100.00 difference same room

[texasnana]

i called an online travel agent company that sent me a new quote.. they were 100.00 cheaper then carnival. Is it really worth it>>?? Also how do i know if this is a real company online or a company that takes my money and run??

 

I thought i had this all wrapped up .....

[TicTac#2]

It not at all unusual to find a lower quote. You can do a release of booking

from Carnival to the Online Cruise agency if you have not paid in full. Check

to see if the Travel agency is a member of any trade groups and if they are

a licensed seller of travel in your state.

[texasnana]

It not at all unusual to find a lower quote. You can do a release of booking

from Carnival to the Online Cruise agency if you have not paid in full. Check

to see if the Travel agency is a member of any trade groups and if they are

a licensed seller of travel in your state.

 

 

thank you i guess i found my answer .... being a member of a trade group and a liscensed seller in my state... do i just ask them????

[candydane]

Just be sure you only pay $$ to an unknown online TA by credit card. My experience has been that all of the charges will be made against your credit card by the cruiseline, not the TA. You can then go to your credit card online website or call your credit card representative to verify that only the appropriate charge was made to your credit card.

 

For double-checking, then verify with the cruiseline that you're booked for your cruise.

 

That way, you know you're booked, you know exactly what you've been charged to date, and if necessary, your credit card company should stand behind any unauthorized credit card charges. If the TA turns out to be flaky, you still have your cruise and your credit card charges should be legit.

[luv2ski2]

I owned a travel agency for several years (sold it in 1992 before airlines eliminated TA commissons) and regularly book on line but advise you to be carefull - particularly if you book with someone advertising on Ebay and if the booking includes airline tix.

 

Some TAs are "part timers" who have other full time jobs, no travel experience or training and are only able to resell travel as they paid a fee to be a TA with an agency that can buy travel wholesale. In some cases this agency receives the travel documents from the airline/cruise line etc. and may then send them by the cheapest method (in my case by DHL truck) to the TA who then sends them to you. This process can take MONTHS and is wrought with problems.

 

Last summer I booked a DL Vacations Honeymoon package to Swept Away Resort in Jamaica for my son with a TA who advertises on Ebay. I saved $300 but gained a lot of headaches. The TA did not know the airline rules/requirements about paper tickets (which is all Air Jamaica issued last summer) and did not respond to emails from DL to return the airline tix for reissue (the flights had changed). Ulike E-tix paper tix can not be reissued without the ticketing agent (in this case DL) having the ticket in hand. The TA was in Indianna, the agency in CA and DL Vacations in FL. If I had not called DL Vac, known the lingo and talked to a receptive DL agent I would not have learned why the documents were delayed in time for the old tix to be returned to DL and new tix issued (and Fed Exed directly from DL to me) in time for the flight. My son and his bride would have been stuck at the OKC airport for the first day of their honeymoon - and possibly longer as they flew out early on a Sunday.

 

Check the agency credentals and call them first to get answers to your questions. Be sure and get the agent's name/location/phone extension. Be aware that if you book or have the agent hold space for you over the phone you may pay a higher price and not be able to get the on-line price. Agencies have IT programs that delete duplicate reservations so it isn't wise to hold a reservation and then try and book one on line.

 

Be sure and pay by CC and make sure the cruise line will be charging your credit card not the agency. Any disputes with the CC company must be done within 90 days of the charge so verify the booking with the cruise line directly and get the cruise line reservation number within 90 days of the booking.

 

If you have problems - such as those I had - be prepared to do research on the agency or TA to find out who actually has the ARC or contract with the cruise line as that is how I got the TA's attention . I was lucky. Most airlines and cruise lines will not talk to the passenger (due to their contracts with TAs) so you will probably have to deal with the agency where you booked to get any problems resolved.

 

Good luck - and weigh the benefits of the savings. RCCL (who owns Celebrity) does not allow discounting so you can go to a local TA in your city and probably get the same price as a booking on line. The best offer I've found for these two lines is an offer of free insurance or excursions. Other cruise lines have different policies.

[PAF78250]

I Found A Great Deal Online With A "vacation" Company. I Called Carnival And Asked If They Would Match The Price And They Did...