Cheaper to use a travel agent, or book direct?

[wrxrob]

First, I'm looking at booking a low price, low frills cruise (inside cabin, 1 or 2 excursions, no alcohol package, etc.)

 

Is it cheaper to book through a travel agent, or should we book direct. We're looking at Princess cruises at the moment.

 

In the past, when traveling to land based vacations (i.e. Vegas), we found that booking direct with the hotel seems to be the cheapest route. However, it looks like with cruises that might not always be the case, I'm guessing.

 

That said, if using a travel agent is cheaper, how does one even go about finding an agent? Is there a national chain of agents?

[paul929207]

Unlike most cruise lines, Princess allows travel agents to discount their fares. I find that if you search, you can find prices sith a significant saving over the Princess site.

[mizLORInj]

As stated, Princess is one of the few remaining lines that allows discounting.

So I price it on the Princess site and then get some quotes from a TA. All our Princess cruises have been discounted, and most also included an onboard credit. We book with a warehouse club TA often, and also one I found online (met at a site that competes for your business).

have fun!

[Tralynn]

Definitely find a good TA to get discounts on Princess. Even on cruiselines that don't allow discounts, a good TA will at least give you some perks or OBC's. I don't think I've booked directly with a cruiseline in years. I've always been able to find a better deal.

 

Just be sure to find out all of their policies for price reductions, fees, cancellation fees, etc.

[FUN33]

Keep checking different TA's until you find one that will:

 

1. Give you a On Board Credit equal to 10% of your cruise fare.

2. Will accept coupons issued by the Cruise Line.

3. Does not charge any change or cancellation fees.

4. Will accept the type of payment YOU prefer to use.

5. Will re-fare your cruise if the price drops with no additional fees.

 

There are many TA's that offer all of the above. Just keep asking until you find a TA you are comfortable with.

[Hlitner]

Here is a novel suggestion. Shop around! Simply price-out your cruise with several different TAs and directly with the cruise line. These days you can easily compare 4 or 5 TAs in a matter of minutes by using on-line booking engines. We do this on every cruise booking (and we cruise about 75 days a year) and have sometimes saved thousands of dollars on a single cruise. Even in the current era where cruise lines have tried to stop discounting, TAs will often be allowed to offer other incentives such as pre paid gratuitites (worth about $25 per day per couple), on board credits (as good as cash), package discounts (which can include things like free or discounted air) etc. There are also certain specialty discounts that can help save big bucks such as the very generous military discounts offered by some lines. In fact, both Celebrity and Princess now give military discounts to a majority of honorably discharged veterans. The best deals with these discounts will often come to those who wait until the last minute, but the savings can be huge. There are also discounts availalbe to other groups such as teachers, fire fighters, police, etc.

 

Hank

[janina]

We always use a good travel agent over booking directly with the cruiseline. The agent will have the same prices as the cruiseline or usually better prices.:)

[Hlitner]

We always use a good travel agent over booking directly with the cruiseline. The agent will have the same prices as the cruiseline or usually better prices.:)

 

We would have agreed with you up until a few months ago. We were able to grab a very special deal on the Celebrity Mercury through the cruise line that was not matched by any of the 5 TAs we routinely use. This was one of their Tuesday specials enhanced by a military discont (available to nearly any veteran) that, in the end, cost us less then $1200 for a 12 day cruise....and that $1200 was the total cost (including taxes and fees) for 2 in a high category outside cabin! We still agree that TAs usually have the best deals, but it only takes a few minutes to check multiple sources.

 

Hank

[alexandra cruiser]

Keep checking different TA's until you find one that will:

 

1. Give you a On Board Credit equal to 10% of your cruise fare.

2. Will accept coupons issued by the Cruise Line.

3. Does not charge any change or cancellation fees.

4. Will accept the type of payment YOU prefer to use.

5. Will re-fare your cruise if the price drops with no additional fees.

 

There are many TA's that offer all of the above. Just keep asking until you find a TA you are comfortable with.

 

have used 3 different ones,,and all just tell me to use cruise air or book air on my own.They do offer discounts,or rebates,but unless I can find regular TA near my home..How do I find reputable online TA that will handle air details??Any ideas,anyone?

[paul929207]

Why not handle the air yourself. I much prefer to pick my routing.

