Travel Agent or on your own??

[loreleii2]

Hello everyone--

 

Is here any benefit to booking through a travel agent over somewhere like Priceline or cruises only??

[lenquixote66]

Hello everyone--

 

Is here any benefit to booking through a travel agent over somewhere like Priceline or cruises only??

 

We always book with a TA .Our TA offers FREE travel insurance . Her agency gives loyalty points which can be used to book future cruises . She is available by phone,e-mail or in person .The latter being most important.

[CruiserBruce]

That question is discussed here almost daily. It is up to you, your comfort with making purchases like this, and your ability to do the research.

 

Bear in mind we are not allowed to name or discuss travel agents on Cruise Critic.

[OCruisers]

Our long time travel agent has always been so helpful to us.

Finding a good one is so worth the effort. :)

[teknoge3k]

Some people love and swear by TAs, others don't. Personally I think doing the research and planning is just as much fun as taking the actual vacation almost. I don't want a middle-man involved in any of my travel plans for anything. I wouldn't ever use a TA for any reason. Not knocking them or anything, I am just savvy enough to make my own plans and enjoy doing it.

[capriccio]

If you are planning on booking a Princess cruise check out prices with a travel agent. Princess allows travel agents to discount (we normally get a 10% or more price reduction) but they can't advertise the lower price. You have to contact the travel agent for the reduced price.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Some people love and swear by TAs, others don't. Personally I think doing the research and planning is just as much fun as taking the actual vacation almost. I don't want a middle-man involved in any of my travel plans for anything. I wouldn't ever use a TA for any reason. Not knocking them or anything, I am just savvy enough to make my own plans and enjoy doing it.

I also enjoy doing all of the things you mentioned myself. Additionally, I enjoy saving 8% of the cost of my cruise by booking it through a TA - I think that is savvy also!

[sloopsailor]

I start by doing my own research. Then I book directly with the cruise line to gain any promotions they may be offering. Soon afterwards I will transfer my booking to one of the TAs I have used in the past, depending on any assistance I may want with pre and post cruise vacation activities or any additional promotions the TA is offering. Our last cruise offered $500 OBC for booking a certain category room during the promotion going on at the time. One of my TAs offered an additional $490 OBC on top of that, plus a complimentary specialty dinning reservation for two. We quickly moved our booking there to gain those additional benefits.

 

Also, a good TA will go to bat for you if you need something changed, or a better cruise line promotion comes up. A few years ago we booked a cruise about 15 months in advance. Several months later a couple we knew accepted our suggestion to join us. When they booked, they paid several hunderd dollars more for the same category stateroom, but received a much better promotional benefit package than we got. Our TA contacted the cruise line and was able to talk them into giving us the same benefit package even though we were paying less for our room.

 

And, a good TA can be quite helpful if something goes wrong. They have connections and contacts with the cruise line, and since they deal with them on a regular basis, can often work things out much better than we could. They have a working relationship with the cruise lines, which can be influential in many cases.

[Keith1010]

I am a big believe in using a TA over booking yourself.

 

Like all professions all TA's are not the same so the key is to find a knowledgeable and responsive TA who treats you as an individual and who is very familiar with the cruise line you are sailing.

 

A TA can provide amenities that your can't get directly from a cruise line.

 

They can help you avoid mistakes and sometimes save you money on other items.

 

They can cut through red tape if things need to move quickly.

 

And very importantly should something go wrong they can be your advocate with the cruise line.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

I find I get much better pricing with my TA than with the cruise line

[gymbomb]

We started using a travel agent because I was throwing business to a friend. But she has helped us fix several issues (ranging from changing a shore excursion time to hounding NCL until they got us the rooms we wanted on a different ship when our original cruise was cancelled) and now we continue booking through her for the service!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[OCruisers]

I am a big believe in using a TA over booking yourself.

 

Like all professions all TA's are not the same so the key is to find a knowledgeable and responsive TA who treats you as an individual and who is very familiar with the cruise line you are sailing.

 

A TA can provide amenities that your can't get directly from a cruise line.

 

They can help you avoid mistakes and sometimes save you money on other items.

 

They can cut through red tape if things need to move quickly.

 

And very importantly should something go wrong they can be your advocate with the cruise line.

Keith

 

Totally agree with Keith! (y)

[Hlitner]

For us it is a very simple decision. When we book any cruise through the proper cruise agency we save money...usually in the 7-10% range. Since we do a lot of cruising (sometimes over 100 days a year) our savings by using cruise agencies is thousands of dollars per year.

 

So we see the question somewhat differently and have asked it here on CC (over the years). Why would anyone book direct with a cruise line? We actually asked this very question of one mass market line's rep....and he admitted that they cannot and do not want to match the offerings from some cruise agencies. Why? They need cruise/travel agencies...who actually handle up to 80% of all their bookings.

 

Hank

[SPacificbound]

I book everything on my own.

[loreleii2]

Thanks everyone... I did just book my on my own.. leaving August 25!!! Yay!!!!