Booking with cruise line or agent?? Pros n Cons please

[cruiseaholic777]

I always book through a TA. They can give you more stuff. Like onboard credit, cheap insurance and free upgrades. I always check with the cruise line and the TA, but have never booked through the cruise line.

[ldubs]

6 hours ago, Joebucks said:

 

My point was intended to state that these things are not impossible, but people need to understand the context. Not everyone asking about TAs is booking a 42 day HAL trip. Some people are misled by hearing returns such as 15% and thinking that is in any form realistic for them to expect. A several thousand dollar return had to be a cruise over $13,000. Bigger trips come with different margins and different levels of service.  No sane person in the business is not going to give it their all to their cash cows who pull in $1k commissions. That same effort is not going into a weekend Carnival cruise to the Bahamas.

 

It's like asking who the best car dealership is. Then someone says they have a great one who gave them a free jet ski. Wow, where is this? It's the Mazerati dealership over there. Oh nvm, I was looking for a Toyota Corolla.

 

I don't think a 15% savings on a lower fare is at all that rare.  I base that on experience.   We saved more than double that on our last booking and that was for a Hyundai!  7% to 10% is very doable.  Even on low fares.   

 

We used to book everything direct until Mrs Ldubs found the right TA.  

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

I don't think a 15% savings on a lower fare is at all that rare.  I base that on experience.   We saved more than double that on our last booking and that was for a Hyundai!  7% to 10% is very doable.  Even on low fares.   

 

We used to book everything direct until Mrs Ldubs found the right TA.  

That seems to be the key, finding the right TA.

 

You wonder how many of them have left the business. I happened to speak to ours yesterday. He is the President of his agency, and said that he now has a skeleton staff, himself and one other. He also said if he knew at the beginning of this that he would go so long with no income, he does not know if he would have made the same decision to stay in business. And even now, most of the cruises he has booked are in 2022 or 2023 meaning the income for them will not be realized until way into the future. I asked him if any cruise line had treated him better than others during this crisis. He at first said no, but then amended that to say Virgin Cruise Line.

[olemissreb]

My first 2 cruises were booked through a TA.  The first TA helped me figure out what would be good for the first cruise and booked me in a balcony room - which is the lowest level I will now go on any cruise!  The second TA booked me on a cruise that just didn't fit and the cruise was probably the worst I've ever had - the cruise line doesn't even exist any more.  Since then, I either just call the cruise line or book online.  I just like having the ability to change my reservation myself without having to wait on a TA to do it for me.  Since I never really had a good TA, and I can do everything myself, I've just never seen the advantage to having a 3rd party.

[LocoLoco1]

I book direct thru the Cruiseline. Less chance of a goof-up methinks; and I don’t need an on-board TA cruise host etc.  I am also comfortable booking Airline tix, hotels online myself. Travel agents are a great option if one wants info and guidance/help about ALL confusing travel issues.  

[neverbeenhere]

We have been using a site where many travel agents “attempt to offer us the best deal”. (“Those words” used to avoid any direct connection with the website name)

 

We are satisfied with the savings we receive. Admittedly, Sometimes we know much more about the booking process than the travel agent. 

[2wheelin]

On 7/8/2021 at 12:58 PM, Hlitner said:

I think you are being a bit unfair.  Many of us who talk about savings that result from shopping around among reputable cruise agencies will talk in terms of percentages.  My standard post on the subject claims that folks should be able to save 7-10% (overall) vs booking direct with a cruise line.  In some cases we have saved 15% (which in our case was several thousand dollars).  We do agree that some TAs are awful, but others are quite wonderful and terrific advocates when dealing with cruise lines on various issues.  The challenge is to find the really good agents/agencies (we currently use  3 terrific agencies).  

 

As to your "bastion of service" issue I actually do get some great service with few hassles.  As a simple example, we have a 42 day HAL booking which we have had for some time.  But HAL has a current promotion ("Have it All") which got my interest and we wondered what kind of deal we could get if we wanted to add this promo to our current booking.  Yesterday I sent an e-mail to my cruise agent (it took about 30 seconds to write the e-mail) asking her to contact HAL and see if we can make a deal.  A few hours later I got an e-mail back from my agent with the details (and her recommendations).  Keep in mind that the agent works for me, not one specific cruise line, and she has personal financial motivation to give me good service with the hope of getting future business (we generally book over 100 cruise days per year).    The point is that rather then me calling a cruise line, waiting on hold, trying to negotiate some kind of deal, etc. would have taken me considerable time.  But using my agent took me less then a minute.  And since I did this via a couple of short e-mails I have a written record (and history) of the issue.  

