3rd party booking site

[zaylyn2590]

Hi. I tried to search to see but to no avail..

 

I've previously booked my last 3 cruises direct on the cruise line website. Is there any difference to booking direct vs booking with a reputable 3rd party site? I noticed that on some cruise lines, there is a price difference vs booking elsewhere.

[1025cruise]

A 3rd party site will be your travel agent. That means any changes/etc will need to go through them.

[klfrodo]

As with any 3rd party site, you are not the customer of the product you are reserving until you check in. This goes with hotels, airlines, rental cars, Air B&B's, cruises, etc.

Savings can be had; however, issues can be had also. I've watched people at airline counters, rental car counters, and hotel counters voice concern over what they "perceived" they were supposed to receive vs what the 3rd party site actually booked/reserved.

[Ashland]

Just now, klfrodo said:

As with any 3rd party site, you are not the customer of the product you are reserving until you check in. This goes with hotels, airlines, rental cars, Air B&B's, cruises, etc.

Savings can be had; however, issues can be had also. I've watched people at airline counters, rental car counters, and hotel counters voice concern over what they "perceived" they were supposed to receive vs what the 3rd party site actually booked/reserved.

Agree...I prefer booking everything directly...no 3rd party needed for us.

[mom says]

Just wanted to note that there is a difference between 3rd party booking sites and reputable travel agencies. I would never use a 3rd party site for all the reasons given, but my TA has been worth his weight in gold over the years for his advice and help when problems have arisen, not to mention the extra OBC that may come our way.

[capriccio]

15 hours ago, mom says said:

Just wanted to note that there is a difference between 3rd party booking sites and reputable travel agencies. I would never use a 3rd party site for all the reasons given, but my TA has been worth his weight in gold over the years for his advice and help when problems have arisen, not to mention the extra OBC that may come our way.

 

Similarly with our TA.  Princess, and maybe other lines, has agreements in place with TAs that they cannot advertise (website, print) a price lower than that advertised by Princess but if you call the company they can over a discount and/or additional OBC.  In our case, our TA routinely offers a discount between 7 and 12% over the cruise line price.