[PattyG12]

Ask friends for recommendations. You can definitely save money using a GOOD TA.

[alexandra cruiser]

Why not handle the air yourself. I much prefer to pick my routing.

 

 

have tried various websites for that,,but flights are confusing and not sure of carriers,,since most involve Korean,China,etc..air and not sure about it.Even major US carriers use these,,for Cambodia and Vietnam flights.Plus,not sure I m getting a good deal,etc...

 

Have always done own air to Europe,but not familiar with Asia flights and carriers.Since I need Business,,,its a BIG expense,,and looking for some help.

 

Am in small town in FL.and no TA s close,,so hard to get referrals.Prefer online one but all I get are "booking" not "travel"agents at major websites.:confused:

[6rugrats]

have tried various websites for that,,but flights are confusing and not sure of carriers,,since most involve Korean,China,etc..air and not sure about it.Even major US carriers use these,,for Cambodia and Vietnam flights.Plus,not sure I m getting a good deal,etc...

 

Have always done own air to Europe,but not familiar with Asia flights and carriers.Since I need Business,,,its a BIG expense,,and looking for some help.

 

Am in small town in FL.and no TA s close,,so hard to get referrals.Prefer online one but all I get are "booking" not "travel"agents at major websites.:confused:

When you know the dates and where you want to go, you can ask these questions on the "Cruise Air" forum here. There are some very knowledgeable posters there. Just make sure you post all the information (dates/routing, etc) so they can help you.

[firefly333]

Ask friends for recommendations. You can definitely save money using a GOOD TA.

 

RCL and Carnival do no allow discounting. I know some TAs on other cruiseboards, who think they are hot shots deluxe, and dont discount. They have to take the money out of their commission. They said they provide good service.

 

OP some TAs discount, but add fees, so watch those fees.

 

I do know a TA who does groups and provides huge discounts, so they do exist, but it took me 5 years of searching to find one who does discounts for groups that supposedly cannot be discounted. substantial.

[firefly333]

We always use a good travel agent over booking directly with the cruiseline. The agent will have the same prices as the cruiseline or usually better prices.:)

 

OP do be aware that when you book with a TA you give up control and now have to go thru the TA for every single thing. Every time the price drops, you are now at their mercy.

 

I would NEVER ever book with a TA for full price. Aint going to happen as why would I do this?? For instance if you book direct ES rate with Carnival, if I book direct I can submit the form each time the price drops myself. If I gave this to a TA as a charity .. then I have to hope they get it right. Most of my bookings have multiple things on them, enough to confuse the people who do the price drops and I almost always have to email them and explain how the price was derived.. adding a 3rd party you now have to go thru would be like playing telephone and have a greater chance of things going wrong

 

You also cannot see the payment details on carnival if you choose to give up control to a TA.

 

There are many reasons why unless its a significant discount, I would not use a TA with a cheaper booking. If its a big amount ..sure the discount could be worth it. No discount.. Im not a charity. I prefer having control.

[mizLORInj]

Keep checking different TA's until you find one that will:

 

1. Give you a On Board Credit equal to 10% of your cruise fare.

2. Will accept coupons issued by the Cruise Line.

3. Does not charge any change or cancellation fees.

4. Will accept the type of payment YOU prefer to use.

5. Will re-fare your cruise if the price drops with no additional fees.

 

There are many TA's that offer all of the above. Just keep asking until you find a TA you are comfortable with.

 

 

Excellent list. It does take time and experience to find the TA who gets to know you and whom you feel comfortable with.

I also have used the site previously mentioned where various TAs compete for your business. Good experiences there too.

Have used TA for all but my first two cruises (didn't know better!) and have never had an issue with any promise the TA made. Love the OBCs and in some cases, discounted pricing and OBC. The net cost has been better than booking directly with the cruiseline.

You can view all your cruise info online at the cruiseline's website once you've booked with a TA, and your deposits should show as from the cruiseline--not the TA.

 

I'm glad we have various options.

 

Cheers everyone!!

[Emperor Norton]

Some TAs can be cheaper for some lines. Some give generous OBC, others refund a percentage of your purchase price, others both. For better or worse specific TAs can't be mentioned here but a little google search and visiting other sites can provide more specific information.

