Advice: Cunard Direct vs TA

[Zeg]

22 hours ago, Thetis22 said:

I know CruiseCritic doesn't allow the naming of TAs, but can anyone advise how to go about finding a really good one for Cunard? I'm in the UK. 

The problem is you don’t know how good they are until after you have ‘appointed’ them. Then it’s too late if they don’t perform. 
 

Maybe the best way is to speak to fellow cruisers over a glass of wine at the bar?

[Thetis22]

43 minutes ago, Zeg said:

The problem is you don’t know how good they are until after you have ‘appointed’ them. Then it’s too late if they don’t perform. 
 

Maybe the best way is to speak to fellow cruisers over a glass of wine at the bar?

Very true

[david63]

1 hour ago, Zeg said:

The problem is you don’t know how good they are until after you have ‘appointed’ them. Then it’s too late if they don’t perform. 

Which is exactly the same with insurance (of any kind). In fact that can probably be said about most things in life!

[tacticalbanjo]

I had a look at that list CruiseCritic have. They mention one brand which is synonymous with poor service and has facebook groups dedicated to how terrible they are. 

 

I've found some of the Cunard facebook groups are quite helpful in finding a decent travel agent.

[Thetis22]

9 minutes ago, tacticalbanjo said:

I had a look at that list CruiseCritic have. They mention one brand which is synonymous with poor service and has facebook groups dedicated to how terrible they are. 

 

I've found some of the Cunard facebook groups are quite helpful in finding a decent travel agent.

 

9 minutes ago, tacticalbanjo said:

I had a look at that list CruiseCritic have. They mention one brand which is synonymous with poor service and has facebook groups dedicated to how terrible they are. 

 

I've found some of the Cunard facebook groups are quite helpful in finding a decent travel agent.

Thank you

[Solent Richard]

42 minutes ago, tacticalbanjo said:

I had a look at that list CruiseCritic have. They mention one brand which is synonymous with poor service and has facebook groups dedicated to how terrible they are. 

 

I've found some of the Cunard facebook groups are quite helpful in finding a decent travel agent.

I spotted that particular one too and was very surprised at its inclusion. I'm a member of it along with another on the list. 

[Solent Richard]

Of course as a Carnival shareholder, and assuming there are others on this board,  I do often advise folk to book direct.

On a purely self interest pecuniary basis that is. 😉😈 

[tacticalbanjo]

16 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

Of course as a Carnival shareholder, and assuming there are others on this board,  I do often advise folk to book direct.

On a purely self interest pecuniary basis that is. 😉😈 

Yes, yes, could everyone please book directly so the shares I bought 2 days before Diamond Princess hit the news recover a bit.

[Solent Richard]

On 1/2/2024 at 11:23 AM, D&N said:

And have you actually found much variation in Cunard prices between different agents and comparing agents against direct bookings? Not asking for specifics for obvious reasons!

 

 

Hi @D&N . I most certainly have. 

 

The last time was when we joined Queen Victoria in Singapore and wanted to spend some time reliving my wife's school time experience around Changi Village. There was little flexibility with pre-cruise  flights with Cunard, despite what other say, so we booked cruise only - that is where we did our comparisons.

 

 

...and one UK TA....

 

 

Needless to say even negating the TA's OBC offer the difference between the quotes still paid for our flights to Singapore and return to UK from Cape Town.

 

 

[Victoria2]

We were on the same cruise and through our agent, booked the flights to Singapore through Cunard and dictated the date of travel, the airline, which flight of the day to take, the class of travel and of course, chose  our seats when the flight details were released, just as we always did when flying out to meet the ship. No problems at all. Total flexibility.

 

No idea if it was cheaper or more expensive than booking directly with the airline but it gave us peace of mind should the itinerary be changed.

 

 

Edited January 3 by Victoria2

[missson1967]

For context, my wife and I are UK residents, who sail exclusively with Cunard, having enjoyed many cruises/crossings, all of which have been booked direct.

 

We have not encountered many issues over the years, but when we have, they have all been resolved direct with Cunard in a swift and efficient manner – no “tediousness”, no “hassles” and no need for anyone to “fight [our] corner” or act as an “extra level of travel insurance”.

 

Based on our personal experience of dealing with Cunard direct, I have not read anything in these posts which, for us, would warrant using a TA “to cover all bases” … but perhaps I am somebody who “won’t ‘see’ however many explanations are given”!

[Victoria2]

Maybe you are 'somebody who “won’t ‘see’ however many explanations are given”!, who knows but I'm  glad to hear  missson1967  you've had a great experience booking direct. Long may it continue for you.

 

Let me know how you fare the next time you book a b2b in the same cabin direct with Cunard, when there are only two such cabins on the ship or book any of two cabins when both cabins are sold within a minute or two of the bookings going live and you want a specific one.

 

Hopefully, your Cunard agent will be able to secure the cabins you want too.🙂

 

 

 

 

Edited January 5 by Victoria2
too much info given

[Solent Richard]

12 hours ago, missson1967 said:

For context, my wife and I are UK residents, who sail exclusively with Cunard, having enjoyed many cruises/crossings, all of which have been booked direct.

 

We have not encountered many issues over the years, but when we have, they have all been resolved direct with Cunard in a swift and efficient manner – no “tediousness”, no “hassles” and no need for anyone to “fight [our] corner” or act as an “extra level of travel insurance”.

 

Based on our personal experience of dealing with Cunard direct, I have not read anything in these posts which, for us, would warrant using a TA “to cover all bases” … but perhaps I am somebody who “won’t ‘see’ however many explanations are given”!

