TA or not?

[MIcruzer]

I have always used a TA but I was thinking of booking myself with the cruiseline. That way I am in control of the reservation correct? My travel agent tends to not be available when I need her. What would be the reasons not to book myself? Any thoughts would be helpful.......

 

Thanks in advance

[cb at sea]

If you know what you want, it's really just as easy to book it yourself! And why in the world would you use a TA that is non-responsive?????

[Rob & Beckys mom]

I have always used a TA but I was thinking of booking myself with the cruiseline. That way I am in control of the reservation correct? My travel agent tends to not be available when I need her. What would be the reasons not to book myself? Any thoughts would be helpful.......

 

Thanks in advance

 

You can book with the cruise line & then do some homework online to find a better price and transfer your booking to them. Be careful & ask questions such as "is there a cancelation fee?" port charges included, tax etc. get the entire cost in order to compare with the cruise line. Usually you can save $$ by booking with a TA, but not always. Good luck!

 

Jan

[Putterdude]

It has been our experience that you can save hundreds if not more by using a TA. They have access to promotions that cruise lines offer them but not us as pax. Some TA's purchase blocks of cabins at a discount and pass the discount (at least some of it) on to their clients.

[ssantow]

With the large number of TA's that are available I do not understand why anyone would put up with an unresponsive agent. Get a new TA.

Remember if you book it on your own...you are on your own.

[lady_cruiser]

I agree with the majority. Find another TA. I am one of the lucky ones that have a good TA and I know wonder what I did before without him.

[MIcruzer]

Thanks everyone for your words of advice.............

[m1ckey]

I have always used the on-line site and people are amazed the deals I get!!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have used the same TA for over 20 years.

 

Still prefer to be able to talk to her in person when we want to.

[98Charlie]

I have always used a TA but I was thinking of booking myself with the cruiseline. That way I am in control of the reservation correct? My travel agent tends to not be available when I need her. What would be the reasons not to book myself? Any thoughts would be helpful.......

 

Thanks in advance

We have used the same cruise only TA for our last 20 or so bookings. When we call/email her we get a quick response. One time she returned our call while she was on vacation:p

 

We do most of the research ourselves then call. She is at times able to find discounts that we cannot. The few times problems have occured with a booking she has been able to get things worked out to our satisfaction. IMHO, since she works for a major agency her voice is louder than ours would be if we were just booking straight through the cruise line.

 

As I said, she books cruises only. So, we do our own air (unless there is a real air bargain through the cruise line - it's happened once) and our own hotels for pre- and post-cruise stays.

 

Charlie

[RetireeWannabee]

I've never used a TA and have therefore always been in control of all aspects of my trip. I like it that way. I don't have a middleman in the rest of my life to handle life's unexpected issues so I don't feel I need one in the middle of my vacation plans either.

 

To each his own.

[PennyAgain]

My little town doesn't have a TA anymore. Some cruise lines don't allow self booking (Crystal for example). As a result I have set up with a TA and agency in another state.

 

When we did have a local TA and agency, they didn't do much for us at all.

 

I would book an easy trip online by myself, but not a complicated one. I do air and hotel for myself all the time related to work, but when there is a complicated cruise situation, I want an expert.

[dmdiver]

I've booked direct through Carnival as well as a TA. My most recent booking was originally booked through Carnival, but transferred to a TA who had booked a group of cabins a year ago at much lower rates, plus gives an OBC. I have never transferred a booking before, so I hope everything goes smoothly. My same room numbers are showing on my confirmation from the TA, although they don't show up on Carnival's website, nor does the account detail (payment due, etc.). A bit scary to me, but I did talk to my Carnival lady & she said everything is okay, it's just because it's under the TA group booking. Boy, I hope she's right.

[CaliforniaChris]

I'll tell you what I liked about our TA: We took a cruise with one other couple. The TA sent us EACH a certificate for a free bottle of wine on the ship, along with a Princess tote bag. That is 4 bottles of wine to share on a 7 day cruise! Of course, the cruiseline tries to upsell you when you order, but we just went with what the certificate covered, and it was wonderful.

[LuckyStar]

I have found just the opposite. I have never found a TA that got me a better deal than I have found myself. I search the internet and find killer deals. I also found that Carnival was just $50 more than my online deal. So I think that days of the cruiseline not being competitive are gone.

[bubbles30]

Hey Lucky Star if you havent found a TA to get you a better deal your using the wrong TA's. Been there done that and in my experience they always can get a better deal than any internet based site...........and they have the appropriate insurance protection to cover if there are problems.

[Nicki61]

I have always used a TA but I was thinking of booking myself with the cruiseline. That way I am in control of the reservation correct? My travel agent tends to not be available when I need her. What would be the reasons not to book myself? Any thoughts would be helpful.......

 

Thanks in advance

 

Been on 4 cruises. 2 booked through a cruise specialist, 2 without. The 2 without I did on my own, online. No talking to anyone. Did price shopping and feel I got the best price for our cruises. The 2 I used a real person, I didn't get anything extra, anything better. So Hmmmm, I choose to do it myself.

I just, today booked a cruise on the Ruby Princess online, by myself. Seems to work for us.

 

Nicki

[chasetf]

I have always used a TA but I was thinking of booking myself with the cruiseline. That way I am in control of the reservation correct? My travel agent tends to not be available when I need her. What would be the reasons not to book myself? Any thoughts would be helpful....... Thanks in advance

If your reason to go it your own is based on your TA not being available.... Then the solution is get a new TA.

 

Why not let a professional (who will make themselves available) work any problems that may arise instead of hoping you get it right. Simple things like Visas can get you wrapped around an axle if you don't know what you are doing.

[ehfl]

I would avoid using a TA, unless there is some specific reason to do so. You can do everything yourself online, and will be looking at the latest, most up to date information.

 

When I was in Labadee, a family was trying to ride the Zip Line, but the kids were too short. They had already bought and paid for the excursion through their travel agent, who didn't know about the height requirements. If they had booked online themselves, they would have seen the height limitations there.

 

If you book throught a TA to get a credit or reduced price....be sure to check EVERYTHING yourself.