Travel agent or book through Celebrity?

[itsawonderfullife]

I booked through Celebrity for the first time because I am unhappy with our former travel agent. Can you see a disadvantage to this. Should I somehow make a change?  Thanks!

[jelayne]

If you find a good, knowledgeable TA they can be very helpful in problem solving.  Also there is a financial side as some TAs will have group rates which are slower than booking direct and/or offer refundable OBC or gift cards worth up to 10% of the fare excluding fees and taxes

Our last cruise we walked off the ship with our refundable OBC of just over $1000.

[mizLORInj]

I get OBC from my TA on all cruises.  I do not ever book direct, and I have not ever had any issues (related to method of booking) on any cruise.

[Saturngrl]

I booked direct with Celebrity once.   Since then, my beloved TA has gotten me the best deals with the most perks, including OBC.  I will ALWAYS use a TA! 

[High on the Seas]

If you have a cruise that is free from issues booking directly through Celebrity is fine. However if issues occur it can Be very helpful to have the power of the travel agency to assist. Celebrity mistakenly canceled one of my cruises at the last minute earlier in 2022 and I had no luck dealing with them until I got my travel agency involved. 

[SFCAcruiser]

12 minutes ago, itsawonderfullife said:

I booked through Celebrity for the first time because I am unhappy with our former travel agent. Can you see a disadvantage to this. Should I somehow make a change?  Thanks!

 

For me, it is about the pricing and the OBC given by the TA in addition to whatever the cruise line may be giving. If you find a travel agent who can give you a better deal than the cruise line, then go with the TA. I have only used online agencies, but I consider myself to be a "low maintenance" cruiser - I do my own research, select my cabin, pay my money, take the cruise, and come home. I rarely have had any need to contact the TA after making the reservation. You may have different travel needs and an online agency may not be appropriate. 

[natshala]

Excellent question. Every time I have a question/issue I call my TA, he calls X on another line, and we talk back and forth with TA the go between. Seems inefficient. 

[paulh84]

My last booking through an agent was about 30% lower than booking directly and included $630 more OBC than I would have received from Celebrity. No brainer for me. I don't need any hand holding along the way and rarely speak to the agent again once I'm booked. 

[George C]

1 hour ago, jelayne said:

If you find a good, knowledgeable TA they can be very helpful in problem solving.  Also there is a financial side as some TAs will have group rates which are slower than booking direct and/or offer refundable OBC or gift cards worth up to 10% of the fare excluding fees and taxes

Our last cruise we walked off the ship with our refundable OBC of just over $1000.

The problem is finding a good travel agent , last one I used was pretty bad , so I book our cruises.

[Cdncruisecpl]

Using an agent gave us a price that was a little over $1,000 cheaper than the price I got online directly with Celebrity, plus a little more OBC.  I realize that won't always be the case, but there is something to be said for saving money AND having someone take care of it.

[Jim_Iain]

I think the most important part is to find a good agent and hope they remain consistent.   I had used one for over 8 years and then  she screwed me over -  I believe she got into a bind during Covid.  It was shortsighted on her part as I booked 15 cruises all in suites after dropping her.

 

I know many ask -  How do you find a good agent?     Since we are not permitted to give recommendations here on CC the best route is to request the information from a trusted member when you meet them as a result of a Roll Call or other means.     Give them a try and if you like with them stick with them otherwise keep searching.    I would believe you could also use the "Other" site and send a personal message.     The one I have been using for the past 2 years I met as a result of a recommendation from a trusted friend.    I've not been disappointed.

 

I personally always use an agent.   90% of the time I either book direct or book on board and transfer to an agent.    

[natshala]

I know we can’t name names but how does one find a good TA? I use a big box online and don’t feel some agents are particularly knowledgeable or that they necessarily act as an advocate.

[Quik2flip]

I wondered that question as well. I too had an amazing TA before COVID. He was always on the ball. He left during Covid and his clients went to this other guy who is absolutely HORRIBLE. I booked a cruise onboard and transferred the booking to him, he couldn’t be bothered. I then wanted to book another cruise for my anniversary and emailed to get pricing. He replied he was very busy and would get to me when he could! Ding ding ding, wrong answer! I quickly called and got another agent! I don’t really care for him either😒. No one in my circle uses a TA, so I don’t have any reliable recommendations. 

