New Soon to be Cruiser...questions to ask TA

[oraki]

Hello Cruise Critic!!!

 

Me and DH are soon to be new cruisers and I love this website! :D I've learned so much here and have had a lot of my questions answered. I've been going back and forth trying to decide if I should book directly through Carnival or use a travel agent. Well I've been in contact via email with an agent that works for a local travel agency in town. She sounds very experienced and has always been quick to answer my questions. I've decided to meet with her over the weekend and I wanted to know what type of questions should I ask her? I've been searching the boards and I've figured out I should ask her about any cancellation or booking fees and also if payment is made to the travel agency or directly to Carnival. I know I could book directly with Carnival but I'm pretty nervous about this....this will be me and DH first official vacation! :D I might need a little hand holding. LOL

 

What other questions should I ask? Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated!

[MiamiSpartan]

We have booked using many different methods: Dealing with the cruiselines directly, dealing with discount cruise sites, and dealing with travel agents...

I will tell you that dealing with the agent was very convenient, and he did add a few extra touches (bottle of wine waiting for us in the room, etc), and it does give a group a single person to deal with when everyone is booking seperately....

But we have never really had an issue dealing with the cruiseline, either.....

[oraki]

Thanks so much for the information. It will be helpful when I sit down to talk with the travel agent.

 

I did proofread my post before hitting submit but I guess I didn't proofread it well enough. Wow! Back to lurking now....

[JustUs275]

OP: We just booked our first cruise too...I spent many day/hours lurking, reading and researching before finally booking! I finally ended up booking directly through the cruiseline, and booking our pre-cruise hotel through Priceline. There is so much helpful information available, which is really helpful since the first-time process is bit overwhelming - at least it is to me. Love it though! Good luck with your booking and I hope you have a wonderful cruise! :)

[Jimnbigd]

I always ask my TA, "Is the deposit fully refundable if I cancel before the final payment date?" And I always want a "yes" answer. Carnival does have a non-refundable rate, lower of course than the refundable rate. But I want my options.

[anxiousforvacation]

Our first cruise was with a land TA. We knew nothing and did no research. We booked everything through the TA. They held our hand the entire time and sat down and went through all our cruise options. After sitting down and getting to know us they recommended a cruise line and cabin selection. We also booked the airline in connection with the cruise and insurance directly with the TA.

 

Our flight ended up being delayed so we were so glad we went with the cruise flight. They held the ship for us and several others on that flight. Our cabin selection was superb with a beutiful balcony room in an excellant location. We did no price comparison, but it was within our budget so we took the trip. We had no worries.

 

This time we booked online with TA, interior cabin, 2nd floor. We've had some issue with this booking that caused concern, but we hope they have been cleared. This time we are taking 11 day cruise for about 1/3 the cost of our previous 7 day cruise.

 

I don't regret going with the Land TA on our first cruise. It was a worry free transaction and would definately recommend it for your first cruise. It never hurts to investigate the prices online before talking to your land agent. This will give you some Idea of what prices you should expect.

[Shak]

The first thing I do is to research both the company and agent. Since it is a local company you should know some history to them. Check BBB regardless. As far as the agent I want to know how long they have been in the business and see if they and the company are members of CLIA. CLIA agents are specially trained cruise consultants.

 

CLIA has a web site you may find informative in planning your cruise including FAQ. http://www.cruising.org/vacation/welcome

 

This link will give you CLIA members in your area.

http://www.cruising.org/vacation/agencyfinder?&zip[search_distance]=5

 

I would also ask if there are any fees for early cancellation or fare adjustments in case pricing goes down. Speaking of that don't rely on your agent to check pricing. Do it yourself and report and reductions immediately to them.

 

They should also be helpful in choosing a ship, itinerary, and cabin location. Do your homework too and research on these boards cruises you are interested in.

 

Shak

[travelntreats]

i believe that in order for you to really know the best cruise, you should try out all possible cruise before you decide which cruise is better. yet every other cruise is unique and offers different experience.

The OP is more concerned with working with a TA than what cruise to select I believe.

[travelntreats]

I always ask my TA, "Is the deposit fully refundable if I cancel before the final payment date?" And I always want a "yes" answer. Carnival does have a non-refundable rate, lower of course than the refundable rate. But I want my options.

FYI....And there is always the option with the Early Saver Rates to only lose $50.00 per person and the remaining deposit can be used towards a cruise up to 1 year later, so in reality you are really NOT losing your entire deposit to get those lower rates. ;)

[Cuizer2]

Hello Cruise Critic!!!

