HAL or Travel Agent

[croozer10]

We have only been on one HAL cruise and loved it. I booked directly through HAL and everything worked out. I am not sure though if this is the best way to book. Can you tell me the advantages/disadvantages of booking through a TA.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have a local TA that we have used for 24 years.

But there may come a time when she will be gone.

Since I don't want to book with any of those online agencies -- I will probably book directly with HAL.

Our TA knows us -- knows the type of cabin we like -- dining preference -- little things like that. I am sure that if we had to switch to HAL -- once we get assigned to a TA there -- that person would also recognize what we desire and there shouldn't be any difference.

[m steve]

that booking thru a TA gets us better prices and perks than with the cruise line. Some airline travel programs offer cruises with lots of miles as a bonus. Our TA gives us lower prices as she is part of a network that books lots of cabins and gets special rates and privledges. We have used online agencies in the past but are ahppy with our agent. We always check their prices against a large online service.

[Randyk47]

For us it all comes down to money. We save on the average of 12%, sometimes higher, on our cruises by booking with our on-line TA's. Been booking through the Internet since 2004 and never had one issue or problem. HAL cannot, will not, match the fares we're getting so I see no point or reason in booking with HAL directly.

[gregdude]

I only use the cruise line direct method with my cruises. I know I am probably paying a few dollars more, but am confident that I have full control of my reservation and money and not a third person. I have also had a lot of luck working directly with HAL Air on being able to select times and flights, again without getting a third party involved.

 

Many use on-line agents and many have had success, but also many have lost some or all of their money when the agency went out of business. Given the current economy I will remain my own travel agent.

[taxmantoo]

Many use on-line agents and many have had success, but also many have lost some or all of their money when the agency went out of business. Given the current economy I will remain my own travel agent.

 

We have been dealing with the same on-line agent for several years. We now deal with him directly via e-mail or phone and get the advantages of large on-line agent prices combined with personalized service. The agency does not receive any money from us directly nor does it process the charges to our credit card. They simply act as a middle man between us and the cruise company. They forward our credit card info directly to the cruise company. All charges to our credit card are processed by HAL and paid directly to HAL.

[Randyk47]

:)

We have been dealing with the same on-line agent for several years. We now deal with him directly via e-mail or phone and get the advantages of large on-line agent prices combined with personalized service. The agency does not receive any money from us directly nor does it process the charges to our credit card. They simply act as a middle man between us and the cruise company. They forward our credit card info directly to the cruise company. All charges to our credit card are processed by HAL and paid directly to HAL.

 

I forgot to mention that in my earlier post. Our Internet providers all handle transactions the same way as Taxmantoo mentioned. Within reason there's virtually no risk since they don't handle the charges through their company accounts. When I book a cruise with one of my Internet providers I can usually verify directly on the HAL website within an hour or so. I wouldn't book with any agency or agent that operated any other way. Should say that we typically book B category, actually mostly deluxe suites, or above so our minimum 12% savings is more than a couple of dollars. :)

[jhannah]

If you choose the right online or brick-and-mortar travel agent, you will likely save some money (as noted above.) But that's a big "if." Do your homework. Some are wonderful, others less than helpful and forthright.

 

If you use HAL directly, you may be more likely to receive an upgrade (according to some who have experienced that.) Plus, you are dealing directly with the source.

 

Since there are advantages either way, pick the one that contributes most to your comfort level.

[DSLibrarian]

We booked our Dec 2012 cruise directly with HAL but just transferred the booking to a bigbox TA. Was very easy and saved quite a bit - about 10%. They will continue to match any price decreases.

[DiploTraveler]

If you choose the right online or brick-and-mortar travel agent, you will likely save some money (as noted above.) But that's a big "if." Do your homework. Some are wonderful, others less than helpful and forthright.

 

If you use HAL directly, you may be more likely to receive an upgrade (according to some who have experienced that.) Plus, you are dealing directly with the source.

 

Since there are advantages either way, pick the one that contributes most to your comfort level.

Do you have a suggestion as to how to do our homework? I am confident that I can find online travel agencies through my own devices. I can compare best price and benefits. However, how do I know if they are reputable and who provides best service?

[iancal]

We have dealt with the same on line agent for some time. Why?

 

-excellent service

 

-TA provided OBC's and once in a while a great group rate on a cruise

 

-no charge for repricing/ changing cabins

 

-long hours-if we cannot reach the agent we get someone else...last time it was the company VP who took care of us when we had a substantial fare decease that we wanted to jump on immediately. Someone is available weekends, holidays, and good hours within our particular time zone.

 

-cruise is always billed to our credit card by the Cruise Line

 

-emails if she knows that an itinerary we are interested in is or is about to go on a special with one of our preferred cruise lines. Independent....if we are about to book a cruise on let's say Princess she will tell us if she is aware of a HAL or Celebrity ship at a much better price that has a similar itinerary in the same time frame. This happened just last month on a Med. itinerary that we were interested in-we saved a nice sum of money and got a better cabin.

[HokiePoq]

We also use an online agent. We've booked with three online agencies and prefer one over the other two. Last one fouled up our booking at the last minute but did manage to straighten it out before we left home.

Never a problem with multiple bookings with the one we prefer and we use the same agent each time.

