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

[Hlitner]

On 7/22/2021 at 5:19 PM, ontheweb said:

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.

Dealing with Princess bookings is always lots of fun, and a challenge.  We have spent a significant amount of time on Princess (measured in hundreds of days) and know that this line's "thing" is on board credits.  Princess has long allowed the "stacking" of OBCs and shopping around among reputable high volume cruise agencies can result in massive amounts of OBCs. And then we can add Stockholders credit, Veterans Credit, etc.  We have actually returned from long Princess cruises and a few weeks later received a nice check from Princess for all of our unused OBC (the largest check was nearly $1000).

 

What Ontheweb says is very true in that there are sometimes unadvertised deals for Princess cruises that cruise agencies are not permitted to put on the web.  Some agencies do have private web sites (accessed by only registered customers) where some of these better deals do show, but a phone call can sometimes get an even better deal.  For us, as very frequent crusiers, it is like a game and a lot of fun.  Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose, and mostly we do quite well but are not the big winners of the cruise lottery.

 

Hank

[ontheweb]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

 

What Ontheweb says is very true in that there are sometimes unadvertised deals for Princess cruises that cruise agencies are not permitted to put on the web.

I like the sound of that.😂

 

We once were looking at Alaska cruises and found 3 on the site of the TA we generally use that fit our criteria for date and ports. The Princess cruise was the most expensive of the 3 on their website. But, when I called it turned out to be the least expensive of the 3. We took it and had a very enjoyable cruise.

[Luckiestmanonearth]

On 7/5/2021 at 6:45 PM, Sea Hag said:

I like to book directly with the cruiseline. Every time I say that here, I get people basically telling me that I'm silly for not booking with a TA and "saving hundreds of dollars." If I book it myself, directly with the cruiseline, there's no possibility of miscommunication or error on somebody else's part, as I've seen many times here. If my vacation plans get screwed up, I'd rather do it myself.  Which hasn't happened yet.

Typically we booked with a TA (CO) but this last time we noticed that the TA was much more expensive that direct with cruise line so we may be going that route from now on

[iancal]

We do not pay much attention to 'posted' or quoted prices from TA's...either way.

 

In our experience the only way to get a better price is to email/call the TA or agency and ask for a price.  Published prices on their website are subject to cruise line scrutiny.  And when you get the price, make sure to get it in writing WITH the T's and C's.  And make certain that the agency does not charge for re-pricing or cancellations, or levy a 'service fee'.

 

Likewise, anyone who has used the well known cruise 'bidding' site knows that out of ten bids on your trip there is always at least one bid that is a standout  lowball. When you call the agency or agent all of a sudden that price is not available.  So much so that we stopped bothering with two of the usual bidders.

 

Our experience, for any product, is that if you rely on published prices you will seldom get the best price or even a lower price.

[ontheweb]

25 minutes ago, iancal said:

We do not pay much attention to 'posted' or quoted prices from TA's...either way.

 

In our experience the only way to get a better price is to email/call the TA or agency and ask for a price.  Published prices on their website are subject to cruise line scrutiny.  And when you get the price, make sure to get it in writing WITH the T's and C's.  And make certain that the agency does not charge for re-pricing or cancellations, or levy a 'service fee'.

 

Likewise, anyone who has used the well known cruise 'bidding' site knows that out of ten bids on your trip there is always at least one bid that is a standout  lowball. When you call the agency or agent all of a sudden that price is not available.  So much so that we stopped bothering with two of the usual bidders.

 

Our experience, for any product, is that if you rely on published prices you will seldom get the best price or even a lower price.

We used that bidding site once, and started with the lowest bid. But then we discovered that the TA making the bid basically could not be reached. We went with the next lowest, and for just a few dollars more, they gained a long term customer.

 

And I agree about call, don't go by the posted prices. I previously gave an example where the highest posted price on the website of 3 cruises that met what and when we wanted to cruise ended up being the lowest price as the TA could discount Princess (and also may have bought a block of cabins).

[iancal]

On the bidding site we follow the two strikes and you are out rule. 

 

 All we want is the net net price. No ifs, ands, or buts.  No add ons, and no we do not want the insurance.

 

Should be a simple request but once we start hearing or reading the 'patter' or the upsell we get turned off and change the channel to the next TA.  Fortunately this  happens infrequently.

Edited July 25, 2021 by iancal

[iancal]

When we emailed  our TA to book a last minute ship several years ago she asked me to call her.  I did, and her comments were essentially along these lines.....

