How to find a GOOD cruise travel agent??

[jrd1990zr1]

Been on a number of cruises.  Seems many travel agents are only interested to get the booking then they only contact when payments are due.  Used to be the travel agents were your advocate and helpful.  Any suggecstions on how to find a GOOD and helpful agent?  Or should I just be dealing with the cruise companies directly?

Thanks

[ducklite]

Talk to people and find out how and where they travel to.  When you find one who does outside the norm mass market cruises/trips, ask who they use.  Call that person and interview them, ask a few questions to get an idea of their knowledge.  One thing I'd ask is, "where have you traveled to."  IMHO, a good travel agent has traveled extensively to different parts of the world--at least 3-4 continents.

 

[leaveitallbehind]

In my experience, the best TA's to deal with are live humans that work through brick and mortar agencies that are available when needed by phone or in person to discuss your travel requirements.  The better ones will assist with your document preparation, travel insurance, and confirmation of travel ID required for your itinerary, and will advocate on your behalf with the cruise lines on any booking issue that may arise.  Agree as well with ducklite that first hand travel experience is a real plus with a TA.

 

IMO, the online agencies that are website only with little or no direct contact dealing primarily via email are the least desirable to deal with.  Very difficult to find someone to help with an issue should it arise and frustrating if the only communication is through email.  I would also avoid any agency that charges separate fees not charged directly by the cruise lines for originating, modifying, or cancelling a booking made through them.

 

Again, just my opinion.

Edited July 18, 2019 by leaveitallbehind

[taglovestocruise]

I will do a 180 with leaveitallbehind.  We have used brick and mortar as well as online agencies. Last 10 years it has only been online agencies. When we rarely book direct with the cruise line we still switch over to the online TA within a week or so.  I do my own price checking, look for specials and know what sailing date, ship and cabin I want.  I then call 1 or 2 online TA'S to find out who is offering the most perks. Usually get pre- paid gratuities or a OBC that equals the gratuity, sometimes a matching OBC, always a specialty dinner for 2 and 1 TA we use includes a limited trip insurance policy.  I place no importance on controlling my own booking, number one for me is price and perks. Only time we ever call the TA for help is if we find a price drop. Some may feel much more secure dealing one on one with a TA or using a PVP,  we have received so much in perks over the years that any mistake or problem that may arise from a online TA is outweighed by the benefits, knock on wood as we have yet to have a problem . To each their own and happy cruising to all. 

[FlyerTalker]

First step (as with so many issues in life and travel) is to define what your needs are, what your preferences are, and what you are willing to pay to receive those services.  Further, you need to define what you believe "Good" to mean.

 

For some, "good" means that they deliver the cheapest price.  For others, it's providing knowledge and insights. For others, it's providing the hand-holding that they need for their travel experience.  And, of course, some combinations of these and other factors.  None of these is wrong, but it truly depends on your priorities.

 

One fact of Econ 101: those businesses that provide the biggest discounts are doing that by shaving their margins and making it up on volume.  As such, you really can't expect the kind of "full-service" attention that you would get elsewhere.  Those services and attention cost money - where do you think that comes from?

 

Further, you need to look at the individuals themselves.  Are they order-takers or do they provide value-added service to you?

 

Finally, is there a simple easy way to find those "good" businesses and "good" agents that you crave?  Answer is, like so much in life, you discover through trial and error.  Even recommendations can lead you down a rabbit hole -- that agent that was so great for the other fellow turns out to be a dud - because the other guy got great service because he books $50,000+ a year in travel.  So by comparison, your once-a-year cruise is relative small potatoes.

 

Give your agents an interview - you're hiring them to be your agent, so find out their qualifications. Grill them on what they provide and how that meets YOUR needs and YOUR priorities.

 

One piece of advice - when you find an agent that fills your needs, and continues to do so regularly, don't try to nickel & dime them to eke out that last little bit of discount.  So their price is $50 higher than the other guy - if they provide value worth more than that, don't just buy on the basis of price.  (Of course if money is your only goal.....)

