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Turn cruise over to travel agent? or AAA


LynnTTT
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We've traveled for 30 years, on land trips and many cruises.  We always made all the arrangements and never used a true travel agent. We have a ww cruise on Costa booked for next year, as well as a river cruise in August.  I called AAA to get a quote for travel insurance for the river cruise.

The agent said she could take over the ww cruise, which we have already booked?  She says she can save us $500, and help us with flights, excursions etc. It would involve cancelling and rebooking. Naturally, I will call Costa directly to see if that's possible; the conditions given verbally and in writing are that the deposit is not refundable.  And the cruise is 100% booked, although the final payment isn't due until early October.

Anyone ever do this?  Turn an existing reservation over to an agent?  Why would Costa allow this?  

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21 minutes ago, LynnTTT said:

We've traveled for 30 years, on land trips and many cruises.  We always made all the arrangements and never used a true travel agent. We have a ww cruise on Costa booked for next year, as well as a river cruise in August.  I called AAA to get a quote for travel insurance for the river cruise.

The agent said she could take over the ww cruise, which we have already booked?  She says she can save us $500, and help us with flights, excursions etc. It would involve cancelling and rebooking. Naturally, I will call Costa directly to see if that's possible; the conditions given verbally and in writing are that the deposit is not refundable.  And the cruise is 100% booked, although the final payment isn't due until early October.

Anyone ever do this?  Turn an existing reservation over to an agent?  Why would Costa allow this?  

Though discussing any travel agent is not permitted here on CC, do know that we often book our Oceania cruises directly with them. Our usual process is to "book onboard" (extra perks) and assign the cruise to ourselves. We then "shop it around" and transfer it to a TA with him the allowable one month for transfer.

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1 hour ago, LynnTTT said:

We've traveled for 30 years, on land trips and many cruises.  We always made all the arrangements and never used a true travel agent. We have a ww cruise on Costa booked for next year, as well as a river cruise in August.  I called AAA to get a quote for travel insurance for the river cruise.

The agent said she could take over the ww cruise, which we have already booked?  She says she can save us $500, and help us with flights, excursions etc. It would involve cancelling and rebooking. Naturally, I will call Costa directly to see if that's possible; the conditions given verbally and in writing are that the deposit is not refundable.  And the cruise is 100% booked, although the final payment isn't due until early October.

Anyone ever do this?  Turn an existing reservation over to an agent?  Why would Costa allow this?  

 

As far as the travel insurance, you might want to post and browse on that section of CC:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/

 

We found a terrific travel insurance broker from CC:

 

www.TripInsuranceStore.com

 

But we recommend CALLING them to discuss your situation, so they can help you find the most suitable insurer and policy for your particular needs.

 

We've used Travel Insured, and they've paid claims promptly.

 

GC

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DO NOT get your travel insurance from a cruise company or travel agent. There are several mentioned on CC like Insure My Trip and The Insurance Store.

 

I visited the company you received the info from and was really unimpressed with the agent's knowledge of cruising. I feel much more confident taking the advice from our resident experts who post of CC than a young person who went on one cruise to the Bahamas.  That said, if I met an agent at that place who really knew their stuff from personal experience, I might consider listening to them. Be savvy and ask her exactly how she can save you that $500- Get details. 

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I stopped using a TA for several years when the rules changed on cruiselines allowing TA's to offer lower prices.  Now they give perks or OBC to entice bookings.  I do all the research, book what I want and then transfer to my preferred TA within the allotted time frame.  It has worked well for me.

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2 hours ago, Markanddonna said:

DO NOT get your travel insurance from a cruise company or travel agent. There are several mentioned on CC like Insure My Trip and The Insurance Store.

 

 

Why not?

 

They are not insuring you, they are acting as a broker and the insurance is underwritten by one of the typical insurance companies.

 

They tend to have lower coverages, but they also do not underwrite, so there is no change in cost based on age.  So for older people, it may be MUCH cheaper.

 

We insured my parents through RCI (at 87) versus 3rd party due to the cost.  My mother had an issue, and the insurance company was very helpful, in fact, they negotiated some fees to be within the insurance coverage limits.

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Yes, you have to shop around.

 

For my parents, 3rd party insurance was several THOUSAND dollars.

 

But another thing I have found it, I don't insure the cost of the cruise.  I have paid, it was budgeted, and if I miss it, I will be upset, but not in a financial bind.  Medical or med evac expenses are not planned or budgeted, and can be quite high.

 

So I just insure with a $0 cruise (or airfare) cost.  It runs under $40 per trip.

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Something to consider is that some credit cards give pretty good travel protection.  Check with the card you are paying with, they may require the entire cost of the cruise to be paid on it.  Then, depending on the coverage provided, you may only need to add medical and evac. ins. which is what I do.  We are in good health, in our 70's, and travel ins. packages are getting more and more expensive, so this works out well for us.  

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