 

.  I have had a steady stream of complaints about this ship for the past two months-so have the other other agents in our office.. Everything from AC/plumbing to services,,,yata yata yata.   I have a similar offer on another ship that you might prefer.  

 

Do you think that the cruise line rep would have said this had we called  the cruise line to book???

Edited July 29, 2021 by iancal

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, iancal said:

When we emailed  our TA to book a last minute ship several years ago she asked me to call her.  I did, and her comments were essentially along these lines.....

 

.  I have had a steady stream of complaints about this ship for the past two months-so have the other other agents in our office.. Everything from AC/plumbing to services,,,yata yata yata.   I have a similar offer on another ship that you might prefer.  

 

Do you think that the cruise line rep would have said this had we called  the cruise line to book???

I assume that was a rhetorical question, but just in case someone really needs to know what the answer to that question is, the answer is of course they would not.

[tulefogg]

We  always book with a travel agent.  She has provided many suggestions and in this one particular case, called us when Ruby Princess cancelled the Oct  24th 2021 sailing due to dry dock issues.  We are still waiting for the cruise ship to notify us. I wonder how we would have found out on our own.   She rescheduled us for the following week, and we are hoping that refunds appear without any problem.  If we have a problem, she is right there to help us.  In fact in Sept 2022 she is planning a river cruise and we signed up .  We have less stress.   Do we save money?  I don't actually know, I do know that she has saved us time and guided us in the right direction on many issues of travel.  

[iancal]

Although it may seem counterintuitive,  cruise line reps and PCC's are more limited in what they can say to customers than are independent TA's.

 

Cruise line employees are given drawer statements.  Canned answers regarding current cruise line issues that are top of mind for customers.  They are limited to what the cruise line tells them they can say or divulge.

 

Independent TA's have no such constraints.   Moreover, by the nature of their jobs they get feedback on many cruise ships, many cruise lines.  If you asks the right questions of a good, knowledgeable TA you have a much improved chance of getting an accurate, unbiased answer.

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, tulefogg said:

We  always book with a travel agent.  She has provided many suggestions and in this one particular case, called us when Ruby Princess cancelled the Oct  24th 2021 sailing due to dry dock issues.  We are still waiting for the cruise ship to notify us. I wonder how we would have found out on our own.   She rescheduled us for the following week, and we are hoping that refunds appear without any problem.  If we have a problem, she is right there to help us.  In fact in Sept 2022 she is planning a river cruise and we signed up .  We have less stress.   Do we save money?  I don't actually know, I do know that she has saved us time and guided us in the right direction on many issues of travel.  

 

My thoughts exactly.  Peace of mind and service is more important to me than saving a few bucks.

 

DON

[ontheweb]

13 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

My thoughts exactly.  Peace of mind and service is more important to me than saving a few bucks.

 

DON

We had a definite idea for what we wanted for the cruise for our 35th anniversary. DW found a great price on I obviously cannot name the company, but let's say it is a big player in all of travel. I called the TA we have generally used and he said he'd get back to us. He tried but could not buy a block of cabins and could not come near the price. He understood why a customer would want to save that much money.

 

But, we came back to him after that, and he appreciated that. He always gave us a reasonable price and great service often above and beyond what was normally expected. I also liked when I called he said hello and then my name. (I do realize that may be a function of caller id.) Contrasting to that on the large, large travel site, I had to identify myself by saying I was customer #*********.

 

Would it be possible to maybe save a few dollars each cruise by shopping around? Maybe, but would it be worth the time for possibly a few dollars and not knowing we had someone we could trust and gave service?

[iancal]

We price our cruises.  As long as our on line TA is in the ball park we always booked with her.  

 

Just wish she was still in the business.  She saved us a great deal of money over the years. Pointing out competing cruise opportunities that we were not aware of, etc.

[ldubs]

Reading through other threads/posts, there is a lot of concern on vaccine requirements, documentation, timing of tests, and types of tests needed.  All for travel involving a cruise to potentially several different countries with potentially different rules.   Seems to me a good TA that is on top of all this would be a valuable resource.  

[ltcpda]

I have always booked with a travel agent of a known company.  The prices are consistently better and never a problem with stateroom location.

I do not know if I am permitted to provide the name,  does anyone know if I can?  If so, glad to share it and name of the agent.  

