Book with a TA or Carnival direct??

[pakmount]

Let me first say we are past cruisers. We are looking for the best price out there for a summer cruise. We are getting a lower price from a TA in Florida (not sure if I can say their name), than our Carnival Rep. Is that possible? They are both quoting the same thing - Early Booking price, balcony 8A, etc. Who would you book with? Are there pro's and cons to booking with either??:confused:

[draconis]

I've been on seven Carnival cruises booked five with Carnival two with a TA. same price. so I'm stickin' with Carnival. Two things, the Carnival people know what they're doing, nothing against TAs and most TAs charge a fee. So I hope you have a great cruise, what ever you choose.

[arom729]

Let me first say we are past cruisers. We are looking for the best price out there for a summer cruise. We are getting a lower price from a TA in Florida (not sure if I can say their name), than our Carnival Rep. Is that possible? They are both quoting the same thing - Early Booking price, balcony 8A, etc. Who would you book with? Are there pro's and cons to booking with either??:confused:

 

Double check that your Carnival price doesn't have trip insurance or tips added in to bump up the price. There are plenty of people on here that have more knowledge about TAs, but I'm not sure how it could be lower otherwise.

 

I prefer booking through Carnival to eliminate the "middle man" so to speak. When you book through a TA, only your TA can discuss your booking with Carnival. I'm a hands-on planner/vacationer, so that doesn't work with my personality.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Let me first say we are past cruisers. We are looking for the best price out there for a summer cruise. We are getting a lower price from a TA in Florida (not sure if I can say their name), than our Carnival Rep. Is that possible? They are both quoting the same thing - Early Booking price, balcony 8A, etc. Who would you book with? Are there pro's and cons to booking with either??:confused:

 

Yes it's possible. The TA is probably rebating some of their commission and unfortunately we aren't allowed to mention names of agencies.

 

Bill

[David148]

Two things, the Carnival people know what they're doing

 

LOL sorry i read that and had to comment.

 

 

that isn't really true. i just booked my cruise a few days ago. The first PVP i called at carnival was some guy, can't rem his name but have his ext number. and he was trying to help me find a cabin for the 4 of us on the Destiny. Basically i had to correct him 3 times. 1st he said there were no balconys on the spa deck, i said well yes there are, im looking at a cabin now. next was i asked if another cabin had a sofa, and he said 'no sir it does not' and i said well then why does the website key symbol say it does then? he put me on hold and said, 'yes sir you are correct' lol. Then last he was about to book 5 guests in the room , and there were only 4 of us. lol

 

No big deal really..but your post just caught my eye and made me smile a little bit. lol

 

Anyways..i prefer booking 1/1 with Carnival! :)

 

-David.

[Longin2cruise]

For a long time I booked directly with Carnival but will never do so again. It worked fine so long as there were no problems with the booking but if a problem pops up you are in real trouble. I love Carnival cruises, but in my opinion, they have the worst customer service possible. Luckily, on the spur of the moment, I had booked my Splendor trans-atlantic cruise through a travel agent. Long after I had booked the cruise a problem popped up & it took my TA 2 1/2 weeks of daily & sometimes multiple daily contact with Carnival to resolve the issue. Actually my TA was getting the run-around so badly that she turned it over to the executives of her travel agency (a large one). After that, my problems with the booking evaporated. I got the definite impression that Carnival customer relations doesn't care how unhappy a specific individual is but when a large travel agency gets unhappy with them, they pay attention.

[Tapi]

Let me first say we are past cruisers. We are looking for the best price out there for a summer cruise. We are getting a lower price from a TA. Are there pro's and cons to booking with either??:confused:

 

BE CAREFUL!

 

Always remember: Cheaper is NOT always better. IF I had a nickel for every thread that I read here of people that booked through XYZ and then got burned, I would have my next cruise paid off...!

 

More than looking for the lowest price, look for:

 

- Reputation (are you dealing with someone who knows what they're doing?)

- Product knowledge (can they answer your questions about the product you're purchasing?)

- Customer Service (Are they friendly and responsive? Are they easy to get a hold of? Can they assist you quickly?)

- Professionalism (Have they been thoroughly trained?)

- Financial status (Remember all those passengers who were left stranded when a big discounter went out of business a few months ago?)

- Fees (Are they charging you additional fees like booking fees, change or cancellation fees outside of penalty?)

 

DON'T shoot yourself in the foot based on price only. Shop around, ask lots of questions, compare one individual against another, and make a decision then. Some PVP's are excellent, some are not. Some TA's are excellent, some are not. When you find the right individual to trust with the thousands of dollars you're about to spend, you'll know!

 

I've been dealing with the same PVP for 4 years. She's awesome in every aspect, and has made our vacations much more memorable (including coming to the ship to meet us). Even if she couldn't match the price of an online travel discounter, I'd still book through her. The peace of mind of dealing with someone who meets all the criteria listed above is worth every penny.

[sheri18]

like anything else...its a matter of preference....we love our PVP at carnival...I would only book through him.....i feel he gets us the best deal for our money....if you see a deal cheaper let them know....they do there best to match....either way ...have fun....

[SunnyinMA]

BE CAREFUL!

 

Always remember: Cheaper is NOT always better. IF I had a nickel for every thread that I read here of people that booked through XYZ and then got burned, I would have my next cruise paid off...!

 

More than looking for the lowest price, look for:

 

- Reputation (are you dealing with someone who knows what they're doing?)

- Product knowledge (can they answer your questions about the product you're purchasing?)

- Customer Service (Are they friendly and responsive? Are they easy to get a hold of? Can they assist you quickly?)

- Professionalism (Have they been thoroughly trained?)

- Financial status (Remember all those passengers who were left stranded when a big discounter went out of business a few months ago?)

- Fees (Are they charging you additional fees like booking fees, change or cancellation fees outside of penalty?)

 

DON'T shoot yourself in the foot based on price only. Shop around, ask lots of questions, compare one individual against another, and make a decision then. Some PVP's are excellent, some are not. Some TA's are excellent, some are not. When you find the right individual to trust with the thousands of dollars you're about to spend, you'll know!

 

I've been dealing with the same PVP for 4 years. She's awesome in every aspect, and has made our vacations much more memorable (including coming to the ship to meet us). Even if she couldn't match the price of an online travel discounter, I'd still book through her. The peace of mind of dealing with someone who meets all the criteria listed above is worth every penny.

 

Excellent post..could not have said it better!

 

Like Tapi, I've had the same TA for a couple of years now and she is all that and a bag of chips. It took some trial and error to find her but totally worth it. The thing I like about using a TA vs. a Carnival PVP is my TA can help with other travel arrangements, other cruiselines, land-based resorts and different kinds of travel insurance and is knowledgeable about all of them. That means when I have an issue, I can call her about my whole trip no matter where I am or what problem I am having. Plus she discounts whatever rate I have so I always pay less :)

 

Good luck, it's not an easy decision to trust that much money to someone you don't know so do your research and happy travels!

[agusto1999]

Does it matter at all, booking with a TA or through Carnival, as to whether you'll get a suprise upgrade or not?

 

I've sailed just one Carnival cruise, through a TA. I wondered how some folks get those upgrades. Is it because they booked directly through Carnival?

 

We're thinking about an Alaska cruise next!