 

Hank

I think you are being a bit unfair comparing your 100 days a year to the average cruiser who may only do one short cruise every or every other year. I would expect superior service too for that kind of investment. You’re living in a different world.

On 7/9/2021 at 3:13 PM, Joebucks said:

 

My point was intended to state that these things are not impossible, but people need to understand the context. Not everyone asking about TAs is booking a 42 day HAL trip. Some people are misled by hearing returns such as 15% and thinking that is in any form realistic for them to expect. A several thousand dollar return had to be a cruise over $13,000. Bigger trips come with different margins and different levels of service.  No sane person in the business is not going to give it their all to their cash cows who pull in $1k commissions. That same effort is not going into a weekend Carnival cruise to the Bahamas.

 

It's like asking who the best car dealership is. Then someone says they have a great one who gave them a free jet ski. Wow, where is this? It's the Mazerati dealership over there. Oh nvm, I was looking for a Toyota Corolla.

Spot on!

On 7/9/2021 at 9:58 PM, ldubs said:

 

I don't think a 15% savings on a lower fare is at all that rare.  I base that on experience.   We saved more than double that on our last booking and that was for a Hyundai!  7% to 10% is very doable.  Even on low fares.   

 

We used to book everything direct until Mrs Ldubs found the right TA.  

Again, business volume says it all. One cruise may be short and inexpensive but the agent is counting on your high dollar business to offset it.

[ldubs]

4 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

 

Again, business volume says it all. One cruise may be short and inexpensive but the agent is counting on your high dollar business to offset it.

 

I can only say what our experience has been.  We have never done a high dollar cruise.   Most cruises are 2 weeks.  Longest was 21 days.  Highest cabin booked is a balcony.   The cruise booked just recently was  an inside cabin.  

 

Edited to add:  Anyone can check this.  Look at a basic inside cabin fare booked directly with the cruise line.  Spend 5 minutes checking on-line cruise booking sites.  When any OBC is included, it is not hard not to find a savings.   

Edited July 11, 2021 by ldubs

[iancal]

Aside from the OBC's, occasional group discounts (no idea what the groups were)  and great service we have had from our former TA we got somethings that a cruise line rep would never offer

 

-once, when we called to book a last minute cruise our TA warned us off the ship  based on recent feedback from her customers.  When we looked at the CC review it was readily apparent that the TA has prevented us from possibly  selecting the 'wrong' ship.

 

-more than once our TA advised us of a better competitive offer on another ship/cruise line..same date, same itinerary that we were not aware of.

 

-once she advised us not to book our last minute balcony cabin.  To wait until the following week.  $500 savings.

Edited July 12, 2021 by iancal

[sverigecruiser]

On 7/6/2021 at 7:20 PM, MCC retired said:

You should always do better booking with a TA . Either cruise price , OBC or other amenities .

If you are not , find a TA that appreciates your business .

 

That probably depends on where you live.

 

Here a TA doesn't give you anything like that.

 

I used to book with a TA because I thought that if anything happened they might be usefull but after hurricane Sandy closed down the northeast US I know better!

 

We were on the airport going on our honeymoon when we found out that JFK was closed and our big TA, with offices in most Swedish towns, didn't even answered their phones!

 

Our airline, British Airways, helped us to rebook our tickets. (Stockholm-London on monday and London-Miami, via Houston, on tuesday instead of Stockholm-New York, via London, on monday and New York-Miami on friday.)

 

We did new hotelreservations online from the airport. (One night in London + some extra nights in Miami.) 

 

So for us there is no reason to use a TA. They can't do anything I can't do myself!

[Hlitner]

3 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

That probably depends on where you live.

 

Here a TA doesn't give you anything like that.

 

I used to book with a TA because I thought that if anything happened they might be usefull but after hurricane Sandy closed down the northeast US I know better!

 

We were on the airport going on our honeymoon when we found out that JFK was closed and our big TA, with offices in most Swedish towns, didn't even answered their phones!

 

Our airline, British Airways, helped us to rebook our tickets. (Stockholm-London on monday and London-Miami, via Houston, on tuesday instead of Stockholm-New York, via London, on monday and New York-Miami on friday.)

 

We did new hotelreservations online from the airport. (One night in London + some extra nights in Miami.) 

