Travel Agents: yes or no?

[BobCatter]

If yes, do you have one you recommend for cruise travel, specifically higher-end cruising (i.e. Viking, Regent, Silver Seas) and/or specialty cruising (i.e. expedition, grand voyages, small ships).

 

We've always booked our own, but are wondering about outsourcing all this research and googling.

Edited December 1, 2022 by BobCatter

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

We have done it both ways....and we think using a TA is the best thing for us. The key is finding a good TA. I don't think we are allowed to give specifics who we use, but we use an "insurance company" TA service. We've had the same agent now for years and are very pleased. We are very busy, both still working and fitting in vacations is tight on our schedules. Having someone who does all the leg work for us is super helpful. She reminds us when we need to do things on the timeline and keeps everything straight for us. Everything is printed out, packaged neatly, and handed to us. Also, when problems arise, she pitches in and helps get things resolved. It is clear from our experience that a TA has far more pull than we do when it comes to speaking with people and getting whatever issue resolved. 

[CCWineLover]

I don’t believe we can name names of travel agents/agencies in Cruise Critic.  Have people email you if you are interested.

[1985rz1]

31 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

I don’t believe we can name names of travel agents/agencies in Cruise Critic.  Have people email you if you are interested.

Actually, exchanging email addresses specifically for this purpose is also forbidden by the CC rules.

Edited December 1, 2022 by 1985rz1

[purpleally]

This should not even be a question. 
 

YES, use a TA who will look out for you

[lkear]

We have found TA's to be an unnecessary middle person.  It is harder to make changes and you will et more advice on this board than you will ever get with a TA. We have booked directly by phone, on the ship, and with TA.  We booked with the TA because we would get on-board credits the little extra $$ didn’t make up for the frustration of not being able to call Viking customer service direct, so not enough financial benefit to putting up with the frustration.

[CCWineLover]

I disagree.  Everyone has their own opinion on Ta’s.  I think those who don’t like them haven’t had good ones.  Those who value TA’s have a fabulous one. 

[Squawkman]

1 minute ago, CCWineLover said:

I disagree.  Everyone has their own opinion on Ta’s.  I think those who don’t like them haven’t had good ones.  Those who value TA’s have a fabulous one. 

Same holds true for those who have a great Viking rep.

[Orator]

I booked Crystal through one of their agents. When Crystal declared bankruptcy their agency was closed and agents, including mine terminated. That left no-one to try to work on my behalf. The insurance purchased from a recommended online broker came up with many excuses not to return the money. I learned to only use a TA from a solid company and purchase an insurance policy that gives me protection.

[CILCIANRQTS]

Yes, of course you can make a reservation online or with a call center person, but the real value of.a TA comes through when COVID hits and you need to cancel multiple bookings. Not once did I speak with Viking post COVID, but everything got straightened out by my TA. 
Of perhaps you’re flying into or out of Venice and they change the docking point to 1 1/2 hours away.

Etc, etc, etc.

[CCWineLover]

3 hours ago, Squawkman said:

Same holds true for those who have a great Viking rep.

Yes - except that we take many different trips (not just Viking) and can use our great TA for everything (not just Viking).  FYI We also have a good Viking rep contact as well as a backup.

I've never felt that our TA was getting in the way as a "middleperson".  When anything goes wrong they've earned their weight in gold!

[Paul73]

I have a great TA who can provide personal insight because he's taken so many Viking river and ocean cruises.  I particularly like Viking because I can call Viking directly with questions and don't have to bother my TA.  I've also booked with Holland America in person and through a TA.  HAL is frustrating because they will only talk to my TA, not to me.  I'd go with an experienced TA who knows the cruise line you're interested in.

[Mich3554]

8 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Yes, of course you can make a reservation online or with a call center person, but the real value of.a TA comes through when COVID hits and you need to cancel multiple bookings. Not once did I speak with Viking post COVID, but everything got straightened out by my TA. 
Of perhaps you’re flying into or out of Venice and they change the docking point to 1 1/2 hours away.

Etc, etc, etc.

We had 3 cruises cancelled during Covid, 2 ocean and a river all booked through Viking.  Viking cancelled everything, no problem.  I had bigger issues canceling hotel reservations we had for a wedding and a family reunion somewhat locally.

[donaldsc]

9 hours ago, CILCIANRQTS said:

Yes, of course you can make a reservation online or with a call center person, but the real value of.a TA comes through when COVID hits and you need to cancel multiple bookings. Not once did I speak with Viking post COVID, but everything got straightened out by my TA. 
Of perhaps you’re flying into or out of Venice and they change the docking point to 1 1/2 hours away.

Etc, etc, etc.

 

Or perhaps there is a good chance that you might miss your connected flight in Atlanta even though you were supposed to have 3 1/2 hours layover time in Atlanta so you call your TA while sitting on the runway in Las Vegas and ask her to find and hold alternative flights just in case - and she does.