Edited July 18, 2019 by FlyerTalker

[ALWAYS CRUZIN]

1 hour ago, taglovestocruise said:

I will do a 180 with leaveitallbehind.  We have used brick and mortar as well as online agencies. Last 10 years it has only been online agencies. When we rarely book direct with the cruise line we still switch over to the online TA within a week or so.  I do my own price checking, look for specials and know what sailing date, ship and cabin I want.  I then call 1 or 2 online TA'S to find out who is offering the most perks. Usually get pre- paid gratuities or a OBC that equals the gratuity, sometimes a matching OBC, always a specialty dinner for 2 and 1 TA we use includes a limited trip insurance policy.  I place no importance on controlling my own booking, number one for me is price and perks. Only time we ever call the TA for help is if we find a price drop. Some may feel much more secure dealing one on one with a TA or using a PVP,  we have received so much in perks over the years that any mistake or problem that may arise from a online TA is outweighed by the benefits, knock on wood as we have yet to have a problem . To each their own and happy cruising to all. 

Totally agree and do the same. I use two TAs also,  one operates out of there home the other at the companies office. Both represent super large companies. The one at home usually gives me far better deals because she has some advantages other do not have.. She is retired from the Miami police department and does it to keep herself busy. Always on top of everything and has saved me a lot and gets me a lot. The other has an excellent web site which shows all cruises available and their lowest starting prices for different category pricing. So that is where I start looking. I have not booked directly with a cruise line for many years. As noted. I also check and check before I ask for quotes from both of the TAs. It has taken me many years to find one that is watching out for the client after the booking also.

[iancal]

If you are booking cruises make sure that the TA or the agency that you are working with does not charge a fee for cancellations, re-fares, cabin changes etc.

 

We get as good or better service from our on line TA than we did from the bricks and motar agents we have used.  May be good luck.  But, we really do not need any hand holding.   We book 99 percent of our travel on the web(with the exception of cruises where we use an agent).  We are low maintenance.  Even for our Africa trip we tried the local specialist, were not happy, and then dealt directly with the travel provider in South Africa via skype with much, much better results.

 

GOOD depends on your needs and your service expectations.

Edited July 18, 2019 by iancal

[Bookish Angel]

All good info here.  Always check an agent's company with the Better Business Bureau, too.

[lenquixote66]

For many years we had a great TA bus alas he retired and relocated to Fla.

We have used many since but not compare to the first one .

[Kartgv]

We started out with a local travel agent where we could sit down and talk, let her recommend cruises,  We're now experienced cruisers, know how to and enjoy doing extensive research on cruise lines, ships, itineraries and other transportation ourselves, so needs have changed.   For the last 5-6 years we've used mostly the same online agency.   They do charge a $50pp cancellation fee if you are not rebooking a different cruise.    We've cancelled twice due to medical issues; one time we paid the $100, the other time they didn't charge us because we already had another cruise booked with them.    In return we've saved thousands of dollars in reduced cruise fares (yes, we do extensive price comparisons) and perks - almost always at least 10% of the best fare the cruise line offered elsewhere.   As we tend to do longer cruises, perks like paid gratuities alone can we worth quite a bit.   

[Flatbush Flyer]

OP: If you use the CC Search feature, you'll find a zillion posts on how to find a good TA. Some of those posts are mine and, on numerous occasions, I've posted very specific resources and steps you can use to develop a short list for interviews, selection factors and how to deal with them.

Using the search feature will save you time and headaches in the long run.

[TxCityKat]

Just a friendly reminder to all. 🙂 Please note the Travel Agent Recommendations section of the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships.

 

OP: Perhaps the Cruise Critic article titled Finding a Cruise Travel Agent at https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles.cfm?ID=62 will be helpful.

[iancal]

'Good' is a a function of your service requirements.  We are low maintenance so what we feel is good may not be right for someone else.   When it comes to cruises, for us it is a straight forward business transaction.  Not looking for a new best friend, or a gift delivered to our cabin. 

 

We want the right price, the right OBC's, and we want our TA to share knowledge of other ships with us.  Things like customer feedback or offerings that we might not be aware of.  On more than one occasion our TA has warned us off a dog of a ship based on feedback from her customers, or advised us to wait a few days before buying inside the final payment window, or bringing to our attention a much better offer on another cruise lines/ship that we were not aware of.   She responds promptly to our inquiries.  She does not bother us by calling up for no reason trying to shill for business.

