Is a Travel Agent an absolute necessity?

[anns1971]

We won a cruise and have already booked it online with the giftcards, but now I am receiving phone messages from travel agents wanting to book our cruise. I am wondering if we have somehow "messed up" by not going through an agent. I was feeling more confident about this first time cruise before the calls started coming in! Thanks for any advice!

[haladdict]

We do not use a TA and we do just fine. The TA is pretty much old school and lots of us do our own online bookings.

You have to know what you are doing of course. Be confident using the internet.

No TA can get me any better price than I can find for myself.

Sandra

[mom says]

You're getting these because they want the commission. If you are feeling confident about your plans, then there's no need for a TA. Some large cruise specialists will provide a certain amount of OBC to their customers, or maybe a bottle of wine. Others, nothing. Some can give better prices on new bookings because they buy rooms in bulk from the cruiselines. But you don't need that.

 

We used a TA for our first cruise, and he was a godsend. He helped us select which line might suit us best, which cabin category we would like (within our budget), and pointed out other things we needed to consider like beverage packages, excursions, etc. In short, he tutored us, and his advice was invaluable.

 

We've cruised many times since then, but we still book with the same TA because he has always provided such good service. Having said all this, we know many people who NEVER use a TA, and they have managed very, very well. And if you have questions about the ship or the cruise, you can always ask them here!

[anns1971]

Thanks so much for the quick responses! I feel much better about our choice now and feel we will be able to navigate without the aid of an agent!

 

Happy Cruising!!

[XBGuy]

Anns, it looks like you are on your way. Have a great cruise.

 

Since this is your first cruise, I imagine that you have a lot of questions. You have already found out that Cruise Critic is a good source of information, Let me make this additional suggestion, though. Enroll in the "Roll Call" for your cruise. This is where Cruise Critic regulars who are going on the same cruise with you, connect. You will be able to get excellent feedback to any question you might have specific to your cruise. Click on the "Find Your Roll Call" link, above.

[drsel]

It's better to go through an online travel agent, because the giant OTAs give you a discount or OBC or both

[byronetta]

I have a cruise that I booked myself and transferred to a travel agent. Just by transferring, I got $400 OBC and will get $400 back at the end of the cruise. I don't think you need a travel agent, but with one you will get a better deal than you could on your own. Assuming you find an agent who passes on perks to his or her clients.

[paul929207]

You certainly do not need a TA. You can book on your own or go thru the cruise line.

 

That said, many TAs will provide perks for booking with them. We always get a discount on the cruise fare plus some OBC. You have to do some work to find a TA that gives good perks. Many just duplicate what the cruise line is offering.

[LHT28]

Having a good TA can be helpful in getting extra perks & if things go wrong can help out

Ours gives pre paid gratuities so a bonus for us

depends on what works for you

[Kartgv]

If your cruise was "won", therefore free, there's very little point in going through a TA. Somehow the TA's got your name and would love to have you transfer your booking over to them so they can get a commission, but I doubt if anything they would offer you would be worth the hassle. They might tempt you with offers of a drink package or something similar, but it's possible that they wouldn't be able to follow through due to the fact that your cruise was won rather than booked through regular channels. Maybe someone else has had a similar situation and can clarify, but a TA is certainly not a necessity. If you were booking/paying for a cruise on your own, then it would make sense to check TA's for better pricing and perks.

[donaldsc]

It's better to go through an online travel agent, because the giant OTAs give you a discount or OBC or both

 

I agree w others that you do not need a TA. I disagree w this statement that an on-line TA is best. The main reason to use a TA is so that you have someone who knows you and will fight for you when (not if but when) things go wrong. I seriously doubt that any large on-line TA will do that.

 

DON

[Hlitner]

I agree w others that you do not need a TA. I disagree w this statement that an on-line TA is best. The main reason to use a TA is so that you have someone who knows you and will fight for you when (not if but when) things go wrong. I seriously doubt that any large on-line TA will do that.

 

DON

 

Don,

We can agree to disagree on this topic. For us, the main reason to use a major cruise agency is to save money. In most cases, when adjusting for On Board Credits and other perks we will save from 7-10% by using a cruise agency...although one does need to shop around for the best deals. While you might see this as a big deal, we do a lot of long cruises which are pretty expensive...so our savings are often in the thousands or dollars (per cruise). And even on shorter cruises (for us that would be at least 14 days) we still save hundreds of dollars...versus booking directly with a cruise line.

 

And when things go wrong or you need some help dealing with a cruise line, a high volume agency has a lot more clout then an individual cruiser. In a sense, your agency/agent becomes your professional advocate. Instead of me sitting on the phone (on hold) for a half hour....I can just quickly send an e-mail to an agency and let them do the work.

 

Hank

[Ashland]

We do not use a TA and we do just fine. The TA is pretty much old school and lots of us do our own online bookings.

You have to know what you are doing of course. Be confident using the internet.

No TA can get me any better price than I can find for myself.

