Royal Caribbean travel agent or self reservation

[meidda]

For all of you seasoned cruisers I would like to know if I should go through a travel agent or make plans myself.

I made a reservation last week then spoke with a Travel Agent who has taken over the booking; That was on a lower deck and over the weekend past I was able to reserve with an entirely different reservation a preferred upper deck. My question is whether it is worth it to still go through the TA and have them take over the second or just cancel the initial reservation all together. I found out I can not make any changes nor get any information on those bookings made by a TA. I really feel uncomfortable having the planning taken out of my hands. If this were a tour outside of the country or something quite complicated I would need the help. But this is so straightforward unless there are things I am not aware of

Thanks to all,

Meidda

[Clarea]

It's a personal choice. Some like the service and perks the travel agent affords. Some like to do it all themselves. No one right way.

[mcatmcat]

I prefer to be my own travel agent and I always come here for advice and questions which sometime get me an answer faster than a TA. The only way I transfer my reservation to a travel agent is if I'm getting perks such is free dinner or onboard credit etc, but since I sail in the lower category and less popular ship they don't offer many perks for it so I just keep the reservation to myself without TA

[Riff Sniff]

I always book with Royal myself, usually over the phone as I like to be in charge of the reservation and able to make changes as necessary without relying on someone else.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[meidda]

Thanks

that's how I feel. I was really taken aback when they said I couldn't even find out the cost of the trip ( I had not written it down and was away from my computer)

When I had spoken to the TA the only thing she could offer were slippers and possibly $50. I think I will cancel so I can be at the helm myself .

Thanks all.

One more. Cant I compare perks, prices and offerings and call RC to negotiate. Or do TAs have a special relationship with the cruise lines. how do TA's get paid. Maybe I could do that after I retire.

[Clarea]

Thanks

that's how I feel. I was really taken aback when they said I couldn't even find out the cost of the trip ( I had not written it down and was away from my computer)

When I had spoken to the TA the only thing she could offer were slippers and possibly $50. I think I will cancel so I can be at the helm myself .

Thanks all.

One more. Cant I compare perks, prices and offerings and call RC to negotiate. Or do TAs have a special relationship with the cruise lines. how do TA's get paid. Maybe I could do that after I retire.

No, the web price is RC's price.

[Ashland]

I hope you know what the TA policy on canceled bookings.....you may have to pay them a fee.

 

20+ cruises with RCI and I've owned all of them...never involved a TA...not worth it in the long run to me.

[awestover89]

I booked three cruises through an online TA, and two myself directly with Royal. I personally didn't see any benefit to using a TA, and in fact found the inability to talk with Royal directly to be very annoying.

 

If you have a personal, local TA you like, then it might be better, but in my case handling everything myself was just the ideal solution.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Always book RCI with an online TA. Just had to cancel one and rebook a different one since my son just announced he is getting married 1 month after our scheduled cruise for next year.

 

Even with the penalty of $35 I am ahead of the game with group pricing and a little OBC.

 

Whenever I have a question I shoot the TA an email an usually within an hour I have a reply.

 

Whatever you are most comfortable with go for it.:)

 

Bill

[Markanddonna]

We book in Insides, Oceanview and sometime balconies, so our cruise fare often leaves no wiggle room for a travel agent. I'd say $100 in specific benefits (onboard credit, an exclusive offering like a dining package) would tempt me to go with an agent.

 

We got burned once using a travel agent who was not availble to talk to the cruiseline about a nice upgrade and he missed the deadline. You are correct that RCL won't talk to YOU about the adjustments. I always assumed that someone else in the agency would be there to address our issues, but this wasn't the case.

 

If you are the kind of person who wants to leave all your details to others and are not diligent about checking for better pricing, perhaps a TA is worth it. If I was booking a suite, an agent might be worth it because they have made a bit more on the transaction.

[leisuretraveler223]

It's really funny.... I travel a ton. Probably 15-20 trips a year. A couple cruises, Florida, Vegas, some international. I book EVERYTHING myself..... except for cruises. Why? Because the consumer facing interface (website, etc..) SUCKS! It's clunky, it often times doesn't work right, it's hard to find information at times.... Just terrible.

 

Having said that, I have sworn off large TA operations where you're kind of a number. Instead, I have a specific agent I know personally. It's an operation that just does cruises and she knows the ins and outs better.

 

I made the mistake recently of using a large operation and they made things a nightmare for me. There was a major screw up that was most likely not the agent, but RCI. But trying to get it remedied quickly was extremely difficult and almost undermined the entire trip for eight of us.

[maryjaden]

It is against the rules of this site to name any travel agents or agencies.

