Advice: Book direct or via third party?

[KC15]

Hi there! Close to booking a March 2025 Wonder of the Seas sailing. I have pricing from the cruise line and a third party agent which is the exact same. Third party is offering only a $50 OBC for booking with them. 
 

My question - book direct with RCI or the third party travel agent? Are there any benefits to booking with RCI vs the agent? 
 

Any advice would be appreciated! 

[crystalspin]

My only RCCL cruise I booked myself and watched the promos and flash sales daily and caught many of them, where an agent would not have been able to keep that keen an eye on the website. I am sure I saved (or bought at a discount) way more than $50, which is really a pittance.

 

That was in 2018, and I have no idea if their dynamic pricing model is still the same.

 

ETA: Welcome to Cruise Critic! The Royal Caribbean 'board' is here:

Royal Caribbean International: Ask a Question - Cruise Critic Message Board Forums

 

Edited April 10 by crystalspin

[olemissreb]

I prefer to book direct so that I maintain control of my reservation. If I find a price drop or a better price on a better cabin, I can call directly and make the change without having to go through a TA who may be closed.

[CDNPolar]

There are so many discussions about this subject all over CC.  

 

Should I book direct or book with a third party - travel agent.

 

Most of the discussions end in a very similar way.  Half say that they prefer control over their booking and do it themselves, and the other half like the advice, experience, and guidance of the TA.  The other benefit of the TA is the potential of OBC or other perks.

 

We book direct with the cruise line and get everything we want lined up first and then we transfer the booking to one of a couple/few travel services we use.  Depending on the cruise line and length of cruise we get different deals with different agents.  Once we have booked, transferring the booking is purely what can we gain from the TA.  (Note that cruise lines have a time limit for you to move your booking to a TA - miss that time line and you cannot move it)

[pkerrrrrr]

I have a similar question as well... first toime cruiser and I gave a reommneded TA an area we'd like to cruise.  They came back with sevral suggestions (dates, itineraries and cruise lines) and are waiting for us to pick a few.

I supopose I could book them myself but unlike when I book flights and hotels (which I do all the time) I'm wondering if I am leaving something on the table.

I have heard a bit about watching for deals... How does that work?  Is that for low to mid-tier cruise lines?  

Thanks!

[Essiesmom]

Go to the websites of every cruise line that you have even a slight interest in sailing, and sign up for their emails for special deals.  If you already know when and where you want to sail, try poking around in cruisetimetables.com.  Plug in some places you want to visit using the tab ‘cruises to’, then choose when you want to go.  It will tell you who calls there and their itineraries.  It is purely informative, not a travel agency.  
  Once you have narrowed it down to a few, go to the boards here for those cruise lines and ask questions there ( presuming you have some).  Go to the websites of the lines for the ships you have listed, and try a dummy booking, going all the way until you have to pay to see what you might pay.  Then call your recommended TA, and maybe a few others you have found online ( we can’t recommend any on CC) to see what they can offer you to book with them.  EM

Edited April 10 by Essiesmom

[Mum2Mercury]

I think I'm being repetitive here, but my thoughts: 

 

- We always book directly through the cruise line, as we never seem to find these great deals other people describe through travel agents.  I think this may be because we cruise only in the fall, which is already the lowest-priced time of year /less motivation for the travel agents to offer financial incentives.  

- The big reason we book through the cruise line is that -- as someone said above -- I like to be in control of my reservation.  I check my prices a couple times each week -- I actually enjoy seeking the lowest price, but only you know whether you'd enjoy that or see it as a chore -- and I don't mind calling in to ask for a "price match".  My husband and I see even a $10 drop as "a win", and we do a little dance.  

- Some people say they hate calling the cruise line /hate waiting on hold.  If you call early or late (they're open something like 7:00 am - 11:00 pm) you'll get through to a human being quickly.  

- Since you're looking at a 2025 date, your cruise will absolutely go up/down in price.  I'd say go ahead and book, and you should assume that the price you pay is the highest you could pay in the end.  Hope for a price drop.  

- I'm thinking you're new to cruising?  Know this:  Once you're onboard, you can schedule your next cruise -- they have a whole office dedicated to that topic -- or you can make a downpayment on an unspecified week.  If you do this, the cruise line gives you a bit of OBC (On Board Credit), which pretty much equals what your travel agent's offering.  Personally, I like to get the next-cruise certificate, so I'm ready to reserve if a low-price pops up online.  

[CDNPolar]

19 hours ago, pkerrrrrr said:

I have a similar question as well... first toime cruiser and I gave a reommneded TA an area we'd like to cruise.  They came back with sevral suggestions (dates, itineraries and cruise lines) and are waiting for us to pick a few.

I supopose I could book them myself but unlike when I book flights and hotels (which I do all the time) I'm wondering if I am leaving something on the table.

I have heard a bit about watching for deals... How does that work?  Is that for low to mid-tier cruise lines?  

