Thinking about booking - direct with Celebrity or use a Travel Agent?

[Csardas]

Hi.

(I'll preface this: I'm in the UK and don't think I can book with an US TA and their better offers).

 

Considering Celebrity for the first time and wondering if, in the UK, there are any advantages with booking direct or with an agent? I know the forum rules re mentioning agents and I'm not looking for names, just peoples' experiences with both methods.

[cocker2]

Csardas, I have done both. TA is fine, good personal service, if like us, you know the local one but I prefer to ring X now as you don't then have to wait for TA to confirm your booking. Also if you have a query of any kind, X will sort it for you straight away. If doing a fly/cruise I always check prices and hotel overnight (if required) and compare. Next April we are booked with X but flight and hotel I got through Expedia. Hope this helps. Happy cruising. [emoji41]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Chewbecca]

It is usually slightly cheaper via a TA & means you can avoid, well, partially, the horror of the X website.

[villauk]

Hi.

(I'll preface this: I'm in the UK and don't think I can book with an US TA and their better offers).

 

Considering Celebrity for the first time and wondering if, in the UK, there are any advantages with booking direct or with an agent? I know the forum rules re mentioning agents and I'm not looking for names, just peoples' experiences with both methods.

 

You can book via a US TA, just ensure you take everything into account when comparing e.g. exchange rates, promotions, permitted price drops, flexibility etc.

[UKPete71]

I've booked with a US TA for my last, next and subsequent cruise. A couple of them have been transatlantic, which has allowed me to get cheap one way flights via ChoiceAir.

 

The agent has also got me price drops and cabin changes within categories when booking GTY stateroom.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[The Solo Dancer]

We always use a cruise ta so everything is linked together, hotel pre and post, transport between if needed, now its so much easier than worrying that something might go wrong with one little bit. And the time saved is a lot.A TAs buying power is much better than mine.

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

[Toofarfromthesea]

I've booked with a US TA for my last, next and subsequent cruise. A couple of them have been transatlantic, which has allowed me to get cheap one way flights via ChoiceAir.

 

The agent has also got me price drops and cabin changes within categories when booking GTY stateroom.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

When you book with a US TA, does that make your deposits refundable on the same basis as they would be for a US resident using the same TA?

[villauk]

When you book with a US TA, does that make your deposits refundable on the same basis as they would be for a US resident using the same TA?

 

'Obviously';p, sorry only joking and no malice intended. Yes, but not all US TAs will allow you to book through them if they know you reside in the U.K. Some do and it's best getting recommendations from other US cruisers as you can leave yourself a little 'open'. X US will not take your booking as they will redirect you back to the UK - same for the website (they are now preventing access to the US X site unless you use a VPN/proxy site).

 

Remember the exchange rate comes into play when we book via a US TA, so there are always swings and roundabouts. A little like if you booked in the UK - you may feel a little exposed to other elements that you can't control being in a different country. There are many pax that do not know they can book via the US - they don't use CC - and obviously X want to keep that as quiet as possible ;).

 

Reserving in the US gives a lot more flexibily than booking over here. You also don't get price drops if booked in the UK or permittance of changes to assigned guarantee cabins (what you are first allocated with is it, no changing even if another cabin is available in the same category). Every small change to your booking usually comes at a cost - that's why people get so touchy when some are blazé about how easy it is to make alterations to reservations etc. I have to say, it's usually because other cruisers from around the world are unaware of the differences imposed by X for individual countries rather than anything else.

[mickey89]

When you book with a US TA, does that make your deposits refundable on the same basis as they would be for a US resident using the same TA?

We have booked many Celebrity cruises via a well known US Travel agency. We have cancelled one and had 100% refund of our deposit also they offer many additional perks which you don't get in the UK. Even taking these advantages into account it is significantly better to book current cruises in the UK. It is even better to book a future cruise onboard and transfer to your UK T/A, then you can change your cruise without any loss.

[Toofarfromthesea]

Thanks, my 2 British friends (no malice inferred by me, villauk - sorry for my part in that kerfuffle). As someone new to cruising I had never realized that cruise ship booking was just as much of a confusopoly as airline tickets and cell phone plans, among many other things.

 

We in the states may soon be in the same boat (or is it a ship :p) as you chaps since some of the cruise lines are making deposits nonrefundable if you want the best fare. We'll see if people will go for it. Or if the scope of non-refundability expands.

 

Personally I wouldn't make a non-refundable deposit unless I was almost within the final payment date. But I'm retired and have more flexibility than most. So I understand where you're coming from.

[FiggyWig]

I know it's taboo and you can't name names but would love to know of a US TA that we here in the UK could use. I have tried getting quotes from a few online without much joy. Does phoning them get better results 🤔

[villauk]

I know it's taboo and you can't name names but would love to know of a US TA that we here in the UK could use. I have tried getting quotes from a few online without much joy. Does phoning them get better results 🤔

 

Go to the bottom of this thread and press the US flag and then hit the deals link at the top. If you choose a particular cruise to view, then it will give you a list of possible TAs - try some of those. Alternatively, when you're next at a Connections Party, ask a few of the other US members who they use and you'll obtain some reliable sources for future bookings ;).

 

Google will also provide some information from sites where TAs can bid for the cruise you are interested in. Keep an eye on a well known cruise monitoring site to see what's happening to your particular sailing's pricing too.

[ken_ll]

Keep in mind, many of the big US travel agencies charge you in the event of a cancellation their "own" cancellation fee of $100 US per person. Generally you will find this buried in their "terms and conditions".