Is there any advantage to using a travel agent?

[thermal]

I recently did a Pacific Coastal cruise on the Grand Princess.  I booked everything online on Princess's website, including excursions in advance.  I found the website convenient and easy to navigate. 

 

I'm now looking at an Alaska cruise in 2023 and have started playing around on Princess website again.   Last week, I got a voicemail from a travel agent saying they can help me with any future Princess cruises.  

 

Is there any advantage to using a travel agent?  I'm comfortable with technology and booking online, but am curious if I'm potentially missing out on some perks? 

 

Thank you kindly. 

[reedprincess]

1 hour ago, thermal said:

I recently did a Pacific Coastal cruise on the Grand Princess.  I booked everything online on Princess's website, including excursions in advance.  I found the website convenient and easy to navigate. 

 

I'm now looking at an Alaska cruise in 2023 and have started playing around on Princess website again.   Last week, I got a voicemail from a travel agent saying they can help me with any future Princess cruises.  

 

Is there any advantage to using a travel agent?  I'm comfortable with technology and booking online, but am curious if I'm potentially missing out on some perks? 

 

Thank you kindly. 

You can do it all yourself. 

The advantages, for us, of using a travel agent are several -

First and foremost, we have an advocate 8n case things go awry. For example, on our cruises last winter, we caught covid aboard and we're due FCC for the nights aboard we were in quarantine. The FCC's we're issued, I have the confirmation emails with details, etc - however when I went to use them, they had disappeared. Contacted my TA, she spent the hours on the phone with Princess tracking down what happened and got everything sorted out - and shot me an email with the updated. No TA - I'd have had to spend those hours on the phone trying to find the right department, pricing over and over the FCC's, submitting whatever docs, etc. Nope - not for me. Let the TA handle it.  I have a handful of examples from travels in the last two years - we'll basically always use a TA for booking our cruises for the foreseeable future, particularly given the minefield that travel currently is..

 

Secondly - that commission is built into the price already. Might as well get it out of corporate hands and into the local community to circulate. She gets the commission rather than it staying with Princess. To us, that makes a difference. 

 

Thirdly - access to deals and group bookings I as an individual do not have access to. 

 

Fourthly - I circle back to having an advocate, someone who has access to different phone lines, information, resources, etc that I don't. 

 

I used to book directly, spend hours researching, comparing, etc  - with the changes in travel and such, I vastly prefer having someone in my corner.  

 

YMMV. Do what's best for you.. 

[capriccio]

A similar question was posted earlier today that has lots of responses:

 

 

[ElmaLee]

in UK we mostly use a specialist TA to book out cruise, along with flights and accommodation.  Under UK law we get extra protection from booking a holiday "package" that we would not get if we booked flights or hotel ourselves.

Twice it has paid dividends. Once in Rome airport closed due to weather and flights got cancelled.  TA booked hotel and flight home next day at no cost to us.  Second time in Singapore, cruise cancelled at start of Covid outbreak.  TA booked extra nights in hotel, new flight home and refunded entire cost of holiday!

[Loritd]

I always use a local travel agent.  We don't get all the perks using of a big box store, but we get a little onboard credit or a meal in at a specialty restaurant.  But as a previous poster said it puts money back into our local community. I have been offered and taken 2 move-over offers (before covid) and she forwarded the info to me. She was willing to cut herself out of some commission to get me a great deal. She also will forward emails regarding the new bidding system to me. I am not sure a big box store would. A travel agent works for you not the cruise line. If something goes awry, they are there to make things right. 

[Coral]

The TA I use answers emails/calls 7 days a week. Super responsive. Always has a better price than Princess and often has extra things such as OBC, etc....

 

She also knows what I like, lets me know when she sees something that she thinks would interest me, quickly forwards emails from cruise lines, etc...

 

Plus - super knowledgeable!

[kywildcatfanone]

We use a TA.  She gets us at least a slightly better rate than  I  get as an elite on Princess, plus some OBC.  Depending on cabin category that can be not much to a decent amount, plus sometimes there are other perks.

[Pam in CA]

My TA seems to work 24/7. Very responsive, even to say she’ll get back to me. 
 

I use a TA for several reasons:

 

1. I always pay less than if I’d booked directly. Important as I cruise solo in a cabin but I also like paying less.

 

2. I get extra OBC. 

 

3. I have an advocate if there are any issues. If you book directly, they work for Princess. 
 

4. No waiting on hold for Princess Customer Service or a rep/PVP who isn’t responding or has left the company. Can’t tell you how many complaints I read about by frustrated passengers. 
 

5. I recently checked on a cruise next year. Saw that there were no obstructed view balcony cabins available on Emerald deck on the Discovery. Checked with my TA and I’m now booked in an obstructed view balcony on Emerald deck. 

[Coral]

3 minutes ago, Pam in CA said:

My TA seems to work 24/7. Very responsive, even to say she’ll get back to me. 

Isn't she great!?!!!!

 

I have been using the same TA for probably 25 years now. When you find a good one - you hold on to them.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Coral

[DiRonT]

59 minutes ago, Pam in CA said:

My TA seems to work 24/7. Very responsive, even to say she’ll get back to me. 
 

I use a TA for several reasons:

 

1. I always pay less than if I’d booked directly. Important as I cruise solo in a cabin but I also like paying less.

 

 

Agree with all your points.  Think we are still using the same TA and she is the best!

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Be careful about Princess customer service and the Princess Planners.  The one that contacted us was more than happy to make the booking immediately.  Then, absolutely NO response from her, at all, since.  This is a real problem right now.

 

I happened to do some research, and found a TA with one of the big online agencies, that was able to help us, even put a new booking on hold, with the price and perks that were offered by Princess, but that we were told by Princess that they couldn't give us. 

 

We will now use that Travel Agent, and will not use Princess planning services or try to work directly with Princess at all.