Thoughts about method of booking NCL cruise (PCC or travel agent)?

[Lottosal65]

Hi all, this will be my 8th cruise, 5th with NCL. In the past, I've booked online, mostly successfully. My one issue was with a cruise pre-COVID, where I was looking to use the free airfare. NCL booked us on a flight that got in only 3 hours prior to cruising - since we were flying in from WI in the winter, there are often delays and I was concerned that we would miss the boat if any of our flights were delayed. Since then, I've booked my own travel, coming in the day prior to the cruise.

 

Fast forward to now. We wish to book two cabins in January on the Breakaway out of New Orleans. I would like to use the "Free" airfare (really BOGO), as we're on a bit of a budget because we're taking my daughter and her boyfriend. I've noticed that many of the flights have very short layovers. I'm thinking I would rather have some help with this booking, so I get it right for our group of 4 people.

 

I've never used a Personal Cruise Consultant but am thinking going that way or using a travel agent. Do any of you have preferences one way or the other, and why? And, how do I go about finding a PCC if that is the way to go? Thanks in advance for the help. :)

[phillygwm]

There's no universally correct answer.  Some people have amazing TAs, others have great PCCs, and there is plenty of mediocrity in both roles.

 

Since people can't recommend either on here, your best bet is to ask friends/family who may have cruised previously, assuming they had positive experiences.

[DCGuy64]

TA all the way. Why? My TA is great, he always gets back with me fast (less than a day, often within an hour), he cruises himself so he knows the drill, and he finds us good deals. Anytime I have a question, he finds out for me and I don't have to spend tons of time waiting on the phone. FYI you can still book your cruise through a TA and get the BOGO deal. We've never used a PCC because they only work for that one cruise line, our TA is independent which we prefer vs having a different PCC at every cruise line.

[www3traveler]

I fall in the "amazing" TA list.  In 37 cruises, I have never had an issue that he could not solve quickly.  Twice, I have had an issue with an airline flight, he had them fixed before I even knew I had a issue.  He is located in my hometown and has been in buisness a long time.

[schmoopie17]

Many travel agents offer extra perks (cash rebates, paid gratuities, etc.) that a PCC can't offer.

 

Having said that, we have a great PCC who either answers his phone immediately, or calls us back in a few minutes. He has never let us down. and can handle requests, make changes immediately, etc., without having to wait on hold, like a TA would.  So, there's no easy answer.

 

Edited May 12, 2023 by schmoopie17

[RocketMan275]

I booked my first cruise directly with the cruise line.  RCCI.

I booked my second cruise with a PCC on Princess.

Then I found a wonderful, experienced TA, who operates as a small business and who had multiple certificans.  And, the best of all, she gives an 8% discount.

One thing Iike about an independent TA is that I can use her for any and all cruise lines. Once I had to cancel and rebook two different cruises on three different cruise lines.  One cal, five minutes, it was done.

[pcrum]

I wish I knew the answer to this.  Our PPC calls me with cruise offers (the last call was 11 pm--that went straight to voicemail), but when we have a cruise booked and e-mail or call with a question, he is no where to be found.  I went the TA route twice with two different TAs who were recommended to me by people I met on a cruise, but did not have any better luck.  What do you do when a TA travels all the time and cannot be reached?  Shouldn't they have backup?  I'd love to find a TA who really advocates for the clients, but sadly, I have not had that experience.  Often I know more than the TA just by reading Cruise Critic.  Would love to know where the good ones are!!

[Nilbog]

We've always booked our cruises online, on the cruiseline website.  NCL always assigns us a PCC, but we get a different one every time I book or do a mock booking and they call within a day of me being online.  Most times if I've done a mock booking to check something, a new PCC will call to "finish my booking", not even knowing I've already got a cruise booked.  They always offer to help, but I've not been able to get any of them to do anything.  I'm thinking of going the TA route for our next cruise booking, and I've had a couple of referrals to TAs, but I'm not real sure how to pick one other than trial and error, and I'm not sure I want to keep going through that hassle until I find a good one.  Who knows, maybe I'll be lucky and get a good one on my first try.

[eileeshb]

I’ve tried a few TAs with mixed results. The first I tried priced a cruise with a flight out of Dublin (3 hours away) rather than Shannon (15 minutes away) so I immediately ditched them. What is the point in using a local travel agent if they’re going to default to not picking the local airport ? 
another local TA, too slow in responding.. then tried a national one and they got me a great deal from my preferred airport but when I tried their helpline when my airline had an IT meltdown the day I was flying home the response I got was, just queue for the airline desk. Sooo… I’m sticking to DIY.