Sandra

I agree completely and to just add.....No one would give my booking the obsessive attention, quick response time to any changes, or be a better advocate than me...Good to be my only client... 25+ cruises and I haven't ever felt the need to fire myself yet. ;):D

[You Me & the Sea]

I've never use one to book, but once I have booked, looked for and made any adjustments and before final payment, I transfer to a TA. I only do that to get the OBC. For us it's usually around $300 so its worth it.

[taglovestocruise]

You can transfer your booking to a TA to pick up some great perks. Many times we book through the cruise line and then transfer over to a TA . It would be worth the trouble to see what is being offered by the TA. We almost always get matching OBC, specialty dinning for two, and 2 out of three times we get pre paid gratuities. This comes from a online TA, and on our next transatlantic it is worth over $500.00 in free perks.

[MCC retired]

A good TA Cruise Specialist should always do better than booking with a cruise line directly .

Not only can they offer any Rate offered by the cruise line , they can offer goodies such as OBC , Speculative Group amenities , discount rate where permitted , and product knowledge .

Many work from home for large online agencies , and are available 7 days .They have cruise line contacts to solve problems .

 

 

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[teknoge3k]

Definitely do not need one. I have never and will never use a travel agent.

[Flatbush Flyer]

We do not use a TA and we do just fine. The TA is pretty much old school and lots of us do our own online bookings.

You have to know what you are doing of course. Be confident using the internet.

No TA can get me any better price than I can find for myself.

Sandra

 

That statement makes little sense.

Other than the cruise lines themselves, all online bookings are licensed travel agencies (at least, they are required to be licensed in California if they sell travel to a Californian).

And, when it comes to "old school," that suggests "obsolete." Of course, you can do your own research and book direct with a cruise line. But, using the right TA can mean significant added perks (e.g., 5-10% of the commissionable fare as OBC or a rebate) above the cruise line's best deal and a powerful voice if problems arise. After all, a top selling TA for your desired cruise line may do millions in business with them while your purchase is a relative rounding error. Who do you think will get action when needed?

Do the research. Unless you're doing some inside cabin on a discount cruise of less than a week, 5-10% of the fare can easily mean a four figure bonus to you.

 

 

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[Talex831]

I use a TA if they can offer me a decent amount of OBC. Otherwise, I prefer to keep control of my own booking. In 14 cruises, I’ve used a TA only 3 times.

 

 

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[wheezedr]

You can transfer your booking to a TA to pick up some great perks. Many times we book through the cruise line and then transfer over to a TA . It would be worth the trouble to see what is being offered by the TA. We almost always get matching OBC, specialty dinning for two, and 2 out of three times we get pre paid gratuities. This comes from a online TA, and on our next transatlantic it is worth over $500.00 in free perks.

Totally agree. In fact did this again last week for a cruise this summer and generated $700+ in extra OBC.

For the OP you do not have to use an agent and sometimes for a last minute cruise I don’t, but when I have time I will generally do the initial leg work myself and then transfer for the perks or the savings. Only takes a quick phone call or a Fax and I save some cash

[geoherb]

I generally book last-minute cruises for us. Large internet agencies have been able to get us better prices than even the cruise lines are offering directly. For our last cruise, we paid less than $50 per person per day for a balcony cabin and received on-board credit from our agency.

[drsel]

Don,

We can agree to disagree on this topic. For us, the main reason to use a major cruise agency is to save money. In most cases, when adjusting for On Board Credits and other perks we will save from 7-10% by using a cruise agency...although one does need to shop around for the best deals. While you might see this as a big deal, we do a lot of long cruises which are pretty expensive...so our savings are often in the thousands or dollars (per cruise). And even on shorter cruises (for us that would be at least 14 days) we still save hundreds of dollars...versus booking directly with a cruise line.

 

And when things go wrong or you need some help dealing with a cruise line, a high volume agency has a lot more clout then an individual cruiser. In a sense, your agency/agent becomes your professional advocate. Instead of me sitting on the phone (on hold) for a half hour....I can just quickly send an e-mail to an agency and let them do the work.

 

Hank

I fully agree with you, Hank. But, how is the OP (a cruise novice) supposed to find this agent who can save him 7-10% ?

[Flatbush Flyer]

I fully agree with you, Hank. But, how is the OP (a cruise novice) supposed to find this agent who can save him 7-10% ?

 

 

 

Not as hard as folks would have you believe. First look at the travel sections of major metro newspapers like NYT or SF Chronicle for agents oft quoted about cruises. Look to at the Condé Nast Traveler "best of ...." lists. The cited TAs may only prefer to handle the premium/luxury lines. But, most will at least point you in the right direction. For me the key is to find top producers for your preferred line, i.e., those TAs who have the cruise line's regional sales director on speed dial and who can get a price match while you're on hold. Some lines have designations for top producers (e.g., Oceania Connoisseurs Club) and I have yet to find a cruise where those members I use could not beat the best deal of any mega-online or other agency.

Though I'd take recommendations from "others who gave cruises" with a "grain of salt," hearing the same name (or company) repeatedly mentioned in a positive light is a good thing.

Ultimately, you want a small "stable" of TAs with whom you can shop around the transfer of "book onboard" deals.

 

 

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