New to cruising - booking question

[cobianlover]

Really have no idea what I'm doing...lol....is it best to book directly with the cruise line, through a travel agent or an internet site?

[shof515]

I prefer booking direct with carnival. If there is ever a problem with the booking, you can always get an answer from Carnival without going though a travel agent. The travel agent owns the booking, prevent you and carnival from accessing the booking

 

If you search, you can sometimes find a good a travel agent that can offer a cheaper rate and some extra bonuses too

[MochaZen]

Really have no idea what I'm doing...lol....is it best to book directly with the cruise line, through a travel agent or an internet site?

 

 

As the "control freak" that I am, I prefer to book directly with the cruise line. As mentioned above, when you book with a Travel Agent (TA), you do not have the ability to speak directly with the Cruise line if you need to change something or have a problem.

 

I am not knocking TA's because many people have had great experiences with travel agents. They can offer perks like on board credits, upgrades, and amenities that you just can't get elsewhere.

 

I just prefer to do it myself. If I book something and don't like it, I can't blame anyone but ME for getting it wrong and I learn in the process.

[old sole]

Welcome to our obsession! While there are a few people who decide cruising is not for them for whatever reason, the vast majority are looking to book their next cruise before they get unpacked from the first one.

 

You will get several different answers to your question:

 

Some people (I am one) strongly prefer to book directly with the cruise line because that gives you the most control of your reservation. The Carnival reservations number is open 24/7/365 and someone will always be able to answer any question you might have, make any changes you want, handle requests for price drops if fares go lower after you book (you can always hope!), and steer you to the appropriate department for whatever questions you have. If you have settled on a Cruise Line, that line's in-house agents absolutely have access to the most current information and are familiar with the product. Where this breaks down is if you haven't decided on a cruise line then they can't help you sort through other options outside of their own line.

 

There are also people who will tell you a good Travel Agent has the benefit of experience and good inside contacts and will work on your behalf to get you the best deal. What you give up is that the cruise line will not talk to you about your reservation because the Travel Agent is their customer, not you, and they expect the Agent to do the work in exchange for commision they are being paid so do not want to do it themselves. Agencies, and especially your particular agent will not be available 24/7, and also has to take your request, handle it with the cruise line, and then get back to you. I have used Travel Agents in the past. I just never found one as good as other people seem to have found, and not for lack of trying.

 

If you are after lowest possible price, the large online agencies used to own that part of the market. Less personal service than more specialized Travel Agents, but through volume managed to offer a lower net cost by offering a lower price or extending freebies paid out of their commision. This is getting harder for them to do because cruise lines have clamped down on advertised prices. No one is allowed any longer to advertise a lower price than the cruise line's advertised price, although some consideration is still offered in other forms (On Board Credit for you to spend onboard, a bottle of wine, etc).

 

In the spirit of less is more, I'll stop at that. You're probably confused enough already. However you go about it, you will get your cruise booked. You may some mistakes, all of us have and learn from them, but none are fatal so just hop in. You'll be pretty comfortable after your first few cruises.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Really have no idea what I'm doing...lol....is it best to book directly with the cruise line, through a travel agent or an internet site?

 

I am in the book it yourself camp. That being said I was just booked on the Crown princess cruise that got cancelled midway through.

 

I had booked with an online TA for this cruise because they were offering a lower price and OBC.

 

the night before the cruise i was already down in Fort Lauderdale the night befgore and read on Cruise Critic that we were to go to the pier later because the ship had to be sanitized because of norovirus.

 

We never received any notice from our TA. Tried to contact her 2-3 times vis email and they all bounced back.

 

The next morning i called the agency and got someone who said my agent was no longer there and that the fax was probably sent to her and that was why we weren't notified.

 

I emailed the agency upon my return to let them know of my dissatisfaction.

 

Guess what, they never bothered to respond.

 

Being that you don't know what you are doing i would use a PVP.

 

Bill

[gelo7]

I book through a TA if there is an OBC.

[Room Service!]

I use a TA. Haven't had any issues .... yet. Received OBC and insurance was paid for.

[doconner]

I'm in the booking through a travel agent camp. I have found a travel agent that I really like, is friendly, responsive, and helpful. In addition, he offers onboard credit for booking with him, $400 total on our recent booking, which is definitely a nice thing to have.

 

I have booked direct through Carnival, and have booked with travel agents, and for me, booking through a travel agent is the way to go.

[cobianlover]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. Think I'll go with booking direct this trip!!! Being new to the site.....can someone tell me what PVP stands for??!?! I'm slowly picking up on the jargon used here but that one escapes me at the moment!!:o

[Tapi]

Really have no idea what I'm doing...lol....is it best to book directly with the cruise line, through a travel agent or an internet site?

 

Since you say you don't know what you're doing, I would skip the internet site option this time. I prefer to book directly with Carnival, but some people like to use a travel agent.

 

I strongly suggest booking through someone. That way your questions can be answered and you'll have someone with some sort of experience guiding you along the way.

[Tapi]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses. Think I'll go with booking direct this trip!!! Being new to the site.....can someone tell me what PVP stands for??!?! I'm slowly picking up on the jargon used here but that one escapes me at the moment!!:o

 

Personal Vacation Planner

Call 1-800-819-3902 and request a PVP

 

business hours: M-Th 11am-8pm, F 9am-6pm (eastern time)

[cobianlover]

Personal Vacation Planner

Call 1-800-819-3902 and request a PVP

 

business hours: M-Th 11am-8pm, F 9am-6pm (eastern time)

 

 

This is thru Carnival??!? Is there an extra charge for this service?

[old sole]

Wow, just happened to check back on this thread and was surprised to see that nobody answered your question -

 

No, there is no charge.

 

PVP's are Carnival employees who handle reservations. They just do not take general incoming calls like the regular reservations dept people do. They call out to (and take calls from) their client list. Once you have one assigned to you (and if you get a "good" one), they will call periodically to let you know of specials or new sailings that they think might interest you. They also handle setting up your new reservations and mange your existing ones, handling all your questions. They will keep a file so they know your eligibility for past guest, senior, military, residency discounts etc and if military will keep your proof of eligibility on file so you don't have to keep sending it in.

 

Think of them as sort of your in-house Travel Agent - for Carnival cruises only of course. As handy as they are, they don't work 24/7, so even if you have a PVP you are free to call the general reservations number anytime you want if your PVP is not available.

 

A PVP works on salary, they are not paid a commision like a TA. They are evaluated on the number of new bookings they generate though, so as a courtesy I always make sure to reach mine for a new reservation even if it means waiting overnight or over a weekend until she is available.