 

So for us there is no reason to use a TA. They can't do anything I can't do myself!

Not sure if this would apply to your cruise habit, but we have met Europeans and Australians who routinely book their cruises through North American cruise agencies.  While some cruise lines (HAL quickly comes to mind) try to make this very difficult other cruise lines have no restrictions on such bookings.   Our Aussie friend (who has spent years cruising on long HAL voyages) gets around HAL restrictions by simply using a friend's Canadian address.  

 

Hank

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, Hlitner said:

Not sure if this would apply to your cruise habit, but we have met Europeans and Australians who routinely book their cruises through North American cruise agencies.  While some cruise lines (HAL quickly comes to mind) try to make this very difficult other cruise lines have no restrictions on such bookings.   Our Aussie friend (who has spent years cruising on long HAL voyages) gets around HAL restrictions by simply using a friend's Canadian address.  

 

Hank

 

I might consider trying that if the savings are very big but not only to get some OBC or something else worth a couple of hundreds.

 

The research I would have to do regarding insurences etc. would be too much for me and the consumer laws in the EU seems to be much better than in  the US.

 

For me it's probably worth to pay more for the cruise and have a non-refundable deposit to get the extra security I get when booking everything in Europe. 

[cruiseaholic777]

I always use an online TA. They will always give you a better deal (OBC room upgrades and others). 

[ontheweb]

48 minutes ago, cruiseaholic777 said:

I always use an online TA. They will always give you a better deal (OBC room upgrades and others). 

Same here. Plus they work for you, not the cruise line. For instance if you want to compare prices say on similar cruises with different cruise lines, you can do it in one call as opposed to calling each cruise line.

[iancal]

Bottom line for us....if we want 'straight goods' on a ship we are about to book we KNOW that we will never get it from a cruise line employee.   Or a comparison with another cruise line/ship.  Nor would we expect it.

 

The phones are monitored for quality assurance. The cruise consultants and the CSR's want to keep their jobs.  Plus....they drink the corporate kool-aid.

Edited July 16, 2021 by iancal

[ldubs]

3 hours ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

I agree that 7-10% can be had using TAs.  But I was amazed to see Princess charge me like 17% less for the same cruise on their site vs. a large online site for an October booking.  The first time I'd ever seen that happen.

 

That would be a keeper!  I wonder if the TA site was lagging with pricing updates. Who knows.   

[MCC retired]

12 hours ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

I agree that 7-10% can be had using TAs.  But I was amazed to see Princess charge me like 17% less for the same cruise on their site vs. a large online site for an October booking.  The first time I'd ever seen that happen.

There is no way a TA can not book exactly the offer that you see from the cruise line .

However merely comparing at a TA's "online offer"  may not get you the best deal as they are not permitted to "advertise" their better deal . Must contact the TA for that.

[Hlitner]

1 hour ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

The TA in question has never had this situation before and I looked at the pricing for a couple of days after and it never got to the point of where Princess was.  Not really sure what happened or if Princess was running some special promo I wasn't really aware of.

 

I will also add that recently, I have seen Carnival offer OBC on the same fare and booking when the same TA in question did not.

Perhaps the problem is the "TA in question."  For many years when I suggest folks use agencies I always use language akin to "shop around among reputable high volume agencies for the best overall deal."  The key to that statement is "shop around."  All agencies are not the same.  Some go it on their own, many are part of large consortiums (such as the Signature Travel Network), etc.  It is a very competitive market which is one reason why after decades of playing this game we still find ourselves currently using three different agencies.  And once I find the best deal among my favored agencies I will check it against the cruise line's own best deal and also take a look at a few recommended agencies.   So, for example, for many years my HAL friends would tell me about a terrific agency located in the Northwest that did a great job with HAL bookings.  We got on their mailing list and have looked at their deals (for nearly 10 years) but they do not hold a candle to several of my favored agencies.  But I keep looking :).  We found another agency that somehow seems to have terrific deals on Celebrity...but not on the other lines we also cruise.

 

Hank

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, MCC retired said:

There is no way a TA can not book exactly the offer that you see from the cruise line .

However merely comparing at a TA's "online offer"  may not get you the best deal as they are not permitted to "advertise" their better deal . Must contact the TA for that.

