How do you book your cruise?

[lenquixote66]

15 hours 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?

Since 1973 we have booked with travel agents but we are currently booking with a cruise line .

[Flatbush Flyer]

29 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

 

........The 5k suite is a far more common scenario than your 20k one.........

How "common" is a particular price range really depends on the cruise line and the itinerary. There are several premium/luxury cruise lines that are very focused on longer itineraries (several weeks +/-) and the bulk of its passengers usually may be paying five figures per person for a basic balcony cabin on their cruises.

BTW, that's not as expensive as some mass market cruisers may think. Remember that those cabin prices may include international airfare, beverages, gratuities, unlimited internet, specialty restaurants and some amount of SBC, excursions and/or booze. 

Do the math.

Edited January 27, 2019 by Flatbush Flyer

[Warm Breezes]

16 hours 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?

Depends on several factors.  If I am cruising Carnival with a Casino Rate I just book it myself online since I know my TA can’t beat it.  If I am booking NCL my TA can usually save me around 10% over booking myself online.  I do a lot of research and if I think my TA can beat the best deal I find online I contact him.  Sometimes he can and sometimes he can’t.

[NantahalaCruiser]

6 hours ago, txflood33 said:

 

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

Perhaps there is some boasting, but my comments are not to boast nor to convince regular cruisers that their choice is wrong - they've been cruising long enough to know what they need and want.  I am only interested in informing novice cruisers of their opportunity to save money and to allay any concerns they may have about using a TA.

 

For those that may be struggling to save up enough for an occasional inexpensive cruise, on a $750 pp cruise, 8% to 10% of $1500 can save them $120 to $150 - a significant savings for them.

Edited January 27, 2019 by NantahalaCruiser

[taglovestocruise]

17 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.

Agree with you 100%. TA'S give OBC, pre-paid gratuities,  specialty dinning and sometimes beat the cruise line price. Being in control of your booking means when you have a problem you get to deal with a $10.00 a hour cubicle dweller.  I prefer to have a multi million dollar agency take care of any concerns. 

[txflood33]

49 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Agree with you 100%. TA'S give OBC, pre-paid gratuities,  specialty dinning and sometimes beat the cruise line price. Being in control of your booking means when you have a problem you get to deal with a $10.00 a hour cubicle dweller.  I prefer to have a multi million dollar agency take care of any concerns. 

 

And this is another post where it comes out that you know how to do it better and are smarter and know how to manage money better. How many people on this site do you think are 'cubicle dwellers'? My dad worked for the gov't for 25 years....most of it in a cubicle...made well over 6 figures. 

 

I absolutely understand there are TA brick and mortar shops and you may have a personal one you use all of the time. How about me? If I go to one of the big box online TAs, will I not get someone working in a cubicle? 

 

I don't know how much cruise line CSRs make....guessing it's a little more than $10/hr. I can say that after a little online research, TAs aren't getting ready for early retirement based on salary alone. The average salary for a TA is $40k. There was a study in 2017 by The Travel Institute that showed that 37% of TAs earned less than $24k. There are certainly other factors...how many hours a week worked, salary only/salary + commission, commission only.

 

Also, your last sentence also implies you don't believe cruise lines are multi million dollar companies.

 

JMO 

[taglovestocruise]

17 minutes ago, txflood33 said:

 

And this is another post where it comes out that you know how to do it better and are smarter and know how to manage money better. How many people on this site do you think are 'cubicle dwellers'? My dad worked for the gov't for 25 years....most of it in a cubicle...made well over 6 figures. 

 

I absolutely understand there are TA brick and mortar shops and you may have a personal one you use all of the time. How about me? If I go to one of the big box online TAs, will I not get someone working in a cubicle? 

 

I don't know how much cruise line CSRs make....guessing it's a little more than $10/hr. I can say that after a little online research, TAs aren't getting ready for early retirement based on salary alone. The average salary for a TA is $40k. There was a study in 2017 by The Travel Institute that showed that 37% of TAs earned less than $24k. There are certainly other factors...how many hours a week worked, salary only/salary + commission, commission only.