 

DON

Edited December 2, 2022 by donaldsc

[Clay Clayton]

While I don’t disagree with all the other folks who have discussed the benefits of using a TA in case something goes sideways, the real reason we use ours is for the shipboard credit she provides.  Our agency kicks back the maximum Viking allows ($150pp for cruises up to 7 nights, $300pp for 8-14, and $500 for 15 or more nights) which covers the daily service charges and leaves a little for the bar tab. 

[FetaCheese]

Have used a TA for both V cruises.  V always helped me when called or chatted.  

[linda_22003]

We swear by our travel agent, and have used her since our first Regent cruise in 2006.  One good reason among many:  We had arranged through our TA to  have a private tour guide in Istanbul, who would meet us at the ship.  Well, no one was there when the ship docked.  We called the TA's 24-hour line, and by the time we took a taxi to our hotel, a replacement had been found who gave us an excellent walking tour of the city.  

[tcuprof]

We use a TA for two reasons. First, she serves as a backup to remind you of upcoming payments, need to book excursions, etc. Second, without saying who the agent is, booking through her gives us multiples (some things double, some triple, etc.) of airline miles. Those miles add up to quite a bit when your cruise is with Viking. 

[dwlmg]

Our travel agent has gotten us bookings on two Viking cruises where I didn't think we had a prayer of booking. She is an agent for a national organization that appears to have some leverage to bring to the table. I also do not have to wait on hold to chat with a Viking agent. She has specific agents she deals with and is not getting the next available agent who might not have much experience.

[Twitchly]

We’ve booked ourselves, and we’ve used 2 TAs. Our TA experiences weren’t great. Small discounts aside, they really didn’t add any value, and each screwed something up, one significantly when, against our request, she canceled our cruise before we had a chance to cancel our excursions. That resulted in all of our excursion money going onto a voucher rather than a refund on our credit card. Thanks to this group and others like it, we knew more than she did about how to handle this (and she didn’t listen when we told her to wait before canceling).
 

Also, once we’d booked a cruise through a TA, we had to go through that TA in order to do a number of things, from something small like receiving luggage tags (which we never got, thanks to a screwup at the TA’s office) to trying to sign up for a sold-out extension, which required checking frequently and jumping on it as soon as an opening became available, something our TA was too busy to do. So we gave up and created our own extension.

 

The bottom line: a TA is a layer between you and your trip vendor(s). If they’re good, they (apparently) can be a buffer and facilitator. If they’re not, they’re an added complication and a stumbling block. 

 

So how does one find a great, knowledgeable TA who stays on top of everything for you? And is easily available in case of a snafu? We found each of ours via friends. That didn’t exactly work out.

 

Edited December 3, 2022 by Twitchly

[Sunflower & The Scientist]

1 hour ago, Twitchly said:

That resulted in all of our excursion money going onto a voucher rather than a refund on our credit card.

 I am curious and confused about this....we have had to cancel before and did not cancel our excursions. When I called to enquire about the excursions they said they are just dropped, there are no charges. Indeed they did not charge for them as we did not take the excursion. There was no money to be refunded to our card or in a voucher. 

[janetcbl]

I am with the do-it- yourself group. The one time we used a TA (for a cruise with another line) it was one hassle after another. In all our dealings with Viking we have had nothing but smooth sailing. Problems were handled quickly and the Viking reps were always pleasant to talk with and extremely efficient.

[LindaS272]

1 hour ago, Sunflower & The Scientist said:

 I am curious and confused about this....we have had to cancel before and did not cancel our excursions. When I called to enquire about the excursions they said they are just dropped, there are no charges. Indeed they did not charge for them as we did not take the excursion. There was no money to be refunded to our card or in a voucher. 

We’re talking about optional purchased excursions—not included excursions. So, yes, there is money to be refunded. And if you can cancel the prepaid excursions— I’d say at least a week before you cancel the cruise— it should be refunded to your form of payment. Otherwise it’s included in your cancelation voucher (say, when you had RFG vouchers).

Edited December 3, 2022 by LindaS272

[MikeyB]

These conversations always seem to repeat.

If the additional OBC don't interest you, don't transfer to a TA.

Clay laid out the benefit.  Ask your Viking agent if it is okay to call them if you have questions after you have transfered to a TA.

They will always say yes.

What is wrong getting $600 OBC on a 14 night cruise?

Answer....nothing 

[CCWineLover]

34 minutes ago, MikeyB said:

These conversations always seem to repeat.

If the additional OBC don't interest you, don't transfer to a TA.

Clay laid out the benefit.  Ask your Viking agent if it is okay to call them if you have questions after you have transfered to a TA.

They will always say yes.

What is wrong getting $600 OBC on a 14 night cruise?

Answer....nothing 

MikeyB - you can me in as well on this topic.  And people can ask me (like Clay) anytime about Travel Agents benefits (and OBC's).  And I talk with Viking a lot as well!