Travel agent vs DIY?

[adanaccruisers]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of booking a cruise through a travel agent vs do it yourself?

[Flynnlives]

We did our first few cruises through a travel agent. Then we recently booked a cruise ourself and saved over $400. We booked it through my capital one visa online, saved 4% in cash back plus the cruise was over $400 cheaper than if we would have booked it through RCCL site! For the same room too.

[Scrapnana]

A good travel agent has a wealth of experience and knows the ins and outs of working with travel companies. When I booked my upcoming cruise I was supposed to get double OBC but Cunard was not agreeing to what was in the brochure. My TA spent a day and a half getting the correct OBC for me. Sure, I could have spent that time haggling with the company but would I have known with whom to speak? Would I have been successful?

[Cuizer2]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of booking a cruise through a travel agent vs do it yourself?

 

The advantage of DIY is that you have full control. The disadvantage is that you have to do it all yourself. If there is something that should have been done that was not done, your vacation could be ruined and you could be out thousands of dollars.

 

The advantage of a TA is you have a professional doing everything for you. While some people get concerned over the lack of control, I demand that my TA provides me with confirmation, so I don't have that problem. Also, sometimes getting something sorted out takes a long time. In my case the TA does it while I am busy doing something else (playing, working, relaxing ...). You will find several posts from people upset at the amount of time it takes to get some issues straightened out.

 

Of course this all requires that you have a good TA, because a bad TA can be a nightmare. So this requires that you interview TAs before you give them any money, and though I have a long relationship with my TA (ten year and over $38,000) I still demand confirmation of everything.

[serene56]

Some cruiselines no longer allow travel agents to offer discounts or incentives.

 

so booking privately looking for a deal is no longer a good reason to book using an agent.

 

Like the above poster stated-- you lose control of your booking...if you book using a travel agent if you have a question you will need to wait until the agent is available. The cruise lines will not speak to you regarding your booking.

[fishycomics]

We booked via the ship, down payment $100.00 per. and used a travel agent. and always check prices for further savings?

 

got upgrades, specials and saving that cannot be beat. Alwayscheck back for beter deals.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been fortunate to have a good TA that we have used for over 24 years.

We call her when we are ready to book -- she takes cares of the small details like table size, dining time, special needs for on the ship, etc. She know all our likes.

[calliopecruiser]

In some cases, a good travel agent can get you perqs and discounts -- it depends on the cruise and the agent. On my upcoming cruise, my agent offered me a choice of a shore excursion or OBC, even though this was my first booking with her. A good travel agent will also help you deal with all the fiddly little things, and also help you if there's a problem......however, I'd say that a bad travel agent is worse than none at all.

[VicCGA]

Having an agent is far better than not. If you run into a problem, an agent has more pull, esp if they work for a larger agency. They also have the knowledge to not do anything wrong or to not forget to do something needed.

 

As far as costs, an agent who books group space may have a lower cost than you can get from the cruise lines yourself. I know of one who has had prices as much as $500 cheaper for a balcony than the cruise lines were showing, esp as the cruise nears, because he had taken group space on that perticular cruise months earlier. (You have to be booking prior to the normal deposit due date.)

 

And besides booking throgh an agent cost you nothing for the most part since cruise companies do not discount and agent are forbidden to do so....IN plain language IT DOES NOT MATTER. So book through an agent and at least have the satisfaction that a trained pro is there to have your back in case of problems.

Edited March 11, 2013 by VicCGA

[Steviewonder1]

We booked our first with a TA who was very good. We listened and watched as she found the ship, the suite, and sailing that fit our needs. We have booked all those since on line and had no issues. We do look at ports, dates, and excursions. Depending on where we want to go one of those will lead us to the decisions. We have booked excursions with the ship and privately and even done at the spur of the moment when docking. It is an adventure and small steps lead to bigger steps. Our Eastern Med is all us all the way around the world. All we want to do is see the sights and have fun!

[MamaE]

I think there are pros and cons to using a TA. As some previous posters have mentioned.. they are extremely knowledgable and can sometimes get you certain perks. Also, if there is a problem the TA can go to bat for you.

 

However, just be aware of what's being offered, in a general sense, before you employ the services of a TA. For instance, if a TA is pushing a particular cruise line over another it could be they are close to reaching a goal--- compensation, etc. When I went to see a TA about an upcoming cruise, I knew ahead of time what bargains were available online, I wanted to see if she could do better. Once I was in her office she was really steering me towards one particular cruise line, even after I pointed out all the incentives I had for choosing a different one. She kept on pointing out a lot of negatives regarding the one I was showing interest in. At the end of our meeting, as she was standing up and shaking my hand, she said, "I only have 3 more to book before my husband and I go on our dream European cruise." She said it off handedly, but I got the message loud and clear. She wanted my business because she was looking out for herself. In this case, my best interest wasn't considered. I want to say though, that I fully believe MOST TA's act and behave ethically!!! I think this particular person wasn't ethical and regardless of her career choice would behave similarly. But only because I had done some online homework was I able to recognize that I could get a better deal, closer to what we were looking for in amenities and destinations, by doing it myself online. I do realize all TA's receive some type of incentive from various businesses, whether it's the hotel industry, the airline industry, etc. But I also believe that most of them want repeat clientele and will put their client's best interest first.

Edited March 11, 2013 by MamaE

[eh2zed]

Really tough to talk to a computer when your bags go missing, the cabin assignment is wrong, extra charges, etc. etc. etc.