[Zoedokey]

I have been in touch with two online agencies who can give me Carnivals Early Saver Rate but with a $50 OBC. I'm not sure this is worth it, as I feel more confident that Carnival will honor price reductions. It is for a sailing in May.

 

I couldn't get them to offer anything more than the $50, and I asked point blank.

[sjcruiser]

I use to swear by booking direct and eliminated the middleman, but after researching my cruise for months, it seems that the best deals are with TA's. I guess I have to give up control in order to get the bonuses and special pricing.

[Hlitner]

I use to swear by booking direct and eliminated the middleman, but after researching my cruise for months, it seems that the best deals are with TA's. I guess I have to give up control in order to get the bonuses and special pricing.

 

I am confused at what you mean by "giving up control." We book lots of cruises (about 75 days a year) and use our own "short list" of 5 different major online TAs. We never "give up control" and the only difference is that if we have an issue we call the TA toll free number (or send and e-mail) vs calling the cruise line toll free number. With our short list of TAs we choose the cabins just like with the cruise line web sites, generally do it on the web without having to deal with humans (who often have little clue), and when we book online our reservation is instantly forwarded to the cruise line computer systems. As soon as we log off the TA web site we will check our reservation on the cruise line web site and do our usual online cruise personalizer stuff. The only difference from booking direct with the cruise line is the money we save (often in excess of $1000).

 

Hank

[Kartgv]

First step should always be to check the cruise line's online price for the cabin category you want. Then start checking online TA's for the same cruise, same cabin category. Stick to TA's with established reputations - friend referals, major ads in cruise magazines or here on Cruise Critic (I've seen ours listed here), then check all their rules and policies as mentioned by other posters.

While it may be true that many cruise lines no longer allow TA's to discount, the price differential can still be substantial. Today we booked a cruise for about a 40% discount off the online price quoted. Our TA had booked a block of cabins when the cruise was first released; cruise line prices have since increased, but our TA had one Concierge class cabin left at the original prices. Too good to pass up! When we woke up this morning, we had no idea we'd have another cruise booked by the end of the day, but here we are!

On the issue of 'giving up control', we've never had a problem using our online TA. We can still do most things on the cruise line website once our cruise confirmation comes through - shore excursions, speciality restaurants, wine packages, etc. We had a great experience on price reductions for our Australia cruise - on the morning after Thanksgiving, someone posted about a major price reduction on our Roll Call thread. We had already paid in full even though our final payment due date wasn't for another week, and thought we were probably out of luck. Thought we'd never get our TA in time to take advantage of it, but 1 phone call and about 1 hour later, we had a huge refund!

[Smitty251]

Hi

 

First time cruiser - I just (last week) booked with Princess - paid in full for my Alaskan cruise tour - so I was wondering is it possible to cancel this booking and book with a TA to save some $?

 

Does anyone know if there is a big cancellation fee with Princess or other fees?

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

Smitty

[fleckle]

Hi

 

First time cruiser - I just (last week) booked with Princess - paid in full for my Alaskan cruise tour - so I was wondering is it possible to cancel this booking and book with a TA to save some $?

 

Does anyone know if there is a big cancellation fee with Princess or other fees?

 

Any info would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

Smitty

The key thing is usually the final payment date. If you book directly with a cruise line, you can usually cancel with no penalty as long as you are before the final payment date.

 

Often you can just transfer the booking to a TA for the additional perks without needing to cancel and re-book.

 

But there are some special offers that impose restrictions, so it can vary depending on the terms under which you booked.

 

The best thing to do is check with the cruise line to find out their current policy on transfers and cancellations, and what restrictions (if any) would apply to your reservation.

 

Some of us could tell you how we did it, but it is possible that your reservation was booked under different conditions with different restrictions than ours.

[Smitty251]

Thanks I appreciate your help on this - I was wondering if anyone can suggest a good TA online? I asked my local TA and she was actually more expensive than the online booking.

 

Thanks for all your help

Smitty

[RoofingPrincess]

I am confused at what you mean by "giving up control."

Here's an example: I moved my booking to a TA (so I could get an OBC being offered in a charity auction). I checked my cruise's price on a Sunday night, and the prices had dropped to the point where they were offering a balcony for $10 more than I had paid for my inside cabin. I left a message for my TA. By the time she started working on Monday morning, the prices had gone back up. If I had not moved my booking to the TA, I could have contacted the cruise line directly and made the change.