Best Travel Agencies for HAL Good Pricing/Perks

[Randyk47]

The rules here are the rules here so we can’t recommend TAs or even specific PCCs for that matter.  We’re so concerned not to break that rule we don’t even link to our personal trip website to our TA.  If asked in private we share and we’re very pleased to do that but being able to post here takes priority.  I remember when the rule wasn’t as enforced as strictly as it is nowadays and it was not good.  

[canadianbear]

We have used a PCC, a TA and a big box store.  Our PCC got us a cabin that wasn’t available yet but obviously marked it so when it became available he grabbed it for us.  On another cruise we booked through our PCC we got a very cheap upsell.  The TA we have used several times is fantastic but can’t compete with the big box store for OBC.  

 

We vary who we book through.  If you’re new to cruising I wouldn’t recommend a big box store until you’re comfortable with all the ins and outs of pricing, cabins, OBC etc.  

[doublebzz]

1 hour ago, Randyk47 said:

The rules here are the rules here so we can’t recommend TAs or even specific PCCs for that matter.  We’re so concerned not to break that rule we don’t even link to our personal trip website to our TA.  If asked in private we share and we’re very pleased to do that but being able to post here takes priority.  I remember when the rule wasn’t as enforced as strictly as it is nowadays and it was not good.  

 

4 minutes ago, canadianbear said:

We have used a PCC, a TA and a big box store.  Our PCC got us a cabin that wasn’t available yet but obviously marked it so when it became available he grabbed it for us.  On another cruise we booked through our PCC we got a very cheap upsell.  The TA we have used several times is fantastic but can’t compete with the big box store for OBC.  

 

We vary who we book through.  If you’re new to cruising I wouldn’t recommend a big box store until you’re comfortable with all the ins and outs of pricing, cabins, OBC etc.  

So immediately after an admonition not to recommend a specific TA, we have a recommendation for "big box" store like nobody knows who poster is referring to.

[richwmn]

20 minutes ago, doublebzz said:

 

So immediately after an admonition not to recommend a specific TA, we have a recommendation for "big box" store like nobody knows who poster is referring to.

We are permitted to talk about types of booking agencies, and since there are at least 3 big box stores that offer travel it is a type even if one of them gets most of the travel business.

[canadianbear]

In other words there are lots of choices for people including google searches.   Not naming your TA, PCC or any big box agencies is the rule isn’t it?  

[Hlitner]

As others have said, we are not permitted to post agency names and we respect that rule.   You can certainly use a search engine such as Google and try to search for "discount cruise agencies"   Look at the first 5 -10 pages and start eliminating the ones that are not real cruise agencies such as other search engines, major airline booking sites, etc.  Then start researching the info on what is left and do some due diligence and price comparison...plus take a good look at the agency policies.   This will get you a few OK agencies (not necessarily the ones we would choose).  When you are on cruises socialize with other cruisers and ask folks who they like to use to book their cruises.  This will get you some other agencies that you might want to check-out.   Travel and cruising Is my passion and I have spent a lot of time (over many years) learning about the industry and various agencies.  Many folks want the easy way, but sometimes you just have to spend the time and do the homework.

 

By the way, one of my pet peeve subjects is about sharing tables on our cruises.  DW and I usually use the Open Sitting options and ask to share large tables at dinner.  We love socializing with strangers and have met a lot of fascinating folks some of whom have become good friends.  During dinner we usually try to steer the conversation towards cruising and travel and learn a lot from other folks.   Those who love their "2 tops" and do not socialize will generally leave a cruise with the same information they had upon boarding.  But when you socialize, every cruise becomes a learning experience not to mention a chance to make new friends.  Some of our favorite agencies (and booking ideas) have come from the dinner table or a lounge (while chatting with folks over cocktails).  Many here on CC can write books about bad experiences when sharing tables, but we have had very few bad experiences over more than 40 years of extensive cruising.   Perhaps those who have many bad experiences need to take a careful look inward and wonder, "why do we always seem to be the ones who dislike meeting others?"

 

And finally we will acknowledge some of the posts touting Big Box Stores.  We do not use big box stores because we have found better options, but those big box stores will generally save you some money.  

 

Hank

[canadianbear]

Hank:  we love talking to others.  We try to only sit at a table for 4 due to hearing issues.  We were honoured to sit at a table with a blind couple and read the menu to them.  So interesting and they’d been on about 30 HAL cruises!  

 

We also enjoy  either tables in the MDR, Lido or on the aft deck where we play cards and chat with everyone around us.  You are so right, you learn so much from others.  

