Use a cruise specialist or do it myself?

[KathiB]

I have previously been on 5 cruises, 3 to mexico and 2 to the Med. My husband and I and another couple are looking at booking an Oceania cruise next Oct (2011) and am wondering if I should book this online myself or is there a price advantage with going with one of the cruise specialist agencies? I am very comfortable booking all my travel my self online and have a 3 week trip to France this fall I have panned on my own. The Oceania line is offering a 2 for 1 fare offer until Aug 31 with free air. Just wondering if I should book with them myself or use an agent?

Also, how does one choose a good cruise agent?

[patseacruiser]

No one here can tell you their agent. We can tell you that an agent should not charge you more than the cruise line and can also rebate some of their commission to you to make it even less expensive. You should also make sure they charge your credit card directly to the cruise line or insurance company or airline, whatever it is you are being charged for and not their merchant account. Make sure they do not charge fees to modify or cancel your reservation prior to final payment or any charges that the cruiseline does not charge you for.

[6rugrats]

I don't know what is better for you. Suggest you contact some TAs and have them price it out for you, and see if they can do better.

 

Remember, if you book through a TA, the cruiseline won't talk to you about changes/problems; they'll only speak to your TA. Also, please go to the cruise air forum here, and read about the problems with booking cruise air.

[Keith1010]

You have another option.

 

You can book with Oceania to lock in room and the cruise fare. Double check with them but most cruise lines then allow you to move the booking to an agent anytime before the final payment is due.

 

In this way you lock in what you want but you can see if you can find an agent who can add additional amenities such as an on board credit and someone you can then use for future cruises.

 

Just double check with Oceania to be sure you understand the process.

 

Keith

[cfoursons4]

You will always get a better deal and have a much better chance of developing a lifelong relationship with your agent if you book with a specialist. Be sure they are a true specialist, most, will use comission to offer a special perk or two. Some agencies are so big they get better deals than what is offered to the public. I for one will always check for price decreases and apply them promptly. Be sure there are no additional fees.

Cruise specialists are just that. This is how we make a living and there is nothing wrong with it. The Cruise lines depend on us for the majority of their bookings. Oceania has some wonderful deals, and yes, the air will be booked at their discretion, so if you wnat specific flights/times you will need to tell them and they will charge you a deviation fee.

Oceania is a wonderful choice! Best of luck finding a good agent, and make sure you speak to and feel comfortable with the one you choose. IMHO, there is no really good reason to ever book with the cruise line directly. Im not soliciting for me or my agency, Im just giving an opinion. Cheri

[Hlitner]

Good thread and here is our humble opinion. We book a lot of cruises (normally cruise at least 60 days a year) and have learned to simply shop around for the best deal. Although the cruise lines now try to control pricing it still pays to look. We will price-out a cruise on 3 or 4 on-line agencies (this only takes a few minutes) and also price on the cruise line web site (we have never found any cruise line site to be competitive with the large on-line agencies). Over the years this procedure has saved us many thousands of dollars. We just booked a cruise yesterday and by using this method we saved nearly $400 (this would be about 14%) by spending a few minutes on-line. As the cruise lines try to impose more price controls we are also seeing some agencies offer non-cruise amenities such as free hotel stays. One particular agency has a point system where they give you so many points for each dollar spent on a cruise booking and you can cash-in those points for a variety of things such as on-board credits, wine, vouchers for alternative restaurants, etc.

 

Hank

[zoncom]

Oceania tends to do its lowest pricing early. If you wish to do your air they will discount the total price, although not as much as in years past.A few agencies specialize in O; they may give OBC. Some discount online agencies sell O cruises stripped of air. In other words, spend a little time investigating to get best deal.

[Keith1010]

I have previously been on 5 cruises, 3 to mexico and 2 to the Med. My husband and I and another couple are looking at booking an Oceania cruise next Oct (2011) and am wondering if I should book this online myself or is there a price advantage with going with one of the cruise specialist agencies? I am very comfortable booking all my travel my self online and have a 3 week trip to France this fall I have panned on my own. The Oceania line is offering a 2 for 1 fare offer until Aug 31 with free air. Just wondering if I should book with them myself or use an agent?

Also, how does one choose a good cruise agent?

 

Kathi, I wanted to add that you can start to find a good agent by speaking with family and friends who cruise regularly to see if they have recommendations for a good TA. While it would not help you for this booking another good souce is to ask passengers who you meet on the cruise if they have recommendations.

 

We cruise often and we have found it is better to find an agent and if you are happy with them to stay with them for the long term. We have found that they tend to do more for us because we have established ourselves as someone who cruises regularly.

 

With a strong agent who does a lot for you, we know that we are getting a great deal.

 

Keith

[MINIgirl71]

Good thread and here is our humble opinion. We book a lot of cruises (normally cruise at least 60 days a year) and have learned to simply shop around for the best deal. Although the cruise lines now try to control pricing it still pays to look. We will price-out a cruise on 3 or 4 on-line agencies (this only takes a few minutes) and also price on the cruise line web site (we have never found any cruise line site to be competitive with the large on-line agencies). Over the years this procedure has saved us many thousands of dollars. We just booked a cruise yesterday and by using this method we saved nearly $400 (this would be about 14%) by spending a few minutes on-line. As the cruise lines try to impose more price controls we are also seeing some agencies offer non-cruise amenities such as free hotel stays. One particular agency has a point system where they give you so many points for each dollar spent on a cruise booking and you can cash-in those points for a variety of things such as on-board credits, wine, vouchers for alternative restaurants, etc.

 

Hank

Hi, Hank! I see you're in New Cumberland. I'm in Mechanicsburg! I was wondering if I could contact you directly to ask you a few questions regarding a trip I'm researching for next summer. Please let me know.

Thanks,

Jessica

[sunshine nana]

I hope someone can help me. I booked a cruise directly with the cruise line to get the cabin I wanted. Then I transfered the booking to an online cruise TA. I told the cruise line and everything seemed ok. Then I got an email "bill" from the cruiseline that was way more than the TA had quoted. I called the TA and she said it would take 24 hours to get the real bill from them. It's overdue and I still haven't seen her bill. Meanwhile I agreed online to accept the contract with the cruiseline. What should I do?

[sunshine nana]

Update: Finally after many emails and phone calls, I received the invoice tonight. Here's hoping all goes well and there are no more glitches in the next 10 months. If I weren't home all day, I could not deal with this, but if it goes as planned, we saved some money.