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how to pick travel agent


gooberpetey
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I usually book online at Royal Caribbean but I want to book a back to back cruise in Feb 2019 & think I should use a travel agent. Does anyone have suggestions as to how to find a good one? OR should I call Royal Caribbean directly? Thanks for any & all help. :cool:

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ask friends, family or co workers who they use & if happy with their services

 

shop around ask plenty of questions before you book

 

do your homework

 

 

 

It is against CC guidelines to name specific TA's

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If you normally book directly, why do you need a TA to do that for you now? You can still book a B2B by yourself and not worry about a middle man.

 

 

 

Perhaps OP finally realized that s/he is missing out on added TA perks, which can often mean hundreds to thousands of refundable SBC dollars (primarily on longer premium/luxury cruises) beyond the cruise line's best deal.

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If you normally book directly, why do you need a TA to do that for you now? You can still book a B2B by yourself and not worry about a middle man.

I agree with your thinking...I have no interest in what a TA can offer or the possible problems adding a 3rd party into the mix. After 25+ cruises it continues to work well for me...even B2B's.

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Here's a link to a Cruise Critic article on finding the right travel agent:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=62

 

We've booked cruises direct and with agents, now usually use agents since we've found one that gives us up to 10% of the cruise cost back as OBC. We've never had any 'middle man' issues with TA's; maybe we've been just lucky, but no complaints in over 25 cruises.

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If you normally book directly, why do you need a TA to do that for you now? You can still book a B2B by yourself and not worry about a middle man.

 

Perhaps the OP is interested in saving 7-10% when factoring in the perks you get by shopping around among decent cruise agencies. We do understand that many folks, including you, do not really care about saving money...in which case booking directly with a cruise line is a decent option.

 

Hank

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Perhaps the OP is interested in saving 7-10% when factoring in the perks you get by shopping around among decent cruise agencies. We do understand that many folks, including you, do not really care about saving money...in which case booking directly with a cruise line is a decent option.

 

Hank

Hank,

 

Not always is it all about saving money.

 

We book multiple cruises when the bookings first open (which is usually at their lowest price point and cabin category/location that is important to us)) and I easily watch for any additional price drops and can make that call instantly to get it applied.

 

We may be some of the few but even when we get OBC from RCI we usually have a hard time spending it and at times rush around that last night making sure we do.

 

So, I agree with you there are some of us that booking direct is the better option. The OP will need to decide if they are indeed one of those few....and just hope they don't end up regretting what has been working for them thus far.

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Perhaps more the exception than the rule:

Some cruise lines do have "preferred" TA partners who (like an onboard "ambassador") may be able to "prebook" new itineraries about to be published. One of our very recent onboard bookings for a summer 2020 extended itinerary was arranged before appearing to the general public on the cruise line website. Even with this advantage, we secured the only remaining cabin in our favorite category.

Basically, the itinerary was "sold out" before it "appeared." Yet another value of the "right TA."

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Perhaps more the exception than the rule:

Some cruise lines do have "preferred" TA partners who (like an onboard "ambassador") may be able to "prebook" new itineraries about to be published. One of our very recent onboard bookings for a summer 2020 extended itinerary was arranged before appearing to the general public on the cruise line website. Even with this advantage, we secured the only remaining cabin in our favorite category.

Basically, the itinerary was "sold out" before it "appeared." Yet another value of the "right TA."[what was the iternary ship and date?

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I always booked directly w/ the cruiseline until last year. Was going on the same cruise as my friends and she told me to call her agent (large online cruise travel agent). She was able to get me a better cabin at a price less than what the cruiseline was showing since they get a negotiated rate when they come out. Also kicked in prepaid gratuities. Now I always book w/ them and since I on their loyalty program get an additional $50 OBC for every booking. This time she gave me $300 OBC instead of the gratuities as she realized since I'm going solo it worked out better for me.

 

I still book my own hotels and airfare since they only do cruises but she does look out for me. I had originally booked anytime dining but changed to late fixed dining. She noticed a few weeks before the cruise and called to confirm which one I wanted as she wanted to make the change before I boarded. Now I will only book thru them for the added perks they offer.

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I always booked directly w/ the cruiseline until last year. Was going on the same cruise as my friends and she told me to call her agent (large online cruise travel agent). She was able to get me a better cabin at a price less than what the cruiseline was showing since they get a negotiated rate when they come out. Also kicked in prepaid gratuities. Now I always book w/ them and since I on their loyalty program get an additional $50 OBC for every booking. This time she gave me $300 OBC instead of the gratuities as she realized since I'm going solo it worked out better for me.

 

I still book my own hotels and airfare since they only do cruises but she does look out for me. I had originally booked anytime dining but changed to late fixed dining. She noticed a few weeks before the cruise and called to confirm which one I wanted as she wanted to make the change before I boarded. Now I will only book thru them for the added perks they offer.

 

 

 

Really amazing that so many people don't understand the savings associated with a GOOD travel agent. Of course, one needs to be willing to do the real research to find the right one for their preferred cruise line(s).

The really odd comment we hear is that many of them want to "maintain control of the booking" while not recognizing that a line's preferred TAs (who may book millions of dollars per year) have far more clout than the passenger (a mere "rounding error" in the cruise-ship company's bottom line.

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