TA or book direct with Celebrity?

[robinlynn]

Pros and cons please. Had an ok experiencc the first time and lousy the second time( last year)....she gave me a nice TA onboard credit but every time there were price drops, she kept telling me Celebrity wouldn't make adjustments. even though it was months before final payment and everyone on this board was getting these great price drops, room upgrades, etc..

I have a recommendation for a new travel agent that sounds good (from a frequent Celebrity Cruiser), but am a little hesitant to give up my ability to talk to Celebrity directly.

 

What SHOULD a good agent do for you when booking a cruise besides give you a OB credit and do the booking for you. i even ended up getting my own cancellation insurance because she only was pushing the Celebrity insurance which was much inferior to what I found on my own.

 

I would appreciate any input from you more experienced cruisers.

 

Thanks!

Robin

[JoePDX]

I wouild never book directly. Or if I did, I would transfer to a TA within the transfer period. We have always received good OBCs and good service from our agents. I use a large agency located in New Hampshire that has always provided me good, responsive service. I'm on my third cruise booked through them. Previously I used an agency in Florida that also provided good service, until my agent retired, then not so much.

 

I would never take the word of an agent that you don't qualify for a price drop before final payment - YOU ALWAYS DO!!!

 

Good luck.

 

Joe

[keesar]

I have booked both ways. The advantage of booking with Celebrity is that if the price falls before the final payment, they have given me refund credit right on my credit card. In fact, it happened twice on one cruise. However, you may not get the generous onboard credits that some travel agencies offer.

[westham]

I just booked Celebrity with a TA and got a $125 obc on and above what Celebrity was offering, in the past theTA has matched the price drops up until the final payment. Having said that I booked direct with Carnival and just got a price drop 35 days before the sailing......so I think it's 6 2 1 & 1/2 a dozen to the other.:confused:

 

David.

AKA Westham

[edgee]

A travel agent offers you onboard credit or other value such as free insurance over and above whatever Celebrity may be offering most of the time. Therefore it nearly always costs more to book direct with Celebrity. Some folks do not want to have an agent involved in communication with Celebrity during the booking process and the time period up to sailing. That level of control comes at a price. Others believe a good agent provides added value not only in terms of financial benefit, but also in terms of advice and some power to intervene with the cruise line on passenger's behalf should issues arise.

[Kevnzworld]

I do my own homework and research but I still use a TA. It took some switching to get the right one, one with a good attitude. She knows that I spring for every upgrade or price adjustment post booking, but she doesn't have to do the research, I do.

I get an OBC of about 3-5% of the cruise fare.

Another advantage is that a TA will help with airfare, even when using frequent flyer points. They might charge a fee depending on how much business you do.

Lastly, always respect your travel agents time, it's how they make money. They make a commission, they aren't paid by the hour.

[Mark99]

I wouild never book directly. Or if I did, I would transfer to a TA within the transfer period. We have always received good OBCs and good service from our agents. I use a large agency located in New Hampshire that has always provided me good, responsive service. I'm on my third cruise booked through them. Previously I used an agency in Florida that also provided good service, until my agent retired, then not so much.

 

I would never take the word of an agent that you don't qualify for a price drop before final payment - YOU ALWAYS DO!!!

 

Good luck.

 

Joe

 

"I would never book directly, but I would never take my TA's word on an issue that they should know more about than me." That doesn't make sense to me. If you have to be as knowledgable about the rules as your TA then why use them in the first place. If you're worried aout the OBC just put a $100 deposit on a future cruise open booking and you get your OBC directly from Celebrity.