How do you book your cruise?

[Dana'sDaughters]

Do you book online yourself, contact the cruise line on the phone, or go through a travel agent? Can you get better deals with a travel agent?

[wheezedr]

I generally book it myself then later transfer to a TA to take advantage of the perks offered by the TA, such as OBC , etc.. 

[Grandma Dazzles]

I book directly with RC. I like to have control over my own reservation. 

[Essiesmom]

Depends.  I used to always book with a TA, but I soon found myself doing the research and then telling the TA what I wanted to do.  So now, unless it is a really complicated thing, I just book myself.  I have one booked as a special interest group (but not a charter) so I had to go with a particular TA.  EM

[zqvol]

All of the above. It all depends on the cruise.

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, Dana'sDaughters said:

Do you book online yourself, contact the cruise line on the phone, or go through a travel agent? Can you get better deals with a travel agent?

Usually, we book directly.  Rarely (like only twice) we've used a TA.  First time was because a cruise we were interested in (that already had extra perks offered by cruise line) had perks from the TA.  Second time was actually at the same time (different cruise line), since we were already at the TA, we had her book the second cruise (no extra perks).

 

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

48 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

I book directly with RC. I like to have control over my own reservation. 

Sorry but, this statement always makes me chuckle. 

Perhaps you do not realize that your personally booked cruise represents a rounding error in the cruise line's bottom line while the line's top-selling TAs may book millions of dollars with them per year. While you're "on hold" with some low level cruise line phone rep, the right TA (whose cell phone number you have) has the cruise line's regional sales rep as a "speed dial."

Add the additional TA perks (e.g., commission sharing) and the positives of using the right TA is a "no brainer."

 

That said, and because we now only cruise on primarily one line, we book onboard then "shop" the booked cruise to our small group of that line's top selling TAs to see who can best sweeten the deal. Once we've picked someone, we transfer within the allowed time window. Bottom line savings is almost always four figures.

Edited January 27, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[NantahalaCruiser]

I do all of my own research - itineraries, ships, prices, etc. - then call my "big box" warehouse TA and let them book it to get their store gift card with about 8% benefit. If I book on-board to get additional cruise-line benefits, I still have the reservation transfered to my TA to also get their 8% benefit.

 

Unlike some, I have no concern about "losing control" of my booking. My TA has no extra fees for changes or cancellations and if prices drop prior to final payment, my TA will have booking repriced whenever I request it. They are open 7 days per week, 16 hours on weekdays and 11.5 hours on weekends. If I happen to find a great deal late at night, I merely put a 24 hour hold on a cabin and call them the following day. I can still book shore excursions and specialty dining reservations directly through the cruise line even though I use a TA for the cruise booking. Why pass up $400 back on a $5000 cruise?

[capriccio]

After doing the initial research, I almost always book with our TA who has always given us a discount of 7 - 11%.  I prefer a discount rather than an OBC.  We also mark our reservations 'do not upgrade' because I've picked specific cabins.

 

Twice we have booked directly with Princess.  Both cruises were last minute decisions (well inside the final payment date) and our preferred cabins were not available.  We got excellent upsells on both (mini-suite to full suite, balcony to mini-suite).

[Hlitner]

We simply shop around among several of our favored cruise agencies and then compare their deals to what is offered by booking directly with the cruise lines.  Ha booked far more then 100 cruises with 15 cruise line we consistently find that we can save 7 -10% (overall) by booking with various cruise agencies.   There have been a few times when we felt is was smart to book a future cruise, while aboard another cruise.   In those cases we quickly transferred the booking to one of our favored cruise line in order to "enhance" our benefits....usually by at least 7-10%.   Understand that since we are often booking longer and more expensive cruises our savings can be several thousand dollars.  With a short 7 day Caribbean cruise our savings would only be a few hundred dollars.   But it is real money.

 

Hank

[Grandma Dazzles]

If your TA saves you four figures on your cruise you are obviously spending more than most.  

