A good cruise professional

[tsport1]

I am looking to go on my first Alaska cruise. I am wondering if anyone knows of a good cruise professional that can help me find a cruise at the budget allotted. Thanks for the help

[ozarkmama]

we are not allowed to discuss travel agents on cruise critic. It is against the rules.

[tsport1]

Oh that's so helpfull

[A2Mich]

Due to cruise critic forum guidelines, we are not allowed to mention travel agents by name. There are a multitude of online agencies, as well as local brick and mortar agencies. I have found, however, that the best service has come from agencies that specialize in selling only cruises, as opposed to full service agencies. Ask some of your friends and relatives for suggestions as well. In years past, many agents were able to significantly discount the actual cruise fare. Most cruise lines prohibit that practice as they do not want to be undercut by independent agencies. Typically now the only way to get a lower fare is if you happen to find an agency that has bought a block of cabins at a discount and can therefore pass on those savings to you. In most cases now, travel agents must sell at the prices dictated by the cruise lines. However, some travel agents may give back part of their commissions to you in the form of on board credit (OBC) or drink packages, pre-paid gratuities, dining packages, wine in your cabin.

 

Your best bet would be to check out the various cruise line websites and get an idea of what is available, and at least have a starting point. Once you have a general idea, contact several online and local agencies and see who will give the best perks for booking with them. Also keep in mind, that to many large agencies, you will likely be a number to them, and may not get personalized service. There is also a large warehouse club that has a travel department, and have heard many people here say that they have been pleased with the service from them and gotten, in some cases, fairly substantial amounts of OBC. But getting the name and contact info for any particular agency is not going to happen on these forums.

 

Edited to add: You can also book directly with the cruise lines themselves, though don't expect any perks as a first time cruiser.

Also, cruise critic, is I believe, run by Tripadvisor, a travel agency themselves, so they do not allow posting of their competition.

Edited May 6, 2015 by A2Mich

[tsport1]

Thanks, now that was helpful!:D

[cherylandtk]

You will find that Princess cruises, a big player in the Alaska market, does allow TA discounting; they just cannot advertise the discounted fare. You must ask for a quote on the cruise you are interested in, not just look at the website price. You can find cruise-only discount TA 's by googling as well as searching for a TA at the Princess website.

[tsport1]

Thank you, will give that a shot

[cherylandtk]

Also, here is a good Cruise Critic article on how to find a TA

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=62

[cb at sea]

Oh that's so helpfull

 

I thought it was as helpful as the longer answer!

[Cruisin' Chick]

As someone suggested, talk to any friends, family members and co-workers and ask if they've been on cruises. You'll be surprised as to how many have. Then ask how they've booked their cruises. A major reason to go with a cruise specialist is that if you go online and use one of those companies (that aren't brick and mortar), you won't be able to get any questions you have answered by someone who's actually been on cruises (many of those pictured on those websites are "models" and not actual employees, and many of the actual employees may have never been on a cruise ship, much less seen the ocean in person).

 

For a first time cruise, it'll be better to have a travel agent who can answer your questions.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Conde Nast Traveler magazine is the industry standard for international travel. They occasionally publish "best of..." lists that include TAs (including "cruise specialists". Good place to start your search. Also, those "best" TAs will advertise their Conde Nast awards.

[Admin]

Also, cruise critic, is I believe, run by Tripadvisor, a travel agency themselves, so they do not allow posting of their competition.

To clarify, Cruise Critic is owned by TripAdvisor however it is run by an independent staff. TripAdvisor is not a travel agency and neither is Cruise Critic. We don't allow any discussion about travel agencies in order to keep the playing field fair. We do have travel agent advertisers but that does not imply an endorsement.