How do you book your cruises?

[Bridge Maven]

How do you book your cruises?

[CruisinManiac]

I voted "other". I book through a brick and mortar agent by email and sometimes by phone. She works for an online agency, but independently at home.

[cat616]

This is is my ONLY option due to agreements X have with the TAs in my country.

 

I would much prefer to book direct with X or through an online agency.

[tompeter]

I should have voted other but voted B&M. This is because for Cel. cruises I use B&M. However when booking HAL or Princess, I use online TA due to SIGNIFICANT discounting in price.

[denims]

(I voted other.)

 

I do all the "leg" work, checking the itinerary's; then I call the cruise line to check availibility and prices. After that I call my TA!

[Hflors]

I usually book directly with the cruise line and ususally onboard for the OBC. Then I hold my booking until just before final payment and find out what the ta will give me in obc if its good I'll move it over. I love those obc's !!!

[jodanuke]

Online with an independant travel agent or cruise site. Never been inside a travel agent or never booked with a cruise companies own site. Far cheaper to book independently online, especially if you leave it very late and dont mind what cabin you want.

Peter

[satchiesmom]

We book through a small brick and mortar TA, but they aren't really local, they are about 300 miles from us in the next state. My agent is the best and I wouldn't trade her for the world.

[contom]

Usually use Orbitz, Hotwire, etc. Their travel insurance is much better and usually less expensive than the cruise line.

[the_dylaness]

I book through the cheapest available online TA. I know what I want by the time I go to book a cruise so it's just a matter of who can put it through the cheapest. I don't book cruises I think I'll have to cancel so the cancellation fee is of minimal concern.

 

I've had pretty good luck so far- one minor mishap with dining scheduling but other than that it's all been pretty good. Not for the faint of heart or those who need some guidance but if you are looking for a specific product, going through anyway halfway large online retailer seems to work pretty good for me. And, I've saved probably well over a couple thousand in the process.

[smeyer418]

I book through email with a national TA who specializes in cruises only.

[Kansas]

We've booked directly through the cruise line and via an online agent. We really like our online TA. We'll use our TA whenever possible.

[kelmac]

I use an online (email only) large agency for anything RCI, Celebrity and Oceania. Always seems to have the best rates.(20+ bookings)

For anything Holland America, Cunard or Princess I use another large internet agency that just happens to have it's headquarters here in ABQ. Great rates and I can pick up docs here in town.(10+ bookings)

Both agencies have the best prices in their niche.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[atb]

We transferred to our credit card travel agency several years ago because of cash bonus. They do a great job for us, plus the credit card cash bonus. What's not to love :D

[smeyer418]

this has been up a couple of days and 155 people have voted. Its a small sample that may or may not be valid.

 

about 28% of the people who voted book direct(ultimately). About the same number who book direct on the phone and those who book directly and then transfer to a TA to get the perks( a practice which the cruise line could ban if it wanted to)...

the balance use TA's to some extent

 

so the use of TA's is about 3 to 1 vs non use.

 

so among experience cruisers(assuming of course that is what most CC people are). TA use is the norm not the exception.

 

lets see how long it takes some one to disagree with the above.

[Aquahound]

I'm a direct through the cruise line website person. I like to be in control of my own booking. I'm always watching for price drops, better rooms to come open, etc. I have nothing against T/A's. I just prefer to do things myself.

[ubdkjrb]

this has been up a couple of days and 155 people have voted. Its a small sample that may or may not be valid.

 

about 28% of the people who voted book direct(ultimately). About the same number who book direct on the phone and those who book directly and then transfer to a TA to get the perks( a practice which the cruise line could ban if it wanted to)...

the balance use TA's to some extent

 

so the use of TA's is about 3 to 1 vs non use.

 

so among experience cruisers(assuming of course that is what most CC people are). TA use is the norm not the exception.

 

lets see how long it takes some one to disagree with the above.

 

No dispute from me. Most of the posting TA's try to tell us that 90% still use TA's so two-thirds isn't bad. I only wish the survey would have also asked those that use TA's, what the driving reason was; price or other. I would guess if all answered honestly that 90% would say price.

[smeyer418]

No dispute from me. Most of the posting TA's try to tell us that 90% still use TA's so two-thirds isn't bad. I only wish the survey would have also asked those that use TA's, what the driving reason was; price or other. I would guess if all answered honestly that 90% would say price.

yep that is the number that the cruise lines use. This is a small sample so I wouldn't think it really translates to the real world...Its really a small percentage that books directly. I think the number of first time cruisers is more than 60% in any year so that the sample which uses experienced cruisers pretty much only(as most people on CC are) will not be a fair sample.

[Bridge Maven]

If you include the respondents that book their cruise directly through the cruise line and then transfer it to a travel agent, 40% of the participants in this poll book their cruise directly through the cruise line. This implies that less than 60% initially book it through a travel agent.

 

It seems that the main reasons why people use a travel agent in this day and age is to save money and to have an agent that they consider to be their advocate. I personally prefer to book our cruises directly with the cruise line to have better control of our reservation, but it appears that I am in the minority.

 

There was a time when it was typical for someone who was taking a vacation to spend a considerable amount of time with a travel agent to get advice about what vacation or cruise would be best for them. However, that does not seem to be the primary role of a travel agent for most people at this point in time.

 

Of course, this is a very small sample in a very unscientific setting, so it is very possible that a scientifically selected random sample of all cruisers might have very different results

[smeyer418]

If you include the respondents that book their cruise directly through the cruise line and then transfer it to a travel agent, 40% of the participants in this poll book their cruise directly through the cruise line. This implies that less than 60% initially book it through a travel agent.