[jelayne]

We found one of the TAs we use by asking people we met on the ship.  You know the people you see every day about the same time at the bar,  having coffee at al Bacio or seated next to every evening at dinner  have some conversation with.  

 

When we heard the same agent repeated a few times by frequent cruisers we found one that worked well for us.

[hubofhockey]

The cruise lines give you NOTHING.  Either TAs or even the big box stores travel will get you lots of OBC.

[NMTraveller]

I would definitely find a good TA.  You will get more credit back and they will be the ones spending a bunch of time on the phone with Celebrity, and not you.  Win win.

[Luvcrusn]

We booked a X cruise for  2024 with our TA and priced it through X as well. The pricing was for an Aqua Class cabin (the same cabin booked). The TA rate was $3090 less than booking it direct with X. Both were refundable deposits, both included Classic BP, WIFI, and gratuities and $400 OBC from X. The TA additionally included 10% of the cruise fare back as OBC-R in addition to another loyalty OBC-R from the TA.

[Luvtoeat]

I usually book with an online TA that that you can only contact by email or sometimes on a site where TA'S will compete for your business. Priced a cruise on Celebrity website last year for a September 2022 sailing that I thought was a little over priced for a 9 night with drinks/tips and wi-fi. I called Celebrity and must have gotten the right rep as she gave me a price that was between $800-$1000.00 less than had I booked on the website and it included the drinks/tips and wi-fi. I normally don't book directly with the cruise line because as others have stated you can sometimes get OBC and other extras from TA'S. But I have no complaints with the deal I got from the Celebrity rep. 

[Blueheart87]

As other people have said I think it depends on your TA. Ours is absolutely amazing, we have used her for an all-inclusive resort and other trips in the past. If there's ever been any hiccups even during our vacations she has always helped us out. Just an example here, our cruise had to be re-scheduled twice in the past few years. Once was due to COVID, and the second time because I had surgery and was still recovering during the rescheduled cruise date. She made the process both times incredibly easy, was able to help us retain our travel insurance (we have it separately from Celebrity), applied our deposit (originally non-refundable but of course COVID changed that) to the new cruise, and we also got additional discounts thanks to her. I think on this cruise we saved about $800 thanks to her, which we can use for other things. We also have great OBC for our upcoming sailing thanks to her.

 

I think that if you find the right TA then everything works well. I think that @cwazycwuisecpl said it best that there's something to be said about saving money and having someone else take care of everything. Having a great TA has definitely made our vacations less stressful, and she was absolutely phenomenal during all of the COVID cancellations and reschedules we encountered.

[CaribbeanBound]

I'd love to find a good proactive TA.  I've heard they exist but haven't worked with a great one in over 20 years.

 

I've booked directly and have used a TA in the past.  None have ever lasted more than 2 years.  Yes, I usually find TAs provide a lower cost and more OBC.  For my current booking I called my last known TA and found him no longer at the firm and was assigned to someone else.  I had all my ducks in a row and was looking to book on the spot (how easy can you get) but the guy I spoke to was telling me things that made no sense.  After going in circles I asked for a manager who confirmed I was correct and the TA didn't have a good grasp on his recommendations.  I was too fed up with them at that point so I called Celebrity Captains Club and booked directly with them instead.  ALL of their answers were good and made sense.  Interestingly for my particular booking the only difference was a $50 OBC so I didn't lose much and that was a small price to pay NOT to continue to work with the new TA I was assigned.  So, I'm open to a new TA who really has their act together.

[jelayne]

On 1/10/2023 at 2:45 PM, natshala said:

Excellent question. Every time I have a question/issue I call my TA, he calls X on another line, and we talk back and forth with TA the go between. Seems inefficient. 

I call the TA and let them deal with Celebrity they sit on hold, not me.  There have only been a few times we had a 3 way call and that was so I could authorize the TA to take over a booking I had on hold.

 

[Luvcrusn]

We, like you, don't need a TA to hold our hand when making a reservation and have use the same agency for the past15 years. The cruise I booked with them last week for 2024 had a fare difference that was $3090 less than quoted by X (or done by us online on the X site for the identical cabin) and also got an additional $375 in OBC-R for an Aqua Class cabin. Usually the difference is about $800-$1000. This price difference is ridiculous!

