How do you book your cruise?

[cage keeper]

Not sure the best way to book to get the best prices and best staterooms. Do you use a TA or go directly with Celebrity? Or do you book online? Finally picked Summit for Alaska 2008 and want to get either cabin 6136 or 6144, so I know I will need to be one of the first to book when this cruise is posted. Also read that some lines give early booking discounts. How early do you need to book for these and how good are the discounts?

[Tatka]

We used to exclusively book on-line as this was much cheaper than through company. Since most of TA discounts are history, we still sometimes book through one of them, because they dive you some incentives (wine, robes etc), but we are beginning to notice, that you can get pretty nice deal with cruise company booking early, and you can cancel it later if you change your mind. :)

[Cathy Maneri]

I always book through my travel agent in Miami. She seems to get the best price because the cruise lines use them exclusively.

 

The way I do it is I do all the research myself, I have the books from Celebrity to look at the cabins. I know what cruise I want, the date of sailing, the cabin I prefer (I can check if the cabin is available on the Celebrity website myself). Then I call her and tell her what I want booked. She puts me on hold, calls Celebrity and confirms the price and cabin. All my documentation then comes from my agent. The agency also has a website but I like to make sure she gets my business.

 

I also try to book my cruises while I'm on board so I get a shipboard credit. In that case, I book it with the Celebrity travel associate on board and give her my travel agents company and name and she puts through the reservation to her. I've done this many times in the past and my agency is one of their preferred agencies in Miami.

 

You definately get a better price for booking early. Although if the cruise is not full, they may reduce the cabin prices. If you catch it after you've already booked, you can always the upgrade.

 

I just did this on my upcoming cruise. I was booked in an oceanview Cat 6 when they opened up some Concierge Club Verandas for less than my oceanview. I caught it on one of the sites (and thought it was a typo) so I doublechecked on the Celebrity site and the price was right, they reduced this class of cabin.

 

I called my TA and she changed my booking to the higher cabin and reissued my new invoice with the new price. Now this was before the 90 days I had to pay my final payment. So I got a CC for less than my original oceanview cabin. I was very happy about that and so was the other two people I'm cruising with, since they have never had a balcony.

 

Keep in mind I live in Miami, the cruising capital of the world, so there's a lot more competition down here.

[Pookie-the-Sailor]

As a first-time cruiser, we used a TA. He had a LOT of advice and information for us. We probably could have gleaned all that info from the cruise boards, but we didn't even know what questions we might need answers to. He suggested what was good and not-so-good about the various cabin types and locations, helped us understand the general process of cruising, what to do in the ports, etc. He also took care of unraveling two reservation/paperwork problems with the cruise line before the cruise. I understand we will be getting some small rebate from him one of these weeks.

 

 

Now that we have a cruise under our belts, and are “experts,” we would be less hesitant to book with the cruise line, but I understand that even though cruise lines are not giving discounts to TAs, that prices are still quite variable and that a discount is still generally available from just about everywhere except the cruise line.

[Betty4]

Cathy - I don't understand why you would feel obligated to give the TA business if you do all of the work. I have nothing against TA's, but what are YOU benefitting by having a middleman? Enlighten me, please.

[Sky Sweet]

Not sure the best way to book to get the best prices and best staterooms. Do you use a TA or go directly with Celebrity? Or do you book online? Finally picked Summit for Alaska 2008 and want to get either cabin 6136 or 6144, so I know I will need to be one of the first to book when this cruise is posted. Also read that some lines give early booking discounts. How early do you need to book for these and how good are the discounts?

 

There is a cruise only travel agency in the town where you live that gives a small discount, but they have a cancellation fee that you would not incur if you booked directly through the cruise line and subsequently had to cancel.

[amagar]

Hi,

 

We're on our our 7th cruise since 2001....and have driven ourselves nuts, at times, trying to find that rock-bottom rate. What we've ultimately discovered is this: If we find an itinerary we're hot on...and a price we think is fair (anything around $100 night, particularly during Carib in Jan/Feb/March)...we book.

 

There are lots of on-line booking sites...you can find many from links off of cruisecritic. Keep in mind that the biggies often have the buying power to offer better deals. Most recently, we booked last Sunday for a January cruise. I checked about 8 sites before I took the plunge. What I discovered was this: The price was the nearly the same at all of the stie....but each offered something special...from a free spa treatment to $200 cash back per cabin. We took the cash back and booked. (FYI: That Celebrity $200 cash back runs through Sept. 21 and is at one of the major travel sites (I don't think we can mention names here...but the word travel is in the first part of its name).