Thanks!

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

The members above this post have give you great advice.

 

There is no magic pill. 

 

You may miss a deal that a TA may not.

 

A TA may not know of a deal at all. 

 

Some cruise lines don't always have deals.

 

We personally look at itineraries that we are interested in.  We look at the price and consider going early and hotel/meals, transportation to and from airports, flights, etc., and then if this is in our budget we book it.  To us it is not always about the "deal" it is about our budget and if we really want this cruise or not.

 

Once we settle on an itinerary and a cruise line, we will price online, through the cruise line, and then perhaps through a TA.  We however sail mostly on Viking so we know that the price we are getting is generally always the best price on the market so we book direct, then transfer the booking to our TA for the OBC.

[pkerrrrrr]

You and one or two other have mentioned booking direct and then tranferring the booking to the TA.  What is the purpose of that?

Thanks

[MacMadame]

3 hours ago, pkerrrrrr said:

You and one or two other have mentioned booking direct and then tranferring the booking to the TA.  What is the purpose of that?

Thanks

I tried to do this. (But had missed the window by 7 days and wasn't successful.) My reasoning  was:

- TAs will monitor pricing and refare for you (less work than doing it yourself)

- TAs often have deals such as OBC (I was going to get $1000 of free stuff, IIRC)

- TAs can give advice and know things I don't know

 

My experience was that I decided to go on a Panama Canal cruise. I did some research and realized quickly that I wanted to do a full transit through the old locks and only some ships could fit. It took me *forever* to figure out which ships I needed to stick to. Then I looked at all the cruise lines that had those ships and figured out which ones even did the PC and what they cost and which itineraries I liked the best.

 

However, I had trouble figuring out what was and wasn't included so it's quite possible that one of the lines I didn't go with was technically slightly cheaper. I do think I made a good choice based on what I read here on Cruise Critic (which I only found after I booked).

 

I also found out about re-faring and set up alerts on various websites to tell me about price changes. I saved about $900 and got a better cabin on top of that. (So much better that no subsequent price drop would have saved me money.) But it took me 3 different refare opportunities to successfully refare because I didn't have a TA and the Princess CVP assigned to me never responded and my request for a new one was ignored. I finally just called the CVP number and talked to a random CVP who helped me. Honestly, I lucked out getting that good deal.

 

If I had used a TA, I could have told them what I wanted and they could have come back with a few choices and talked me through them. This would have saved me so much time. And so much second-guessing myself.

 

Why didn't I use a TA? First, I'm kind of a planner who likes to do the research when it comes to big trips. Second, while a good TA can save you money and time and give you good advice, a bad TA is worse than not having one IME.

 

I did look for TAs in my area and ones that specialized in cruises but I couldn't figure out which ones were good so I just did it myself. I now have the name of a good TA and I will probably use them for my next cruise (which won't be until at least 2026 so hopefully they will still be in business!) but my desire to do the planning myself may cause me to just do it on my own again now that I know more (thanks to CC!).

 

I hope my experience helps you decide what is right for you. I don't think there is one right answer.

[ldubs]

14 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I think I'm being repetitive here, but my thoughts: 

 

- We always book directly through the cruise line, as we never seem to find these great deals other people describe through travel agents.  I think this may be because we cruise only in the fall, which is already the lowest-priced time of year /less motivation for the travel agents to offer financial incentives.  

- The big reason we book through the cruise line is that -- as someone said above -- I like to be in control of my reservation.  I check my prices a couple times each week -- I actually enjoy seeking the lowest price, but only you know whether you'd enjoy that or see it as a chore -- and I don't mind calling in to ask for a "price match".  My husband and I see even a $10 drop as "a win", and we do a little dance.  

 

 

We were the same for a long time before we finally found a TA that delivered significant price savings.   BTW, I don't agree that TA discounts are not available for fall season cruises.  We just booked a fall cruise at an incredible savings compared to booking directly.   To sweeten things, we selected the cabin we wanted and have a refundable deposit.  The cruise line fare we compared was a guarantee and nonrefundable deposit. 

 

As far as controlling the booking, the difference is instead of calling or using the cruise line website, we call the TA or use theTA's website.  Using the TA does not prevent us from entering preferences to our Princess Cruise Personalizer if we want to take that approach.  If fares go down, we can get the lower fare without having to deal with the cruise line.  But, we have to monitor fare levels and make the request. 

[Mum2Mercury]

21 hours ago, CDNPolar said:

To us it is not always about the "deal" it is about our budget and if we really want this cruise or not.

Now that we're retired, we do care about "the deal" more than we did in the past: 

- We're no longer required to find that week that works with his job, my job and the school schedule -- so moving up or down a week to save money is easy. 

- We can cruise more often, so we're not so fussy about having "the cabin".  We choose to cruise more often instead. 