[Quik2flip]

22 minutes ago, CaribbeanBound said:

I'd love to find a good proactive TA.  I've heard they exist but haven't worked with a great one in over 20 years.

 

I've booked directly and have used a TA in the past.  None have ever lasted more than 2 years.  Yes, I usually find TAs provide a lower cost and more OBC.  For my current booking I called my last known TA and found him no longer at the firm and was assigned to someone else.  I had all my ducks in a row and was looking to book on the spot (how easy can you get) but the guy I spoke to was telling me things that made no sense.  After going in circles I asked for a manager who confirmed I was correct and the TA didn't have a good grasp on his recommendations.  I was too fed up with them at that point so I called Celebrity Captains Club and booked directly with them instead.  ALL of their answers were good and made sense.  Interestingly for my particular booking the only difference was a $50 OBC so I didn't lose much and that was a small price to pay NOT to continue to work with the new TA I was assigned.  So, I'm open to a new TA who really has their act together.

 

22 minutes ago, CaribbeanBound said:

I'd love to find a good proactive TA.  I've heard they exist but haven't worked with a great one in over 20 years.

 

I've booked directly and have used a TA in the past.  None have ever lasted more than 2 years.  Yes, I usually find TAs provide a lower cost and more OBC.  For my current booking I called my last known TA and found him no longer at the firm and was assigned to someone else.  I had all my ducks in a row and was looking to book on the spot (how easy can you get) but the guy I spoke to was telling me things that made no sense.  After going in circles I asked for a manager who confirmed I was correct and the TA didn't have a good grasp on his recommendations.  I was too fed up with them at that point so I called Celebrity Captains Club and booked directly with them instead.  ALL of their answers were good and made sense.  Interestingly for my particular booking the only difference was a $50 OBC so I didn't lose much and that was a small price to pay NOT to continue to work with the new TA I was assigned.  So, I'm open to a new TA who really has their act together.

I am too. Would love someone who knows more about cruising than I do! 

[HS2BS]

We have always booked with a ta, but none can compare with our pre asset that we have used for the last four years. Most of you get bombarded with daily emails from many different agencies. The big box store in NH seed to be our go too but, during Covid they were completely non communicating to requests, not open late and ot open on weekends to help!

Our present ta is always available, instant message or email and by phone. And like many of the other posters, she recommends booking on board and the booking

automatically goes to her. Takes care of price drops, adds obc and resolves any problems we might have.

 

Hak

[cmaleblanc]

While my experience was limited with traveling with a TA, by GF's experience is extensive. She was on a cruise prior to us meeting, she was traveling with a group, and the group was in such a hurry her passport was left in the taxi. She of course couldn't board the ship because of this, and the turn around time to get the passport back from the taxi was past the departure time. The group contacted the cruise company, and they wouldn't allow her to board late, or join later in the cruise, as it was a close loop and it wouldn't be allowed based on the policy presented by the CSR with the line. She contacted the TA, who not only managed to get the Cruise company to allow her on the boat at the next stop, they worked with her to get a flight to the next stop, and arranged a private car (for safety) to take her from the airport to the port to board the ship. I've never used a TA prior to meeting her, but I doubt I'll ever be able to book without a TA after that experience. 

 

Personal experience and echoed on these forms, is the communication from Celebrity, it's horrible. I've been on the phone with Celebrity 2-3 times always long waits, one time almost 2hrs hold for the BCC. I don't believe in the excuse that "COVID" is impacting these call centers anymore (note I believe in COVID, not the excuse these companies are using for bad employment policies leading to low retention of staff). On the other hand, I've never waited to speak with my TA, unless he was out of the office, and he calls me right back soon as he's in. I've never been on hold with my TA, except for the times he had to call Celebrity to get information for me, and he always gets through right away. For our upcoming cruise, AFTER final payment, our TA contacted Celebrity, got us moved up to concierge class for the same price we had already paid for the balcony we where on, and picked what looks to be a good room for us, (based on internet reviews). 

 

We both work in an industry that advocates for consumers and not companies, so we know how important it is to have someone familiar with a product argue for your benefit, and not the company they work for. I can't see a reason for us to NOT use a TA for these trips.