Comment about online agent VS direct with cruiseline

[theadams]

I have been reading a lot on this message board about booking through a:

- live travel agent

- online travel agent

- direct with cruiseline

 

I have just booked a cruise and did not want to use a live travel agent. I like doing my own legwork on the internet. I started with investigating online travel agencies. I checked with three different reputable ones and ALL of them gave me exactly the same prices. I particularly wanted an AFT cabin (Celebrity Millenium) and was disappointed to learn that none were available for my cruise date.

 

I tried several times throughout the day with various online agents and I got the same answer, no AFT cabins available. Some agencies were better than others, some worked very hard and some could have cared less for my business (sometimes vastly different responses all within the same online agency).

 

I really really wanted one of these cabins so I decided to call Celebrity directly. Lo and behold I got one of the AFT cabins, and I got it at EXACTLY the same price quoted by all the other agencies.

 

Now I know that cabins become available/unavailable at a moment's notice as people release and make bookings so maybe it was just coincidence that the cabin was available from the cruiseline and not from the online agents.

 

I asked everyone I dealt with whether they would refund the difference if the price went down and everyone, including the cruiseline said they would. The cruiseline did comment that I would have to monitor the prices though and call them if they went down, as they would not monitor this for me. I don't mind, I like doing that kind of stuff.

 

Just wanted to pass on this experience.

[Pootersmom]

I don't know if it is the same with internet cruise bookings, but I was told by Delta Airlines that when you book a flight on line, the internet booking agency is given only a limited number of available bookings (not sure why). I tried to book flights for seven people on a flight and it was scheduled a few months in advance and was only showing availability for five. I called Delta direct and was told that they only allocate so many seats per flight to online travel agencies. It could be the same thing with cruises.