POLL: Travel Agent vs. Do It Yourself

[WeighAnchor]

I know a good many use a TA because they can get you some extra frills that you don't get booking direct with Royal Caribbean. However, there are some (like myself) that enjoy planning everything from start to finish and having full control of your itinerary. This poll is to get a feel of how much our fellow cruisers use TA's and to what extent. Feel free to make comments.

[matj2000]

I use an online TA every trip and have the same full control over everything as you do....

[WeighAnchor]

I use an online TA every trip and have the same full control over everything as you do....

Nothing wrong with using a TA, but I like being able to deal direct with the airline, hotel and cruise line without a middleman. I guess I am just a hands-on type of person. :)

[buddylover]

I use an online TA every trip and have the same full control over everything as you do....

 

Not sure what 'online TA' you use.....but you don't have the "same full control over everything" as those that book directly with the cruise lines have. For example, to make any changes to your booking such as price drops, cabin locs you have to go 'though' your online TA and the TA has to make the change FOR you, as Royal won't deal directly with you if you are booked through a TA (online or otherwise)....that is not 'FULL' control IMHO!

[DeadPhish]

We only use TA for the initial booking to get the OBC. Pretty much handle everything else ourselves.

[lbjen]

I only use a TA for cruises, and then it's only my big box online TA. I wouldn't use a dedicated cruise travel agent, mainly because I am confident in my ability to do the research and find the best deal for what I want. The only reason I use my TA is for the perks they offer tbh.

[Big_G]

Depends on what the TA is offering. If it's no better than direct, I'll book direct.

[matj2000]

Nothing wrong with using a TA, but I like being able to deal direct with the airline, hotel and cruise line without a middleman. I guess I am just a hands-on type of person. :)

 

I also book my own cruises, airlines, hotels, rental cars, and everything else needed.

I just do the cruise through an online TA instead of dealing with RC.

I do all the work with dates, ships, cabins, myself. Then call with what I.

The middleman is the best thing about it.

I don't want to mess with the RC website or have the time to sit on hold for 2 hours...

 

Not to mention the paid gratuities.....

[jll583]

I did it myself. One night very late there was a price drop before we had paid in full. It dropped from 1300 a person to 598 a person. The sale lasted a few hours and then prices went up again. If we had a travel agent there is no way we would have paid half the price for our trip. I was on the phone for a few hours on hold though, but well worth it [emoji3]

 

 

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[katiel53]

I do all the "legwork" and know when I want to sail, the ship, the cabin and the cost of it on Royal Caribbean's site. (That is IF I can get it to work.) After all that, I go to another site where people compete for my business. I then look at the offers, read the reviews of the agencies, verify there are no cancellation/change charges other than what the cruise line charges, hours open and any other questions I might have.

 

I then make a choice based on what I feel is right for me. If all things are equal, I go with the one with the most perks. I do my own follow up regarding price drops and notify the agency when I find one. I don't usually have to have the agency do anything else for me just as I wouldn't have Royal Caribbean do anything else.

 

I always book my own air, hotels and any excursions I want. I get lots of info on these boards as well as a site that advises trips. So far, I have been satisfied with what I am doing. It works well for me and I also do the bookings this way for my family when they travel.

 

If I were to do a land based vacation, such as a European tour, I would use a travel agent, but then again, I'd do all the research I could on my own so I could book what's best for me.

[OCruisers]

We've always been quite pleased with our long time travel agent so will continue to use for booking cruises. :)

[cruiseturbo]

We pretty much always book with a big box TA for the pricing and perks. Very seldom can I get anywhere close to the same deal with Royal directly. Also since they give us such good pricing deals, I have only once had to call them about a price adjustment. Our upcoming B2B was so cheap and offered so many deals that even when others were reporting huge price drops for their cabins, ours was still $1000 less than what the current pricing was.

 

I make all the other reservations with shows and dining because that is a large part of the planning fun and would never want someone else doing it for me.

 

All of this is just personal preference, some of us like using the TA's for perks and others like going direct. What ever works best for you is what you should do.

[luvscruising2007]

We live in a small town and use a local TA. We have used them in the past for a complicated trip, with multiple stops and hotels. However, now we use them just for cruises. The TA has been able to get price drops for us and negotiate changes to bookings without losing any OBC or discounts. We will continue to use them until they close. But, they are very popular and I don't see that happening.

[twincheryl]

No amount of money or perks is worth my not having total control of my booking... lol... I check prices often, and although I would not be upset to never get a price drop, it is always nice to call and reduce the price we paid! Everyone has to do what works for them...

 

 

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[Wine-O]

You need to add another reason for using a TA.

 

I use a TA for the OBC only. Other than that, they do nothing for me. I book my own hotels, cruises, and air.

[dplusd]

We book cruises direct with the cruise line and then transfer the booking to a TA for the "extras". Sometimes the TA can even offer a lower price as part of a group booking, but not always.

[Clarea]

... I don't want to mess with the RC website or have the time to sit on hold for 2 hours... ...

Same reason we use a travel agent.

[davekathy]

I also book my own cruises, airlines, hotels, rental cars, and everything else needed.

I just do the cruise through an online TA instead of dealing with RC.

I do all the work with dates, ships, cabins, myself. Then call with what I.

The middleman is the best thing about it.

I don't want to mess with the RC website or have the time to sit on hold for 2 hours...

 

Not to mention the paid gratuities.....

 

Agree.

[OceansOfTravels]

Always comes down to money. If there is a good deal, I will book myself, as it's very easy to book with Royal's website in one window and Southwest Airlines being the other, but if there's a special, I'll book through an agent. I usually book an agent for package vacations to the Caribbean, for both myself and my parents, because they don't like travel planning (they think it's a long and hectic process, I find it therapudic and I enjoy feeling accomplished when I've found a good deal). I didn't vote because I have never once used a TA for a cruise, only for an all inclusive land vacation, and I use Cheap Caribbean.

[George C]

We book our own for last 7 or 8 years. Might try TA again talked to one recently that seemed to know what they were doing

[Ozzie26]

We never use a TA. I enjoy looking, planning and booking directly. For me it's part of the fun. I have cruise 49 & 50 already booked.[emoji4]

 

 

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[Wine-O]

We never use a TA. I enjoy looking, planning and booking directly. For me it's part of the fun. I have cruise 49 & 50 already booked.[emoji4]

 

Just think of the thousands of dollars of OBC you missed out on.

[jon46]

I booked with a local small town TA. In Aug they were closed Friday -Monday. I found out Thursday night my cruise had a price drop. had to wait until this morning to see the TA. on the door was a sign closed for next 3 days. I did get to see her and got my res. changed. But for now on I will just go with online TA as I did with my next cruise in 2019 Plus I believe I know more then she does. With the small TA also you get no extra perks.

[OCruisers]

I don't want to mess with the RC website or have the time to sit on hold for 2 hours...

 

(y) Totally Agree!

[RhondaC]

TAs are worth so much more than just perks and OBCs. It's so good to have someone there to back you up in case issues arise (your flight is cancelled, you miss the ship, they lose your reservation, lost luggage, etc, etc)

 

Having a GOOD travel agent behind you is priceless. A good agent will go above and beyond to be sure your vacation is exactly what you want, and ensure everything goes smoothly.

 

They will also get you the lowest price possible, and keep checking for new discounts that can be applied to your reservation!

 

They can give you recommendations and information on ships, ports, and shore excursions, and have usually sailed on most of the cruise lines and done the excursions themselves.

 

They can also give information and help on hotels for before and after stays, as well as parking.

 

A good travel agent is priceless, and they do all of that at NO cost to you! 😁