Are there any benefits booking with the cruise line as opposed to a cruise agency?

[spanishguy1970]

We have been booking with an agency that specializes with booking cruises for the past 5 years. The only benefit i see which is a big deal is the price. Sometimes we get maybe $150 to 200 dollar difference in the price however once we book with them our cruise consultant pretty much disappears. Does using the cruise line consultant offer you a more personal service? We are not looking to change i am just curious to find out what some of your experiences are. The agency we book is a small agency that has been around for 30 years in my area but i do find that there is hardly the personal touch.

 

By the personal touch i mean letting us know ( without hassling) future cruises, deals etc. maybe even offering us better on board credit, or i know is a long shot but even possibility for upgrades ( or good upsell)?...

 

I read stories from other people raving about their cruise consultants we are just wondering if we are missing out :-)....

[lbt43]

It depends on the cruise and on the competence of your Travel Agent. The consultants are not supposed to talk to guests with travel agents. A lot of them don't want to do service anyway. My first cruise, I booked with an agent and she got me about 20 off per person (my cruise was only 499) anyway, but she added a bottle of wine, which was a nice touch when we got to the room. I will admit she wasn't the most helpful after the booking, but I didn't have any pressing needs. My second cruise I booked with Holland America directly, awful. Too much holding, too much transferring the call and too much of the rep not knowing the simplest of questions. (price of transfers through the line, price of hotel, ect...

[Cruising Golfer]

I find booking the cruise myself on the web site is the best way to go... I have total control of my booking and it get me more into the cruise mode!!! :cool:

[detroitlions]

I have been booking direct for a while. And most of the time I do it online. I dont like the hassle of a TA. The little perks you get are not worth it to me. I have always changed my room toward the cruise date and its easy if you book direct.

[sugarking]

Obc

[punkincc]

Service wise, I don't see much difference between a cruise agency TA and a cruise line rep like the PCCs at NCL. There are good, bad and indifferent ones in each. The main thing for me is the bottom line price I pay. If I can get a lower cruise fare with the TA, OR if I can get additional OBC with the TA, then that is the route I will go. Can get an additional $250 through a TA for an upcoming cruise. Maybe some people feel that amount it not worth it? Have always been able to get upgrades, etc through the TAs, no problems. But, you probably will have to keep tabs on prices, etc. yourself, no matter who you book with.

[phillygirl63]

I have booked both ways with NCL -- first time directly (not online) and second time through TA. I did not experience any problems with either one. The only difference I did experience was when being offered a cabin upsell. On the first cruise, we booked directly, and were offered an upsell from a mini-suite to DOS. Very easy. NCL called me directly. With the cruise I booked through TA (that was our cruise on POA in Hawaii), I received a phone call from NCL offering me an upsell from BA to PH. However, once the person from NCL realized that I had booked through a TA, they could no longer talk directly to me. They had to present the offer to my TA. They then called my TA, who was on vacation, and her replacement contact would not answer the phone. Really wanting the deal, I had to call NCL's corporate office to get someone to accept the upsell offer. It was a real hassle.

 

Now, I book directly with the cruise line as I personally haven't really seen any advantage to a TA.

[Jane Don]

Take today for example. People who booked their cancelled cruises through a TA, (like me, and I never do that but the deal was unbeatable), are stuck waiting for the TA to do our bidding for a replacement cruise. It will be at least another day and maybe longer. Those who booked themselves called NCL today, waited on hold from 3 minutes to 4 hours to replace their cancellation. Many of the rooms, especially suites will already be booked by the time I get word what my options are.

 

I will not use a TA again. I prefer to be in control of my own booking. Unless you are to busy to do rudimentary research, I see very little advantage to using a TA even if the price is slightly less than on NCL.

[Demonyte]

In my experience booking direct is about 10% more expensive than using my TA.

 

Just because something like this big rescheduling happens once in a blue moon, I couldn't justify paying 10% extra for every cruise to get the convinience of having direct access to the cruise line.

[Bluefox]

I always think direct booking is the way to go. It may be 10% more when you book, but when those price drops happen, you can call immediately and get your rate reduced (if done before final payment date). I have heard it takes times to get ahold of the TA, have them look into and then call you back. By then, the prices could have changed again. I find that I am my best TA. ;)

[Demonyte]

Never had problems getting price drops applied with my TA. If my agent isn't in, I can ask for it from anybody in the office picking up the call - they are open seven days a week.

 

TAs differ, just like there are good and bad PCCs.