 

 

 

LOL I am not surprised you view it this way. It implies that about 73% book with a TA on cruise critic of the people who responded to your poll. Including 13% of whom make the initial booking directly and then transfer it to a TA. That is a more precise way of saying it.

 

But its not scientific and you can look at it anyway you want.

 

The internet makes much more information available and allows people to do things directly that they couldn't in the past. Sometimes its a good thing. I do think that the TA's since the hold a significant amount of power(of the purse), do temper what the cruise lines may otherwise do. The airlines did away with the TA's and no one can accuse the airlines of being consumer friendly.

[Bridge Maven]

LOL I am not surprised you view it this way. It implies that about 73% book with a TA on cruise critic of the people who responded to your poll. Including 13% of whom make the initial booking directly and then transfer it to a TA. That is a more precise way of saying it.

 

But its not scientific and you can look at it anyway you want.

 

The internet makes much more information available and allows people to do things directly that they couldn't in the past. Sometimes its a good thing. I do think that the TA's since the hold a significant amount of power(of the purse), do temper what the cruise lines may otherwise do. The airlines did away with the TA's and no one can accuse the airlines of being consumer friendly.

 

I agree with you that it also implies that after the initial booking of the reservation 73% wound up having a travel agent. However, the group that booked directly through the cruise line and then subsequently transferred their booking to a travel agent did not use that travel agent for the traditional travel agent's role of getting advice on which vacation option was best for them. That is why I think that even though most people eventually wind up with a travel agent, their reasons for using them are different now than they would have been at one time.

[Karynanne]

We've booked our cruises through various methods. I usually find a the cruise through Celebrity's site, and put a "Courtesy Hold" on a cabin, and then called my TA and transfer it over to them. On some specific cruises, the TA sometimes has other cabins held which are better suited for us. But I always use this TA. They have always given us great service. Most of our cruising friends use this TA also, so they know our cruising needs well in advance.

[bqkali]

I've booked 3 cruises, all of which were through TAs. That being said, I have absolutely NO LOYALTY to a specific travel agent since I do all of the research ahead of time and know exactly what I want when I call to book. My travel agent only has to fill out the paperwork and process payment correctly. By the time I book, I have a cruise line, ship, itinerary, and date all picked out - along with a room number, dinner time, and preferred table size. Airfare, transfers, and pre/post-cruise hotels are all booked separately on my own. I contact about a dozen agents (either by doing mock bookings on their website or calling them) and see who gives me the best price/incentives and that's how I choose who to book with. Three separate cruises and three separate agencies...the first of which I will never book with again, the second I was pleased with, and the third who has done a good job so far :)

 

Really, it would be easier for me to type it all in online direct with the cruiseline but instead I sit on the phone and verbally answer their questions to get a better price. My experience has been that I save money by booking through a TA - the first two cruises offered onboard credit (that were NOT offered if I booked directly through the cruiseline) and the most recent cruise was $100 per person cheaper than shown on the Princess website.

[ubdkjrb]

I've booked 3 cruises, all of which were through TAs. That being said, I have absolutely NO LOYALTY to a specific travel agent since I do all of the research ahead of time and know exactly what I want when I call to book. My travel agent only has to fill out the paperwork and process payment correctly. By the time I book, I have a cruise line, ship, itinerary, and date all picked out - along with a room number, dinner time, and preferred table size. Airfare, transfers, and pre/post-cruise hotels are all booked separately on my own. I contact about a dozen agents (either by doing mock bookings on their website or calling them) and see who gives me the best price/incentives and that's how I choose who to book with. Three separate cruises and three separate agencies...the first of which I will never book with again, the second I was pleased with, and the third who has done a good job so far :)

 

Really, it would be easier for me to type it all in online direct with the cruiseline but instead I sit on the phone and verbally answer their questions to get a better price. My experience has been that I save money by booking through a TA - the first two cruises offered onboard credit (that were NOT offered if I booked directly through the cruiseline) and the most recent cruise was $100 per person cheaper than shown on the Princess website.

 

What you do is what I would guess most do that book thru a TA and that is why I say most today use a TA because of price. If the TA's didn't have the commission to split with the customer, most would book thru the cruiseline because the TA's would have to start charging to book cruises and they would be at a price disadvantage. Most people are bottom line; if one is cheaper than the other, they will book the cheapest. The service elements of using a travel agency are gravvy, price is the meat and potatoes.

 

You take commissions away and these poll numbers will shift dramatically. Yes, yes, I know; if you eliminate commissions half the people won't cruise anymore!!! Yeah, right. Just like half the people stopped using airplanes.

[Bridge Maven]

The airlines did away with the TA's and no one can accuse the airlines of being consumer friendly.

 

The downgrading of airline service over the years has nothing to do with travel agents. During the fifties and sixties, before the airlines were deregulated, air travel was a lot more expensive than it is today and a relatively small percentage of the population could afford to fly. In addition, those who could expected and received excellent service, as well as a comfortable flight ambiance. Then after the airlines were deregulated in the seventies competition for similar routes created price wars and airline prices continued to decrease steadily for the following three decades, and so did the overall flying experience.

 

The first time I flew from JFK to Europe was before the airlines were deregulated and even in coach we had access to an upper level lounge to relax and received amazing service and pampering from the flight attendants. On my most recent flight to Europe, which was last year, we were in the class above coach and had abysmal service.