[Hlitner]

After reading through the last few pages I had a few thoughts.   We love to share large tables (Open Dining) and have met and exchanged lots of booking info with tablemates.  Not only have we helped others, but we have also received lots of good info from others.  I guess it would be honest to say that by sharing large tables we have not only made some excellent friends, but we have learned things that have saved us many thousands of dollars :).

 

When I hear folks saying things like "I am tired looking for a good cruise agent"  or "I cannot find anyone who gives me the kind of deals others talk about,"  etc. etc.  I suspect these folks have not really put much effort into learning about the various options.  To put it bluntly, many fellow HAL cruisers we have met (on our cruises) are very fixed in their ways.  They ask questions, hear what the do not want to hear, and then respond with something like "I am loyal to my PCC!"  Ok then....go spend 10% more for your cruise vacations and do not complain here :).

 

I have little time for our PCC.  I cannot justify spending hundreds or even thousands of dollars more per  booking because there is some reservations clerk who calls herself a PCC and has my name.  When I have received calls from a PCC my questions have always been very simple:  1.  What can you do for me?   and 2.  Can you match the deals I get from our favorite cruise agencies?  Their answer to the first question is usually a big nothing other then something like "I can help you choose the best cabin."  Since I have spent about 500 days on HAL ships and perhaps another 1000 on other cruise lines I do not need some neophyte who has probably been on 1 or 2 short cruises to tell me about cabin location!     As to the 2nd question, the standard PCC answer is "you can book your cruise with me and then transfer it to your favorite cruise agent.   And my counter to that answer is "why would I want to deal with the extra steps (book, transfer, try to bargain for extras after I have already lost most of my leverage, etc).  This is not just an issue with HAL but is the same with most other lines.  When I once asked a reservations supervisor at Princess Cruises why they would not match the deals we can get elsewhere, she simply explained that Princess does not want to compete (price wise) with their authorized agencies.  A HAL onboard future cruise consultant told me that over 80% of all HAL bookings are handled by cruise/travel agencies.  Go figure.

 

So for those that are "fixed in their ways" and always book direct with a cruise line, continue to do what fulfills your own needs and just ignore those of us who prefer to save money via other options.

[jimmy2x]

It’s just not that difficult folks. Search for cruise travel agencies online. There are a number of them. Talk to a few, get some pricing, and try it out. I’ve never booked direct from any cruise line and don’t require any hand holding. I generally book early and know exactly the cabin I want. 

[Sailor Taylor]

I found HAL and Princess great to book through travel agents.  Does HAL still allow transfer any time before final payment?  It's a great benefit to be able to do that. 

 

Some other lines don't make much of a difference when booking with agents but HAL and Princess agents can always give 5% to 10% discount plus some perks.  

[caribill]

2 hours ago, Hlitner said:

I do not need some neophyte who has probably been on 1 or 2 short cruises to tell me about cabin location!

Chances are the neophyte has never been on a cruise ship at all.

[RocketMan275]

6 hours ago, jimmy2x said:

It’s just not that difficult folks. Search for cruise travel agencies online. There are a number of them. Talk to a few, get some pricing, and try it out. I’ve never booked direct from any cruise line and don’t require any hand holding. I generally book early and know exactly the cabin I want. 

It's been my experience that many try to find agents that discount are using internet search engines with phrases like 'cheap cruises' or 'discount cruises'.  That won't work since most cruise line prohibit agents from advertising prices other than the price of booking direct.  (One wonders if some of the large travel agents convinced the cruise lines to implement this policy?)  You have to call the agency to get the best prices.  A good clue that works sometimes but not always to an agent that discounts is if they have a 'ask for a quote button' on their website.  Another clue is any online agent that advertises 'cheap' or 'discount' or 'sixty percent off' isn't.

 

Also, don't limit yourself to travel agents in your local area.  I use one that several hundred miles away.  

 

Quite frankly, I found my agent here on cruise critic when someone 'slipped' and mentioned an agent.    

[yerdua]

 

6 hours ago, Sailor Taylor said:

I found HAL and Princess great to book through travel agents.  Does HAL still allow transfer any time before final payment?  It's a great benefit to be able to do that. 

 

Some other lines don't make much of a difference when booking with agents but HAL and Princess agents can always give 5% to 10% discount plus some perks.  

 

Both HAL and Princess have changed their transfer policies in recent months. Transfers to a TA are now only allowed if within 60 days of initial booking and before final payment. A transfer form is now required by both. 