 

Me and DH are soon to be new cruisers and I love this website! :D I've learned so much here and have had a lot of my questions answered. I've been going back and forth trying to decide if I should book directly through Carnival or use a travel agent. Well I've been in contact via email with an agent that works for a local travel agency in town. She sounds very experienced and has always been quick to answer my questions. I've decided to meet with her over the weekend and I wanted to know what type of questions should I ask her? I've been searching the boards and I've figured out I should ask her about any cancellation or booking fees and also if payment is made to the travel agency or directly to Carnival. I know I could book directly with Carnival but I'm pretty nervous about this....this will be me and DH first official vacation! :D I might need a little hand holding. LOL

 

What other questions should I ask? Any thoughts or comments would be greatly appreciated!

 

Ask the TA about his/her qualifications. How many cruises has (s)he taken. Has (s)he actually been on the ship you are interested in? What professional organizations does (s)he belong to? CLIA is one example of a professional organization that a cruise travel agent should be a member of. If the TA tries to steer you toward a particular cruise line, ask why. Then check his/her answers here. Some are providing good advise. Others just want to get you to the cruise line that offers the biggest commission.

 

Interview more than one agent.

 

By the way, I would not book directly with the cruise line unless you know what you are doing. First of all they will only provide information on their own line, even if another would be a better fit for you. Second, the people that work in reservations sometimes don't know their own product and may have no experience cruising themselves. Often these people give out bad or wrong advise. I use a travel agent and I've been on fourteen cruises on four different lines.

[sealady1]

The first thing I do is to research both the company and agent. Since it is a local company you should know some history to them. Check BBB regardless. As far as the agent I want to know how long they have been in the business and see if they and the company are members of CLIA. CLIA agents are specially trained cruise consultants.

 

CLIA has a web site you may find informative in planning your cruise including FAQ. http://www.cruising.org/vacation/welcome

 

This link will give you CLIA members in your area.

http://www.cruising.org/vacation/agencyfinder?&zip[search_distance]=5

 

I would also ask if there are any fees for early cancellation or fare adjustments in case pricing goes down. Speaking of that don't rely on your agent to check pricing. Do it yourself and report and reductions immediately to them.

 

They should also be helpful in choosing a ship, itinerary, and cabin location. Do your homework too and research on these boards cruises you are interested in.

 

Shak

At first, my husband and I booked our cruise directly through the cruise line. Then after reading a couple of cruise books that advised you to book through a TA, I looked online for one in my area. The agency I chose had several cruise specialists. The consultant to whom we were assigned was very knowledgeable, having been on more than 60 cruises herself. She helped us through the process of cancelling our initial booking and then rebooking through the agency. She got us a better deal and onboard credit as well. Since then, we have had the pleasure to deal with a couple of other consultants from this agency (while our consultant is on a LOA) who have helped us with questions and concerns that came up. We couldn't be more pleased with the level of service we have received to date. In fact, just before we made our final payment, we were informed that there had been a fare decrease and our final balance had been adjusted. I wish I could mention the name of this agency but since I cannot, you can bet your sweet bippy, I will be refer all my friends and family to them.:):):):)

[oraki]

Wow I didn't realize I had new posts to my thread. Thanks so much for all the information! Well I talked with a travel agent on Sunday and it was a great meeting. She was very informative and talked with me for a long time. After reading these boards for a few months I knew she was very knowledgeable because everything she told me was 100% correct. She's even cruised on the Glory!! It was great listening to her tell me different things about the ship. :) I felt very comfortable after talking with her and decided to book our cruise through her a few days later! So we're officially booked!!!! I'm so excited!!!!! :D I know I could have booked directly through Carnival but I love the fact that I can go into an office and sit down to talk with someone. :) We booked using the Early Saver rate...an interior room on the Empress deck. :)

 

Now I have to wait until October...I'm ready to pack now!! :o

[Jimnbigd]

FYI....And there is always the option with the Early Saver Rates to only lose $50.00 per person and the remaining deposit can be used towards a cruise up to 1 year later, so in reality you are really NOT losing your entire deposit to get those lower rates. ;)

 

I didn't know that. Thanks.

[travelntreats]

I didn't know that. Thanks.

To better clarify.... funds that are transferred to a new booking cannot be used towards a new deposit... they are applied towards the balance AFTER new deposits on a new sailing date are made.

[I Am Canadian, Eh]

I know it's too late for the OP, but a hint for anyone else with similar questions...

 

- always make sure the deposit/payment is being directly to the cruiseline (if your visa statement says "ABC Travel" and not "Royal Caribbean", that's a sign to start asking some serious questions!)

 

- be sure to check that agency's cancellation policies. The cruiseline may offer a full refund, but the agency itself may have its own cancellation/change fees.