Booking direct versus via a third party?

[Scougs]

I'm booked on the Crown Princess Midnight Sun cruise, departing 13th June 2020.  So far, I have only paid a £50 deposit.

 

Browsing the internet, I have just come across the same cruise, same cabin cateogry with Iglu Cruises for £200 less, plus a free bottle of wine and one speciality meal.  So I could cancel my booking, lose the deposit, and still save.  Is there any reason not to do this?  Or should I contact Princess and see if they match it?

 

I know with airlines it's always preferable to book direct so that extras like seat booking, baggage etc are simpler to deal direct with the airline rather than going via an agency.  Is it the same for cruises?  Is it a bad idea to go via a third party?  It's only my second cruise. I would appreciate advice from you seasoned cruisers.

[JF - retired RRT]

38 minutes ago, Scougs said:

I'm booked on the Crown Princess Midnight Sun cruise, departing 13th June 2020.  So far, I have only paid a £50 deposit.

 

Browsing the internet, I have just come across the same cruise, same cabin category with Iglu Cruises for £200 less, plus a free bottle of wine and one speciality meal.  So I could cancel my booking, lose the deposit, and still save.  Is there any reason not to do this?  Or should I contact Princess and see if they match it?

 

I know with airlines it's always preferable to book direct so that extras like seat booking, baggage etc are simpler to deal direct with the airline rather than going via an agency.  Is it the same for cruises?  Is it a bad idea to go via a third party?  It's only my second cruise. I would appreciate advice from you seasoned cruisers.

It depends. Check for do they charge change/cancellation fees, reviews from other cruisers, etc. Then decide whether it's OK with you that they are the ones who have to contact Princess for almost anything that you want to do to your reservation. If it's in your Personalizer, you can adjust it. If it's not available in your Personalizer, the TA has to do it.

Princess WILL NOT play the "matching game".

 

BTW: read fast. It's against the rules to mention the name of a TA on Cruise Critic. These posts usually disappear.

[Ken the cruiser]

57 minutes ago, Scougs said:

I'm booked on the Crown Princess Midnight Sun cruise, departing 13th June 2020.  So far, I have only paid a £50 deposit.

 

Browsing the internet, I have just come across the same cruise, same cabin cateogry with Iglu Cruises for £200 less, plus a free bottle of wine and one speciality meal.  So I could cancel my booking, lose the deposit, and still save.  Is there any reason not to do this?  Or should I contact Princess and see if they match it?

 

I know with airlines it's always preferable to book direct so that extras like seat booking, baggage etc are simpler to deal direct with the airline rather than going via an agency.  Is it the same for cruises?  Is it a bad idea to go via a third party?  It's only my second cruise. I would appreciate advice from you seasoned cruisers.

I see you are in the UK. In the US we can transfer a cruise directly booked with Princess to a TA at no charge and get all the perks the TA is offering. Can you do the same in the UK or are there rules preventing that?

[Suncitycruiser1925]

We have booked our most recent 3 cruises with a travel agent.  They had a little better price than Princess, plus a small amount of OBC.  I have one person that I deal with and he is very responsive when I call him.  We do have to make our deposits and cruise payments through him, but it has not been an issue at all.  If Princess had the best rate, then I would book through them directly, but that does not usually happen.

[vakamalua]

We are in the US.  We book through Princess to expedite things like cabin choice and be sure to get their current perks.  Then within the 60-day agent transfer window, we transfer booking to our TA who gives us a 7% cruise fare reduction (the 7% doesn't apply to taxes, ports charges, air) so we have a reduced final payment.

[Colo Cruiser]

Booking in the UK it is a totally different ball game versus the US.