[ldubs]

57 minutes ago, ltcpda said:

I have always booked with a travel agent of a known company.  The prices are consistently better and never a problem with stateroom location.

I do not know if I am permitted to provide the name,  does anyone know if I can?  If so, glad to share it and name of the agent.  

 

There is a forum rule against naming of travel agents.  Here is the wording: 

 

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.

[Hlitner]

I will take it back to the original topic :).  As long as CC has existed (and before CC we had Prodigy, Genie, etc) there has been discussion about booking direct with a cruise line vs using cruise/travel agencies.  I have been at this cruise "game" since the mid-70s (over 45 years) and have been blessed to have cruised on 16 (according to DW) cruise lines.  I only mention this because I want to emphasize we have a lot of experience booking many cruises with many different cruise lines.   Without exception, we have always been able to save money (sometimes significant money measured in the thousands of dollars) by shopping around among reputable cruise agencies (when compared to booking direct with a cruise line).  Some here on CC will argue that they do not see significant savings with cruise agencies and my response is that they have not shopped around among the better agencies.   Whenever we book a cruise with any line our last step is to compare the best deal we can get (from our favored cruise agencies) to what we can get by booking directly with the cruise line.  It has been more then 20 years since we booked direct (with any cruise line) and the reason is simply that we save money (often a lot of money) by NOT booking direct.   In the past we have challenged (on the phone) 2 different cruise lines to match the deals we can get from cruise agencies and we got similar responses that they do not "compete with cruise agencies in terms of price."  One line's Personal Cruise Consultant (PCC) did try to convince me to book with her and then transfer the booking to a cruise agency to get a better deal.   My response to her was, "why should I go through those extra steps?"

 

For those booking short (7 days or less) relatively low cost cruises you will not generally save a lot of money with cruise agencies.  But if you are booking longer more expensive cruises it is a different story.  I know of one person (this goes back about 20 years) who saved over $10,000 by NOT booking direct with a cruise line on a World Cruise.

 

So, my advice remains the same as it has been for many years.  Shop around among reputable cruise agencies and then compare their best deals with what you can get by booking direct.  

 

Hank

P.S.  I do not believe in "loyalty" to a line or agent.  I tell my favorite cruise agent that she will be my favorite agent (and get most of our business) as long as she gives us the best overall deal.  When we find a better deal elsewhere that is where we book!

 

[ltcpda]

Thank you for the advice, I had a feeling there is a violation in a recommendation.

[Host Kat]

20 hours ago, 2wheelin said:

... i think they can handle it without people “reporting” others.

 

We depend on all the help we can get!    Please see post #7 on Question to the Moderator.

 

And please note the following from the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships:

 

"Cruise Critic's Community is comprised of people who absolutely LOVE cruising.

We all benefit from the exchange of advice that takes place within our Cruise Community; this is a cooperative effort which depends on all of you to make it work well..."

 

I hope this additional information will be helpful to anyone reading this thread.

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat  

[Host Jazzbeau]

To the question that was raised earlier about hinting at a certain TA by describing its size and shape:  I sent this upstairs and the answer is that this is a violation of the guideline.  No naming of TAs means No!

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

To the question that was raised earlier about hinting at a certain TA by describing its size and shape:  I sent this upstairs and the answer is that this is a violation of the guideline.  No naming of TAs means No!

Thank you. I hope this is enforced in the future as there have been many posts with these "hints".

[iancal]

Bottom line for us....booking with a cruise line rep provide zero added value to us in terms of fare or impartial information compared to our TA.  So, we do not even bother.

[2wheelin]

On 8/30/2021 at 1:31 PM, Host Kat said:

 

We depend on all the help we can get!    Please see post #7 on Question to the Moderator.

 

And please note the following from the Guidelines we all agreed to follow when registering for our free Cruise Critic memberships:

 

"Cruise Critic's Community is comprised of people who absolutely LOVE cruising.

We all benefit from the exchange of advice that takes place within our Cruise Community; this is a cooperative effort which depends on all of you to make it work well..."

 

I hope this additional information will be helpful to anyone reading this thread.

 

Happy sails,

 

Host Kat  

Noted. Sorry. 

[marco]

I find that the biggest disadvantage booking directly with the line is that if you need to contact them for any reason by phone, plan to be on hold for at least 15 minutes (and that's on a good day!)

[jtwind]

My agent consistently gives me 10-15% discounts, extra onboard credit, free meals at specialty restaurants, and occasional upgrades to business class.