[Randyk47]

22 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's been my experience that many try to find agents that discount are using internet search engines with phrases like 'cheap cruises' or 'discount cruises'.  That won't work since most cruise line prohibit agents from advertising prices other than the price of booking direct.  (One wonders if some of the large travel agents convinced the cruise lines to implement this policy?)  You have to call the agency to get the best prices.  A good clue that works sometimes but not always to an agent that discounts is if they have a 'ask for a quote button' on their website.  Another clue is any online agent that advertises 'cheap' or 'discount' or 'sixty percent off' isn't.

 

Also, don't limit yourself to travel agents in your local area.  I use one that several hundred miles away.  

 

Quite frankly, I found my agent here on cruise critic when someone 'slipped' and mentioned an agent.    

 

I had a friend who was a TA with the largest brick and mortar travel agency here in town back when cruise lines started limiting what Internet based agencies could advertise.   Her version of what happened was a number of brick and mortar agencies complained to the cruise lines that Internet discounters were killing their business.  The “threat”, either implied or actually made, was that the complaining agencies would stop selling or pushing lines that allowed Internet discounters.   Supposedly the cruise lines couldn’t or wouldn’t cut the discounters off but the compromise was to limit the advertising of discounted fares.  The end result of now several years of back and forth is discounters have to be contacted either by a link, phone,  or email to actually see what they can offer in the way of incentives be they cash, on-board credits, some combination of both, or whatever.   Interestingly my friend said a part of the her complaint was potential cruisers would come into her agency to “pick the brain” of the agent, gather all the information on a potential cruise, use up her time, and then turn around and book with a Internet discounter.  Sounds similar to why HAL, and other cruise lines, have instituted the 60-day transfer rule.   

[richwmn]

18 minutes ago, Randyk47 said:

Interestingly my friend said a part of the her complaint was potential cruisers would come into her agency to “pick the brain” of the agent, gather all the information on a potential cruise, use up her time, and then turn around and book with a Internet discounter.  Sounds similar to why HAL, and other cruise lines, have instituted the 60-day transfer rule.

This is not unusual in many types of sales. I have a friend who has a store. Many times he sees people come in and find something they like, maybe ask questions about it. Then take a picture of the tag so they can buy it online. Another friend with a clothing store tells of people who come in and pick out items, try them on, then take pictures of the tags so they can buy online. The store still has to make rent and payroll, but someone else gets the sale without doing any of the work.

[Randyk47]

12 minutes ago, richwmn said:

This is not unusual in many types of sales. I have a friend who has a store. Many times he sees people come in and find something they like, maybe ask questions about it. Then take a picture of the tag so they can buy it online. Another friend with a clothing store tells of people who come in and pick out items, try them on, then take pictures of the tags so they can buy online. The store still has to make rent and payroll, but someone else gets the sale without doing any of the work.

 

I’ve heard and read that.   As for my friend’s travel agency here in town went from one main office and five or six satellite offices to just the main office resulting in a significant reduction in the number of agents.   Before my TA friend passed away from a heart attack a couple years ago she said the agency had shifted its focus to corporate business travel support though still booked some cruises.

[KirkNC]

I know everyone is trying hard to stay within CC rules but I am surprised this thread has survived this long.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

It's been my experience that many try to find agents that discount are using internet search engines with phrases like 'cheap cruises' or 'discount cruises'.  That won't work since most cruise line prohibit agents from advertising prices other than the price of booking direct.  (One wonders if some of the large travel agents convinced the cruise lines to implement this policy?)  You have to call the agency to get the best prices.  A good clue that works sometimes but not always to an agent that discounts is if they have a 'ask for a quote button' on their website.  Another clue is any online agent that advertises 'cheap' or 'discount' or 'sixty percent off' isn't.

 

Also, don't limit yourself to travel agents in your local area.  I use one that several hundred miles away.  

 

Quite frankly, I found my agent here on cruise critic when someone 'slipped' and mentioned an agent.    

