TA for land arrangements?

[Djaye]

Is there any advantage, or disadvantage, for using the TA who has our cruise booking for also booking our hotels, car, RR tickets, etc we will need on the land portion of our trip? I intend to deal directly with vendors when it comes to port excursions.

 

I have a pretty good idea of what we want, but didn't know if I should book or turn over to her for some reason.

 

Thanks!

[pizzalady1]

Is there any advantage, or disadvantage, for using the TA who has our cruise booking for also booking our hotels, car, RR tickets, etc we will need on the land portion of our trip? I intend to deal directly with vendors when it comes to port excursions.

 

I have a pretty good idea of what we want, but didn't know if I should book or turn over to her for some reason.

 

Thanks!

 

Do you want to do a total DIY or semi DIY?

 

Unless your TA has been to Alaska several times and has first hand knowledge, I think you can get all the info you need from the Alaska board. I know we did. I asked a lot of questions and we ended up doing exactly what we wanted to do and where we wanted to do it.

Edited July 7, 2015 by pizzalady1

[AKStafford]

Unless your TA is a seasoned Alaskan expert (meaning they've traveled here, a lot) I think I would recommend DYI. Cut out the middle man.

Just my opinion...

[Budget Queen]

Frankly - not a good idea. Any agent, unless specialized and you going on an upscale- meaning costly, is in business- meaning, commission based. They are only going to go with a simple, booking, randomly select major hotels, etc. IF you already have the lodging picked out, then I have no clue, why you would need this to be booked for you, nor, why you would need someone else- ( contacting, giving your credit card info etc etc) .

 

Simple- book yourself. The segments are easy. Book your transportation, lodging, and touring ALL direct.

[teachatthebeach]

We only had two days post cruise, but I booked everything myself and it worked out great. I enjoy trip planning. I used this board, trip advisor, some travel books, and Milepost.

[Dancer9933]

Does your travel agent offer incentives or give you part of his commission? Ours often gives us kickbacks so we booked somethings like the train to Seward through him. But my husband did the research and booked our lodging and cars independently. I think it depends on your traveling style and that you can have a great trip either way. Good Luck!

[Keith1010]

You should have your TA look at this for you but you should do the same.

 

Sometimes a TA can get better deals for you for things such as hotels so you see what they come up with and compare it to what you can.

 

I always look at all options. Never rule them in or out until you've done due diligence.

 

Some people only think there is one way and I think they lose out on opportunities.

 

Keith

[knbcruisers]

I did all of our own bookings for land tour and excursions except for one because of the start time. You can find every thing you need on this board, your local library, tripadvisor,alsaka.org and the local area visitor websites. They will all send free planning books. You must be willing to put in the research time and should compare prices for cars hotels etc among several websites.

[Keith1010]

I am going to be a broken record.

 

Or is that DVD or CD.

 

It costs you nothing to have your TA come back with proposals and this is why you have a TA.

 

Then compare this to what you come up with.

 

A good TA is worth their weight in gold.

 

Keith

[frugaltravel]

I am going to be a broken record.

 

Or is that DVD or CD.

 

It costs you nothing to have your TA come back with proposals and this is why you have a TA.

 

Then compare this to what you come up with.

 

A good TA is worth their weight in gold.

 

Keith

 

So many people feel that they are more "expert" than experts, whether that be things like a travel agent or a plumber or whatever. As you said, I also prefer to check out all the options. Often the experience of travel agents, even if they haven't traveled extensively to Alaska, can be worth it. They often have discounts and promo codes for hotels, car rentals, etc. that the general public has a hard time finding, if at all. A friend of mine just used a travel agent to book a car rental in Anchorage for the peak of the summer season. It cost less than half what my friend could find anywhere else and with a top tier company (Avis).

 

I like to think that if more people use travel agents, some of these deals might come to an end since too many people take advantage of them. So maybe it is best to just keep it to ourselves :)

Edited July 8, 2015 by frugaltravel