Booking a Cruise from the UK via a US travel agency

[steveso]

I am not looking for any recommendations of names.

 

What I want to know generally is whether any UK people here have used US travel agencies to book cruises and if so were there any problems? 

 

Also I understand that if you use a decent US agency then if the price of the cruise drops they will pass this saving to you but you don't get that in the UK.

 

Anyone able to comment?

 

Thanks

 

[leaveitallbehind]

Yes, depending on cruise line, in the US if the price changes favorably prior to final payment you typically can benefit from that new fare but are also protected from any increases.

 

Again, based on cruise line, you can also benefit from typically restrictive, lower non-refundable deposit fares that include penalties to the deposit for changes or cancelations prior to final payment, or have the option at a typically higher refundable deposit fares that allow for booking changes or cancelations without deposit penalty prior to final payment.  The deposit amounts may also differ (favorably) from UK bookings.

 

What I don't know is what, if any, the restrictions may be for UK travelers wanting to use US based travel agencies.  Seems like, given just those stated advantages, that many UK travelers would book through one if they could.

 

Hopefully others with more direct experience can answer.

Edited February 9 by leaveitallbehind

[sleepingcat]

cant answer the question - would just suggest you copy your post over to the "UK cruisers" forum as well as here as that should find the people w ho might have experience of what you are thinking of.

and maybe try a search of that forum.

 

 

[leaveitallbehind]

1 hour ago, sleepingcat said:

....would just suggest you copy your post over to the "UK cruisers" forum as well as here as that should find the people w ho might have experience of what you are thinking of.

Here is that link:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/544-uk-cruisers/

[Harters]

I don't know if there are any commercial restrictions but bear in mind that booking through a US company means you are not going to have the important consumer protections such as ABTA bonding and the "package holiday" regulations. We found the latter to be a vital protection at the beginning of Covid, when a holiday including cruise was cancelled. The company tried to persuade us to accept  a credit note - we knew the law provided for them to make a full refund. Which, in due course and with a threat of "see you in court" got us our money back. 

[*Miss G*]

On 2/9/2024 at 11:32 AM, steveso said:

I am not looking for any recommendations of names.

 

What I want to know generally is whether any UK people here have used US travel agencies to book cruises and if so were there any problems? 

 

Also I understand that if you use a decent US agency then if the price of the cruise drops they will pass this saving to you but you don't get that in the UK.

 

Anyone able to comment?

 

Thanks

 

 

 

Cruise lines began to enforce their policy against US travel agencies selling to non-residents of North America some years ago.  Having said that, however, a large online agency still sells to my sister, who lives in the UK, and she has not encountered any problems with boarding or otherwise.  She did ask how she was allowed to continue to book through them and was told she was grandfathered in because she was an existing NA customer prior to relocating back to England.

 

WRT honouring price drops, it will depend on the T&C under which you book.  You will need to obtain that information from the agency, including any cancellation penalties they may impose.

 

Also be aware that flights available through the cruiselines will be unavailable to you because they do not have the ability to change your home airport to a UK one.  

 

You also may run into issues when completing your online check-in as they are geared toward NA addresses.  If you have found an agency which is able to book a non-NA resident at US prices, they will need to provide guidance on how to go about this as your IP address may force you to the UK site.  This will also affect your ability to pre-purchase excursions, etc.

 

I did a quick search on this issue and here are two links for reference.  I did not do an exhaustive search, however, so you may be able to find additional information.  Good luck.

 

CC Article on Booking Through a US Travel Agent

 

 

[gavvy]

I have used one of the Big American travel agents in the past on Royal with no issues, and am using the same one again in May.

 

Some do make it clear they cant quote, but 2 of the big national ones said there was no issue so I went ahead with one of them- the online booking form was geared to take my UK address as well so there were no issues booking, I received the RCL booking number straight away and was able to add it to my RCL account and make excursion and beverage package booking etc.

[Reina del Mar]

On 2/9/2024 at 4:32 PM, steveso said:

 

Also I understand that if you use a decent US agency then if the price of the cruise drops they will pass this saving to you but you don't get that in the UK.

 

We are allowed to make one change to our bookings in UK..but at an admin cost of £100 per booking. Only useful if there is a big price reduction and you need to be careful that you keep any ‘perks’ .

[Ladyshopper23]

Yes, I used to book all our Disney cruises through a US travel agent. Same price as direct through Disney but also got obc. Better terms in terms of price drops, cancellation etc.

Haven't done it for any other cruise line though.

[sandancer]

We have used a US travel agent for several years. Booked Celebrity, Royal, Holland America with no problem. Have also cancelled and had full deposit refunded - we always book a refundable fare even if it’s a slightly higher cost. Have also benefited from price drops several times. We did not book online, we used an agent recommended by friends who live in Florida. These days we only sail out of UK ports as flying is just too much hard work with mobility problems or we would still be using our US agent. She was great, immediate response, the best customer service we’ve had from any travel agent. Hope you find one as good. 

[villauk]

We’ve used a US TA to book the majority of our cruises (Celebrity, Royal and Princess). It’s only recently, since COVID, that I’ve been a little hesitant. Having said that, you need to price check on the cruise that you are considering as many European cruises may be cheaper over here than booking in the US. Additionally, many cruise lines are offering free/discounted flights if booked here and that may cancel out any of the reductions of booking in the US. Do a price comparison on both sides of the pond and see what the difference is,