Internet Agencies - Same Database?

[HeatherInFlorida]

I've just been doing some research for a young friend planning her honeymoon cruise in June 2005 and was getting prices at various internet sites. I'm not very computer savvy, but it sure looks to me that after I've typed in the info about the cruise, I'm directed to the same database (not sure if that's the word) every time. It looks the same, it has almost (if not exactly) the same prices, everything is identical. I looked at icruise, buycruises, smartcruiser, 11th Hour, to name a few.

Has anyone else noticed this? Is it par for the course? Appreciate any expertise you guys have! Thanks.:)

[Orcrone]

Someone posted about it the other day. Turns out that many of them use a system from Revelex (or something like that). That's why they all look very similar. They then just enter the prices that they charge.

[HeatherInFlorida]

Thank you so much!!! I just knew someone would know. Appreciate it.

[Santa Fe Jim]

Most of the ones I've looked at use www.myovscruise.com -- it's a company that provides the "booking engine" that any cruise agency can "rent". The agency just provides the pricing they want to use and the rest is pretty much the same as any other agency.

 

SFJ

[Brandis]

What about having a cabins listed as available in a catergory on one TA's homepage, but the same category on the same ship and cruisedate listed as closed on another TA's homepage?

[jhannah]

Marc, a lot will depend on how the TA's website utilizes the information, and what they choose to display. For instance, I believe Travelocity and some other sites just show a maximum of 10 or 11 cabins as being available. I visited a site yesterday (can't remember which one) and the only A category cabins showing were all together at the bow of the ship ... when I'm sure that at 13 months out there are more A cabins available.

[Brandis]

It was not that only a few cabins were available, but one site showed 3 available cat. S suites, while on another, that category was closed...