So true. When we looked to cruise to Alaska, we looked at the website of the TA we generally use, and found 3 cruises that fit the time and itinerary we wanted to do. We called him and got the quotes for all 3. And it turned out that the one with the highest price on his website was the one he could sell at the lowest price because Princess allowed him to sell at a price where he discounted some of his commission, but not to advertise that price.

[Toofarfromthesea]

4 hours ago, ontheweb said:

So true. When we looked to cruise to Alaska, we looked at the website of the TA we generally use, and found 3 cruises that fit the time and itinerary we wanted to do. We called him and got the quotes for all 3. And it turned out that the one with the highest price on his website was the one he could sell at the lowest price because Princess allowed him to sell at a price where he discounted some of his commission, but not to advertise that price.

Which is why you have to call or email a TA to be sure of getting the best price, since frequently they are not allowed to advertise their 'special' deals.

[iancal]

15 hours ago, Toofarfromthesea said:

Which is why you have to call or email a TA to be sure of getting the best price, since frequently they are not allowed to advertise their 'special' deals.

Absolutely.  Not only that...if OBC is not offered then simply ask for it.  The 'top line' price can sometimes be deceiving.   We focus on the bottom line price...net net of everything.

 

And shop around.  Not all TA's are savvy about pricing opportunities.  So many of them these days are nothing but order takers and data entry clerks.  Unfortunately many good ones have left the business over the years.

Edited July 18, 2021 by iancal

[Toofarfromthesea]

3 hours ago, iancal said:

Absolutely.  Not only that...if OBC is not offered then simply ask for it.  The 'top line' price can sometimes be deceiving.   We focus on the bottom line price...net net of everything.

 

And shop around.  Not all TA's are savvy about pricing opportunities.  So many of them these days are nothing but order takers and data entry clerks.  Unfortunately many good ones have left the business over the years.

Absolutely. Never listen to the words, ALWAYS do the numbers.

I 'shop around' by putting my desired cruise and cabin class out for bid on a website that lets TAs quote their best price on my cruise.  I'm pretty self sufficient and well able to do my own research, so by the time I'm ready to actually book, all I am looking for is the best price from a TA I can vet.  I don't need their advice and I don't need their handholding.  Usually doing the booking is my only contact with them.

[iancal]

On 7/12/2021 at 7:36 AM, Hlitner said:

Not sure if this would apply to your cruise habit, but we have met Europeans and Australians who routinely book their cruises through North American cruise agencies.  While some cruise lines (HAL quickly comes to mind) try to make this very difficult other cruise lines have no restrictions on such bookings.   Our Aussie friend (who has spent years cruising on long HAL voyages) gets around HAL restrictions by simply using a friend's Canadian address.  

 

Hank

We have also met Brits and Aussies who do this….and have done it for years.  Not only because of the fares but also because of the opportunity to reprice, reprice penalty free, or cancel with no penalty. Why not?.

Edited July 22, 2021 by iancal

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

I'm seeing the same situation with lower pricing on Princess' site vs. TA as or right now.  This is for a solo booking where:

 

3-Day 4/29 Coastal on Sapphire for base inside price is $418 even though it's $518 on TA's site.

 

3-Day 10/6 West Coast Getaway on Majestic (which I originally booked) is $424 vs. $524. 

 

And there are a handful others as well.  Not sure what causes this sort of thing but I never try to get hung up on all the machinations of the cruise lines as I don't have the time nor the inclination to care for their games but for the final price.

You might get a lower rate from a TA by calling them instead of looking at their site. Princess allows TAs to reduce the fare by part of their commission, but does not allow them to post those rates on their websites. It is also possible that a TA might have a block of cabins and can give a lower rate, but again they cannot post it on their website.

[Toofarfromthesea]

On 7/22/2021 at 12:56 PM, CarelessAndConfused said:

I'm seeing the same situation with lower pricing on Princess' site vs. TA as or right now.  This is for a solo booking where:

 

3-Day 4/29 Coastal on Sapphire for base inside price is $418 even though it's $518 on TA's site.

 

3-Day 10/6 West Coast Getaway on Majestic (which I originally booked) is $424 vs. $524. 

 

And there are a handful others as well.  Not sure what causes this sort of thing but I never try to get hung up on all the machinations of the cruise lines as I don't have the time nor the inclination to care for their games but for the final price.

If you are comparing to just the TA's posted price that may not be their best price.  Because of cruiseline rules only people who make some kind of personal contact with the TA, like signing up for their marketing emails, calling them on the phone, soliciting a price using a TA compete site, etc., get access to the best price.