 

Once on board, don't ask, don't tell. There will almost always be someone who snagged a lower rate...and some who have paid a higher (sometimes much higher...)

[GeekyMom]

I researched the web myself, called every travel agency that I could (while having the web up to the travel page) to get comparisions and then I went with the agent that could offer me the best deal. (Watch out for hidden costs, taxes, service charges) they add up.

[Kathie44]

We booked our first cruise in Nov. '01 for Jan. '02 and had no idea where to start and not much time to figure anything out. I called my step-sis who is a TA and she helped us decide how long (7 nights) and where (Caribbean). Then she set us up with an E. Carib. cruise on Explorer and the rest is history. Hooked for good! Now I do my own research because it's fun. I love poring over cruise brochures--it gets me in the mood. We know what we want and usually book with her. She is a big help with finding airfare deals and e-mails me the best flight schedules for our needs because if I book through her it will cost more.

For our Alaskan and European cruises we traveled with another couple and booked with their TA to keep things simpler as far as flying together and making sure we ate dinner together.. We did book packages including airfare to save the hassle of figuring out flights for the longer distances. For cruises leaving from the lower 48 I book it myself.

My DH is more hooked than ever. Shortly after we got home from Jewel this summer, he told me to find out which was the best deal for the Mexican Riviera. He had overheard people raving about it on our cruise (total strangers that he didn't even talk to) and wanted to book it right away. He didn't even want to wait until our basketball schedule came out to see if we could book between home games like we always do. I felt like saying, "Who are you and what have you done with my husband?" lol But, hey, who am I to argue with a request like that?

I immediately got out my trusty brochures, figured it out and gave Joni a call. So now we are looking forward to another winter cruise to a new itinerary. One other thing we are hooked on is longer cruises. We may never go back to the 7-nighters again.

AND he also wants to do Aus/NZ!! What a guy! And I didn't have to twist his arm at all. :D

 

1/02 Explorer E. Carib. 7nights

1/03 Explorer W. Carib. "

8/03 Summit Alaska cruise/tour 7 on ship/5 on land

2/04 Adventure S. Carib. 7 nights

2/05 Galaxy Panama Canal 11 nights

6/06 Jewel Brit. Isles/Nor. Fjords + 3 days in London 12 nights

1/07 Mercury Mexican Riviera 11 nights

[DrKoob]

Cathy - I don't understand why you would feel obligated to give the TA business if you do all of the work. I have nothing against TA's, but what are YOU benefitting by having a middleman? Enlighten me, please.

 

Betty4,

 

Ever had an emergency while overseas? Ever had problems with an airline?

Ever had an airline cancel your flight? I have had all three. In all three cases I called my TA (who I have used for 15+ years) and she took care of us. Once she did it on a flight I had booked myself. I have her home, cell and office number. She is there for me when I am traveling.

[cage keeper]

Thanks everyone for all the help. This will be cruise # 2 & 3. Our first I used a TA because they were paying. ( I did some work for them during the final four and they payed me in travel credits.) Now we will be paying our own way so I hope to get the best rate.

 

How much is the deposit when you book? On Rccl I think it was 200 pp.

 

Thanks again,

Joni

[tonyd285]

We have always used TA's to book. Our first cruise, many years ago, we used a travel agency in NYC. Since then we have used one of the larger on-line cruise specialist TA's. Up until this year they had a wonderful agent named Angie Nolan (anyone know where she went?). The new person is okay but not proactive. Angie would contact us when, after booking, fares were lowered to let us know that she had passed the savings along to us. With the new guy I had to call him when I noticed a fare reduction. She would also call us when she had a great deal. We once got the largest suite on a Costa ship for the price of an outside cabin. Anyway, you will get a better deal through TA's if you are vigilant about comparing prices and extras.

[Sky Sweet]

In the past we have used TA's, but recently made final payment on a cruise that I booked directly through Celebrity. It has been such a pleasure to get immediate responses/feedback, and not have to deal with a middle man, that I plan to book all future cruises directly through the cruise line. We have another upcoming cruise that was booked through a TA, which I would love to cancel and re-book directly through the cruise line. However, if I did I would have to pay that travel agent a few hundred dollars in cancellation fees for doing so.

[toz]

My first two cruises were booked through TAs (established and reliable outfits). Now I book directly through the cruise line...and have received a fair price and good treatment. If you decide on a TA, be sure that it is a reputable one...and read the fine print in your contract. Good luck.