Travel Agent Necessary?

[Disney Campers]

So I have booked online direct, do i need a travel agent, what is the benefit of having one after the cruise is booked?

[traveler/]

So I have booked online direct, do i need a travel agent, what is the benefit of having one after the cruise is booked?

A good TA can help you with any details of your cruise vacation, especially if you are not an experienced cruiser and have questions.

Depending on cruise line and TA, you may be able to transfer your booking to a TA, usually before final payment, and gain extra benefits, like free travel insurance, or a free excursion, etc.

[kitty9]

My TA provides not only on board credit, but paid gratuities and other freebies, along with the best prices. Booking online can't get you any of those things.

[chasetf]

So I have booked online direct, do i need a travel agent, what is the benefit of having one after the cruise is booked?

They can help sort out problems. They have (well, should have) pull with the cruise line. They will also make sure everything is in order and keep you abreast of any changes. Ours makes sure our payments get in on time and gets our tickets. :)

 

It is always good having a seasoned professional working for you. If you book online, once they have you signed up, their concern probably ends. And if you have a problem, :( you more and likely will be dealing with a different person.

[newmexicoNita]

Having a TA is can be very valuable in case of problems plus they can answer questions, handle details and often do give perks. This doesn't mean they all do, but many will go above and beyond for clients. If you have no problems, things go smoothly, no you do not need a TA, but that one time something does happen and it is you against the cruise line: wow. Having a TA doesn't cost you anything and it can give you peace of mind. I would advise you to make certain whom ever you choose is an experienced cruise agent. good travel agents are worth their weight in gold, some are not worth 2 cents and hurt the reputation of the truely dedicated ones. NMnita

[Cotton]

I don't know why you would need to use a TA now:confused: , since you booked your own cruise. You can probably find out as much info as you need by reading these boards and asking questions. Yep, you can probably tranfer your booking to a TA, but the online agency more than likely will charge a "fee" for you to do this.

 

Booking directly through the cruiseline has many advantages, as well. :)

[Cotton]

I don't know why you would need to use a TA now:confused: , since you booked your own cruise. You can probably find out as much info as you need by reading these boards and asking questions. Yep, you can probably tranfer your booking to a TA, but the online agency more than likely will charge a "fee" for you to do this.

 

Booking directly through the cruiseline has many advantages, as well. :)

[Happy ks]

I don't know why you would need to use a TA now:confused: , since you booked your own cruise. You can probably find out as much info as you need by reading these boards and asking questions. Yep, you can probably tranfer your booking to a TA, but the online agency more than likely will charge a "fee" for you to do this.

 

Booking directly through the cruiseline has many advantages, as well. :)

 

I mostly agree with this, you're booked and most questions you have can be answered here. The only advantage to booking directly with the cruiseline is that if you have a question, you don't have to go through your TA, you can call the cruiseline direct.

 

It was explained to me once by a TA that many times you pay for the perks that you get, one way or another. Although I'm sure that for loyal, long term clients, a TA will probably go the extra mile for them. I'm sure it also depends on the type of cabin you book, if you book a suite, a TA has more of an incentive to reward you with perks than if you book a less expensive cabin. Their commission is dependent on the $ you spend on the cabin.

[lvtotrvl1]

I mostly agree with this, you're booked and most questions you have can be answered here. The only advantage to booking directly with the cruiseline is that if you have a question, you don't have to go through your TA, you can call the cruiseline direct.

 

It was explained to me once by a TA that many times you pay for the perks that you get, one way or another. Although I'm sure that for loyal, long term clients, a TA will probably go the extra mile for them. I'm sure it also depends on the type of cabin you book, if you book a suite, a TA has more of an incentive to reward you with perks than if you book a less expensive cabin. Their commission is dependent on the $ you spend on the cabin.

