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Best way to book?


LadyLac0410
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Hi all, I am looking to book my family's first real vacation (other than a long weekend to the city, we haven't really gone anywhere together yet), and we are really excited to cruise. DH, DD (10), and I have decided we want to cruise on RCI's Anthem of the Seas leaving Bayonne in July 2017. my first thought was to just go onto RCI's website and book the cruise through them, but I have noticed several posts mentioning travel agents. is this a better way to go? I assume travel agents charge a fee, so isn't this more expensive? Are there perks to using a TA as opposed to booking direct with RCI? I have never really travelled, and have no idea how this all works. I appreciate any help you can offer!:)

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Hi all, I am looking to book my family's first real vacation (other than a long weekend to the city, we haven't really gone anywhere together yet), and we are really excited to cruise. DH, DD (10), and I have decided we want to cruise on RCI's Anthem of the Seas leaving Bayonne in July 2017. my first thought was to just go onto RCI's website and book the cruise through them, but I have noticed several posts mentioning travel agents. is this a better way to go? I assume travel agents charge a fee, so isn't this more expensive? Are there perks to using a TA as opposed to booking direct with RCI? I have never really travelled, and have no idea how this all works. I appreciate any help you can offer!:)

 

Travel agents income comes from the companies they book you with. If an agent requires a fee to book for you, you should walk out the door. You can find brick and mortar TA's as well as many online. We cannot mention names on CC. Search on line or ask friends who they use. Not all travel agents are as conversant as others with cruising. Some agents will offer a variety of perks for booking through them so you can ask about that. Mine gives OBC which I can use on the cruise or can be refunded if unused.

Travel is fun and planning for travel while time consuming at times can also be part of the fun. Use these boards as one source to determine where and when you might want to travel. When you contact an agent it helps to have some idea of what you are willing to spend, where you would like to travel, how long a trip you are interested in and roughly when you desire to go.

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I know many people use TA, and I use to do also, but now, I just book online. I have even called the cruise line and talked with a cruise consultant that has helped me---especially on our last cruise when other cabins were booked for family members and linking our dinner times, etc. I do not believe a TA charges a fee. The nice thing about a TA is that they often throw in some perks, like a bottle of wine or cheese platter in your cabin.

 

 

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If you use a travel agent, make sure it's one who knows a lot about cruises, not just a travel agent who occasionally books cruises. Look for CLIA certification or specific cruise line designations (in the OP's case, a Royal Caribbean Cruise Specialist).

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We are not allowed to mention the travel agencies we use.

But I will tell you that we use a large travel agency -- they do not charge any fees for booking or canceling cruises.

There are some smaller TA's that do charge cancellation fees and this is a question you need to ask before you make a deposit.

You really need to go and talk with a TA and ask questions.

We prefer a TA because of the extra perks we get from her. She knows what we like. We also like the fact that we can go and see her or call her whenever we have a problem (also can e-mail her and we are fortunate that since we have used her for over 25 years, we can call her at home if a real major problem comes up).

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There is a service on the internet that lets different TA's compete for your business on the cruise you want to book, we just saved about $ 2000 on a 22 day river cruise compared to a quote from Viking for a suite. Google it you'll find the site.

 

 

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