Booking with On-line website vs. booking directly with RC

[crackycruiser]

Hi: In browsing some big on-line websites for the Allure, the pricing seems to be similar but an on-line websites offer free gratuities and onboard credit and a free dinner or spa. I am just worried that if I have to make changes I will have a hard time and not get the personal service as I would at Royal. Has anyone booked through these websites. Specifically has anyone booked a guarantee ocean view balcony on them. Does anyone know if I would have a better chance of getting a nicer balcony with RC? Thanks for any input.

[Let'sGo!]

You will get lots of mixed responses to this question. Some people love to be in total control of their reservations, so they are best going with RCCL directly. Over the years, I have learned to give up some of that control, and have come to appreciate the extra perks offered by online agencies.

 

It really just depends on whether you think you might be making a lot of changes and how much "in charge" you want to be. For what it's worth, I've been able to change cabins, dinner choices and even ships with the online TA I use... but it's not always easy and definitely not quick.

 

Also keep in mind, although I don't know about ALL agencies, I know some of them tie those "extra perks" to the cost of your cruise. So if the price goes down and you call in to request the adjustment, some of your perks may go by the wayside. Just an FYI...

 

 

Good luck to you,

Ann

[raprice18]

Also, read the fine print. On my last cruise, I booked through a different online travel agency. I wanted to change the ship/sailing date and was informed that if I made a change to sailing date, there would be no charge, but if I was to change the ship, there would be a $50 charge per person. No fault with the travel agency, I did not read all of the documents.

 

50% of the time I have dealt with travel agencies. I prefer to deal directly with the cruise lines.

[crackycruiser]

Thank you for your input. These opinions are exactly what I was looking for.

[S&Jboat]

I booked our oasis trip with one of the big TAs which gave us a lot of perks. Recently the price dropped $500 for our cabin. I called the TA and she rebooked us (it was actually a lesser category, but was the room right next to the one we booked originally). We only lost our $100 on board credit - still $400 ahead. She also took the initiative and contacted all of the other parties in our linked reservation to see if they wanted to also rebook. So, yes, I would not hesitate to use them. The perks are great! Actually, I used them again to book our Allure trip. Happy sailing!:)

[taylortime05]

Is it against cruise critic policy to discuss specific Travel Agencies? I really want to know who has had positive experiences with the big Travel Agencies.

[rharvey999]

I suppose my thought is to be ready to accept the price I was originally quoted when I booked the cruise. We always use a particular TA because of the perks (OBC and such) that they can offer because of their large bookings with RCI.

 

We have long seen folks say they have noticed a price decline prior to final payment and sometimes I will call our TA to check and see if this drop would be good for us. Sometimes it is...sometimes it is not since our C&A discounts would not be applicable with the other prices. At times we get the price decline and at times we don't.

 

After final payment I shut down any thought of getting a better price. I have to accept the fact that I was satisfied with my original fee and not fret that others may have gotten a better deal. Good for them. Same can be said for any variable price industry. Sometimes I get a better airline fare than the person sitting next to me...sometimes they do. Of all the stuff in life to worry about I have decided this won't be one of them.

[Langley Cruisers]

Is it against cruise critic policy to discuss specific Travel Agencies? I really want to know who has had positive experiences with the big Travel Agencies.

 

It is absolutely against the forum guidelines.

[rsharp83]

I used one of the online agencies for our first cruise. It was a mixed bag. Agent was helpful but very flighty. Would call our group very late at night, like 11pm. Messed up dining plan for one couple in our group.

 

However, trying to deal with RCI directly was no picnic either! They have a horrible website architecture that sometimes works and other times doesn't.

 

I'm still undecided about using a TA for next cruise. The on board credit was nice, but many other aspects would have gone smoother without the TA involved.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[grandgeezer]

I suppose my thought is to be ready to accept the price I was originally quoted when I booked the cruise. We always use a particular TA because of the perks (OBC and such) that they can offer because of their large bookings with RCI.

 

We have long seen folks say they have noticed a price decline prior to final payment and sometimes I will call our TA to check and see if this drop would be good for us. Sometimes it is...sometimes it is not since our C&A discounts would not be applicable with the other prices. At times we get the price decline and at times we don't.

 

After final payment I shut down any thought of getting a better price. I have to accept the fact that I was satisfied with my original fee and not fret that others may have gotten a better deal. Good for them. Same can be said for any variable price industry. Sometimes I get a better airline fare than the person sitting next to me...sometimes they do. Of all the stuff in life to worry about I have decided this won't be one of them.

 

You can't get a price reduction but you could get an upgrade. We booked a C2 balcony on the Oasis this fall. After final payment, this was a price drop to the point where a B2 balcony was the same price we paid for the C2. E-mailed our online TA and got the free upgrade to the B2.