[sparky-elpaso]

I prefer the DIY approach. I got a price drop recently that only showed for a couple of days - over a weekend. Some TA's don't work on the weekends so I might have lost out on that. And there have been some horror stories here from folks who've lost the money they paid for a cruise because the TA kept the payments. So it comes down to making sure the TA used is reputable, etc. I think it just depends on how comfortable someone is booking things themselves.

 

I think booking myself means I've had to learn more about ports, the cruise lines, etc. When we were on our first cruise to Alaska there was a couple on the land part who apparently had a TA - and didn't bother with any of the details. They had no idea of where we were going each day, what was on the agenda, or anything. To me that wouldn't be any fun - anticipation is half the enjoyment.

[Hlitner]

We have a different take on the subject then some cruisers. Having spent nearly 3 years on cruises and now cruising 80-100 days a year we find ourselves routinely booking new cruise adventures. Our technique is quite simply. We price-out a cruise on the cruise line's own web site (we simply take the total cruise cost and subtract any offered credits then divide by the total number of cruise days to get an exact cost per passenger day). We then price out the exact same cruise on at least 3 of our favored Cruise Agency web sites using the same formula (this all takes less then 15 min). We then book with whoever gives us the least cost per day. I would add that on some of our longer cruises our savings has amounted to thousands of dollars on some cruises. On shorter cruises (less then 14 days) we generally will save several hundred dollars. As to the "handholding".......well I still love holding DWs hand....but I do not need any TA (who often has a lot less cruise experience then moi) holding my hand.

 

So my advice is tried, true and very simple. Just shop around before you buy. Otherwise you may be like one of our tablemates on a recent cruise who made the mistake of asking others at the table about what they paid. This lady quickly realized she had paid quite a bit more then everyone at the table and was not a happy camper (she should not have asked the question). But then she rationalized that she "loved her personal cruise representative at the cruise line."

 

Hank

Edited March 15, 2013 by Hlitner

[FireStation46]

I have booked air flights flights directly for decades. So we we decided to take our first cruise and booked on-line with Royal Caribbean. Everything went fine. We booked our next cruise 16 months in advance and I believe RCL gave us some great deluxe Oceanview staterooms. We booked onboard. I also use Amex. They are pretty good if you have a vendor issue. Thankfully, we did not have to do that.

 

I like the comment another poster had that the argument on direct vs. agent has been going on forever. It is just what you prefer. War stories abound on each side of the situation. I am just glad I did not have any complaints on my first cruise a few months back.

[Keith1010]

A travel agent can provide amenities that are not often provided by booking a cruise on your own.

 

Keith

[paul929207]

Some cruise lines allow a TA to discount the price. For Princess cruises, our TA saves us about %15 off the Princess rates and gives us some OBC.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been fortunate to have had a TA for over 24 years.

We like the idea that we can call her any time we want to, go and talk to her any time we want to.

Personal touches are always nice.

[afiremansflame]

Funny, until I came here and started reading, it never even occurred to me to use a TA. I went to a certain large warehouse store's website (C****o) and booked it through them. I sure hope everything goes as planned.:)

[paul929207]

Funny, until I came here and started reading, it never even occurred to me to use a TA. I went to a certain large warehouse store's website (C****o) and booked it through them. I sure hope everything goes as planned.:)

I have booked thru other online TA and never had a problem, while saving lots of money

[FireStation46]

Do you think the cruise lines 'protect' the best cabins per category to sell direct and let TA's sell the next to best rooms?

 

I booked my first cruise via telephone to RCL. The 2nd one I booked on board EOS. I would think since the cruise line is gaining on the transaction they would do something to be competitive to the TA's?

Edited May 15, 2013 by FireStation46

[the_journeyman]

I'm more of a DIY person. I usually do all the stuff myself. I do a lot of research before-hand. Asking questions via e-mail about various things like guarantees, OBC, offered perks and the like lets you get things in writing that help considerably when someone else days "we can't that" "we don't do that" etc. throughout the booking process.

 

JM

[attilamom1217]

We do the research ourselves to choose the cruise we want to take. Our research also includes which TA (online, brick & mortar, large wholesale club...) will give us the best deal. The basic fare is the same across the board because, as other posters have stated, the cruise lines do not allow them to discount. However, the TAs will frequently offer OBC, excursions, bottles of wine, etc. They also run interference for you if there are problems, issues, etc and will answer and and all questions you may have.

 

After we have chosen our cruise, we call the TA to book it.

[Underwatr]

Do you think the cruise lines 'protect' the best cabins per category to sell direct and let TA's sell the next to best rooms?

The cabins shown on the cruise lines' website have always been available through other sites or when I've been talking to a TA on the phone, in my experience.

[scapel]

What are the advantages and disadvantages of booking a cruise through a travel agent vs do it yourself?

 

By do it yourself I assume you mean call the cruise line and book it. Well I have been using a good travel agent now for about 10 years. I had a B&M one before that and it was not that good.

This travel agent is good and I would recommend one that you can e-mail and get a response immediately or within 24 hrs. I can get a reply almost immediately. The TA can ask questions through agents they have contact with at different cruise lines, to get answers to questions that you just can't get answered.

If I find a better price quoted for the cabin I want, I just call and she explains why to my satisfaction or gets it cheaper than that price for me.

I get credited things I didn't even know existed.

The cruise lines use agents also. For what I have, I would pay more. I just get really good service. 45 cruises this past January.