Booking a cruise - best way?

[jdig]

Hi -- we have a cruise picked out that our family wants to take -- I was wondering what people recommend as far as where to buy the tickets --

1) directly from cruise line

2) travel agent

3) on-line site (like hotwire, travelocity, etc)...

 

???

What are the perks and drawbacks you guys have experienced?

 

Thanks in advance,

Judy

[FamilyMiracle]

I booked online, using a site that competes for your business :)

I ended up saving about $2,000 for our 2 balcony cabins doing it this way.

If you want more info, e-mail stephaniessecretsister@gmail.com and I will tell you more.

[serene56]

start with ***** and let people bid for your travel.

 

do you know what kind of cabin you want.. and what date?

 

stay away from Travelocity-expedia or orbitz... They are good site with sometimes good prices BUT-- they will charge you for booking it for you. they also charge a cancellation fee of almost $50.00 per person which can be quite expensive if you have a family.

 

Before you book with anyone ask if you can get a rebate if the price comes down... some dont give it.. others give it til final payment. (which is due in 70 days before a cruise)

[jdig]

Not sure what kind of cabin we want (of course, the best deal for the money) - cruises are still pretty "new" to all of us (familiy) - so we don't know all the secrets (which is why I'm on this board!)!!! :)

Thanks a lot for your help!!!!

- Judy

[serene56]

Judy-- for a first time cruiser I suggest visiting a local travel agent.. one who specializes in cruises.. (ask how many they have been on)

 

also by reading the boards you can see what to avoid and what is special.

 

Do you have a ship picked out?

Make a list of the questions I have put up top-- not asking those questions will costs you a great deal of money later.

[kujobie]

I have never found a great deal of difference in pricing one way over another. Some will say they saved hundreds of $$ going with so and so, but they are probably comparing to the brocure rate which is always overpriced. All else being equal, it makes sense to book directly with the cruise line. It's just easier to make changes and get info when you cut out the middle man. The only exception would be if you are not good at researching on the internet and have never cruised and have lots of questions, then you might be better served with a good travel agent. Also keep in mind that the price shown on a website is not always the best available. It pays to pick up the phone and make some calls. On our upcoming Miracle criuise that we booked thru Carnival, I noticed online that the price had dropped $30 per person. I called Carnival and asked to be rebooked. I never told them what I saw the fare going for now, just that it was lower than what I paid initially. They rebooked me at $50 per person less than what I paid. So the price they booked me at over the phone was $20 per person less than what they were advertising on the internet. Hope this helps.

[TobysFriend]

I think it partly depends on when you book your cruise. I put our deposit down on our upcoming 3/12/06 cruise last April, nearly 11 months in advance. At that time I did ***** and got quotes from several agencies. They were all pretty equal - within $20 or so of each other. I ended up booking just through Carnival because I really don't like working with Travel Agents.

 

I've been keeping a pretty close watch on our Cruise prices. About two weeks ago I looked at cabin prices on the Carnvial site and also through Priceline. At that time, Priceline had a significant discount - I guess maybe they pre-buy a number of cabins at the lower rates and are then able to discount off the going fare??? I don't know, I'm just guessing.

 

I think the best plan is to spend some time comparison shopping. :)

[serene56]

When looking at online sites.. majority do NOT included governmenr taxes. make sure the bottom line price you are looking at also includes port taxes.

 

Priceline also charges 19.95 booking fee.

 

By a chance is your spouse a Vet? Military discounts are great. By calling an agent you can know about specials on certain sailings

[kiwigirl]

Not sure what kind of cabin we want (of course, the best deal for the money) - cruises are still pretty "new" to all of us (familiy) - so we don't know all the secrets (which is why I'm on this board!)!!! :)

Thanks a lot for your help!!!!

- Judy

 

Judy -

 

Just noticed that you're in San Diego, me too. I believe in yesterdays paper, in the Travel section, they had a number of agencies that specialize in cruises listed. Since it is so new to you, you might want to contact one of them to get some info. If you don't have the paper, let me know and I'll see if I still have it.

 

[jdig]

Thanks, you all -- I really appreciate the tips!

No military family, unfortunately -- I do have another question -- only

one of is is OVER 55... and then, 3 of us are ... under 12... are

prices for the entire group based on "having a senior"? (some of

the websites seem like it!).

 

I'll look in the paper - thanks for that tip - still have it!

We're really excited, but it feels like treading water at the moment (just

want to get it booked and start counting down!!!)!!!!

 

Thanks again for all the ideas and tips. Got that bidding war going,

too - we'll see what happens!!! That's an amazing idea! It is a wonderful

idea to get a clue as to what pricing should be. I have a question list,

started, too.... <whew!> yippee!!!

- Judy

[billh65]

Thanks, you all -- I really appreciate the tips!

No military family, unfortunately -- I do have another question -- only

one of is is OVER 55... and then, 3 of us are ... under 12... are

prices for the entire group based on "having a senior"? (some of

the websites seem like it!).

