Should I use a British TA or book with a local TA for Cunard World Cruise

[LewiLewi]

I have received a quote from a British travel agent which seems to be a good price for a World Cruise on Cunard. My local, American travel agent has quoted a considerably higher price. I have never booked with a British travel agency before. Are there any pitfalls in doing so now?

[lindylooellalouise]

Why not book direct? I will never use any TA ever again because of all the problems I’ve had regarding refunds for cancellations apparently it’s common policy for them to hold on to your deposits which then has caused a multitude of problems trying to get refunds 

[Victoria2]

53 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Why not book direct? I will never use any TA ever again because of all the problems I’ve had regarding refunds for cancellations apparently it’s common policy for them to hold on to your deposits which then has caused a multitude of problems trying to get refunds 

In defence of agents, I think it depends on your particular agent. We have a superb one and I wouldn't dream of dealing with Cunard direct. Why do the leg work when you can have someone do it for you?

 

Sadly, much as I'd like to give our agent a shout out, I know I can't but I can say there are excellent agents out there. 

[lindylooellalouise]

Yes I'm sure there are good and bad agents you've been lucky to have found a good one and I've been so unlucky to have used the one I've used the question  was are there any pitfalls using a British  agent.

[57eric]

I believe that if you use a British agent, none of your deposit will be refundable.

[PORT ROYAL]

3 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

I have received a quote from a British travel agent which seems to be a good price for a World Cruise on Cunard. My local, American travel agent has quoted a considerably higher price. I have never booked with a British travel agency before. Are there any pitfalls in doing so now?

UK does not do “price drop matching”

 

[IB2]

19 minutes ago, 57eric said:

I believe that if you use a British agent, none of your deposit will be refundable.

That’s the same deal we get from Cunard directly.  So it arises from booking through the Uk rather than using an agent per se.

[ace2542]

4 hours ago, 57eric said:

I believe that if you use a British agent, none of your deposit will be refundable.

Unless Cunard cancels the cruise.

 

Surely the answer to the question is which price is cheapest and cheapest overall including the agency adds on like possible OBC or service charge included?

[Victoria2]

15 hours ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Yes I'm sure there are good and bad agents you've been lucky to have found a good one and I've been so unlucky to have used the one I've used the question  was are there any pitfalls using a British  agent.

No  pitfalls for me but there are many like yourself who have found pits.

My immediate reaction is, if it sounds cheap, be very careful. My agent isn't cheap but his service is priceless.

My advice to Lewi is, do some research on the agent before committing and make sure you're aware of currency fluctuations, addons and will you get the same service abroad that you would with a US agent.

[DaisyUK]

I get a better price and better terms and conditions booking through a US travel agent than either a UK travel agent or Cunard direct.

[57eric]

17 hours ago, IB2 said:

That’s the same deal we get from Cunard directly.  So it arises from booking through the Uk rather than using an agent per se.

Of course.  But I was responding to the OP's question.  I guess I could have made this clearer.

[imacruizer]

On 3/10/2021 at 8:53 AM, LewiLewi said:

I have received a quote from a British travel agent which seems to be a good price for a World Cruise on Cunard. My local, American travel agent has quoted a considerably higher price. I have never booked with a British travel agency before. Are there any pitfalls in doing so now?

Booking a World Cruise is a big investment.  I would want to book with a TA who is very experienced in booking Cunard World Cruises.  They often have lots of extra perks as well as excellent prices.  I would make a lot of phone calls and ask a lot of questions.  I would ask "How many Cunard World Cruises did you book in 2018 and 2019?"  Very best wishes!!  How exciting to be planning such a wonderful voyage.  I must admit I am very envious.  

[Windsurfboy]

If you have a VPN  , check UK travel agent price vs Cunard UK direct, if it's more than a 3 or 4% cheaper it sounds to good to be true, which may be a warning .

 

What ship are to looking at and what cabin

[LewiLewi]

We are 

17 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

If you have a VPN  , check UK travel agent price vs Cunard UK direct, if it's more than a 3 or 4% cheaper it sounds to good to be true, which may be a warning .

 

What ship are to looking at and what cabin

We are looking at a balcony cabin on the QV for 2023.

[lindylooellalouise]

54 minutes ago, LewiLewi said:

We are 

We are looking at a balcony cabin on the QV for 2023.

Hi we are looking at the same cruise and a balcony cabin it will be our 50th wedding anniversary and always planned to do a world cruise lots to think about and decisions to make fingers crossed.

[Windsurfboy]

3 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

We are 

We are looking at a balcony cabin on the QV for 2023.

 

Southampton to Southampton is quoted as  FROM £15499 pp on Cunard UK

[LewiLewi]

20 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

Southampton to Southampton is quoted as  FROM £15499 pp on Cunard UK

That would be about $21,576 in US dollars. Is that quote for a balcony cabin and does it include taxes and fees? If so, it is a lot cheaper than a quote I saw in the US.

[Windsurfboy]

 

45 minutes ago, LewiLewi said:

That would be about $21,576 in US dollars. Is that quote for a balcony cabin and does it include taxes and fees? If so, it is a lot cheaper than a quote I saw in the US.

 

That's the FROM price per person,  which would therefore be for the cheapest balcony cabin grade , it will include all taxes and fees , deposit  UK conditions non refundable. Haven't  released the full price list till it opens. This is from cunard.co.uk. I'm not sure if it includes 5% off for world club members, hard to tell until you can book.

[Bigmike911]

I am in the Travel Agent is Great category. Through out this 'adventure' she has been on her toes and extremely helpful. Last year I booked a westbound T/A from Hamburg for this July and she got me a bundle of OBC. Recently when that crossing was canceled, she was able to get the OBC transferred to my August 2022 crossing, and she was able to get the suite I wanted on the Port side when it was 'not available' initially. 

 

Two years ago, I had a westbound T/A also from Hamburg. I decided to add an eastbound leg from Southampton to that voyage, and she was able to make sure I was in the same suite I wanted the whole trip. A good Travel Agent is worth more than their weight in gold.  I book in the US by the way. 

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, LewiLewi said:

That would be about $21,576 in US dollars. Is that quote for a balcony cabin and does it include taxes and fees? If so, it is a lot cheaper than a quote I saw in the US.

 

Yes, the UK fares include the taxes and fees.

 

Just to confirm, here is a fare comparison I am seeing for the lead-in Britannia Balcony "From" fares (per person, double occupancy) listed on the Cunard UK and US websites for voyage V304D, the 101-night QV 2023 World Voyage roundtrip from Southampton.

 

Cunard UK: £15,499pp total fare

Cunard US: $27,699pp base fare + $1365.20pp TFPE = $29,064.20pp total fare

 

Keep in mind these fares are most likely for Obstructed View Britannia Balconies (Category CB). These lowest fares may come with restrictions such as not being able to pick a specific cabin and may not offer OBC or other perks. Just throwing this out as a comparison of the fares only. It is important to understand all the perks that may or may not be offered with each type of fare that will be available as well as all the terms and conditions that apply to each fare in each country (e.g. refundable vs. non-refundable deposits, deposit amounts, final payment dates) in order to make a fully informed comparison.

[LewiLewi]

We decided to book this cruise with our US agent; the price difference in the end was negligible, after all the perks, etc. were added in. Also, the deposit is totally refundable if we decide to cancel for any reason, prior to the final payment date. Unfortunately, we have a long time to wait, but it is certainly something to look forward to.