What is better

[kevinsgirl88]

What is better booking with RCI or booking through a agent

 

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[Clarea]

What is better booking with RCI or booking through a agent.

There is no universal "better". There are advantages and disadvanges to each method, and it depends mostly on your personal preferences.

[Wilda]

I prefer to have control over my booking and be able to make changes, etc. That is why we always book directly with the cruise line. There are many on CC that are comfortable working through a 3rd party. It's a matter of preference.

[dplusd]

We do our own research and do the initial booking with the cruiseline. Then we transfer the booking to a TA based on the best OBC/incentives they offer for the booking.

 

When choosing a TA, I just confirm there are no TA imposed fees for cancelation or changes and that payments are made directly to the cruiseline. Never had a problem.

[DragonOfTheSeas]

We have always booked with a TA. But, I will second the caution to see what fees they have and IF they are making you part of a group.

 

We had a cruise to Alaska with a good price. the TA had an add-on land tour. Little did we know we were part of a group. when the prices dropped later and we wanted to pay to upgrade that was not possible. :( we did not use that TA again. I feel she should have told us we were part of a group booking.

[Desert Cruizers]

I have booked our cruises with our local TA, but before you use a TA, make sure they have no hidden charges, like cancellation fees, charge commission, that they authorize the cruise lines to charge your credit card and not the TA's office and send you a statement following charges showing payment and balance. A TA can often times have more pull with a cruise lines in handling problems then the individual.

 

Disadvantages, any changes to your booking need to be done by the TA, so if you see a price drop or wish to change cabins often times you need to wait until the first of the week thus lose out.

 

Booking with a cruise line, you can call them 24/7 to make any changes to your booking. If you get an excellant TA, they will go out of their way to make sure your booking is being taken care and watch over it. An example, an upcoming cruise, the cruise lines took me from a mid ship cabin to one up front and notified my TA who in turn told them to move me back ASAP which was done. If I hadn't noticed the change in my booking I would have boarded the ship thinking I am in my cabin to find I had been moved without notice.

[mshimko]

We've done both. If you have a "trusted" TA - use them.

 

If not, then unless you have a specific reason or need, I would simply book directly.

 

BTW, one "need" is when I'll be traveling with my elder parents next year. I'll book that with our TA, as she's really good about "looking out for them" (5 years ago we had a cruise booked out of Florida and my mother had a wheelchair as she had recent knee surgery. Well, the day before the cruise my father fell and needed a lot of stiches. Needless to say having the TA deal with the last minute request for a second wheelchair and other assistance was a blessing).

[rjrpar]

Always transfer to a TA for the OBC - usually 8- 10% of the cost of cruise. Never in 16 cruises have we missed a price decrease or paid an extra fee.

[KeywestK]

I am hard pressed to give up control of my booking. I was badly burned several years ago by an unscrupulous TA and have refused to use a TA since that episode. I know there are wonderful TA's out there, and many people like working with them and getting some perks. For me, the extra OBC, or other perks they provide are just not worth it. Everyone has their own comfort level, so go with what feels best for you.

[kevinsgirl88]

Thank you so much!!! :o

 

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[yolanda1]

It's down to personal preference. I prefer to deal directly with Royal Caribbean to ensure that they will speak to me directly if I need to get in touch with them. However, there may be benefits to using a Travel Agent in the USA that we don't get here in the UK. TAs here generally can't offer special discounts or OBC.