Advice on choosing travel agent

[madameblueberry]

We are first time cruisers traveling with two children both special needs (autistic). We are moving to Europe for several months. Flying is not a choice. We need help locating and selecting a transatlantic crossing in early 2018. I've done a lot of reading here on Cruise Critic and it does seem that actual recommendations for a travel agency are discouraged. That seems fair considering the readership this site attracts. But I could really benefit from some advice to help me select an agent/agency.

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't know where you live, but maybe your friends at church or work can suggest a travel agency.

You can also go see various travel agencies and talk to them and explain about your children.

[Bonnie J.]

I don't think we can name travel agencies here on CC. We can name cruise companies but not individual agencies.

 

You can ask which ships do transatlantic in January/February and see which ones come up. You can then call that company or an agent who does primarily cruises.

 

I know Royal Caribbean has had programs specifically for autistic children and your kids can go to their kids programs on ANY cruise of theirs. But I don't know if they do transatlantic cruises. There aren't many ships that just go back and forth.

 

I am a retired teacher and have worked with autistic kids so know there are differences with each autistic kid but all ships should take them into their kid's program.

 

Good luck finding a cruise for your family.

[cruiserking]

You can very easily do a search yourself by Googling cruise search engines and look for transatlantics during your time frame. Where specifically do you want to travel to in Europe?

 

The Queen Mary 2 does a series of 7-day Transatlantics but, not till she returns from her World Cruise around the end of April.

 

Many of the cruise lines do re-positioning Transatlantic cruises from Florida. These are very popular because they often include five or six ports and the pricing is quite reasonable. The cruise lines go to a variety of ports in Europe like England, Spain, Italy, Germany.

 

Since your children have special needs you might want to consider getting a suite where you could all room together.

 

Usually third and fourth passengers in a cabin travel for a fraction of the price of two. For example the Holland America Line's Oosterdam does a 15-night transatlantic from Fort Lauderdale to Barcelona on April 3. A Neptune Suite would run $8,796 for four people.

 

This is a top suite category but, it make things easier to have the four of you in a cabin together.

 

The best thing to do is to sit down with a travel agent or search online yourself to get an idea of what is available.

 

Jonathan

[Essiesmom]

http://www.cruisetransatlantic.com/cruises.html

 

You can cross on Queen Mary 2 on Jan. 3. After that nothing until March, and they will be longer. EM

[madameblueberry]

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Edited June 30, 2017 by madameblueberry

[Keith1010]

As some have said we are not allowed to mention Travel Agencies nor Travel Agents per CC rules.

 

My advice is to ask relative, workers, and/or friends who you know who cruise if they recommend their agent.

 

If you get a few recommendations, interview each by telephone to try to find one that you believe is knowledgeable, dependable and one that you feel you would want to work with you.

 

Keith

[bury me at sea]

I use a local travel agent. I can phone him or visit his office.

 

He doesn't offer any gifts or OBC. He does offer great advice, explains options, prints all necessary paperwork for me, and at no extra cost deals with changes in cabin choice, price drops, and doesn't charge cancellation fees or fees for anything else.

 

I am very happy with his services and our relationship.

 

He keeps threatening to retire. I dread that day. If you find a good one he/she sure makes everything easy.

[beachbum53]

We are first time cruisers traveling with two children both special needs (autistic). We are moving to Europe for several months. Flying is not a choice. We need help locating and selecting a transatlantic crossing in early 2018. I've done a lot of reading here on Cruise Critic and it does seem that actual recommendations for a travel agency are discouraged. That seems fair considering the readership this site attracts. But I could really benefit from some advice to help me select an agent/agency.

 

 

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Since we're not allowed to mention specific travel agencies or travel agents, why not start with your Yellow Pages? If necessary, call every travel agency listed in your phone book. You're bound to find what you're looking for.

[reerun25]

Not sure if this qualifies as a travel agent, but check out, or Google, Autism of the Seas. Might find some helpful information on there.

[Dutch48]

What is the advantage of using a travel agent? For past 30+ years I have booked everything from cruises, transportation, hotels, excursions, etc. It's a lot of work. For my 70th we are looking to splurge on a luxury cruise with Regent. We contacted an agent recommended by a friend. I was disappointed because not enough details were provided in his suggestions and the price was actually slightly higher than the cruise line brochure price and did not include or mention any of the perks currently offered by Regent. Is this normal? Is there any financial advantage to using an agent?

[Keith1010]

What is the advantage of using a travel agent? For past 30+ years I have booked everything from cruises, transportation, hotels, excursions, etc. It's a lot of work. For my 70th we are looking to splurge on a luxury cruise with Regent. We contacted an agent recommended by a friend. I was disappointed because not enough details were provided in his suggestions and the price was actually slightly higher than the cruise line brochure price and did not include or mention any of the perks currently offered by Regent. Is this normal? Is there any financial advantage to using an agent?

 

Just like all professions all TA's are not the same.

 

A really good one can provide you discounts/amenities beyond anything you can get from the cruise line, sometimes get you additional amenities at hotels, help you avoid making mistakes including when booking with a cruise line you are not familiar with and be your advocate if something goes wrong and also cut through the red tape.

 

The key is to find an agent who books with luxury lines and in your case is familiar with Regent.

 

Keith

[Hlitner]

What is the advantage of using a travel agent? For past 30+ years I have booked everything from cruises, transportation, hotels, excursions, etc. It's a lot of work. For my 70th we are looking to splurge on a luxury cruise with Regent. We contacted an agent recommended by a friend. I was disappointed because not enough details were provided in his suggestions and the price was actually slightly higher than the cruise line brochure price and did not include or mention any of the perks currently offered by Regent. Is this normal? Is there any financial advantage to using an agent?

 

We have booked far more than 100 cruises and all by one were booking through any of several excellent large high-volume cruise agencies. As to why....lets start with money. Generally we expect to save 7-10% (versus booking direct with a cruise line) when we use one of our favored cruise agencies. The savings might come in a lower cruise fare, but more commonly it will be in the form of substantial On Board Credits (OBC) which are almost as good as cash. In addition, the agencies we use deal with many different cruise lines which suits us...since we also cruise with many different lines. And finally, the higher volume reputable cruise agencies (and their agents) have some clout with the cruise lines who depend on their business. If something goes wrong you cruise agent can serve as an advocate and often resolve an issue where you might not do nearly as well (pulling out your own hair).

 

And now we are seeing a new trend among the decent cruise agencies. Many of them are now selling excursions and even hotel packages at substantial savings over cruise line excursions. Personally we prefer to do our own thing.....but for those who want to book excursions you can often save some real money by doing it on your own...or using the companies that contract with some cruise agencies.

 

Hank

[Baseball fan]

Not sure if this qualifies as a travel agent, but check out, or Google, Autism of the Seas. Might find some helpful information on there.

 

 

 

Yes, contact them. Is it called Autism at Seas? My cousin said they were extremely helpful in getting her in contact with the right people.

 

 

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[Got2Cruise]

What is the advantage of using a travel agent? For past 30+ years I have booked everything from cruises, transportation, hotels, excursions, etc. It's a lot of work. For my 70th we are looking to splurge on a luxury cruise with Regent. We contacted an agent recommended by a friend. I was disappointed because not enough details were provided in his suggestions and the price was actually slightly higher than the cruise line brochure price and did not include or mention any of the perks currently offered by Regent. Is this normal? Is there any financial advantage to using an agent?

 

Many give a cash rebate. Look for one of those. The price should never be higher than the cruise line except it might be a higher class of cabin as advertised in brochure.