 

Also, your last sentence also implies you don't believe cruise lines are multi million dollar companies.

 

JMO 

Use a TA and that person works for you. Use a rep from the cruise line and that person reports to the cruise line.  JMO also.. happy cruising

[txflood33]

16 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Use a TA and that person works for you. Use a rep from the cruise line and that person reports to the cruise line.  JMO also.. happy cruising

 

according to that study I was getting info from, most TAs are on 100% salary or salary+commission. If they make a salary, they work for the company that provided them the cubicle.

 

That's not my opinion. That's a simple payroll/HR fact.

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

Agree with you 100%. TA'S give OBC, pre-paid gratuities,  specialty dinning and sometimes beat the cruise line price. Being in control of your booking means when you have a problem you get to deal with a $10.00 a hour cubicle dweller.  I prefer to have a multi million dollar agency take care of any concerns. 

 

What office arrangement do you think the guy at the “multi million dollar agency” has?  A cubicle, perhaps?

 

While I have booked both ways, and generally enjoy some TA benefits;  I cannot help thinking that, just perhaps, the massive benefits some posters report as regularly  received are about as real as the casino winnings other posters always walk out with.

[navybankerteacher]

24 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Use a TA and that person works for you. Use a rep from the cruise line and that person reports to the cruise line.  JMO also.. happy cruising

 

Not exactly - the person at the travel agency works for the agency - not completely unlike the way the person at the cruise line works for the line.  Of course, if you deal with some guy working on his own, on his own PC in his basement, then you are dealing with the agency -   but how much leverage does a one man operation have with cruise lines?

[lenquixote66]

41 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

Not exactly - the person at the travel agency works for the agency - not completely unlike the way the person at the cruise line works for the line.  Of course, if you deal with some guy working on his own, on his own PC in his basement, then you are dealing with the agency -   but how much leverage does a one man operation have with cruise lines?

I had a neighbor who worked out of his house for 20 years as a TA.I never went with him because at the time I had a TA who I used for 30 years.The neighbor said that he had a great relationship with RCI .I do not know if that was true or if he was just trying to "sell himself as a TA.The agent I used for 30 years had a store that he worked out of ,just him and we found him to be excellent.He retired in 2003.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

What office arrangement do you think the guy at the “multi million dollar agency” has?  A cubicle, perhaps?

 

While I have booked both ways, and generally enjoy some TA benefits;  I cannot help thinking that, just perhaps, the massive benefits some posters report as regularly  received are about as real as the casino winnings other posters always walk out with.

Perhaps some of the $ back posts we see are a bit (or a lot) inflated. But, that is not true of all of them.

 

I can assure you that the right agency and right TA within that agency may be in a position to share commissions at somewhere along the spectrum of 4-10% of the commissionable fare (as SBC, price credit, rebate and/or other "dollar value" perks like gratuities).

 

If the agency is part of a consortium that has their own perk agreements with a cruise line, and/or that consortium and/or the agency comprise "top sellers" for your preferred line, that relationship can score additional "pass through" cruise line incentive funds (e.g., as gratuities)/"quiet sales"/etc.

 

So, if you are doing that 3 week itinerary on a premium/luxury line, a couple of thousand dollars in added perks from the TA is definitely not unusual when the cruise cost exceeds $20k.

 

FWIW, it took us quite a few years of research and trial/error to identify the small group of TAs that we use (including several who are either the manager or owner of the agency). 

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

5 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

What office arrangement do you think the guy at the “multi million dollar agency” has?  A cubicle, perhaps?

 

While I have booked both ways, and generally enjoy some TA benefits;  I cannot help thinking that, just perhaps, the massive benefits some posters report as regularly  received are about as real as the casino winnings other posters always walk out with.