 

I now travel solo, normally booking a standard balcony.  Over many years, I have preferred to book my own flights, hotels, etc., frequently using miles/points.  I disagree that TAs will respond quickly and have found perks offered not worth the bother.  Many TAs are also no different than cruise line employees with very limited knowledge. Attended a TA presentation a couple of years ago on RC - it was actually pretty funny if it hadn’t been so sad; lack of knowledge about RC ships, etc. was obvious.  

 

My late husband was a million mile flyer on 2 different airlines, and close on a third - tickets I primarily booked, along with hotels, etc.  We were born and raised in Europe and considered well traveled.

 

I do agree that for a first time cruiser or novice traveler that a good TA is essential.  However, it doesn’t work for everyone.  

 

Have lived in towns with no TA; wouldn’t probably be a problem now with cell phone and computerized access to everything!  We all have our own reasons for booking the way we do.

42 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sorry but, this statement always makes me chuckle. 

Perhaps you do not realize that your personally booked cruise represents a rounding error in the cruise line's bottom line while the line's top-selling TAs may book millions of dollars with them per year. While you're "on hold" with some low level cruise line phone rep, the right TA (whose cell phone number you have) has the cruise line's regional sales rep as a "speed dial."

Add the additional TA perks (e.g., commission sharing) and the positives of using the right TA is a "no brainer."

 

That said, and because we now only cruise on primarily one line, we book onboard then "shop" the booked cruise to our small group of that line's top selling TAs to see who can best sweeten the deal. Once we've picked someone, we transfer within the allowed time window. Bottom line savings is almost always four figures.

 

[Flatbush Flyer]

31 minutes ago, Grandma Dazzles said:

If your TA saves you four figures on your cruise you are obviously spending more than most.  

 

I now travel solo, normally booking a standard balcony.  Over many years, I have preferred to book my own flights, hotels, etc., frequently using miles/points.  I disagree that TAs will respond quickly and have found perks offered not worth the bother.  Many TAs are also no different than cruise line employees with very limited knowledge. Attended a TA presentation a couple of years ago on RC - it was actually pretty funny if it hadn’t been so sad; lack of knowledge about RC ships, etc. was obvious.  

 

My late husband was a million mile flyer on 2 different airlines, and close on a third - tickets I primarily booked, along with hotels, etc.  We were born and raised in Europe and considered well traveled.

 

I do agree that for a first time cruiser or novice traveler that a good TA is essential.  However, it doesn’t work for everyone.  

 

Have lived in towns with no TA; wouldn’t probably be a problem now with cell phone and computerized access to everything!  We all have our own reasons for booking the way we do.

 

Finding the right TA(s) can be a time consuming job necessitating fairly exacting research. But, with the aforementioned commission sharing et al. (Yes- we're not talking about a 5 day cruise on some discount cruise line), we're talked by about a "chunk of change." 

[Cruisin' Along]

2 hours ago, NantahalaCruiser said:

I do all of my own research - itineraries, ships, prices, etc. - then call my "big box" warehouse TA and let them book it to get their store gift card with about 8% benefit. If I book on-board to get additional cruise-line benefits, I still have the reservation transfered to my TA to also get their 8% benefit.

 

Unlike some, I have no concern about "losing control" of my booking. My TA has no extra fees for changes or cancellations and if prices drop prior to final payment, my TA will have booking repriced whenever I request it. They are open 7 days per week, 16 hours on weekdays and 11.5 hours on weekends. If I happen to find a great deal late at night, I merely put a 24 hour hold on a cabin and call them the following day. I can still book shore excursions and specialty dining reservations directly through the cruise line even though I use a TA for the cruise booking. Why pass up $400 back on a $5000 cruise?

 

I do the same. Sounds like we use the same big box TA. It has always worked well for us. 

 

[paul929207]

I always book with the same TA. She gives us a discount plus some OBC beyond what the cruise line provides. 

[MCC retired]

You should always be able to do better with a TA , especially a Cruise Specialist TA .