[CruiseLady88]

Thanks for pointing this out. Will take note. I can't delete the post any more.

[BillNY]

We now use a TA for all our bookings, for any cruise line. We always get a reduced price, OBC, and/or some perk like free insurance. The difference usually amounts to hundreds of dollars in savings for us.

[iluvcruzin]

The OP asked if posters use a TA or book direct from RCCL. They did not solicit information about possible TA's. I think people forget about the guidelines and are quick to respond in a way they think is helpful.

 

I always use a TA. For a few reasons. One is I have a great relationship with mine. I can shoot an email and get a quick response. I can get on the phone and they can look through inventory or see special pricing that can't be found online. I get extra perks most times. I have needed to call them from the ship when something wasn't right. They have been my advocate. They tolerate me changing my mind. :p

 

Some like to book directly with the cruise line. Nothing wrong with that. Especially if they don't have a good relationship with a TA or had a bad experience in the past.

[JimAOk1945]

We do it both ways. My wife is always on the lookout for our next cruise and usually books one as soon as she sees what she wants. Sometimes we go through our TA. Both ways works for us.

 

Cruising is a great way to travel!

Edited June 17, 2016 by JimAOk1945

[FireStation46]

I have booked direct cruise, flights, hotels, cars, Amtrak. No issues. Whatever anyone perfers is fine. As long as we have a fun trip and safe return!

[leisuretraveler223]

The OP asked if posters use a TA or book direct from RCCL. They did not solicit information about possible TA's. I think people forget about the guidelines and are quick to respond in a way they think is helpful.

 

There was a post that mentioned a specific TA. It was deleted.

[steveru621]

If your reservation ends up at a TA, the only thing you can't do on RCI's website is change your cabin (for what ever reason), or change your type of dining. The upside is additional OBC, the downside may be a cancellation fee.

 

You can do almost everything else on your own, on the RCI website. Book an excursion, purchase a beverage package, book a show, book a specialty restaurant, book MTD, Internet package, or gifts. It's also easier to fill out your set sail pass on RCI's website.

[SPacificbound]

I book myself direct with the cruise line.

 

You should do whatever you are most comfortable with.

[Videophile]

I always use a TA since they pay me to. I have an agent that I like and she gives me at least 5% back (in OBC) on each trip.

 

She also save me a LOT of money a couple of weeks ago. Long story short, I booked a cruise for the wrong dates (we were looking at several). I discovered my error the next day, and she was able to call the cruise line and move the reservation to the week that I needed. Since she books tens of thousands of dollars a month with the line, my feeling is that they were willing to bend the rules slightly to make her happy. I'm not sure if it would have gone the same if I just called myself.

[pacruzer02]

There is nothing more valuable than a GOOD travel agent, I am a multi-million dollar producing agency and most of my business comes from referrals. I offer onboard credit and wine for every cabin I book and I monitor prices everyday for clients. If you are good at what you do you will get more and more referrals, why would you book with the cruise line and get nothing ? Your passing up expertise and free money !!

[FireStation46]

I prefer Marriott and their brands i.e. Ritz Carlton, Renaissance etc. Mariott provides the Guaranteed lowest rate when booked direct. Some folks prefer a TA manage the process and others , like myself, prefer to control the process. To each, their own.:D

Edited June 29, 2016 by FireStation46

[Bases5]

I book directly with the cruise line.

Then I go TA shopping to see what if anything they can offer.

Lately we have been getting some really good perks so we transfer our

booking.

If there are no good perks we just keep our booking.

(note)

there is a time frame to transfer bookings varies by cruise line.

 

Remember, you can still do most things yourself, you don't lose all your

flexabilty.

Some people make it sound like you lose total control of your booking

Edited June 29, 2016 by Bases5

[sandinmyshoes]

We are very loyal to a particular airline because they have a hub in our city & we can get direct flights to just about anywhere we want to fly. That being said, I always book our cruises thru the airline because they have the same price as the cruise line; offer great perks like free specialty dining, on board credit, etc; PLUS 5-10 airline miles in their frequent flyer program per dollar spent for the cruise! If you book using the airline's credit card you get more bonus miles too. On a $2,500 cruise we can get up to 25,000 miles. That's enough for a round trip economy US ticket for one person free. Pretty sweet deal if you ask me.

You can book straight thru their website where you can see all the details of the cruises like any other travel agent site or you can call their toll free number & work with a live agent. I have an agent I've been using for years & she is fantastic. Returns my calls quickly & has a direct line with the cruise companies and can get changes and other things done with them very quickly.

 

They have a $25 booking fee but worth every penny considering the amount of airline miles we get with each booking!