 

We have also booked direct with HAL. Sometimes both are the same price and I LOVED our personal cruise representative. Alas he's left for another job and I haven't yet heard who the new one is. I would call him and ask for information/confirmation about the online offering. The other poster is right that they do not compete with travel agents. They can tell you that you have a good deal or information about the ship/itinerary/schedules, etc. and then I'm more confident going ahead and booking with an online agent.

[Sir PMP]

We have only been on one HAL cruise and loved it. I booked directly through HAL and everything worked out. I am not sure though if this is the best way to book. Can you tell me the advantages/disadvantages of booking through a TA.

 

Both options are good, just compare..

[shandryl]

I have used a TA and have booked on the cruise lines website or in person while on the cruise ship. :) I prefer to take care of the booking myself :D I love the booking/planning/budgeting/hotel/flights/shorex/beverage cards/obc/counting the sleeps and everything else about the whole process re:Cruising!! :D

 

Its not for everybody but what ever works for you wether using a TA or online or in person..........thats up to you and what you are comfortable with. :D

[Randyk47]

Do you have a suggestion as to how to do our homework? I am confident that I can find online travel agencies through my own devices. I can compare best price and benefits. However, how do I know if they are reputable and who provides best service?

 

I got really lucky and met a fellow CC'er on a cruise back in 2004 who pointed me in the right direction. He was in a deluxe suite for substantially less than I was in a superior suite on the Oosterdam and that got my attention. :) From there I first used his recommendation and have subsequently tried a couple of others with good results but still primarily use the same Internet agent recommended to me back in 2004. Unfortunately we're not allowed to really discuss much more about travel agents or agencies than we have here so I can't really say much more than that.

[Himself]

Personally, I would deal directly with HAL rather than a travel agent--unless I had a real good one.

[northernphoenix]

Personally, I would deal directly with HAL rather than a travel agent--unless I had a real good one.

 

This is our second cruise using a TA, and I can't say that I was impressed with the effort. In both cases we had better results managing our own pre and post cruise arrangements. I plan to use HAL for our next vacation, since neither agency offered any additional perks, or actually seemed to be able to offer more info than I found via the Internet.

Marilyn

[tcook052]

IMHO an impartial, professional opinion can be an asset so go with a good TA.

[DSLibrarian]

This is our second cruise using a TA, and I can't say that I was impressed with the effort. In both cases we had better results managing our own pre and post cruise arrangements. I plan to use HAL for our next vacation, since neither agency offered any additional perks, or actually seemed to be able to offer more info than I found via the Internet.

Marilyn

 

I can still manage our pre & post cruise arrangements. Our info & booking is on the HAL website so I can add &/or change any on-board purchases or excursions. I made our initial booking with HAL so got exactly the cabin & other preferences we wanted - but transferred it to the TA afterwards to get the better deal. No problem at all - and we saved over $500 so far.

[superoma]

If it was up to me alone, i would book with HAL or an online travel agent and deal with everything myself. However, we are cruising with another couple who like the warm fuzzy feeling of a bricks and mortar travel agent. I must say, in all the cruises we have booked with her, we got our first OBC this time. Years ago we used to received wine in the cabin but that stopped at least five years ago.

[lvz2cruz]

We have a TA which we rarely use because I like the flexibilty of handling the booking myself. She would send us a check for $50 as a bon voyage gift--that was our savings. Many times I would find a sale on a weekend and she was not available, so I missed the savings if I had it booked with her.

For example, this Saturday I got an email from HAL about the Mariner sale. I was able to move from an outside cabin to a balcony and saved a little money. Since it is an FCC I also increased OBC a small bit. An hour or so later the cabins were sold out so if I had booked through her we would have paid more money to be in an OV than a verandah.

We usually cruise the Caribbean or Bermuda and do not need advice. When we branch out to Europe, we might trade the flexibility for her expertise.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

At the moment, we deal with a TA sometimes and directly with the cruise lines for other cruises. I think I am moving towards dealing direct as it is more convenient on weekends even though our TA checks her email. I recently booked a cruise totally online with HAL, a first. We'll see as time goes by what my preference will be.

[tangerinebunny]

I like to be in charge - but - our TA just saved us $500 on our June cruise. She has access to a lower rate that just won't come up for me at the HAL website. So for $500, she can be in charge - for the moment.

 

(But after reading about some TA problems, I sat there while she paid the deposit to HAL and I know that it's done!)

[HomeSweetSeattle]

Agreed - go with the TA. I booked my very first cruise earlier this year directly with HAL. It was a wonderful experience, but in retrospect I wish I had booked through a TA to receive onboard credit or other perks. At the very least, look into making a booking through the "vacations" arm of your favorite airline. Had I done this, I would have received a not insignificant number of frequent flyer miles when I booked our cruise, at the same price at which I booked through HAL directly.

[djhsolara]

We booked our first sailing ever through on online TA and received a free Pinnacle Grill dinner. Other than that we have NEVER found a price or benefit better than a price offered directly through HAL for any sailing we've done with them (granted we've only done what I call "common" sailings with them). Everytime we go to book a sailing we go to our local brick & mortar TA and they can never get the prices that we see on HAL's website.

 

We also like to be in control of our reservation. If I want to do something I want to be able to do it, I don't want to have to call my TA to do it.

 

If I weren't internet-saavy perhaps I would rely more on a TA, but being able to do all of the research and booking ourselves is our way to go.

 

:) :)