You no longer need to telephone the better agencies to get their unadvertised offers.  In most cases you can simply register an e-mail address (at no cost) and you will receive various private offers via e-mail...sometimes on a daily basis.  We are registered with several of these excellent agencies and sometimes get too many e-mails.  So some folks might want to create a separate e-mail address for this kind of stuff.  But some of the most amazing deals happen by luck.  About 4 years ago we spotted a very good price on a Regal Princess (at the time their newest ship) repo cruise (10 days) from NYC to Ft Lauderdale.  I could have booked online at a terrific price, but had a question.  So I called the agency and while I was on the phone with our agent she had a new Fax tossed on her desk that had a new last minute deal for that same cruise that was beyond belief.  It was $1200 (total cost for 2 including all taxes and fees) for a balcony cabin.  We were also able to get $400 of OBC which meant our real cost was $800 (total) for a 10 day cruise in a high category balcony....or $40 per passenger day!  I booked that cruise within minutes :).  And this is another issue.  Many of the best deals are only around for a few hours or days so when you see something good you must make a decision and book immediately.  Most folks are unwilling or unable to make that kind of commitment given that these deals often require immediate full payment and are not refundable.

 

Hank

[Randyk47]

38 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

You no longer need to telephone the better agencies to get their unadvertised offers.  In most cases you can simply register an e-mail address (at no cost) and you will receive various private offers via e-mail...sometimes on a daily basis.  We are registered with several of these excellent agencies and sometimes get too many e-mails.  So some folks might want to create a separate e-mail address for this kind of stuff.  But some of the most amazing deals happen by luck.  About 4 years ago we spotted a very good price on a Regal Princess (at the time their newest ship) repo cruise (10 days) from NYC to Ft Lauderdale.  I could have booked online at a terrific price, but had a question.  So I called the agency and while I was on the phone with our agent she had a new Fax tossed on her desk that had a new last minute deal for that same cruise that was beyond belief.  It was $1200 (total cost for 2 including all taxes and fees) for a balcony cabin.  We were also able to get $400 of OBC which meant our real cost was $800 (total) for a 10 day cruise in a high category balcony....or $40 per passenger day!  I booked that cruise within minutes :).  And this is another issue.  Many of the best deals are only around for a few hours or days so when you see something good you must make a decision and book immediately.  Most folks are unwilling or unable to make that kind of commitment given that these deals often require immediate full payment and are not refundable.

 

Hank

 

That was a great deal!   Unfortunately with wife still working and in a leadership position our planning horizon is like a year or more.  I think in 26 years of cruising the closest we’ve ever booked was 90 days out and that was a one time happening.   Anyhow, yes you can sign up with some of the Internet agencies for special offers, etc.   Our Internet agency actually lets you become the client of a specific agent and we’ve been booking with her for seven years now.  She has us on her email list and we get both general specials and specific ones she knows we might be interested in.  

[Hlitner]

35 minutes ago, Randyk47 said:

 

That was a great deal!   Unfortunately with wife still working and in a leadership position our planning horizon is like a year or more.  I think in 26 years of cruising the closest we’ve ever booked was 90 days out and that was a one time happening.   Anyhow, yes you can sign up with some of the Internet agencies for special offers, etc.   Our Internet agency actually lets you become the client of a specific agent and we’ve been booking with her for seven years now.  She has us on her email list and we get both general specials and specific ones she knows we might be interested in.  

Most of the folks we have met, that grab the really great deals,  are retirees.  Although we have sometimes found pretty good deals on longer term bookings, it is the last minute deals (inside the final payment period) where one can often find a real treasure.  But it often means one must have the ability to go away on a few days or weeks notice which certainly does not fit the life style of a majority of cruisers.  That $1200 cruise was a deal that developed only 10 days before embarkation.  We recently got a great deal on a 10 day Celebrity Summit cruise, but were able to snag that deal about 3 1/2 weeks prior to the cruise.

 

We still book far in advance for  more exotic cruises that we think will sell out far in advance.  For those voyages the price often keeps increasing since supply/demand rules the waves.

 

Hank

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

You no longer need to telephone the better agencies to get their unadvertised offers.  In most cases you can simply register an e-mail address (at no cost) and you will receive various private offers via e-mail...sometimes on a daily basis.  We are registered with several of these excellent agencies and sometimes get too many e-mails.  So some folks might want to create a separate e-mail address for this kind of stuff.  But some of the most amazing deals happen by luck.  About 4 years ago we spotted a very good price on a Regal Princess (at the time their newest ship) repo cruise (10 days) from NYC to Ft Lauderdale.  I could have booked online at a terrific price, but had a question.  So I called the agency and while I was on the phone with our agent she had a new Fax tossed on her desk that had a new last minute deal for that same cruise that was beyond belief.  It was $1200 (total cost for 2 including all taxes and fees) for a balcony cabin.  We were also able to get $400 of OBC which meant our real cost was $800 (total) for a 10 day cruise in a high category balcony....or $40 per passenger day!  I booked that cruise within minutes :).  And this is another issue.  Many of the best deals are only around for a few hours or days so when you see something good you must make a decision and book immediately.  Most folks are unwilling or unable to make that kind of commitment given that these deals often require immediate full payment and are not refundable.