[Mum2Mercury]

17 hours ago, MacMadame said:

- TAs will monitor pricing and refare for you (less work than doing it yourself)

- TAs often have deals such as OBC (I was going to get $1000 of free stuff, IIRC)

- TAs can give advice and know things I don't know

I hear what you're saying, but I'd argue: 

- The TA may or may not look for those lower prices for you (which would mean lower comissions for them).  No one's ever going to care about your wallet like you yourself will. 

- I've searched for those "free stuff" deals, and I've come up empty.  

- I've been cruising for a while, and I know the product /what I want.  If we were talking about a different vacation, I'd agree.  

[Mum2Mercury]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

BTW, I don't agree that TA discounts are not available for fall season cruises.  

Maybe I've missed it, but I've tried -- really tried -- to find lower prices with TAs.  Tried over the course of a couple years, tried with multiple agents, and I kept coming up empty.  So I quit trying.  

In addition to sailing in the fall, when prices are low, we tend to sail in inexpensive cabins.  I think that too may make a difference in our failure to find travel agent gold. 

 

I've found something similar with Disney:  People say, "Rent DVC points, and you can save thousands on your room!"  Yeah, but only if you were going to rent an expensive room in the first place, and only if you compare to the rack room price.  If you were going to stay in a basic room and spend all your time in the parks, you're not going to save by renting points.  

Edited April 12 by Mum2Mercury

[ldubs]

2 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

Maybe I've missed it, but I've tried -- really tried -- to find lower prices with TAs.  Tried over the course of a couple years, tried with multiple agents, and I kept coming up empty.  So I quit trying.  

In addition to sailing in the fall, when prices are low, we tend to sail in inexpensive cabins.  I think that too may make a difference in our failure to find travel agent gold. 

 

I've found something similar with Disney:  People say, "Rent DVC points, and you can save thousands on your room!"  Yeah, but only if you were going to rent an expensive room in the first place, and only if you compare to the rack room price.  If you were going to stay in a basic room and spend all your time in the parks, you're not going to save by renting points.  

 

We were in exactly the same place as you for a long time.  In fact, if you searched back several years you would find a post from me saying the same thing.  We had tried several times and were absolutely convinced using a TA would not be to our advantage for the cabin classes we typically used.  That was until we found the right TA.  Our TA serves folks and their family who work(ed) in a specific industry segment. 

[MacMadame]

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

I hear what you're saying, but I'd argue: 

- The TA may or may not look for those lower prices for you (which would mean lower comissions for them).  No one's ever going to care about your wallet like you yourself will. 

The TA who was going to take over my booking checks every day for all the booked cruises she is responsible for. That's more than I do and what I would expect since it's her job.

 

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

- I've searched for those "free stuff" deals, and I've come up empty.  

I did too when I was just searching blind but when someone recommended a TA to me, I finally saw those deals that other people were talking about.

 

6 hours ago, Mum2Mercury said:

- I've been cruising for a while, and I know the product /what I want.  If we were talking about a different vacation, I'd agree.  

Cruising is changing all the time though. It's hard to keep up.

[cruiseaholic777]

I always book through a travel agent. I do my own research and when I am ready I call and let them do my booking. I always get a better deal than the cruise line would give. Some agents by blocks of rooms at a discounted price, others give onboard credit. My April 4th cruise that I just came back from, I had 250$ onboard credit. 

[pkerrrrrr]

Can someone please explain this "moving booking from cruise line to TA"

What's the purpose of doing that?

Thanks

 

[pkerrrrrr]

So you book with the cruise line and then somehow give it to a TA?  Don't they lose out on their commison?

 

[ldubs]

On 4/10/2024 at 2:51 AM, CDNPolar said:

 

 

Should I book direct or book with a third party - travel agent.

 

Most of the discussions end in a very similar way.  Half say that they prefer control over their booking and do it themselves, and the other half like the advice, experience, and guidance of the TA.  The other benefit of the TA is the potential of OBC or other perks.

 

 

 

I think this is likely true as I read it a lot, but it just doesn't make sense to me.  For those who prefer control over their booking what difference does it make if it is done with a TA or on a TA's site versus the cruise line?  Control is the same as far as I can tell.  I suspect folks fall into this thinking because they have not found a TA that provides value. 

 

I also dont think most of the other half who prefer a TA do so because of advice, guidance, etc.  I suspect more, like you and I, it is about the deals available.  

[CDNPolar]

36 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I think this is likely true as I read it a lot, but it just doesn't make sense to me.  For those who prefer control over their booking what difference does it make if it is done with a TA or on a TA's site versus the cruise line?  Control is the same as far as I can tell.  I suspect folks fall into this thinking because they have not found a TA that provides value. 

 

I also dont think most of the other half who prefer a TA do so because of advice, guidance, etc.  I suspect more, like you and I, it is about the deals available.  

 

For us it is only about the deals and the OBC.  We are quite confident doing it all ourselves.