 

That certainly sounds a more than reasonable and eminently sensible explanation for booking direct with Cunard @missson1967 : particularly for us UK residents. 😉😉

 

 

[missson1967]

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Let me know how you fare the next time you book a b2b in the same cabin direct with Cunard, when there are only two such cabins on the ship or book any of two cabins when both cabins are sold within a minute or two of the bookings going live and you want a specific one.

Will do!

[D&N]

Solent Richard kindly gave an example where an agent quoted a higher nett price than a direct booking.

The prices charged through our agent have been exactly the same as those shown in a mock booking on the same day through Cunard UK, including the OBC and World Club discount.

There has been no financial difference for us.

I wouldn't have a problem with booking online and phoning Cunard if there was something I couldn't resolve such as a cabin available but not shown on our itinerary.

 

One concern I do have is that Cunard UK might decide that as an ex-pat I need to book through their French agents. If that were to happen we wouldn't be sailing. After sales service in France is generally abysmal.

[CruiseNC1111]

I first book direct on cunard.com, then contact my Cunard TA the very next day to a) review the room selection (she has 20 years of experience w the Cunard ships - and knows the rooms / locations to find the right fit for your situation), and b) review the fare for any specials.  Closer to sailing, she is a single point of contact for any questions and concerns.  So far this works fabulous.  She's been able to advise on room locations and was there for us when QM2 cancelled last minute on the May 2023 crossing.  She's very conscientious to address anything I ask about.

[Down-Unders]

I ring Cunard or book on the ship this is why I travel with this great Line. Any problems especially on their ships  are sorted out right away. Good luck with your booking.

[sandjango]

8 hours ago, Down-Unders said:

I ring Cunard or book on the ship this is why I travel with this great Line. Any problems especially on their ships  are sorted out right away. Good luck with your booking.

Same here...ring up...sorted right away...confirmation of booking e-mail as soon as the phone is hung up

[rj1227]

My experience cruising pales compared to that of those who have already responded.

 

My gut feeling is that the preference should be as follows: 

 

 1. A travel agent with whom you have a relationship, who will be responsive to your questions, who has experience dealing with the cruise line, and whose agency may be able to offer some special credit.

 

 2. The cruise line. 

 

 3. Other travel agents 

 

If you don't have a travel agent who meets the criteria in the first category, then dealing directly with the cruise line seems a legitimate option.

[Solent Richard]

On 1/5/2024 at 5:49 PM, D&N said:

Solent Richard kindly gave an example where an agent quoted a higher nett price than a direct booking.

The prices charged through our agent have been exactly the same as those shown in a mock booking on the same day through Cunard UK, including the OBC and World Club discount.

There has been no financial difference for us.

I wouldn't have a problem with booking online and phoning Cunard if there was something I couldn't resolve such as a cabin available but not shown on our itinerary.

 

One concern I do have is that Cunard UK might decide that as an ex-pat I need to book through their French agents. If that were to happen we wouldn't be sailing. After sales service in France is generally abysmal.

 

I don't suppose that, being outside of the UK,  you considered the fact that your IP address triggered a difference in pricing on the Cunard system?

[D&N]

4 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

I don't suppose that, being outside of the UK,  you considered the fact that your IP address triggered a difference in pricing on the Cunard system?

I don't think it does. About six years ago I needed to use a VPN to avoid being directed to the French site, but I haven't had that issue since our first booking was made by the agent in September 2018.

 

Selecting a random trip to start a booking just now gives me this:

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/find-a-cruise/V512/V512.cabin#fareType

The price I'm seeing is £6,038 per stateroom Cunard fare for a Britannia Club.

 

I think I need to use a US VPN to get to the US booking pages, otherwise it defaults to UK.

[DeirdreTours]

We have booked exclusively through travel agents and always received better pricing than was available booking direct.  I am not "loyal" to a particular agency, but instead use a site that allows one to post the ship, itinerary and cabin(s) of interest and take bid from agents for the total cost.  On the 17 day cruise coming up Feb 7, we saved 18% off the direct booking rate.  Savings this large are only possible when the agency has a room block available.   But we have always saved at least 5% and usually average about 10% off (with the value of OBC included).  Nor have we ever had any problem getting the Shareholder OBC with our bookings. 

 

[MCC retired]

OBC's on a Cunard sailing can be big , especially when using a Good Travel Agent.

 

$$$ from Cunard promo

$$$ from Shareholder

$$$ from TA Group Amenity

$$$ from TA comm "thanks for booking gift"

$$$ Military member

[david63]

18 minutes ago, MCC retired said:

OBC's on a Cunard sailing can be big , especially when using a Good Travel Agent

Bear in mind that OBC (with a couple of exceptions) has to be paid for by somebody and that somebody is normally the passenger. If you received no OBC from the TA then it is highly likely that the base price would be less. Most of the time OBC is your own money.

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, david63 said:

Bear in mind that OBC (with a couple of exceptions) has to be paid for by somebody and that somebody is normally the passenger. If you received no OBC from the TA then it is highly likely that the base price would be less. Most of the time OBC is your own money.

 

With due respect,  I always book with an Agent and yes it is coming from somewhere, in my case It is coming from sharing his commission.   Cruising pays the highest commission  in the travel industry and many like mine that are high volume booking agents get even higher over-rides.    They attract more customers by giving back some of their commission and make up for it in Volume.  

I personally don't see it as my money coming back as If I didn't use an agent I would be loosing a 10% concession.  BTW mine is  also is willing to take it off the front end or send a check after the cruise instead of giving an OBC.