Discount cruises

[moom2]

Discount cruises

Has anyone used a discount cruise agency? What was the experience like? Is is much better to use a regular travel agent? What about making your own flight arrangements?

[serene56]

I have used online agencies for a few past cruises.

 

Before you book- ask what their fee for taking your booking. what are there fees for cancelling. what about changes- do they charge. Document fees?

 

Some agencies will charge you for all the above so the low rate you got is not a low price at all when you factor in all the costs.

 

Some agencies dont chage anything... like the cruise lines.

 

Booking my air on my own saves me almost 50% compared to the cruiselines air fare- Book the air to arrive the day before your cruise. Do not book a flight coming home until after noon. 1pm is a safe time.

 

Check individual air lines with their pricing --comparing it to online wholesalers.

[DEL67]

We have used discount cruise agencies for years. Some are easier to deal with than others, but we have had no real problems. I think that Serene56 hit most of the things to watch for other tha checking to make sure that your deposit goes to the cruise line, niot the TA.

 

For our cruise next month we tried a new on-line TA. This TA does everything on-line or by email, which made me nervous since we need a handicap cabin. However they had been recommended on these boards when we were still able to name TAs and they were less expensive so I was willing to give them a try and have been pleasantly surprised. They not only respond promptly, but they emailed me when they sent out our tickets (a first in over 20 cruises) and are now trying to get us an on-board credit since the price went down last week.

[Bequia]

Always had a flawless experience using discount online agencies. Do your homework though. Check as many online agencies as possible. You'll see a big spread of prices for the same cabin, same cruiseline, same dates etc. Most online agncies use the same cruise "search engine" and insert their own prices. I can't stress enough...DO YOUR HOMEWORK! You'll be amazed at what you can save. ;)