Booking through a discount cruise site

[Nanacajc]

What has been you experience booking thru a cruise discounter? Can you book the cabin you want.  Are there any down sides to booking say thru cruise critic or anyone else?  Thanks

[broberts]

You have posted your questions in a forum intended for those seeking help using the website. Your questions would be better asked in 

• Ask a Cruise Question

[TxCityKat]

23 hours ago, Nanacajc said:

...  Are there any down sides to booking say thru cruise critic or anyone else?  Thanks

 

Howdy Nanacajc!

 

I see your thread has been moved to a forum where it will be on-topic.

 

Actually, you cannot book a cruise thru Cruise Critic since Cruise Critic is not a travel agency. From the Guidelines:

 

Do you sell cruises? Are you sponsored by the cruise lines? Do the cruise lines pay you to say good things about them?

Cruise Critic is not a travel agency; we do not sell cruises. We do not rate or recommend travel agencies. Our mission is to help travelers plan the best possible cruise vacation.

We are not sponsored by any cruise line. Like most websites, we do accept advertising and, at times, partner with cruise lines for contests, events (such as Meet & Mingle parties).

At Cruise Critic our mission is to provide balanced, unbiased reporting and take our journalistic credibility seriously. It is central to this mission for the site to provide you, the reader and our members, with an accurate and reliable resource on all aspects of cruising, and we do so by pairing our editorial content with thousands of reviews from our members of the site. Cruise Critic accepts advertising, but it remains strictly impartial from an editorial standpoint -- something which is made clear to all advertisers.

 

However, Cruise Critic DOES have a few features that may help when booking or have already booked a cruise:

 

• Cruise Critic's Find a Cruise feature to help you easily compare prices from multiple sites with one click.
• Cruise Critic's Cruise Price Alerts feature explained in the Cruise Critic article Cruise Price Alerts: A Price Tracker for Cruisers In the Know. It is a price tracker shopping tool that allows you to sign up to receive email price drop notifications when prices change on specific sailings, itineraries, destinations, cruise lines and more. 
• Cruise Critic's bargains page which will let you see when fares are dramatically reduced so you can get the best price for your sailing.
• Cruise Critic's Newsletter Deals.

 

Please remember your fellow Cruise Critic members would probably like to recommend their favorite booking site, travel agency or agent, IF THEY COULD. From the Travel Agent Recommendations section in the Guidelines:

 

Travel Agent Recommendations

There shall be no third-party recommendation (whether positive or negative in content) of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

Touting of your personal cruise agent or cruise line "personal cruise consultant" (or any other venue by which you purchase a cruise) is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

This means you should not ask about someone's travel agent, nor should you respond in kind. Offering to email someone your travel agent's name or info is also not allowed, nor is asking members to email you for the information.

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts may result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Here are some Cruise Critic articles that may be helpful:

Finding a Cruise Travel Agent

What to Expect on a Cruise: Booking a Cruise With a Travel Agent

7 Unusual Places to Book a Cruise

 

I sincerely hope this information will be helpful!

 

Kat 🐱

[Hlitner]

We have often (for many years) recommended that cruisers ship around among "high volume reputable cruise agencies" for the best deal.  And we have practiced what we preach for far more then 100 cruise bookings.  But I do not like the term "cruise discounter" because that is not exactly how it works.  But suffice it to say that you can get different overall "deals" when you shop around.  In some cases your deal might involve a lower cruise price (but might eliminate some amenities offered at higher prices) or an overall package that might sweeten the deal with extra On Board Credits (OBCs), prepaid gratuities, drink packages, free meals in alternative restaurants, pre or post cruise hotel packages, etc.  

 

As to "our experience" it has been excellent and we generally save about 10% when compared to booking a cruise directly with a cruise line.  Since we cruise a lot, our savings (by shopping around) will generally exceed $5000 per year.

 

Hank

[marco]

We've been using the same TA for several years, now.   I really don't know if they are a "high volume" agency, but anytime I see some "deal" offered.  I call them and they've always matched the price and sometimes offered perks the other agency didn't. We've always gotten a better deal, be it price or perks when dealing with this agency rather than booking with the line.