 

Hank

Thanks for sharing.  Perhaps that will help some who are looking for an agent.

[Tampa Girl]

On 6/25/2019 at 1:26 AM, Sailor Taylor said:

I found HAL and Princess great to book through travel agents.  Does HAL still allow transfer any time before final payment?  It's a great benefit to be able to do that. 

 

Some other lines don't make much of a difference when booking with agents but HAL and Princess agents can always give 5% to 10% discount plus some perks.  

 

What do you mean by "HAL agents?"  And independent TA? I'm not sure that a TA is a HAL agent in the true sense.  Certainly you are not referring to a HAL PCC, who will not give discounts.  And why do you think it is "a great benefit" to first book  with HAL and then transfer to a TA?  Incidentally, I believe the time to transfer has been shortened to, perhaps 60 days?  Not sure about that since we never book initially with a PCC.

[Sailor Taylor]

2 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

What do you mean by "HAL agents?"  And independent TA? I'm not sure that a TA is a HAL agent in the true sense.  Certainly you are not referring to a HAL PCC, who will not give discounts.  And why do you think it is "a great benefit" to first book  with HAL and then transfer to a TA?  Incidentally, I believe the time to transfer has been shortened to, perhaps 60 days?  Not sure about that since we never book initially with a PCC.

 

Yeah I meant independent TA's.  

 

I like having a large window to transfer for the flexibility.  I lock in the room and then shop around for a TA.  Also I prefer to transfer to a TA when it's relatively close to the sail date and I am close to 100% sure I won't cancel.  

 

 

[bennybear]

When we first started cruising we got little to no on-board credits.   We heard of those who had hundreds of dollars if not more with wide eyes!  Some of the basics  like buying future cruise deposits,  booking on-board or at home during the welcome home, buying carnival stock, and transferring to a big box have resulted in us too receiving many many hundreds of OBC if not more.   

 

Its not rocket science,  we have found booking early gets us a great cabin, we watch for better pricing and refare when we see it.  But for some reason many people I know don’t want to buy the FCDs even though there is no risk or downside.  Or purchase stock, or use a TA that adds value.  

[FoodWineTravel]

On 5/12/2019 at 2:19 PM, Hlitner said:

Dave,   I have never used a Big Box store to book a cruise :).  I talked about "shopping around" and this does include the Big Box stores...but we have always found much better overall deals looking elsewhere.   We are members of 2 Big Box stores but not for the travel perks.  

 

With the cruise agencies we use (there are currently 3 on our "favored list") a FCD is not an issue.  If I book on the phone they will apply that deposit while making the booking (they are tied directly into the cruise line computers).  If there are any issues about credits they simply put me on hold, call their contacts at the cruise line, and resolve it within a couple of minutes.  But we tend to book a majority of our cruises on-line with a few clicks of the mouse (we have done this for even expensive multi-month cruises).  If we have any kind of existing credit with that particular cruise line we will follow-up with either a phone call or an e-mail to the cruise agent and it is quickly resolved.  The agents I use will handle dozens of booking in a single day and these folks are good (or we would look elsewhere).   They work for me...not the cruise line :).  If there are any issues/problems I have a high volume agent/agency as my advocate and they have a lot more clout (and contacts) with every cruise line then me.   If I later notice a price drop (or change in promotions that gets my interest) I just send a quick e-mail (takes me less than a minute) to my cruise agent and he/she takes care of it.  

 

Also consider that we do quite a few longer (measured in weeks or months) cruises to pretty exotic places that involve complex pre and post cruise travel planning.  All things being equal we prefer an experienced agency that has some understanding of issues related to that kind of travel/cruising.  My current favorite cruise agent (she is very young and still learning) understands our cruise and travel habits and gives us a lot of support (when requested).  But I have often teased her that my "loyalty" to her (and her agency) is only as good as the last booking...and she is aware that we will book elsewhere (in a heartbeat) if we can get a better deal.   We have also discovered that certain cruise lines seem to have special relationships with specific agencies.  So we often book RCI products (Celebrity and Azamara) with one particular agency while are CCL products usually are booked through a different agency.  MSC tends to frustrate all cruise agents but our young cruise agent seems to have figured out how to deal with that company :).

 

Hank

So what are these top 3?