Whether it is price , OBC , other valuable amenity, or just assistance in choosing your cruise  . If not , you don't have a TA that appreciates your business . or at worse merely an order taker.

When there is a problem with your booking , a good Cruise Specialist TA will have connections within the cruise line to assist in resolving . 

Edited January 27, 2019 by MCC retired

[TruckerDave]

It's the weekly "book yourself or use a T/A" thread. 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We use travel agents almost exclusively, usually the same company and agent, although we do shop around.  Savings are usually in the 5-10% range with other added amenities.  I like the site that lets agents compete for your business also.

 

Our preferred agent is very responsive and has gotten us substantial savings when prices went down--last year $500 pp on a South American cruise.  I find that some things I can still arrange with the cruise line.

 

Once in a while we book with the cruise line and then move it to an agent.  Very seldom is the price through the cruise line as good as what we get with an agent.

[txflood33]

33 minutes ago, TruckerDave said:

It's the weekly "book yourself or use a T/A" thread. 

 

and appears to include boasting about how their preferred way is much better than the other way

[geoherb]

When we first started taking cruises nearly 30 years ago, I would go to a local travel agency that specialized in cruises. We went to one agent who was very knowledgeable and would find the right cruises for us. Now I usually book through an online TA over the phone. I've used small independent ones to large ones to the big box store. I don't understand booking directly with the cruise line when I can get a better price through a TA.

[Joebucks]

The best a TA has ever offered me was an additional $25 OBC. I tend to book inside cabins, on non-peak season. I guess there isn't enough markup in those for the TAs to battle over my sale. I really don't need someone on speed dial either. 

 

Now if you've booked a $5000 suite, a TA is dying to get your sale. They'll throw in a bottle of wine that costs them nothing, and/or a sizable OBC or discount. I compare it to telling someone "You have to buy your car from this dealer! I got a free Macbook Pro. Oh, you mean you weren't buy a Mercedez convertible? I'm not sure if that purchase applies to your Honda Civic".

 

I book mine through my credit card rewards. They actually give me a great valuation on my points, and cover the trip with insurance at no additional cost. All at no out of pocket cost to me. I suppose everyone has their own ways of "saving money".

Edited January 27, 2019 by Joebucks

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, Joebucks said:

The best a TA has ever offered me was an additional $25 OBC. I tend to book inside cabins, on non-peak season. I guess there isn't enough markup in those for the TAs to battle over my sale. I really don't need someone on speed dial either. 

 

Now if you've booked a $5000 suite, a TA is dying to get your sale. They'll throw in a bottle of wine that costs them nothing, and/or a sizable OBC or discount. I compare it to telling someone "You have to buy your car from this dealer! I got a free Macbook Pro. Oh, you mean you weren't buy a Mercedez convertible? I'm not sure if that purchase applies to your Honda Civic".

 

I book mine through my credit card rewards. They actually give me a great valuation on my points, and cover the trip with insurance at no additional cost. All at no out of pocket cost to me. I suppose everyone has their own ways of "saving money".

There is an entire cruise world beyond what you are booking :).  We have received thousands of dollars (on a single cruise) of OBCs simply because we booked through a specific cruise agency vs another agency or booking direct.  You speak of a $5000 suite as something really unusual and you may not be aware that many cruises (and even regular cabins) can cost many times that amount.  On some world cruises you have folks fighting over cabins that can cost over $250,000!  Granted that is the exception, but $20,000 bookings are quite common in the cruise world.  Consider that one of the most popular HAL cruises is their annual Voyage of the Vikings Cruise...which is usually around 35 days.  Even a basic outside cabin can cost over $20,000 on that cruise...which normally sells-out well in advance.

 

By the way, getting back to your mythical $5000 Suite...we would expect an OBC of about $500....with perhaps a bottle of wine thrown in :).

