned to the cruise line at final payment. That is one reason you see groups of cabins become available after final payment date. 

[belle331]

On 9/27/2022 at 9:17 AM, Stealthdog said:

 

In the US it appears they did change the policy of getting OBC if the price drops after final payment.  Now it seems they only offer upgrades if the price of a higher category is the same as what you paid (per my TA and his attempt to get me OBC with price drop after final payment).

I booked directly online with Royal Caribbean. It was for a cruise the end of November and I booked it the beginning of September. Will never do that again. I had to pay in full which was fine but 5 days later the price was over $500 less for the 3 of us. Contacted RC and after over an hour on the phone they said “sorry your booking was more than 48 hours ago so there is nothing we can do.” Next time I’m cruising with Carnival. They have a much more lenient policy. You can’t get money back but they give you onboard credit for the price difference. Disappointed in Royal. Their customer service and we want to make you happy attitude use to be great. Anymore, not so much. Plus I absolutely hate that if you send an email they just flat out ignore it. Not even a we are sorry response when contacting their customer service.

[Ret MP]

2 hours ago, belle331 said:

I booked directly online with Royal Caribbean. It was for a cruise the end of November and I booked it the beginning of September. Will never do that again. I had to pay in full which was fine but 5 days later the price was over $500 less for the 3 of us. Contacted RC and after over an hour on the phone they said “sorry your booking was more than 48 hours ago so there is nothing we can do.” Next time I’m cruising with Carnival. They have a much more lenient policy. You can’t get money back but they give you onboard credit for the price difference. Disappointed in Royal. Their customer service and we want to make you happy attitude use to be great. Anymore, not so much. Plus I absolutely hate that if you send an email they just flat out ignore it. Not even a we are sorry response when contacting their customer service.

https://www.carnival.com/content/lowest-price-guarantee

 

YOU’RE GETTING THE LOWEST PRICE POSSIBLE… 110% GUARANTEED!

If you find a better Carnival-advertised deal within two days of booking your cruise… well, we’re going to be very surprised. And then we’ll give you 110% of the difference in onboard credit! You can be confident that our prices are the lowest, so you can get on to more important things... like counting down the days until you sail!

Just remember this:

 

• You have 48 hours from the time you book to find a lower price.
• Carnival will give you 110% of the difference in onboard credit.
• Lowest Price Guarantee only applies to publicly available rates.

Edited IN:  Yes, there is the "Early Saver Protection".  But, some "ifs, ands, or buts.  

Edited September 30, 2022 by Ret MP

[retird]

20 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 

Im not sure what you mean by the "TAs inventory".  Sometimes rooms can be placed on hold, but only for a couple of days. Unless its a full or partial charter with a group, and that group manages rooms reserved for the charter, Im not aware of various travel agencies owning rooms like that.  You have ruined my stereotype view of Canadians - if US TAs are more pleasant than Canadians, my world view is thrown upside down.

The Canadian TAs i contacted had a number of cabins they said pre purchased for their prospective customers and they sell those first.  If not solD by a specific date before the cruise date , they are returned to the cruise line inventory of available cabins.    Actually ive had several Travel agents tell me the same thing.   So if it is not true, then i was just misinformed.