Confused and needing info please.

[coffee39]

We have only been on one cruise and booked everything through a TA. It was very expensive and I am wondering if it is cheaper to book directly with the cruise company?

 

I am under the impression that once you talk to a TA you are not supposed to contact another TA to compare prices. Also the cruise lines always ask if you have talked to a TA prior to calling them.

 

I appreciate any and all help you can give me.

[okgirl]

I can only speak of my experience on Carnival.

 

Carnival doesn't allow TA's to discount the price, but they may offer OBC (on board credits) or send a Bon Voyage gift to you.

 

I personally don't use a TA except when going on a Cruise Critic group cruise. For my other cruises I just call the reservation number (I don't even have an assigned PVP, because I don't want to have to wait until they are in the office to make reservations). They are going to give you the best price available including any available upgrades and they have access to all of the cabins as opposed to the cabins that show up on the online booking tool.

 

I go on several cruises a year so expense is important to me. For that reason I book the early saver rate on an inside cabin and I always get trip insurance through insuremytrip.com instead of the cruise line (which doesn't cover as much)

 

I also book my own airfare seperately since I can find better/cheaper flights than what Carnival can give me.

[smeyer418]

...

I am under the impression that once you talk to a TA you are not supposed to contact another TA to compare prices. Also the cruise lines always ask if you have talked to a TA prior to calling them.

 

...

 

until you book you can talk with as many travel agents as you want. About 90% of cruises are booked through Travel agents. The cruise lines are aware of this and while some prefer that you book direct, many actually prefer you to use a TA.

While some cruise lines "prohibit" discounting normally if they do the price will be the same not less through the cruise line(unless the Ta charges a book fee...some do) but most of the time the TA also will give you some OBC which you can't get through the cruise line.

Also while its true that some cruise lines prohibit discounting, many TA have access to either group fares or other contracted fares that can be lower than the cruise line- but when you buy these fares and the cruise line drops their fare you can't get the new lower fare(which you sometimes can't get directly from the cruise line either)....so look around. some people prefer TA some prefer the control they get by booking directly....

[bbwex]

The TA, if you use one, is compensated by the cruise company. It would be highly unusual for a TA to be more expensive than the cruise company. As mentioned, some of the lines do not allow "discounting," but TAs will generally get around this by giving the customer some OBC (On Board Credit), which is money, which is a "discount." (If it looks like a duck, and walks like a duck....)

 

Sometimes TAs will actually discount the trips, again this depends on the cruise line.

 

In my experience, the best bet is to find a TA who is experienced in cruising if you are going to use a TA. That way, you have someone knowledgeable working for you.

 

If you work with the cruise line, they will not discount the trip at all, and they merely pocket the money they would have paid to a TA.

[silentbob007]

They ask you if you have a TA just because they will not let you book with a TA then contact them directly. Generally pricing from the line and the TA is the same, though realize that cruise prices can fluctuate just like airline prices ... the price today might not be the same as the price tomorrow. You can always get a quote from a TA then go to the cruise company's website and get quotes thre ... you just need to make sure that you are comparing the same fares (with all taxes and fees included).

[paul929207]

A travel agent should never be more expensive than the cruise line.

 

Some line (like Princess) allow TA's to discount prices. Others prohibit discounting. Some TA's get around the ban by offering things like OBC, which effectively lowers the cost.

[LHT28]

We have only been on one cruise and booked everything through a TA. It was very expensive and I am wondering if it is cheaper to book directly with the cruise company?

 

I appreciate any and all help you can give me.

 

If you book pre or post hotels with the cruiseline or a TA it can be more $$

Check the cruise air against what you can find on your own... that may lower the cost

Sometimes booking through a Canadian Agent can be more because of the exchange rate the cruise lines charge

If you can pay in USD it works out better most of the time, of course some lines will not let Canadians do that

 

ask questions before you commit

[smeyer418]

and BTW it is generally cheaper to book your own airfare and hotels. I saved 1400 on airfare alone(for two) last year on a South American cruise booking it myself.....

hotels too and cars etc. the one place I use a TA for is the cruise itself.

[Arzeena]

We have only been on one cruise and booked everything through a TA. It was very expensive and I am wondering if it is cheaper to book directly with the cruise company?

 

I am under the impression that once you talk to a TA you are not supposed to contact another TA to compare prices. Also the cruise lines always ask if you have talked to a TA prior to calling them.

 

I appreciate any and all help you can give me.

 

A website called cruise compete dot com will let you put in your cruise preferences and then a number of TA's will contact you via email to offer their best prices. It's good. type in cruise compete dot com without the spaces. I could not do it here because the cruise critic administrative mafia will not let me type it as a website. Ridiculous!