Online travel agencies

[mbddisney]

I was wondering if anyone has used the online travel agencies with success I am getting emails about great savings with perks but have been hesitant to use them, Also i do not think I am able to name the one I am getting them from but any help would be appreciated!!!

[jayoldschool]

I switched to a large US online agent, and have had no problems, great service, and much much better add ons than I was getting with my previous TA.

[ghstudio]

We use two of the biggest online cruise TA's and have had no problems. Each gives us additional perks over and above what Celebrity offers and in one case they often offer "group rates" which are lower than celebrity itself (or other TA's) are offering. One has a cancellation penalty (the one with the "group rates") so if we aren't sure we're really going to take a cruise, we book with the other. It always pays to compare the perks and offers.

 

We do not use the "bid for your business" cruise site(s)...I want to know I'm working with a real company where they have people who you can talk to, belong to the proper trade groups and care about their reputation. Others seem to be quite happy using these types of sites.

[BILLP1]

We have been using on line agency's for 20 years and have not had a problem. We usually get an additional cruise credit .

[cruza]

I was wondering if anyone has used the online travel agencies with success I am getting emails about great savings with perks but have been hesitant to use them, Also i do not think I am able to name the one I am getting them from but any help would be appreciated!!!

 

We are only using online booking because of better rates (sometimes) and great perks. Some online agencies are charging cancellation fee so check before booking. Overall we have very positive experience!

[ransrider]

Does your online choice allow for receiving the better deal if sent to you after you booked at no extra costs?

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

[tgg]

Wow so sorry to hear that. I don't understand how/why so many people book with an agency that has cancellation/change fees.

 

I book with an agency that HAS cancellation/change fees. Those fees are only $25 per person. Because I rarely cancel a cruise, the fee is insignificant. This agency not only has group space on many of the cruises I'm interested in (saving me $200-$400 per person), but they rebate me 7-10% of the cruise fare.

 

I have an agent there that I've booked with for several years. She's a pro. She knows the ships, she knows how to read a deck plan (i.e. don't choose that cabin, it's right under the pool), and she is available when I need her.

 

Why would I book with anyone else?

[tarps14]

Also be wary of online TA's that offer an additional obc only to add it back in under "taxes and port charges". This happened to us with our upcoming Reflection cruise. The online agency we used 'gave' us additional obc in addition to what Celebrity was offering. However, when looking at our invoice, the taxes and port charges were over $600. The actual port charges are $140 ea for this cruise so where the heck do all these 'taxes' come from? Yeah, that would be the additional obc amount they were giving us. They also charged the cancellation fee which, I, stupidly, did not pick up on until too late. We went ahead, though, and cancelled and rebooked directly with Celebrity. Got a much cheaper rate due to a resident special and came out about $700 to our favor even after the lost obc and fees. Learned our lesson and are fortunate it didn't cost us anything in the long run. It pays to do your homework before booking.

[jelayne]

Wow so sorry to hear that. I don't understand how/why so many people book with an agency that has cancellation/change fees.

 

We have booked 24 cruises with online TAs and fortunately have never cancelled any of them. We have received almost $15K in OBC and prepaid gratuities from the 2 Online agencies we use. Both have cancellation and change fees but we have never paid a change fee although we made 1 or more changes on every cruise.

 

Our thinking is if we have to cancel a cruise a $50pp cancellation fee is a drop in the bucket compared to what we have received.

Edited August 12, 2015 by jelayne

[rjrpar]

We use them all the time. Big savings

[sandyss]

There are excellent online TAs. Since I do all the research for cruises and even tell her what cabin we want booked, an online TA works for us.

 

We have used the same online TA for over 20 years. She does not charge any change or cancellation fees, and is always responsive to my emails. We receive an 8% OBC from her on Celebrity cruises. I know that we could get slightly more OBC from some of the other online TAs, but appreciate that we can make many changes to our reservation, and even cancel, with no charge from our TA.

[sfaaa]

Just google them on the net. Lots of reviews from previous customers that may horrify you about some of those too good to be true cruise deals.

[Keith1010]

i prefer dealing with an agent who we can speak with on the phone and who is one who has expertise in the cruise lines we sail.

 

Keith

[Aka trish]

We have used on line TAs on our transatlantic and transpacific cruises without any problems and you can always phone them if there is something that you don't understand.

[Bowie MeMe]

We have been using on line agency's for 20 years and have not had a problem. We usually get an additional cruise credit .

 

I have been using my on-line super TA for about 15 years and between family members and friends maybe 30+ cruises. Always get fantastic service, timely answers and friendly advice. She is as friendly and helpful after I book and just have a question or price check as she is when we are signing up on the dotted line. She is fantastic and has made my travel life so much simpler. BUT she is trusted and dedicated and now my friend and that is not guaranteed with any on-line or in-person business situation.

 

Ask your friends that travel a great deal who they use. Ask people who have taken lots of cruises (you meet them on ships:D) who they book with. You will get a variety of answers. Start your list of companies to try -- I regularly give out my TA's name to people who ask me. Keep trying because I do think that TA's get you more of what you want or need -- OBC, room advice, insurance from a 3rd party, and good rates.

[Bowie MeMe]

i prefer dealing with an agent who we can speak with on the phone and who is one who has expertise in the cruise lines we sail.

 

Keith

 

I too love to speak on the phone with our agent. Lots of our plans are in emails back and forth but we also talk directly to the TA. Usual pattern is that I send her an email saying what we are looking at. She does some research and either gives us a quote covering options we asked about or suggests other options if she has them. When narrowed down we talk on phone and decide with us on computer deck plan which cabin/ship/etc. So this is an on-line TA who has lots of agents and sends out lots of print ads but MY dealing is with one individual on the phone. Best of both worlds.

 

(Well it was so exciting when we used to go into brick and mortar travel agency and speak with a well traveled and knowledgeable agent who "sold" you on your vacation because could not research the options for yourself. They did take very good care of you but certainly not at the prices that you can find with a little research now. If you would like to go back to being taken care of there are wonderful concierge type travel agents and agencies but expect to pay for the services.)

[MaisonRose]

First I have been very satisfied with my Texas on line agency, but

This next trip I have booked with an on line German company because I am in Europe and didn't want insurance options to be confusing ( they were anyway)

 

The agency in Germany operates solely via the Internet and does not have any contact numbers to call, everything is done via email.

Recently my fare went down $200 Euros and though we are within 90 days (my final payment is actually due in two weeks) I asked the agency if they could lower the cost or offer OBC. they flatly said No, it is against policy.

 

So whilst checking my booking with the cruise line I discovered that they would indeed consider a consession and all I needed to do was have my agent call them.

 

Bottom line: agency refuses to call the cruise line, end of story (even though it costs them nothing but some time.)

So of course I will not book with that particular agency or in Europe. And at the minimum I advise anyone using an Internet agency to be sure they have a human contact they can speak with on the telephone.