Book directly with RCCL or other website?

[crashbang861]

I put a deposit down today on the Oasis for an August 2013 sailing -- I spoke with a RCCL rep to do this. The price is okay, but there are no perks with it. I saw the same cabin category on the same cruise on at least one website for the same price, but they were offering $100 OBC and a meal at a specialty restaurant. I mentioned this to the RCCL rep, and he said the level of service with one of the cruise websites is not the same as dealing directly with RCCL. He did say if the price dropped I would receive an adjustment.

 

As I think more about it, I'm leaning toward canceling my depost, which I can do until early June for a full refund, and rebooking with one of these websites.

 

What do you think about dealing directly with a cruise line instead of using a cruise website? Do you feel more secure like I did at first? Is peace of mind worth missing out on OBC?

 

Sorry if this is a silly, no-brainer question, but this is my first time making my own arrangements.

[spookwife]

sorry but in my personal opinion no amount of OBC, or other perks compensate me for not have full and complete control over my reservation.

 

I would rather not have a middle man at all.

[Deatsch]

Spookwife has hit the proverbial nail on the top of it's knoggin.

 

We ONCE did a ta, NEVER AGAIN. EVER. It was AAA too, supposedly reputable. Suffice it to say it was not a situation we choose to repeat.

 

We call the nice folks at RCI and they take care of it all for us.

[kruzerci]

There's generally no need to cancel, simply contact the travel agent you would like to book with and tell them you would like to transfer your booking to them. Usually they will offer the same perks as they have advertised. You will just have to fax a transfer form to them (they will provide it if you can't find it online) and they will take care of the rest. From that point forward you would contact the travel agent for any changes to the reservation.

 

Recently, I almost always do this for cruises 7 nights or longer. For our upcoming Oasis cruise I got specialty dining for two, $100 OBC and prepaid gratuities with my TA. For short cruises, the benefits are less, so I'd rather just handle it on my own and be able to contact Royal Caribbean at any time of the day or night.

 

Good luck :)

[bikerunner]

I think it really depends on the TA you deal with. I have used the same one for 9 cruises over the last 7 years and always got great service. I never have gone thru the internet sites so that could be different. It all depends on comfort level and the professionalize that they give. The extra perks are a nice benefit for when I go.

[UATLB]

we usually go with the best deal we find

[cruzegurl104]

Hubby and I normally book through the website, but the offers on another site were just too good to pass up,, prepaid gratuities, dinner for two, and $250 onboard credit. I say, woohoo!

 

But, whoever will give you the best deal, and obviously perks don't hurt ;)

[vafatboy]

We have booked both ways. Having control over the reservation is our preference. I use another site to search because they have a easier search engine. Then I book on RCCL.

 

Rob

[matj2000]

I always book with an online cruise site.

They have better discounts, onboard credits, pre-paid gratuities, group discounts & credits sometimes.

The few times I needed anything after I booked, I just called and they took care of it ASAP.

Anyone who would pass that up just to have "control" over their booking, probably has more than just control issues....

[Westh2o]

Booked 6 cruises with membership box store. Unbelievable the deal. Other agencies could not come close to the price.

[Ashland]

I always book with an online cruise site.

 

They have better discounts, onboard credits, pre-paid gratuities, group discounts & credits sometimes.

 

The few times I needed anything after I booked, I just called and they took care of it ASAP.

 

Anyone who would pass that up just to have "control" over their booking, probably has more than just control issues....

You may have just been lucky...many haven't. So a personal decision each can make based on their needs is probably the best answer without raising an "issue".

[varoo]

I put a deposit down today on the Oasis for an August 2013 sailing -- I spoke with a RCCL rep to do this. The price is okay, but there are no perks with it. I saw the same cabin category on the same cruise on at least one website for the same price, but they were offering $100 OBC and a meal at a specialty restaurant. I mentioned this to the RCCL rep, and he said the level of service with one of the cruise websites is not the same as dealing directly with RCCL. He did say if the price dropped I would receive an adjustment.

 

As I think more about it, I'm leaning toward canceling my depost, which I can do until early June for a full refund, and rebooking with one of these websites.

 

What do you think about dealing directly with a cruise line instead of using a cruise website? Do you feel more secure like I did at first? Is peace of mind worth missing out on OBC?

 

Sorry if this is a silly, no-brainer question, but this is my first time making my own arrangements.

It is not silly at all. There are pros and cons both ways -- no right or wrong answer that applies in all situations.

 

We like to book directly with the cruise line, then take our time to shop around, compare offers and transfer the booking to a travel agent when the perks being offered make it worthwhile to do so.

 

They often make it very worthwhile to give them your business, especially if you book suites or higher level cabins, or multiple cabins.

 

Unfortunately, Royal Caribbean now gives us only 60 days from the time of booking a cruise to transfer it to a travel agent.

We liked it much better when they gave us until final payment to do so, but now we have no choice.

 

Always get the offer from the travel agency in writing to avoid any misunderstandings later, and find out in advance whether or not they charge a fee to process changes or cancellations.

(Some do, some don't, but find out up front to avoid unwelcome surprises later.)

 

If you are beyond the 60 days transfer limit but still before final payment, you can cancel and rebook.

But before you do that, compare the price you paid to the current asking price and determine whether or not that would be worthwhile doing.

 

There is no advantage to receiving $500 in perks if it means it will cost you $600 more to re-book the cabin.

 

When it gets close to the 60 day cutoff, we fill out the transfer form online and email it to the travel agency we have chosen.

They take it from there.

 

Just be aware that once you transfer the booking to a travel agent, you lose access to all your payment information on your own Royal Caribbean account. From that point on you must depend on the travel agent to make payments and changes for you, including any price drops or cabin changes.

 

Sometimes that can be a nuisance, but the perks we receive make it worthwhile.

 

On the last minute closeout sales at a bargain basement prices, however, the perks offered by travel agents are sometimes not enough to make it worthwhile to give them the booking.

 

The perks that they offer come out of their commission, and they don't make much commission on those bottom-price giveaway cabins, so those are the bookings we will usually leave with the cruise line.