TA, cruise line, or discount website?

[p465]

What should I use to find the best deal? Also, which would be the most reliable to use. I would be willing to spend a few extra dollars to make sure someone is available if a situation arises. I'm looking at doing a Princess cruise to Alaska in 2010.

[paul929207]

I check them all and book with whoever is giving the best deal

[ggprincess2004]

I have found a reliable on line TA, and they usually win the pricing wars. That being said, I got a deal no one can beat so far directly from Princess on my most recent booking, so do shop around. If you book your own and are pretty self-sufficient in other ways, I think an on-line TA is great to use and save $$$ with most of the time.

You can also book directly with Princess, have the booking set exactly the way you want it, and then transfer it to a TA.

[Ken076]

For reference:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=930732

I'd start with Princess.com to find the Cruise(s)/rate you're interested in then shop your local TA and the on-line TA's, making sure that you're comparing apples & apples. NEVER give a TA a check or cash, make them charge your deposit & payments directly to the CruiseLine. If they offer Trip Insurance, make sure you checkout the coverages (and the company) to make sure coverage is adequate (and the company is legit).

 

ken

[FunForUs]

Some TA's charge a fee for changes made to your reservation & a fee to book as well. So make sure that you factor in fees when comparing the costs.

[LA_FadeAway]

I use cruise compete to try and find the TAs offering the best prices and then read up on each of them and decide from there