Travel Agent or Carnival directly???

[sukyrin]

I booked last year with Carnival directly. This year I have been told that travel agents have better deals and lower prices.

 

Any thoughts ? ? ? ?

 

Who do you book through ?

[mizLORInj]

I get a nice OBC from a travel agent. The cruise price is the same as shown on the Carnival website.

[Baby_Bear]

Same here. Got a big OBC from my TA and the cruise price was the same.

[campdaan]

I get a nice OBC from a travel agent. The cruise price is the same as shown on the Carnival website.

 

Same here. Got a big OBC from my TA and the cruise price was the same.

 

 

Just booked the Breeze through my TA. Found the room I wanted on the Carnival site and gave her a call.

 

Just like the others... same price...and a big OBC :D

[Jess777]

The same with me OBC and the cruise price is the same. I always book balcony in the easy saver category. I have never seen a price drop lower than when I first booked it only goes up. If I didn't book with a travel agent I don't believe I would ever get an OBC. some travel agents offer free trip insurance paid gratuities, wine little something when booking with them. The downside with booking with a travel agent is you have to go through them for any changes on your booking Carnival cannot make any changes with out your travel agent as when you book it yourself with one of their agents you can go through them directly and make changes yourself.

[golfadj]

Have done it both ways. TA has given us obc but pvp can give you quick access to someone who can get something done quickly.

 

Last Sept prices dropped sharply on a cruise and it took more than 24 hours to reach TA and it cost us a better cabin.

 

For our next cruise using a pvp.

[riclop]

Prices are the same but book with a ta to get an obc it always helps.

[thehappycruiserchick]

I always book through a travel agent and even though it's the same price as the website you do get some extra perks. Our travel agent bumped us from the 6th floor balcony to the 8th floor balcony and we also got a voucher. She also mentioned that there would be some kind of surprise for us, she doesn't dissappoint.

[e150club]

Our whole family uses the same TA. She always has goodies waiting for us in the cabin. We have her home, cell,office ph.#'s and her home and office email addresses. Never had a problem with her.

[smilegirl07]

Definitely TA. My TA always gets me OBC, specialty restaurants and wine or some sorts delivered to my room on first day.

 

On my last cruise, (Allure of the Seas, RCCL) he got me and DH to Chef's table, the Chops Grill and Samba Grill all paid and had three bottles of wine delivered to my room. Well I have been booking all my cruise trips through him for quite a while now so, he has been extra nice. ( He wasn't like this from the very beginning, started out with one bottle of wine and one specialty restaurant).

 

This time I'm going on the Splendor in less then two weeks and I know I am getting OBC, treat to the steak house for two and three bottle wine package to my room.

 

He also watches out for price drops for me, does all the on line check ins and for Carnival he printed out all the luggage tags(RCCL,X has the printed out nice stickers) on nice thick papers in color, folded them and put them in nice vinyl packets ready to be hooked to my suitcases and mailed them to my home.

 

So i am sticking to my TA!

[AngAndBoys]

OK, I've booked 7 cruises on Carnival, 6 with the same PVP and now I feel like a dummy cause I never even considered calling someone else! On this last cruise, she got me an aft for the price of a regular balcony. There was OBC offered but the price of the cabin was higher...i.e. the price shown on Carnival as regular? I think...as opposed to ES or something. NOt sure. She gave it to me both ways, OBC or upgrade, and I took the upgrade because the OBC only really added up to the difference in price of the cabins. I'm now wondering if I got a good deal or not...and maybe it's best I don't know!

 

Do you all using the TA's get upgrades?

[beerman2]

Booked with PVP last April and ended up with 360.00 OBC because of price drops. I don't mind checking the fares myself and submitting the form for Price Reductions.

[doconner]

I always book with the same travel agent.

 

The last cruise we ended up with $75 OBC per person from him on top of early saver price drop credits.

 

The next cruise we also have $75 OBC per person (originally it was $100 OBC pp, but the fares have dropped $200 each, and the OBC dropped $25 as it's a portion of the TA's commission).

 

Booking directly with Carnival feels a bit like giving away free money to me. There is the controlling your own booking issue, but my TA has always been very responsive, including once submitting early saver price drops on a Sunday when I e-mailed him, so I have no concerns.

 

Duane-O

[*source*]

I always book with the same travel agent.

 

The last cruise we ended up with $75 OBC per person from him on top of early saver price drop credits.

 

The next cruise we also have $75 OBC per person (originally it was $100 OBC pp, but the fares have dropped $200 each, and the OBC dropped $25 as it's a portion of the TA's commission).

 

Booking directly with Carnival feels a bit like giving away free money to me. There is the controlling your own booking issue, but my TA has always been very responsive, including once submitting early saver price drops on a Sunday when I e-mailed him, so I have no concerns.

 

Duane-O

 

I'm in the UK too.. do you book with a US TA or in the UK? :D

[doconner]

I'm in the UK too.. do you book with a US TA or in the UK? :D

 

I book with a US TA. I work with him mostly through e-mail, though occasionally over the phone.