 

I think we have both been around this industry for more then a few years :).  But the travel game has completely changed in the last few years.  At one time many of us found small local travel agents who could give us a bottle of wine..or perhaps they were part of a large consortium and could give us a few extra OBCs.   Then we had the era when we started seeing larger agencies that would recruit "outside agents" who were often just cruisers who wanted to make a few extra dollars selling cruises to friends.  But much of that ended when the cruise/travel industry stopped recognizing most of these "outside agents" as real agents and took away their travel discounts and privileges.  

 

So what do we have now?  Most cruise lines accept bookings via their own web sites or though their own toll free numbers where you get to deal with an employee sitting in their tiny cubicle and reading their scripts off a monitor.  But nearly 80% of all bookings come through different agencies including the Big Box agents, large travel agencies, and cruise agencies.  Within this cruise agency group you now have some very high volume agencies that will book more cruises in a day then many small agencies used to book in a year.    The cruise lines need these agencies for their expertise, marketing, and because it saves the cruise lines a fortune in not having to hire more folks to do a similar job.  The reputable high volume cruise agencies have a lot of clout with the cruise lines...because they generate lots of bookings.  Most cruise lines allow them to offer certain discounts and/or other amenities (OBCs. pre paid gratuities, etc) because they really want the business.  And if they do not allow these high volume agencies to get some advantages, those agencies will simply promote different cruise lines.  

 

What does this mean for the average cruiser....regardless of what they book 🙂  If one shops around among reputable high volume cruise agencies they should be able to save 7-10% of the cruise fare....which might be recouped with discounts (for some lines) and/or other amenities such as On Board Credits.   If you book a $2000 cruise you will likely be able to save $150 - $200.  If you book a $20,000 cruise your savings will likely be in the area of $2000.   Ask the cruise line to match a deal from a decent cruise agency (we have done this) and you will likely hear something like "we do not match those kind of offers."  If you are booking directly with a cruise line rep (on the phone or with a future cruiser person on a ship) and mention that a cruise agency has better deals..the cruise line rep will often suggest you book direct and then transfer the booking to the cruise agency so you can get the extra amenities.

 

But we have found some other important benefits to using decent cruise agencies.  Call many cruise lines and you will be stuck on hold, or get a clerk who only knows what they read on their monitor.  Call a decent cruise agent and you get somebody used to working with many different lines and who is often much more experienced then what you get by dealing direct  When dealing with a high volume agency, those folks have some  clout with the cruise lines.  If you have a real issue, your cruise agent/agency becomes your personal advocate because they want your future business.  If they do not give you the help you need/want.....you simply say "bye bye" and use a different agency for your next booking.  We tell our favorite cruise agent that we are "loyal" to her as long as she has the best deals and gives us the best service.  I once explained to her that my loyalty is only as good as the last booking.   If some other reputable agency wants to offer us a better deal....then they will quickly have a new customer.

 

For us there is another big reason we prefer dealing with high volume cruise agencies.  We book cruises with many different cruise lines!  Our favorite agencies work with all of these cruise lines which is very convenient.  Our agents are not tied into a single cruise line (which is what happens when you book direct).    Right now we have upcoming cruises with Seabourn, Princess, MSC and HAL.  And they have all been booked through the same agent.  One of our cruises was booked with a future cruise person while aboard a cruise...immediately transferred to our favorite cruise agency.. who quickly notified us they would give us an additional $700 of On Board Credit.  That is real money!  Why some folks are happy to give up that kind of money to keep a booking with a cruise line is a mystery we will never understand.

 

...As to Navybankerteacher's comment I want to tread carefully so we do not get accused of "boasting"  :).  The reality is that it is not about that at all, but simply trying to help others by letting them know some of the options out there in the travel world.  Our savings (by using cruise agencies) over any year will be in the thousands of dollars.  The so-called "massive benefits"  (not my words) are saving 7-10% (sometimes more) on every cruise booking.  Somebody booking one 7 day cruise a year in a low cost cabin may not care about saving $100.  But we cruise 70-100 days a year (sometimes more) so the savings quickly amount to real money.   We have met other frequent cruisers while on longer cruises and have heard the usual doubts about saving money by shopping around.  If asked, we will show the proof which leaves some folks shocked.  Others will show us even better ways

 of booking and we do check them out and often learn new tricks.  The industry is always changing and keeping an open mind can be quite profitable.

