Book direct or use a Travel Agent

[JRWALDO]

I have been on several cruises but I've never had to be the one to book them. This time I am in charge of a group cruise in January 2016. We decided to try the Norwegian Cruise Line. We have book the cruise directly with Norwegian, using their group cruise department and have an assigned cruise specialist. My question is there any good reason to use a third party cruise agent for this agenda.

[paul929207]

We use a travel agent. She gets us a nice discount (averaging about 15%) and is always there to help

[pris993]

We use to book with TAs, now days don't really see the value. If I book myself directly with a cruise line, I am in control of my booking, if I cancel, I generally don't owe anything if before final payment.

 

I book my own air, hotels and insurance directly. We have been cruising and traveling for well over 30 years, basically know what we want and need and have the time to manage our own travel arrangements.

[JRWALDO]

Thanks for the replies. Our group is a Dance group and about 40 cruisers. I guess there's no great way to know if I got a good deal directly or would I get better deals with a TA?:cool:

[Krazy Kruizers]

We have been fortunate to have a TA that we have used for over 25 years. She knows our likes, etc. and takes care of the small details.

Also we like being able to contact her personally -- stop in her agency personally whenever we want to.

We do book our own air and hotel.

[Nitemare]

TA's are incented to answer questions for you, as they make money when you book through them and want you to use them again. A good TA can be a lifesaver when something goes wrong with a booking, or if your plans change, and they are much more likely to go out of their way to help you than Random Person at the Cruise Line is, whose only goal is to book cabins for their cruiseline as quickly as possible so they can book the next cabin for the cruiseline.

[trev71]

We used to use a TA but this time we booked while on board with royal, we even booked out own flights this time. Next time I will be doing everything myself from my own computer. Just easier, we never really got any discounts from our TA. I like having full control of my reservation and not having to call them to change something. Example a price drop happened on my last cruise and my TA took some time off so I had to literally beg one of the other agents to do it for me and nag them all day to do it. Ever since then I say do it yourself, long as you feel comfortable doing it

[tweetypie_67]

I have a very good friend who is our travel agent. A few years ago, before she became an agent ,we booked a RCL cruise n ( with a different agent) had some items stolen from our suit cases. Our travel agent fought tooth n nail for us to b reimbursed n got us a credit for a future cruise. With out her, I doubt that we would have gotten anything .

 

Why not use an agent, if it cost u nothing n u can just relax n let her take care of the small details? That way, if anything happens u have someone in ur corner!

 

Good luck,

Jacki

[Flatbush Flyer]

Thanks for the replies. Our group is a Dance group and about 40 cruisers. I guess there's no great way to know if I got a good deal directly or would I get better deals with a TA?:cool:

 

 

If it was just two of you on a low end cabin on a mass market line, the TA OBC and perks (beyond what the cruise line is offering) might be "chump change" to some folks and, if you are a seasoned traveler (not just "I've been on many cruises"), not worth bringing another person (the TA) into the mix.

On the other hand, if you're talking about a more expensive cabin cost (higher cabin level, premium line or group booking), a TA who is a top producer for your chosen line can work wonders when it comes to group perks like complimentary organizer fares and significant OBC beyond what the cruise line is offering.

If you do not have a trusted cruise specialist TA already, check resources like Conde Nast Traveler's "best of ..." listings.

Since this is a group booking, you may want to connect with your own (or another traveler's) college alumni association regarding who they use for alumni group cruise bookings.

[Markanddonna]

Groups tend to get better deals with TA's so check to see what they can do for you and then make your decision after you have also talked to the cruise line's rep. As an individual, I always book with the cruiseline as I've seen that we have received last minute upgrades, sometimes initiated by me and I have been let down by a travel agent who wasn't available for a few days and I lost my opportunity to upgrade. If you go with a TA, they are the only ones the cruiseline will talk to.