Prices with William Shatner/Troll Man vs Actual Cruiseline

[PeytsMom]

We took our first cruise back in April this year and absolutely loved it. I have booked another cruise for February 2011. I am always checking multiple sites to see if there is a better rate; however, I have never seen a better rate on the "William Shatner" or "Troll Man" sites or any other sites than I have at the actual cruiseline websites.

 

Are the William Shatner/Troll Man sites ever less expensive than the actual cruiseline website or is it safe to say that I still get the best rate booking directly through the cruiseline?

 

I still owe a balance on my cruise. Can I change my booking over to a TA and maybe get some onboard credits. I'm not really interested in room upgrades unless it is a balcony and I doubt I would get to jump from an OV to a balcony for free, but OBC would be appreciated. Do TAs charge a fee?

[firefly333]

This is the general board. When you pose a question here, you need to tell people which cruiseline .. I went thru your past posts and now think its Carnival.

 

Carnival allows no discounting and perks cannot be more than $25. You will never find a lower advertised price on a TA site than what Carnival offers. I use TA sites to check my price .. knowing it will be the same as the Carnival site.

 

TAs often charge prices for changes or cancellations and other booking fees, each TA is different so be sure and ask. You have 60 days from the date you booked with Carnival to transfer the booking... but you will be unable to get more than $25 unless you find a TA who is willing to break the rules.

[Grannycb]

We have dropped using a TA for Carnival cruises. The ES rate has worked wonderfully for us. I check the price a couple times a day. Submitting a request for a new lower rate right when I see it is very easy. No need to worry about the TA office being closed or extra charges.

[2SeaWithMe]

For Celebrity, the troll website and the sister website to CC are the cheapest I've seen.

 

BUT

 

Be careful booking hotels on the troll website. They will charge you double the booking amount as a cancellation fee, even in significant advance notice.

[cruiseco]

By "troll site" are you referring to the one with the traveling garden gnome? Gnomes aren't trolls and they get very offended when called a troll.

[spacepotatoes]

By "troll site" are you referring to the one with the traveling garden gnome? Gnomes aren't trolls and they get very offended when called a troll.

 

LOL :D I was wondering that too.

 

Carnival doesn't allow discounting fares below their own advertised rates, as has been posted above. NCL is another line that no longer allows discounting. Shop around to see if you can get better incentives from TAs, but you won't get a better base fare from them on either of those two lines. Not sure about any other cruise lines that have adopted this policy but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more than just those two.

[PeytsMom]

Oops! I remember him looking like a troll, but then again, a troll and that white-haired gnome look about the same to me - no offense!!!