I actually got a call from a PCC this week, I think I triggered by looking after a friend’s booking but he hadn’t spotted that I had my own reservation too. This one was from the states, I had spoken to a European one a few years back before covid and when I tried to contact her post-covid her contact info no longer worked. 
I am hoping to do a Hawaii cruise in a couple of years but I think I will need to use either a TA or PCC for that as it’s likely to involve at least 3 flights each way, plus a TA might be able to get a decent pre/post hotel deal in combination with the flights. 

[CarrieAP]

I use a TA so hard to imagine not having her assistance. Follows up on all issues so I’m not tied up on phone. National firm, king of cruising in my book. Support staff are available instantly any time I’ve had an issue. Had some issues on another cruise line with our package and we messaged each other as she sorted it out. Our agent lives in Florida, heart of cruising (not their home office site), so is very familiar with a variety of cruise lines from personal experience. Also offers 8-10% refundable OBC. Sailing Sunday and just found out via our cruise docs that 2 of our cabins have pre-paid service charge. Unexpected bonus!!

[RocketMan275]

29 minutes ago, pcrum said:

 I went the TA route twice with two different TAs who were recommended to me by people I met on a cruise, but did not have any better luck.  What do you do when a TA travels all the time and cannot be reached?  Shouldn't they have backup?  I'd love to find a TA who really advocates for the clients, but sadly, I have not had that experience.  Often I know more than the TA just by reading Cruise Critic.  Would love to know where the good ones are!!

 

8 minutes ago, Nilbog said:

I'm thinking of going the TA route for our next cruise booking, and I've had a couple of referrals to TAs, but I'm not real sure how to pick one other than trial and error, and I'm not sure I want to keep going through that hassle until I find a good one.  Who knows, maybe I'll be lucky and get a good one on my first try.

I would suggest you approach finding your TA as if you are interviewing someone for a job, your Travle Agent.   Call them, not to make a reservation, but to find out how they can help you. Don't let them rush you into making a reservation. Ask them a lot of questions like:

Do they have backup for when they're out of office.

Do  they discount cruise fares.  This is a killer, if they don't thank them for their time and hang up.

Don't use any of the big travel agencies like those advertising on the front page of CC.  You might as well use the cruise line.

What's their cancellation policy?  If they charge for cancellations, hang up.

What's their booking policy? Do they add a booking fee? Hang up.

What experience do they have?

Are they certified?  What kinds?

Can they be reached on weekends in an emergency?

What lines have they cruised on?  Are these lines you would want to book?

What class of cabin do they book for themselves? 

 

 

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, CarrieAP said:

I use a TA so hard to imagine not having her assistance. Follows up on all issues so I’m not tied up on phone. National firm, king of cruising in my book. Support staff are available instantly any time I’ve had an issue. Had some issues on another cruise line with our package and we messaged each other as she sorted it out. Our agent lives in Florida, heart of cruising (not their home office site), so is very familiar with a variety of cruise lines from personal experience. Also offers 8-10% refundable OBC. Sailing Sunday and just found out via our cruise docs that 2 of our cabins have pre-paid service charge. Unexpected bonus!!

You've found a good one.   I'm amazed at those on this board that try to convince me that my TA doessn't really give me an 8-10% discount.  

[jcscv]

I had a great TA a while back, but she left the agency, and I haven't found one that has been of much help yet.  I started using one of NCL's PCC, and he has been great.  While I still pay the online price, he's very helpful on calling me when he knows there are promos I would be interested in (double loyalty points, double next cruise promotion, etc). On my last cruise, he automatically updated my cruise price twice when he saw the price go down, prior to final payment. He also calls me after the cruise to see how it was, and if I had any issues.

 

[ICutTheCheese]

23 hours ago, Lottosal65 said:

Hi all, this will be my 8th cruise, 5th with NCL. In the past, I've booked online, mostly successfully. My one issue was with a cruise pre-COVID, where I was looking to use the free airfare. NCL booked us on a flight that got in only 3 hours prior to cruising - since we were flying in from WI in the winter, there are often delays and I was concerned that we would miss the boat if any of our flights were delayed. Since then, I've booked my own travel, coming in the day prior to the cruise.

 

Fast forward to now. We wish to book two cabins in January on the Breakaway out of New Orleans. I would like to use the "Free" airfare (really BOGO), as we're on a bit of a budget because we're taking my daughter and her boyfriend. I've noticed that many of the flights have very short layovers. I'm thinking I would rather have some help with this booking, so I get it right for our group of 4 people.

