Rare Harters Posted July 31, 2023 #1 Share Posted July 31, 2023 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ziggyuk Posted July 31, 2023 #2 Share Posted July 31, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aulanis Posted July 31, 2023 #3 Share Posted July 31, 2023 (edited) 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitmachine Posted July 31, 2023 #4 Share Posted July 31, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare GoGAdawgsWin Posted July 31, 2023 #5 Share Posted July 31, 2023 Any pros/cons of using a UK based agent for P&O UK cruises v/a American for US citizens ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wineoclock Posted August 1, 2023 #6 Share Posted August 1, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thejuggler Posted August 1, 2023 #7 Share Posted August 1, 2023 We used to use an agent as they had access to more fare options than online, in particular guarantee fares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Harters Posted August 2, 2023 Author #8 Share Posted August 2, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Sleepybluegiraffe Posted August 2, 2023 #9 Share Posted August 2, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flossie009 Posted August 4, 2023 #10 Share Posted August 4, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tudorcruisers Posted September 21, 2023 #11 Share Posted September 21, 2023 Always a travel agent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon-t Posted October 5, 2023 #12 Share Posted October 5, 2023 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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