 

From what I have read, if one person in the cabin is 55+, then that is the prevailing rate for persons in the cabin - at least for the 2nd person. The 3rd and 4th would have a cheaper rate anyway most of the time.

[DqALEX]

I book early and I book only through Carnival. If you Book early and you are a past guest upgrades I have found come your way alot easier. I like the fact I can go online to carnival .com and change what I want. I dont trust T/A

[donanddede]

we booked with Carnival and then a few months later found a cheaper price on an online agency. Carnival lowered our final payment to less then the online site. I continued watching the online site (not one of the big ones!) and found a lower price again. Called Carnival and they gave us an onboard credit for the difference. Will always book thru them from now on. Have fun looking and planning. That's half the fun!!:D

[Wennfred]

I always call and book directly with the Cruiseline, when theres a problem I simply call them directly and dont ever get the run around or have to sit and wait on a 3rd party to assist me like with a Travel Agent or a Dot.com company.:) And like the poster above me wrote, The Cruiseline will always change the rate to match any rates out there by giving you an upgrade or shipboard credits.

[pickpart2]

I use cruises only for all my booking. Dawn is my agent and she actually has FIRST HAND experience on every ship I have been on. She is also booking my group cruise for October 2006. (One room left 10-15-06 Pride Mexican rivera cruise 7 days:eek: If interested) Cruises only cost .57 more per cabin then Carnival dirrect, however she has taken care of many issues. she also suggested and took care of a private meeting room with VCR/DVD to celebrate our group cruise at NO cost:) . If you figure the bottle of wine I get each cruise from the travel agent it is actually cheaper. I agree to stay way from Orbitz---Travelocity as they do charge a fee. I do not know if Kayak charges a fee as they find the price then connect you dirrectly to the company?

[Old Bill]

I booked directly with Carnival.

 

On my first call I asked the representative a thousand questions, and she was excellent in responding. More questions--more answers.

 

This lady was by far the best I have ever encountered, be it TA or direct representative.

 

For the best, I highly recommend Rageeni Dave 1-800-819-3902 ext 82445

or rdave@carnival.com

 

You won't be sorry.

[decr]

I searched all the web sites, called the AMEX travel associated with my card, etc. I wanted 2 adjacent cabins for my family. All of the online sources quoted the same price and availability. The Carnival agent was able to book us into connecting rooms that were not shown as available online! We saved $300 to boot! I would definitely recommend at least calling the cruiseline. It can't hurt.

[sharpeimom]

I do my homework everytime I cruise. I call around, check the web, definitely get advise here & from Carnival. But I book with the person with the cheapest rate. Carnival doesn't always beat it. Sometimes they will match a price for me but they didn't for my cruise in 2 wks.

 

Look for discounts like AAA, Entertainment books or the Discovercard cashback (Cruise & Vacation Desk - I used them this time & got an awesome deal). Sometimes that makes it worth it too.

[Jasonsterling]

I still use a travel agent. I like having someone local that I have a long term relationship with. She knows my likes and dislikes outside of cruising and thereby can make more informed suggestions. As well, since I know her well I know for a fact that she travels a great deal and is very familiar with the realities of traveling. I can also reach her easily if there's a problem. There's no question of being told she's not available or not working that day- not when I can just drop into her shop. She also owns her agency so there's never an issue of having to insist on speaking with a supervisor. Beyond that I always check prices and research online and she's never been unable to match the price and that's without me asking her to match. I just call her for a quote and it's nearly always exactly the same. I've done some online stuff and really feel more at ease when I use my agent.

[svolpe]

I've booked three of my cruises with Costco Travel. They beat Carnival and Travelocity's prices every time (even if only by a few dollars). Also, Costco provides travel insurance for MUCH less than Carnival. And, I book the cruise using my Costco AMEX credit card which gives me 2% back on any travel.

[Illbcruzn4life]

Laura goes on vacation and all the rules go with her!

 

Illb

[kaylahszoo]

I'm one of those goofy people who like to get something "free" even if I'm paying for it three times over. You know- like the free soda card or onboard credit by booking with a TA. Got nothing with the online agencies I've used the last few cruises. Know I paid more through the TA- but look what I got!! I also go for the credit cards with perks- even though I know I pay more in interest. Yes- I don't pay off my balance every month. But I love the "free" stuff!! This time I booked directly with Carnival- anything "free?":D

[gcotton157]

My DW and I will be taking our first cruise Jan 28 on the Glory. I booked it direct through Carnival and can't say enough good things about the the person we worked with (Jessica Yeaton) at Carnival. We booked a guaranteed oceanview cabin last April and ended up with a seven catagory upgrade to a balcony on the Lido deck. Jessica cheerfully answered all my questions and over the course of the month or so it took me decide was always willing to talk - and propmtly returned all my calls when she was unavailable and I left her a voice message.

 

Gary

[BTfan]

I like to book through American Airlines (aadvantagecruise.com) They do charge 19 bucks, but you get 3,000 airlines miles for a 7 dayer.

[ccruizer]

I always book with my personal vacation Planner directly at Carnival. They are very easy to deal with and take good care of servicing their guests.