 

Not sure what you mean by "pay for the perks you get"? Can you explain. A TA costs no more than if you went through the cruiseline direct..or shouldn't anyways. A good TA is invaluable should you need any help if something comes up ie 9/11 or the hurricanes last year. The TA's are the ones that can get you home from somewhere should an emergency arise. Also, we (most of us) have close relationships with the cruiselines so in many instances, we are able to get answers quicker, or something done for you instead of you making the call.

[dateacher]

I agree that you pay for the perks that you get. We booked online and an experienced TA told us to take it because she couldn't match or beat that price and was surprised at how anyone could charge so little for the cruise we got.

For us, saving the money was more important because I do all the research anyway.

 

For some, it is worth it to pay for someone to do the work and if it was someplace that I had more time than money, I would certainly use a TA.

[samtig]

We've booked on-line and had no problems. However, we have a great TA & it makes me feel more secure knowing she is readily available to answer questions, make suggestions about cruises and excursions, etc., and would be there for us if we encountered problems. Insurance she offers is better & cheaper than what we obtained on-line. DH looks on-line for pricing & we call her to see if she can match it. Usually she can or comes close enough.

[newmexicoNita]

I don't know why you would need to use a TA now:confused: , since you booked your own cruise. You can probably find out as much info as you need by reading these boards and asking questions. Yep, you can probably tranfer your booking to a TA, but the online agency more than likely will charge a "fee" for you to do this.

 

Booking directly through the cruiseline has many advantages, as well. :)

On line agencies may charge a fee, many regular agents do not. In fact the majority don't. NMNita

[newmexicoNita]

I agree that you pay for the perks that you get. We booked online and an experienced TA told us to take it because she couldn't match or beat that price and was surprised at how anyone could charge so little for the cruise we got.

For us, saving the money was more important because I do all the research anyway.

 

For some, it is worth it to pay for someone to do the work and if it was someplace that I had more time than money, I would certainly use a TA.

Actually it is rare that you will get a better price from the cruise company directly, In fact it shouldn't happen. Are you talking about booking with an on line company or the cruise line directly? As an agent I can't imagine how you can get a better price by booking with the cruise line directly. Years of experience and I have not once seen this to be true, but there are exceptions to all rules. Can a BandM company give you the same rate as some of the on line companies? No, we are aware of that but I believe the OP was referring to booking through the cruise line. NMnita

[Cotton]

On line agencies may charge a fee, many regular agents do not. In fact the majority don't. NMNita

 

Yes - that's what I said.: "The online agency more than likely will charge a fee...." I didn't suggest that a TA would do so.;)

[dateacher]

our rate was through an online agency that we got by competing for the best price. I have to admit I was a little nervous until I did my online registration and saw my name and then got my tickets.

[lvtotrvl1]

The online bidding agents are mostly at home agents ( I looked quite extensively into joining this site) and the winning agents are usually paying the difference in the price with their commission. After much research, I could not figure how most were making any money. My concern would be if they are in business when you are ready to cruise. The prices for cruises should not be much different from each other ie..(without naming names) the super online websites verses your large travel agencies. Any huge discrepancies I would be worried about. Remember the old addage..you get what you pay for. If the super large online companies could offer these prices don't youthink they would?

[newmexicoNita]

The online bidding agents are mostly at home agents ( I looked quite extensively into joining this site) and the winning agents are usually paying the difference in the price with their commission. After much research, I could not figure how most were making any money. My concern would be if they are in business when you are ready to cruise. The prices for cruises should not be much different from each other ie..(without naming names) the super online websites verses your large travel agencies. Any huge discrepancies I would be worried about. Remember the old addage..you get what you pay for. If the super large online companies could offer these prices don't youthink they would?

 

Well put!!! There are some, in fact, the number 1 cruise agency in the nation has primarily at home agents, but they are not an on line company, they have a very intense training program which is somewhat ongoing and most offer a great service. They also do not offer the great discounted rates some of the on-line companies offer. I too wonder how those agents are making a living? Commissions can only be so high and the cruise lines don't pay that much to us. I am not complaining mind you, but I do think clients should know we don't huge salaries so we can only cut so far. NMNita