Hank

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

 

What office arrangement do you think the guy at the “multi million dollar agency” has?  A cubicle, perhaps?

 

While I have booked both ways, and generally enjoy some TA benefits;  I cannot help thinking that, just perhaps, the massive benefits some posters report as regularly  received are about as real as the casino winnings other posters always walk out with.

 

I often think some of the savings claimed are based on the line's brochure price. Of course, no one in the history of mankind has ever paid the brochure price.   

 

BTW, I can save thousands (literally $8,000) by using Oceana's 2 for 1 fare!   Hahaha

[capriccio]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I often think some of the savings claimed are based on the line's brochure price. Of course, no one in the history of mankind has ever paid the brochure price.   

 

My savings are calculated based on what I would pay if I made a reservation directly on line or by calling the cruise line at that point in time.  I provide that number to my TA and ask what can you do for me?  In return I've always received a percentage discount, plus sometimes a $50 to $100 OBC if the agency has a group rate for that sailing. 

 

I also think that most of the posters on cruise critic are savvy enough to know that brochure prices are published months in advance of turning up in your mailbox and are worth the paper they are printed on (not to mention the totally misleading "2 for 1" ads).  Even if they don't work with a TA, when they book on-line or by calling the cruise line the amount will most likely be different.

[SRF]

It depends.

 

I have booked directly with Royal Carib, mainly by phone.  Maybe once online.   The first two cruises, I handled my own booking.  The next two, I transferred to a TA.  One reason, for the extra OBC, the other reason is, my TA checks for price drops and gets them for me.  I don't have time (and also do a lot of international travel), so it is difficult.

 

The last cruise booked, I had the TA book.  We wanted a specific cruise, and preferred cabin, so had the TA checking for the cruise to be available to book.  She booked it the first day that bookings were open.

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I often think some of the savings claimed are based on the line's brochure price. Of course, no one in the history of mankind has ever paid the brochure price.   

 

BTW, I can save thousands (literally $8,000) by using Oceana's 2 for 1 fare!   Hahaha

Just for fun I looked at an upcoming "O" cruise which was a 15 day European cruise on the Insignia.  One of my favored cruise agencies gives the same sale price that you get on O's site, plus the drink package, plus $1425 in OBC (that you do not get if you book with "O") for a balcony cabin.  The OBC averages between 9 and 10% of the cruise fare.  This is pretty typical of the OBCs offered by decent cruise agencies.

 

Hank

[screwsmcernst]

I usually look around, find the cruise I want, and the "best deal."  Then I call my TA and ask her if she can find anything better.  There has only been one time when she couldn't beat the deal I found, and she told me to book it through the site I found.  Every other cruise deal, she has been able to beat is some way.  Either with lower price, OBC, or both.  

[Krazy Kruizers]

On 1/26/2019 at 9:30 PM, 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?

 

We book through a TA.  We have been fortunate to have a great TA for over 26 years.

 

She can get us deals and gives us perks.  She knows what we like and takes care of the small details.

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Just for fun I looked at an upcoming "O" cruise which was a 15 day European cruise on the Insignia.  One of my favored cruise agencies gives the same sale price that you get on O's site, plus the drink package, plus $1425 in OBC (that you do not get if you book with "O") for a balcony cabin.  The OBC averages between 9 and 10% of the cruise fare.  This is pretty typical of the OBCs offered by decent cruise agencies.

 

Hank

 

This is a pretty sweet deal and I don't doubt a good TA will save you $$$.  Sounds like you have a great TA.