[C 2 C]

We used the agency to book our Oasis cruise for February and have used them many times before.

Note: if there is any chance you may change your mind, there is a cost involved: up to $100 pp for cancelling.

We have never found our treatment to be better when we booked direct.

[matj2000]

The people who work for the RC booking are pretty much just "order takers" who have little knowledge of the ships or cruising.

Try asking them a question that is off-script and you will see what I mean.

I would take the OBC, pre paid gratuities, ect and deal with someone who knows what they are talking about.

And we have never had a cancellation fee...

[cruzincurt]

Read the fine print. We have always used a TA or booked online with a large TA without ever talking to a live person. Then we have to call the TA to have C&A benefits applied. Some fine print pulls the free gratuities offer if you apply any C&A discounts.

 

We have also used a site where they compete for your business and had the promised OBC not show up. Some of those "TAs" are sitting in front of their computer at home wearing their PJs. Buyer beware.

 

Most will not track your fare so you need to do it yourself and call them if an opportunity shows up.

 

If you know what you want, the ship, cabin, etc., you can do the research on your own, we only use the TA to process our credit card. I think some newbies need the guidance of a TA to make choices and hopefully that TA has actually cruised themselves.

[lakemurraykid]

We always use one particular large online TA because of the perks they offer. Typically I check different sites as well as the cruise line site to see what the going prices are. Then I do a fake booking to see which cabins are available in the category I want. Once I've gotten that information I contact my TA by phone and give them the information and they book it. I did have to cancel one cruise with them but I re-booked it at the same time, and they were nice enough not to charge us a cancellation fee they usually charge. With this particular TA, once you have a reservation in place, you are assigned a customer service rep who handles everything from that point on. They have always been prompt in either returning my calls or responding to an email. I don't say that lightly either because when I want to know something, I want to know it right then and there. LOL I know I'm compulsive like that.

 

Over the years, we have found that working directly with the cruise line will not get you any perks at all. If you do use a TA, I strongly suggest that you take copies of any correspondence you have with them in case there is some confusion with your account.

 

And yes, Cruise Critic has a very strict policy about NOT divulging travel agencies names or websites on their forums.

[Host Kewlguy]

 

And yes, Cruise Critic has a very strict policy about NOT divulging travel agencies names or websites on their forums.

 

And I'll add, that also includes giving hints to travel agents names. I always encourage people to read the Community Guidelines with special attention paid to the section titled "Travel Agent Recommendations". Thanks for everyone's cooperation. I've attached the link to the Guidelines below:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/faq.php?faq=guidelines

[CruisingMachine]

The people who work for the RC booking are pretty much just "order takers" who have little knowledge of the ships or cruising.

 

Try asking them a question that is off-script and you will see what I mean.

 

I would take the OBC, pre paid gratuities, ect and deal with someone who knows what they are talking about.

And we have never had a cancellation fee...

 

You can get "order takers" no matter who you call, RC or a Travel Agent; however, on average, a RC Vacation Planner is going to have a lot more training, knowledge and available information specific to RC than a Travel Agent who deals with numerous cruiselines and all other sorts of travel options. When you ask a travel agent a question that is "off-script", guess who they are going to call to get the information? Yes, that's right, they are going to call the source directly, RC.

[chickadee1]

We have booked through RCCL and with a large, online agency and have found the onboard agency to work well. Have gotten reductions on fares after doing my own research. I do remember them telling me that I would lose a re-booking credit to take a large discounted price but I did the math and, of course, we came out way ahead. And -- we still got the rebooking credit! Love getting the dinners, gratuities, and OBC which Royal did not offer.

 

Saving money is great but going cruising is even better!!

[bkr50]

I've used a local TA, RCCL agents and two different online agencies.

I tried to book a 2nd cruise (my Allure cruise) with the local TA but she never returned my calls. I just booked the cruise through RCCL.

 

The first online agency was easy to deal with initially (no extra perks), but when I attempted to make my final payment prior to the due date, I had to be transferred to a supervisor because the agent who booked my cruise only worked weekends, and it was against policy for other agents to handle my reservation.

 

The most recent online TA experience offered substantial perks for booking. Well, shame on me for not reading the fine print because I now find they are charging me $125 to cancel my cruise, even though final payment isn't due for 4 months and the cruise is 7 months out. I am so furious with myself for not paying attention to this small detail. I would have never booked with them. :confused:.

 

I'll admit RCCL isn't accurate all the time. I've learned to review and verify the reservation confirmation as soon as it hits my email. And yes, I've had to call back to have my discounts added or other minor corrections. But at least I can work with whoever answers the call at that time.

 

So....as a previous poster stated, it's really about what is important to you.