 

I've found that the UK prices are much more expensive than what the US price is even after converting dollars to sterling. Booking with a UK agent also limits your ability to take advantage of Early Saver price drops. From what I understand, if you book with Carnival UK or a UK TA you can only move to a higher category if the price drops, but you can't get OBC and stay in your original cabin.

 

Duane-O

[kingoftheicedragons]

I always book directly with Carnival.

 

I do get emails from a local TA that offers cruises and airfare for about the price of the cruise, and if I were ever to do a last minute cruise, I might do that, but as long as it's planned as far out as we normally do, it's easiest for me just to go through Carnival.

[*source*]

I book with a US TA. I work with him mostly through e-mail, though occasionally over the phone.

 

I've found that the UK prices are much more expensive than what the US price is even after converting dollars to sterling. Booking with a UK agent also limits your ability to take advantage of Early Saver price drops. From what I understand, if you book with Carnival UK or a UK TA you can only move to a higher category if the price drops, but you can't get OBC and stay in your original cabin.

 

Duane-O

 

You use the same one all the time or do you always price compare??

 

For our Med cruise, I found the UK TA was less expensive - for the Carnival one I am trying to book at the moment mostly everyone is the same price but Carnival direct seems marginally less expensive although one agent is offering amenities or OBS but they are slightly more expensive...

[Isa65]

I recently became a TA and can tell you that we are not allowed to advertise lower pricing than on Carnival's website. BUT... to compensate this there are LOTS of goodies to be offered, starting with OBC, paid gratuities, gifts in your cabin, specialty dining vouchers, you name it.

 

Other than accessing your billing, you can modify your booking online, check in online, etc. So really, no real loss of control there.

Just stick with a good TA who is always available and willing to assist with price drops, etc, and you're golden.

[doconner]

You use the same one all the time or do you always price compare??

 

For our Med cruise, I found the UK TA was less expensive - for the Carnival one I am trying to book at the moment mostly everyone is the same price but Carnival direct seems marginally less expensive although one agent is offering amenities or OBS but they are slightly more expensive...

 

I price compared the most recent cruise, and did find an agent that was offering $25 more per cabin in OBC, but found the original TA so easy to work with, especially the added issue of working with him from a different continent, that I stuck with him.

 

In the US, the cruise prices should be the same across the board. Carnival won't allow a TA to advertise a lower price, so the only advantage of booking with a TA is if they offer you extras such as OBC.

 

My TA charges the exact same price as I see on the Carnival site, but the OBC that he offers is why I book with him.

 

Duane-O

[*source*]

I recently became a TA and can tell you that we are not allowed to advertise lower pricing than on Carnival's website. BUT... to compensate this there are LOTS of goodies to be offered, starting with OBC, paid gratuities, gifts in your cabin, specialty dining vouchers, you name it.

 

Other than accessing your billing, you can modify your booking online, check in online, etc. So really, no real loss of control there.

Just stick with a good TA who is always available and willing to assist with price drops, etc, and you're golden.

 

sounds intriguing...!!! :)

[Steamboatin]

We always work with a LOCAL travel agent.

 

If their is a problem you can talk eye to eye across the desk with them. Not a telemarker on the telephone working for an online agency or a cruise company employee who has their loyalty to the cruise company and not to you.

 

Of our 30 booking we have completed. There have been 10 bookings where we have had to cancel. Some prior to final payment and others requiring a travel insurance claim. Local agent help in providing data, getting answers to claim form questions, acting as a buffer in negotiations and etc would never be equaled by an online agency and never by a cruise company employee.

 

We have access to their expertise and professional contacts in industry and that of the company reps that we are considering to sail with.

 

Through the negotiations with our LOCAL travel agent we were able to get a FREE 10 day cruise when a major cruise company sold our cabin twice for a 7 day cruise. That is the type of service you will NOT get from a cruise company sales rep.

 

Besides all the service and professionalism we receive we are also helping out the LOCAL economy by keeping our cruise sales commission "at home".

 

Local agency everytime for us.

[Herfnerd]

1st cruise we ever did, we used a consolidator - worst experience ever

 

Than we found a great TA and have been using her ever since - always available, handles price drops immediately and always surprised with perks

 

If she ever leaves, we hope she lets us know where she goes, otherwise we will probably go the PVP route.....

[klmorg]

I prefer booking thru Carnival... I like to have "control" over my booking(s). And I would do most of the work anyway even if I used a TA.:)

[shiralex]

Wow.. I must have the wrong TA. No perks.

[wannago35]

Wow, always learning something new on these boards. I booked early saver with a Carnival TA who offered us nothing even though we've booked with her before & she knows this is our 10 year anniversary trip (although she said it will be noted on our booking, who knows what that means). Last time we booked with her we did get OBC via early saver though, hoping for at least that much this time.