Hank

[txflood33]

13 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

There is an entire cruise world beyond what you are booking :).  We have received thousands of dollars (on a single cruise) of OBCs simply because we booked through a specific cruise agency vs another agency or booking direct.  You speak of a $5000 suite as something really unusual and you may not be aware that many cruises (and even regular cabins) can cost many times that amount.  On some world cruises you have folks fighting over cabins that can cost over $250,000!  Granted that is the exception, but $20,000 bookings are quite common in the cruise world.  Consider that one of the most popular HAL cruises is their annual Voyage of the Vikings Cruise...which is usually around 35 days.  Even a basic outside cabin can cost over $20,000 on that cruise...which normally sells-out well in advance.

 

By the way, getting back to your mythical $5000 Suite...we would expect an OBC of about $500....with perhaps a bottle of wine thrown in :).

Hank

 

I'm going to have to disagree with your use of the word 'common'. 

 

There are plenty of pricey cruises out there. However, they are less common than other cruises. I would venture to say 7 day cruises are more 'common' that cruises around the world or even 14 day+ cruises. I can go to RCI right now and book a suite for a 7 day caribbean cruise for $1300/pp. Throw some air and maybe a hotel and you might hit close to $5k. But, IMO, this thread is about using a TA(or not) to get the best deal on your ship experience(category of room/OBC/wine/perks). So we're not really adding in air...they don't get much discount on air anyway.

 

The $5k and up bookings are less common simply basen on the number of cruises offered. And if the lines thought they were that popular, all of the ships would just be suites. There has been enough market research to know how many of each room to put on a ship so it can be full each sailing...and $5k bookings are above the 'common' mark.

 

Don't get me wrong, they are there. My wife and I are paying $7k for 15 nights in SE Asia...not a suite. We still have to get air and hotels so we are certainly pushing a high priced vacation. I certainly don't consider this trip common.

[Joebucks]

16 minutes ago, Hlitner said:

There is an entire cruise world beyond what you are booking :).  We have received thousands of dollars (on a single cruise) of OBCs simply because we booked through a specific cruise agency vs another agency or booking direct.  You speak of a $5000 suite as something really unusual and you may not be aware that many cruises (and even regular cabins) can cost many times that amount.  On some world cruises you have folks fighting over cabins that can cost over $250,000!  Granted that is the exception, but $20,000 bookings are quite common in the cruise world.  Consider that one of the most popular HAL cruises is their annual Voyage of the Vikings Cruise...which is usually around 35 days.  Even a basic outside cabin can cost over $20,000 on that cruise...which normally sells-out well in advance.

 

By the way, getting back to your mythical $5000 Suite...we would expect an OBC of about $500....with perhaps a bottle of wine thrown in :).

Hank

 

I'm not quite sure what your point is, other than to brag. I used the $5k suite as a example of the difference between some cheaper cruises. The 5k suite is a far more common scenario than your 20k one. I'm quite aware that more elite options exist. Many people on this site can't wait to tell you about better choices than your own. We're all very impressed. 

[bonsai3s]

13 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

Sorry but, this statement always makes me chuckle. 

Perhaps you do not realize that your personally booked cruise represents a rounding error in the cruise line's bottom line while the line's top-selling TAs may book millions of dollars with them per year. While you're "on hold" with some low level cruise line phone rep, the right TA (whose cell phone number you have) has the cruise line's regional sales rep as a "speed dial."

Add the additional TA perks (e.g., commission sharing) and the positives of using the right TA is a "no brainer."

 

That said, and because we now only cruise on primarily one line, we book onboard then "shop" the booked cruise to our small group of that line's top selling TAs to see who can best sweeten the deal. Once we've picked someone, we transfer within the allowed time window. Bottom line savings is almost always four figures.

Like +++++ Excellent post...thank you.

[Corby114]

I have booked cruises with a travel agent, online agency, and contacting the cruise line directly. If this is your first cruise and you have a lot of questions I would contact a local travel agent, explain what you are looking for and have them do the work for you. After you get hooked you can easily do the further bookings on your own. Planning the cruise adds to the excitement!