Travel agent or deal direct with cruise line?

[Harters]

I know we're not allowed to name British cruise specialist travel agents (although there's a good list on Cruise Critic itself). But do you usually use an agent or deal direct? We've done both in the past and can't really see any benefit of one over the other. I know Americans always seem to prefer to use an agent and seem to get big discounts, or other perks, when they do. But those perks don't seem to be available in the UK (possibly because of the tighter regulation of the industry , with the ABTA and ATOL bonding, makes the profit margin much smaller). 

 

So, am I missing something here, or is there really no difference for Brits who we use?

 

TIA

 

John  

[ziggyuk]

For me, I normally book NCL cruises.

I have a PCC (Personal Cruise Consultant) and find him brilliant. I have his email and direct telephone number for booking, and more importantly, if there re any issues or problems I can give him a call to sort things out.

I was previously just dealing with random people on the switchboard why would palm me off with incorrect information and no accountability. If I did not get the PCC assigned, I would probably use a good travel agent just so I could have one point of contact.

For me a TA just adds an unnecessary link in the chain as everything has to be done through them, my PCC on the other hand is an NCL employee, he knows all the contacts in HQ and gets things done quickly and efficiently.

[Aulanis]

I think the perks offered by US agents  are there because the Lines allow it.

For many US is their main market and  their international marketing strategy  doesnt  cover perks for brits.

   We tend to use a agent  as it gives us someone to blame if it goes wrong rather than blaming ourselves. 😉 

  We also use an agent when long flights are involved  as our experience has been that I can never find flights  cheaper than the agent, usually significantly more expensive.

  When we got stuck in OZ when covid  broke out  it was good to have an agent to fight our corner. 

  Having an agent does give other avenues of enquiry  we hove found

it very difficult to contact  Holland America and the agent seemed to have on screen access.

Against that  some lines  Ambassador for one dont really want ANY contact if you have booked through an agent, though their whole set up  doesnt match the service we get elsewhere.

      Before covid  we could usually get to deal with one person at travel agencies or even at the cruise line  at least for the cruise  but  now I think both the large agents and lines all have as many staff working from home as possible  and contact is totally random  ,  responses scripted and sometimes dubious.   So you pays your money and

take a chance however you book.

      

Edited July 31, 2023 by Aulanis

[fruitmachine]

2 hours ago, Harters said:

I know we're not allowed to name British cruise specialist travel agents (although there's a good list on Cruise Critic itself). But do you usually use an agent or deal direct? We've done both in the past and can't really see any benefit of one over the other. I know Americans always seem to prefer to use an agent and seem to get big discounts, or other perks, when they do. But those perks don't seem to be available in the UK (possibly because of the tighter regulation of the industry , with the ABTA and ATOL bonding, makes the profit margin much smaller). 

 

So, am I missing something here, or is there really no difference for Brits who we use?

 

TIA

 

John  

I've taken one cruise and booked another.  

The large UK travel agent we used was able to offer a significant (c.15%) discount on the book-direct price, but only when they combined it with another travel segment, making it into a 'packaged' holiday.  The first time it was one night in a hotel at the end of the cruise (we booked the flights and another hotel before the cruise).  The other we got them to include the flights and booked the hotel ourself on points).

 

They were not allowed to sell below the cruise-line's direct price if all we wanted was the cruise itself.

 

The non-price advantage of a TA in the UK is they are on the hook for everything you book with them if something changes with just one segment.

[GoGAdawgsWin]

Any pros/cons of using a UK based agent for P&O UK cruises v/a American for US citizens ?

[wineoclock]

If I book celebrity I go direct as I’ve been used the same Celebrity agent 3 times now. I’m looking for 2025 at possibly a different line so will use an agent who can give me independent advice. 

[Thejuggler]

We used to use an agent as they had access to more fare options than online, in particular guarantee fares.

[Harters]

Thanks for the comments. In the event, we've again booked through a well known online cruise specialist. We havent saved anything significant but it has been an  extremely easy process. Told the agent what we needed by way of flights, hotel pre-cruise, transfers. Fifteen minutes later, she was back with it all worked out and, yes, as someone has mentioned, flights cheaper than I could find. 

[Sleepybluegiraffe]

Thanks for asking this. It’s something I’d been wondering too. We’ve done 2 cruises with Celebrity sync considering another and I think I’ll stick to booking direct. I’ve done well in the last watching prices and phoning up to get the lower price applied after booking. I’m not expecting to save as much as before though looking at current prices and trends. 

[flossie009]

We have always booked our cruises through leading UK Travel Agents specialising in cruise travel and invariably have received a discount on the cruise line advertised prices. The amount of the discount depends on the cruise line and how generous they are with the TA commission 

The TA that we have used for the past few years has given us excellent service (even through the very difficult times of the pandemic) and offers significant discounts.

 

On 7/31/2023 at 1:39 PM, fruitmachine said:

They were not allowed to sell below the cruise-line's direct price if all we wanted was the cruise itself.

I understood that price fixing is illegal in the UK. Any company involved should be reported to the CMA

UK CMA advice

UK CMA blog

 

 

IMO it is always worth ringing around a few TAs to see what discount, or other perks, they might be able to offer for the cruise in which you are interested. Some TAs have special deals on specific cruises from certain cruise lines.

Obviously carry out due diligence on the reputation of the TA you are considering before proceeding (e.g. ABTA & ATOL registration; Trustpilot & other reviews; TA's Ts&Cs)

The CC Article on UK Travel Agents is a useful start but still do your own careful checks on exactly what the TA is offering.

 

[Tudorcruisers]

Always a travel agent. 

[Simon-t]

It depends on the trip for us. If it is a cruise only from Southampton then we tend to book with the cruise line. If we need flights or hotels then we find it easier to use an agent. Partly for convenience and partly because they do seem to be able to source good deals on flights and hotels.