Travel Agent vs. Cruise Line

[Jamerican71]

What are the pro vs. cons of booking your cruise through a travel agency vs. directly to the cruise line?

 

A little background - I have a friend getting married on a cruise. The rooms offered with their package cost more plus I don't want that type of room: wedding invite: $499 for interior, no ocean view or balcony as part of held room block and online: $473 for ocean view

 

Besides the obvious difference in costs is there anything I should consider prior to booking directly with the cruise line?

 

Thank you!

[paul929207]

Booking thru a TA may also get you some perks, such as OBC, bottle of wine, etc.

 

Some prefer to book thru the cruise line so they keep comtrol of their booking. No one has ever explained wha that means.

[Jamerican71]

They couple are using the OBC for the reception so I wouldn't get that.

 

My understanding of keep control of their own booking is if you call the cruise line about your cruise and a travel agent has the reservation, the cruise line won't provide any info to you, not even about payment.

[MCC retired]

A TA may also give you a OBC in place of the OBC that you are missing by not booking into the wedding group . You won't get that by booking direct.;)

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

TA always thay might be able to give you more

[okgirl]

Booking thru a TA may also get you some perks, such as OBC, bottle of wine, etc.

 

Some prefer to book thru the cruise line so they keep comtrol of their booking. No one has ever explained wha that means.

 

What keeping control of their booking means to me is that I can call Carnival directly 24/7 and make inquiries or adjustments to my booking. I don't have to wait for a TA to process my request. And Carnival can call me directly to offer upsells.

 

I also don't want a TA answering the booking agents questions about my preferences or desired options.

[Jamerican71]

A TA may also give you a OBC in place of the OBC that you are missing by not booking into the wedding group . You won't get that by booking direct.;)

 

This is an idea.....I can book with another travel agency to see what kind of OBC I can get.

[deedeetoo]

If I read this correctly, your friends want you to book with their TA, pay more than what the cruiseline is charging directly, and they are confiscating your OBC to pay for their reception (a forced wedding present). Is that right?

 

I would find my own TA and book what I want and keep the OBC.

[paul929207]

They couple are using the OBC for the reception so I wouldn't get that.

 

My understanding of keep control of their own booking is if you call the cruise line about your cruise and a travel agent has the reservation, the cruise line won't provide any info to you, not even about payment.

I have been on 23 cruises, all booked thru TAs and nover had a problem that I wishes I could call the cruise line on. I figure the thousands in discounts and all the perks over the years have paid for several cruises.

[mikewrit]

We have booked all of our cruises directly with the cruise line. Persuaded by Paul929207 and other proponents of travel agency, I have made several efforts to make contact with local agents to ask about their services. So far none has responded beyond abrupt declarations that their business is about group tours or casino connections or other aspects of cruising that have nothing to do with our needs or expectations.

[wieslaw]

They couple are using the OBC for the reception so I wouldn't get that.

 

My understanding of keep control of their own booking is if you call the cruise line about your cruise and a travel agent has the reservation, the cruise line won't provide any info to you, not even about payment.

 

Hi,

I believe that your understanding is correct. If you did book with an TA, the TA is your agent and cruise line can not provide you information directly to you.

Somethings to consider:

Can you trust your TA ? Does the TA charge any fees if you needed to cancel (before final payment) ? Can you get hold of your TA when you want to ?

I have read many posts on this board and some posters are so happy with their TAs ( they get OBC, sometimes prepaid gratuities and other things - probably depending on the price of their cabin ),

Some posters complained that they could not get hold of their TAs, some were charged some sort of a fee when they had to cancel ( in the period allowed by cruise line), one poster wrote about the final payment not paid on time by the TA ........ so who knows you might get a great TA and you might not.

If you book directly with the cruise line - you are your own TA. Some cruise lines are 24/7 - so you can call them anytime if you have a question, ...... on the other hand if there is a problem you might not know the right way to resolve it ........ but the right TA might know how to handle it.

So, who knows what is better : TA or direct. At the lower end of pricing probably there is not much any TA can give you ..... there is not much there to share.

Do, what you are comfortable with.

In my case, it is probably 50/50 ....... I booked both ways .

Wes

[Jamerican71]

If I read this correctly, your friends want you to book with their TA, pay more than what the cruiseline is charging directly, and they are confiscating your OBC to pay for their reception (a forced wedding present). Is that right?

 

I would find my own TA and book what I want and keep the OBC.

 

Per their travel agent, they are keeping the credits for the reception but I'm really okay with that. I will contact a travel agent that I've used before to find out what kind of OBC I can get.

[Jamerican71]

Hi,

I believe that your understanding is correct. If you did book with an TA, the TA is your agent and cruise line can not provide you information directly to you.

Somethings to consider:

Can you trust your TA ? Does the TA charge any fees if you needed to cancel (before final payment) ? Can you get hold of your TA when you want to ?

I have read many posts on this board and some posters are so happy with their TAs ( they get OBC, sometimes prepaid gratuities and other things - probably depending on the price of their cabin ),

Some posters complained that they could not get hold of their TAs, some were charged some sort of a fee when they had to cancel ( in the period allowed by cruise line), one poster wrote about the final payment not paid on time by the TA ........ so who knows you might get a great TA and you might not.

If you book directly with the cruise line - you are your own TA. Some cruise lines are 24/7 - so you can call them anytime if you have a question, ...... on the other hand if there is a problem you might not know the right way to resolve it ........ but the right TA might know how to handle it.

So, who knows what is better : TA or direct. At the lower end of pricing probably there is not much any TA can give you ..... there is not much there to share.

Do, what you are comfortable with.

In my case, it is probably 50/50 ....... I booked both ways .

Wes

 

I do have a travel agent I can use and trust and has done many of my parents cruise bookings before. I'm going to call and ask her about the OBC but I agree with your point that there probably isn't much I would get since it's a low cost cruise.

[Jacqueline]

If you are are planning to go to the Caribbean for a week and you don't need any help, I can see where there may not be much value in a TA.

But if you need any help or advice, say the Galapagos or even Europe, if you haven't been there much a good agent can be a big help.

A good agent can also help you select cabins that may be a bit better and might watch out for specials...