 

I've never used a Personal Cruise Consultant but am thinking going that way or using a travel agent. Do any of you have preferences one way or the other, and why? And, how do I go about finding a PCC if that is the way to go? Thanks in advance for the help. 🙂

NEVER EVER EVER use a TA.  There is not much they can do that you cannot do yourself without a little leg work.  Having them in between you and NCL is more of a PITA than it is worth to get hose few things even if you get them.  TAs a great for lazy people or people who are afraid of computers is all.

[complawyer]

while i personally like to do my own booking, with your particular set of facts, i would either book the air fare myself, or use a travel agent. it seem that an ncl consultant would be bound by the same fight schedules as if you booked the ncl fly free, i dont believe the ncl can offer any more that what's available through ncl air.

 

i whole heartedly agree with icutthe cheese. while i do not diminish the work a travel agent might do, and they may have certain avenues not available to the general public, when it comes to booking flights, i am extremely anal. i believe if you want something done right DO IT YOURSELF!

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, ICutTheCheese said:

NEVER EVER EVER use a TA.  There is not much they can do that you cannot do yourself without a little leg work.  Having them in between you and NCL is more of a PITA than it is worth to get hose few things even if you get them.  TAs a great for lazy people or people who are afraid of computers is all.

 

Guess you don't like 8% discounts.

I prefer havng my TA being between myself and NCL.  She gets to spend time on the phone with NCL while I get to do other more enjoyable things. 

[javaguru]

How does one find this TA with the discount?

[sjacobs11]

25 minutes ago, javaguru said:

How does one find this TA with the discount?

Ours, like many, is part of a larger company, so when booking a single or two cabins, you are sometimes placed within a "group" with others who are part of the same overall agency. This can allow for discounts/onboard credits that you wouldn't be able to get if you were only a single party.

[genealogyfan]

Before you allow NCL to book your flights, look at all the reviews on this forum. I've read many many horror stories about it.

 

Personally I have tried a couple travel agents on other trips (didn't use them because they had no clue what they were doing and were useless). I also don't need a personal cruise consultant when I can book exactly what I want directly online. Once I specifically called my PCC at the time to book another cruise and he acted like he didn't want to be bothered. Anytime I book a cruise, a different PCC contacts me to follow up.

 

I would rather have the control of booking directly with the airline for my flights, if I mess up it's on me. 

 

Now if you aren't good booking travel yourself, then a good travel agent would be the better choice. 

[Panhandle Couple]

We dropped our PCC during COVID, because he just kept saying go the NCL website. Yeah, we knew that....

 We found a good TA that now does our cruise bookings.  But not air, we do that ourselves.

 

As for the flights.

As you said, consider flying in the day before.  You can ask for that with NCL air.  There are many hotels in NOLA that are close to the cruise terminal and Bourbon Street.  And many very good restaurants.  

 

[MoCruiseFan]

10 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

Guess you don't like 8% discounts.

I prefer havng my TA being between myself and NCL.  She gets to spend time on the phone with NCL while I get to do other more enjoyable things. 

 

No I don't.  That is chump change compared to the deals I find on my own.

You get to spend time on the phone with her explaining your issue.  Then she calsl NCL and waits for their reply.  Then she has to call you and give you the options NCL provided.  Then she has to cal NCL back to give them your choice and wait for their reply.  THEN she calls you back and the loop goes on ad nauseam unti everyiene is 1) happy, 2) upset, or 3) just totally fed up with the process.and gives up.  Much easier to just pick up the phone and make ONE call.

Edited May 14, 2023 by MoCruiseFan

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

No I don't.  That is chump change compared to the deals I find on my own.

You get to spend time on the phone with her explaining your issue.  Then she calsl NCL and waits for their reply.  Then she has to call you and give you the options NCL provided.  Then she has to cal NCL back to give them your choice and wait for their reply.  THEN she calls you back and the loop goes on ad nauseam unti everyiene is 1) happy, 2) upset, or 3) just totally fed up with the process.and gives up.  Much easier to just pick up the phone and make ONE call.

I've never had to make more than one phone call to resolve an issue.  Usually, one email does it.

My TA will match any offer from a legitimate TA.  she will match any NCL offer plus discounting it by 8%.  And this only takes one email.  

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I've never had to make more than one phone call to resolve an issue.  Usually, one email does it.

My TA will match any offer from a legitimate TA.  she will match any NCL offer plus discounting it by 8%.  And this only takes one email.  

If you sent an e-mail followed up by a phone call do you think your TA could save you 12-15%?

[RocketMan275]

14 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

If you sent an e-mail followed up by a phone call do you think your TA could save you 12-15%?

The 12-15% is relative to what?  NCLs advertised price?

 

 

 

[d9704011]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

The 12-15% is relative to what?  NCLs advertised price?

 

 

 

The same price/cost you used for your 8% savings.