[ldubs]

7 hours ago, capriccio said:

My savings are calculated based on what I would pay if I made a reservation directly on line or by calling the cruise line at that point in time.  I provide that number to my TA and ask what can you do for me?  In return I've always received a percentage discount, plus sometimes a $50 to $100 OBC if the agency has a group rate for that sailing. 

 

I also think that most of the posters on cruise critic are savvy enough to know that brochure prices are published months in advance of turning up in your mailbox and are worth the paper they are printed on (not to mention the totally misleading "2 for 1" ads).  Even if they don't work with a TA, when they book on-line or by calling the cruise line the amount will most likely be different.

 

Oh, I agree with you.  My comment was really in response to how some might exaggerate the savings. 

[Hlitner]

7 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

This is a pretty sweet deal and I don't doubt a good TA will save you $$$.  Sounds like you have a great TA.

There are actually quite a few high volume reputable cruise agencies that offer similar deals.  For many years we have often posted the suggestion that folks simply "shop around" among high volume agencies.  Register your e-mail (you can get yourself another free e-mail from g-mail or other places if you do not want to use your regular e-mail) with multiple agencies because many of the best deals are not allowed to publicly advertised.  Some agencies will send you links to special sites with lower prices,  or tell you "call" for special pricing that they are not permitted to display.  Some of this stuff turns out to be baloney, but shop around for a period of time and you will eventually form your own little list of favored agencies/agents.  

 

There is a lot of "loyalty" in the travel world where folks tie their own hands behind their backs (and sometimes put on blinders).  We have met cruisers that use a particular travel agent because they like that person even though it is costing them hundreds or thousands of dollars for every booking.  Some here on CC tell us they prefer to book direct with cruise lines to keep control (nobody seems to be able to explain what that means) even though the give-up lots of OBCs and other amenities by not shopping around.  I guess for many folks it is just human nature.  I am very loyal to whatever agency gives me the best financial deals and service.  And that loyalty is only as good as the most recent transaction.  If something better comes along our business will flow that way.

 

Hank

[navybankerteacher]

25 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

Oh, I agree with you.  My comment was really in response to how some might exaggerate the savings. 

There does seem to be a tendency (not universal) for posters to “live their dreams” - such as amazing deals/savings on cruise fares, buying jewelry in the Caribbean and having it appraised at many times purchase price when at home, same with “art” bought on board, and the all-time-favorite:  always coming out ahead at the casino.

 

Perhaps the anononimity on sites like this encourages creative writing,

[txflood33]

3 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

There does seem to be a tendency (not universal) for posters to “live their dreams” - such as amazing deals/savings on cruise fares, buying jewelry in the Caribbean and having it appraised at many times purchase price when at home, same with “art” bought on board, and the all-time-favorite:  always coming out ahead at the casino.

 

Perhaps the anononimity on sites like this encourages creative writing,

 

but I really did come out ahead in the casino

 

I gambled for 12 nights and a few days while cruising the Med. Every night when I was done I had them color up my chips, but I never cashed them in. I took them up and put them in a small bag in my room. Last day of the cruise I got my bill, $2000 for all casino charges. Went and counted my chips, $2010...hahaha. I left $10 up

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, txflood33 said:

 

but I really did come out ahead in the casino

 

I gambled for 12 nights and a few days while cruising the Med. Every night when I was done I had them color up my chips, but I never cashed them in. I took them up and put them in a small bag in my room. Last day of the cruise I got my bill, $2000 for all casino charges. Went and counted my chips, $2010...hahaha. I left $10 up

 

I do not doubt your story - but if you tell me you cruise frequently and that you ALWAYS come out ahead (which is what I was referring to) I will call you out as a likely BS artist - with my level of certainty increasing as the number of times you claim to come out ahead increases.

 

There are few stronger certainties than the fact that the more you frequent casinos the more certain you will turn out to be a loser (unless, of course, your casino visits are along the lines outlined in Oceans Eleven).