Edited July 19, 2019 by iancal

[MBP&O2/O]

FWIW .... as someone in the UK .... My normal TA is an agent for two cruise companies, and when I contacted them about another company they declined the business so I rang the cruise company direct and asked for a list of their ‘approved’ travel agents. They mentioned a few but would not recommend one ... presumably for litigation purposes? 

However their parting shot on the telephone suggested I might find the Google Maps street view of their London office interesting ....  and lo and behold there was a TA in the same building .... and even more surprising was that it was one of those whose name had cropped up in conversation. Wasn’t that spooky 😀

All of our business has been ‘on line’ and telephone, but they do have an office to visit should I choose to do so.

[Toofarfromthesea]

21 hours ago, BabySis said:

Our travel agent does NOT work on commission.  We've been on almost 60 Ocean cruises, 1 river cruise and are leaving in August for 21 days (including a cruise on the Chobe River)  in Africa, she's booked the 4 Central Asia Stans, Bhutan, and Mongolia land trips.   She takes care of everything from transport to the airport and back home.   No need to work with someone who gets paid more, the more you spend.   Terri works with people all over the world and has been an agent for almost 30 years... since she graduated college!!   I'm always happy to share her information upon request.  

 

Then how do they make their money?  Do you pay them a fee?  I find it hard to believe that a TA wouldn't be working on commission.  Can you explain how this is?

[Joebucks]

Everyone believes they have the best TA because they got an extra $100 perk on their $5,000 cruise. 

 

Good is subjective. One person's useful service is useless to the next. 

[RocketMan275]

26 minutes ago, Joebucks said:

Everyone believes they have the best TA because they got an extra $100 perk on their $5,000 cruise. 

 

Good is subjective. One person's useful service is useless to the next. 

My 'best TA' would give $400 to $500 discount or OBC (my choice) on a $5000 cruise.  

[iancal]

^+1 ditto to the 400-500.  Just one reason why we never book with a cruise line.

[FlyerTalker]

32 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

My 'best TA' would give $400 to $500 discount or OBC (my choice) on a $5000 cruise.  

 

14 minutes ago, iancal said:

^+1 ditto to the 400-500.  Just one reason why we never book with a cruise line.

 

Emphasizing my point that for some people, a "good" agent is first about the money.

 

 

[RocketMan275]

18 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

Emphasizing my point that for some people, a "good" agent is first about the money.

 

Perhaps for some, but I was responding to the very small cash reward.  My agent also provides wonderful service.  She is experience and has traveled on most cruise lines.  She has provided advice on specific cruises and ships.  She has also intervened with the cruise lines to work out issues.  It's more than the money but the money helps.

[jrd1990zr1]

20 minutes ago, FlyerTalker said:

 

 

Emphasizing my point that for some people, a "good" agent is first about the money.

 

 

So I definitely need to find a new TA.  Have booked numerous cruises got nothing from them.  Poor service after payment and slow to non-existant help with problems.  Thanks to all for the advice. 

[iancal]

We get very good service to the level that we want and need from our TA.  We get good rebates.  There have been times when others have offered slightly better rebates.   We do not switch if we are happy and if the rebates are in the ball park.  It has to be a combo for us.  Great rebates with poor service would not cut it.

 

[cheeseclan]

10 hours ago, jrd1990zr1 said:

So I definitely need to find a new TA.  Have booked numerous cruises got nothing from them.  Poor service after payment and slow to non-existant help with problems.  Thanks to all for the advice. 

We have used our same agent for over 15 years.  She is a home based agent for a local agency.   While she does not give us her commission she does get us great deals on our cruises.  She also gives us very nice gifts for each cruise.

 But to us the best thing she does is take care of us if we have a problem.  She has dealt with issues while we are on the cruise in the Med etc.  She has gotten us $ back after issues were not takin care of on the ship.

She always answers our calls, texts or emails.  

So yes find a new agent...