Pros/cons of booking NCL direct vs outside agent

[taymiss2]

It seems cruise prices are the same no matter who is giving me the quote. The difference is outside agents all have different perks they will throw in. Mostly what I have been seeing is on board credit.

 

I understand booking through NCL you may get an upgrade fairy. But other than that, why should I book direct? There are no special deals right now that I can see for my cruise date through NCL - no onboard credit, no balcony for price of an oceanview. Nothing.

 

I am looking a year out. Am I just too early and I should wait? or should I take the $250 on board credit from someone else while the offer is good?

 

Anybody have any insight on this? What I don't know is if price goes down these other agents will give additional on board credit for that.

[TravelWise101]

This is my experience with the same situation.

I booked through NCL (spoke with John and adore him). He informed me that if a better deal comes up with a different cruise source I could call him back. When I did and informed him that on-board credits were $350 for our cruise he said he could not match that and that yes, TA's could offer all kinds of perks that NCL cannot. I was sad to switch because I felt a connection with John. Upon my switch, I noticed that my Ta seemed missing in action. At one point I actually sent an e-mail to this new TA and asked her if she was real. I never heard from her! I phoned John back and informed him I regretted the change however, what's done is done.

[Got Tequila?]

Beware of any cancellation fees with outside TA's. Things do come up and if you want to switch to a different date or ship some TA's may charge. We ended up paying $35 per person, per reservation,when we cancelled several reservations with a TA to switch back to booking with NCL directly. We just didn't like calling the Travel agency and just having to talk with who ever answered the phone, instead of having 1 particular agent to deal with. They also messed up several reservations for us, and always had to call NCL every time we had an issue or question....they were just clueless about NCL cruises and we knew soooooo much more than they did. The only thing they offered was free insurance, a bit of OBC and maybe a bottle of wine.....just wasn't worth the hassle for us.

[patseacruiser]

The upgrade (or really the upsell) fairy visits the travel agent on your behalf also. If they're going to offer it they will call a TA also.

[sdmike]

We got a ton of OBC or significantly cheaper prices booking through a TA (we use the same one each time). Our OBC's were enough to cover the DSC and a couple of specialty restaurants.

[Friend100]

More here ...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1369739

[Dolphins]

My suggestion is to get a quote from NCL for a specific cruise and category cabin. Use that price to shop around. My experience has been that my internet booker will give me a better deal in some respect.

[Linzybrooke]

If you are calling a travel agent, I recommend finding an agent you like and sticking with them. Go with small agencies, not big wholesale agencies. If you are calling what you consider a travel agency, and just talking to whoever answers the phone, I wouldn't consider them a travel agency any more than I would consider expedia or travelocity to be a travel agency.

 

In my opinion a reputable travel agent would only charge you a fee if it is costing them one. Most vacation companies all have a window where they start charging you change fees (for instance Disney is 45-60 days out depending on destination). Technically speaking you would still be paying your vendor that fee, not your TA, they are just taking the payment. Airfare is a different story however, as TA's do not make any commission on air travel.

 

Finally, the biggest difference, in my opinion, is that a reputable TA will call YOU if a better deal comes out for your cruise, hopefully after checking that you are eligible for the deal. A cruiseline or other vacation dealer doesn't have the time or manpower to call everyone eligible for a better price to let them know.

[more cruises]

The upgrade (or really the upsell) fairy visits the travel agent on your behalf also. If they're going to offer it they will call a TA also.

 

This is true, but most of the large online agencies don't have anyone to call the customers to pass those offers on.

[cruisin07family]

I book with the best price/offer. I have booked both direct and with an online agent and have been pleased with both. Are you looking for a winter cruise or a summer cruise? My experience is that summer cruises rarely drop in price but steadily increase as the time draws closer. My upcoming June cruise would cost us $800 more for our two cabins if we booked today rather than back in October when we booked.

 

When we booked our mid-November cruise (not week of Thanksgiving) the price kept dropping and our online agent kept changing our booking with better cabins for less cost. Three days before the cruise she called to offer us the NCL upsell call she received and we took it to an aft suite and it was our very first cruise. Perfect in every way!

 

If you are comfortable with the price and the offer, book.

[mylesf]

Pat, Your statement "may" br true, but I doubt you have any imperical data to support it.

 

My concern would be that the Fairy is first come, first serve... I would not want to waste the time it would take for the TA to get the call and then call me.

 

Now, since we all know you are a TA, we should undestand your postion.

 

I am not a TA. Put Pat's statement is true...Moreover, NCL will give the TA time to reach out to their client's and put the upgrade on hold vs if you booked directly and NCL calls you, they get no answer they will move on to the next person..

[taymiss2]

I am looking at Spring Break next year. This is a Mom's and daughters senior trip. This will only be my 5th cruise. I have never done the same cruise line twice. Have done RCCL, Carnival and NCL. Destination, fewest sea days and price are what drive me. I have been trying to remember if I have ever booked directly with the cruiseline and I do not think I have. (my mississippi river cruise on the Delta Queen with my Grandma when I was 10 doesn't count, lol.)

 

We are looking at cruises out of New Orleans because we want to save money by driving to a port. Our choices for that week are NCL, RCCL and Carnival. Spirit, Voyager and Conquest. The girls would probably love the new Carnival Magic out of Galvaston but it is a longer drive. I haven't checked out the cost. A new ship usually means more money too.

 

RCCL is much more expensive that week for some reason. Ship has the most ammenities that teenagers would like but not sure it is worth it.

 

NCL is winning with me right now. We cruised them in Nov 09 in Hawaii and we all loved Freestyle dining, no formal nights and the disembarktion. The Spirit seems to have the least to do for teenagers though. Most of them will just be 18. Too old for the teen groups. Will they even be allowed in the teen disco? That could be a problem.

 

This is the third time I am using a certain website where agents try to get my business. ;) It has always worked really well. Although no one is going to be watching out for me if the price falls, etc, I will need to make those phone calls myself.

[WildcatRock]

I think it comes down to control. Do you want to control your cruise/vacation planning (booking the cruise, airfare, hotel), or are you more comfortable having a TA do it for you. We've been on two cruises with the first booked through a TA, and the second booked directly through NCL on their website. We have booked our next cruise on NCL and went through the website again. I like having more control over vacation planning and choose to go through NCL directly via the website.

[AZ Karaoke Girl]

I typically like to book direct - don't like the middle man. For my next Hawaii cruise, I looked online and called my PVP to book it. She gave me a price that was lower than I found on their website (including our discounts that I already factored in) plus threw in an onboard credit and an anniversary cake. I'll continue to book direct with my PVP.