How do I book?

[Dizer65]

Hello. After much research I’ve chosen Crystal for our next ( and second ) cruise.  It was the Scoops Ice cream bar that swung it 😛
On looking at the website it would seem the only option to book is to call, or am I missing something ?   I’m in the UK.  
Thanks 

[History&Wine]

I highly recommend you book through your TA. 

[Old Sea Dog]

2 minutes ago, Dizer65 said:

Hello. After much research I’ve chosen Crystal for our next ( and second ) cruise.  It was the Scoops Ice cream bar that swung it 😛
On looking at the website it would seem the only option to book is to call, or am I missing something ?   I’m in the UK.  
Thanks 

Firstly you have made an excellent choice.

Yes the options you have are by phone or getting a TA to act for you.

When I booked I was unable to find a U.K. based agent so booked with one in the USA

If you can find a good U.K. agent then it does make things easier re conversion of currency.

[Dizer65]

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I don’t have a TA ( I always book independently) but sounds like I need to get one.  I shall do some investigating ! 

[skybluewaters]

It seems that in the (near) future Crystal will re-instate the ability to book a cruise yourself on their website, so this shouldn't be a long-term issue.

[FlyerTalker]

1 hour ago, skybluewaters said:

It seems that in the (near) future Crystal will re-instate the ability to book a cruise yourself on their website, so this shouldn't be a long-term issue.

 

But why?

 

 

[Dizer65]

3 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

It seems that in the (near) future Crystal will re-instate the ability to book a cruise yourself on their website, so this shouldn't be a long-term issue.

Thanks.  Hopefully that will be soon and I can do it that way.  

[Leejnd4]

4 hours ago, Dizer65 said:

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I don’t have a TA ( I always book independently) but sounds like I need to get one.  I shall do some investigating ! 

 

Allow me to chime in with my agreement that you DEFINITELY want to book with a TA. And try to find one who is experienced with Crystal. This is true for nearly every cruise line - always better to book with a TA who knows the cruise line well, has contacts there, can answer questions for you, and even pull strings for something if necessary.

 

I know of too many people who made huge errors trying to book their own cruises...mistakes that would have been avoided if they'd used a knowledgable TA. And besides that, TAs will usually be able to give you some OBC. They can't "discount" cruises the way they used to many years ago - all TAs must sell cruises for the same basic price - but they ARE allowed to give you OBC, which can be a nice financial boon (and bring your overall cost of the cruise down).

[Dizer65]

1 minute ago, Leejnd4 said:

 

Allow me to chime in with my agreement that you DEFINITELY want to book with a TA. And try to find one who is experienced with Crystal. This is true for nearly every cruise line - always better to book with a TA who knows the cruise line well, has contacts there, can answer questions for you, and even pull strings for something if necessary.

 

I know of too many people who made huge errors trying to book their own cruises...mistakes that would have been avoided if they'd used a knowledgable TA. And besides that, TAs will usually be able to give you some OBC. They can't "discount" cruises the way they used to many years ago - all TAs must sell cruises for the same basic price - but they ARE allowed to give you OBC, which can be a nice financial boon (and bring your overall cost of the cruise down).

I appreciate your comment but I have booked holidays myself without a TA for over 30 years including 2  trips to South Africa in the past 5 years, and a Celebrity cruise this past June which I booked on the website (got OBC) with separate flights and 2 nights pre and post cruise stays.  All went without a hitch.  However I now have details of a TA that I might use if the online booking doesn’t show up soon.  

[Stickman1990]

26 minutes ago, Dizer65 said:

I appreciate your comment but I have booked holidays myself without a TA for over 30 years 

That’s fine but you’re missing out so much in terms of service and potential financial benefits by not using a TA 

Try it, what have you got to lose? - you might actually like it

[ctjon]

• My advice is also TA - if things go "bad" and you need help a TA can be invaluable helping out with all sorts of things.  Not, hopefully, that it will happen again but we got off a cruise in Dublin on 9/11 and without a TA finding hotels, alternate transportation etc.  it probably would have taken a lot longer than 6 days to get home

[TER777]

Also the longer you wait to book, the more likely your first choice of stateroom category is sold out. 

[Leejnd4]

1 hour ago, Dizer65 said:

I appreciate your comment but I have booked holidays myself without a TA for over 30 years including 2  trips to South Africa in the past 5 years, and a Celebrity cruise this past June which I booked on the website (got OBC) with separate flights and 2 nights pre and post cruise stays.  All went without a hitch.  However I now have details of a TA that I might use if the online booking doesn’t show up soon.  

If my comment came across as implying you are not capable of booking your own cruises, I sincerely apologize. That was not my intent at all.

 

I've been cruising for as long as you have, and have traveled all over the world by both land, cruise ship and our own sailboat, and I very much tend to be a do-it-yourselfer when it comes to booking travel. So I hear you and can totally relate.

 

But I've also learned that every cruise line has its quirks. As capable a traveler as I am, any time I'm trying a new cruise line, I will try to find a TA who specializes in that cruise line, knows their ships, knows their quirks. For example, I've had TAs steer me away from particular cabins that I thought were good, due to issues I didn't know about and wouldn't have learned about otherwise. We don't know what we don't know, y'know? 🙂 

 

But even if that's not a good enough reason, there's the financial benefits. I see no reason to leave money on the table. I am about to take a PG cruise, and I got a nice fat OBC not only from my TA, but from their travel consortium due to the fact that this particular cruise is a "hosted" cruise. It's enough to cover two excursions and have enough left over for a massage! I'm also getting a very generous OBC from my TA for the Crystal cruise I have booked for next year.

 

I guess my point is, I can think of no reason NOT to use a TA, and multiple reasons TO use one. But I'm sure you'll do what's right for you, and I wish you all the best.

 

Edited August 28, 2023 by Leejnd4

[crickette]

Seek a travel agent associated with one of the big consortia - Virtuoso, Signature, Ensemble, Discover.  They develop preferred partnerships with hotels, destinations, cruiselines that enable them to extend special amenities to travellers .  Second reason - your contact with the frontline of a cruiseline begins and ends with reservations.  Your travel agent's contact is within sales - Crystal has District Sales Managers as well as Sales associates in head office.  Luxury travel agents spend time building strong relationships with these sales people.  It is sales, not reservations, that have the latitude to make exceptions.  And thirdly, by the size of their accounts, they can argue on your behalf far more effectively than your lone voice in the wilderness.  Benefit from their clout.  Work on developing a trusted relationship with your TA, and let them be your advocate.

[Leejnd4]

25 minutes ago, crickette said:

Seek a travel agent associated with one of the big consortia - Virtuoso, Signature, Ensemble, Discover.  They develop preferred partnerships with hotels, destinations, cruiselines that enable them to extend special amenities to travellers .  Second reason - your contact with the frontline of a cruiseline begins and ends with reservations.  Your travel agent's contact is within sales - Crystal has District Sales Managers as well as Sales associates in head office.  Luxury travel agents spend time building strong relationships with these sales people.  It is sales, not reservations, that have the latitude to make exceptions.  And thirdly, by the size of their accounts, they can argue on your behalf far more effectively than your lone voice in the wilderness.  Benefit from their clout.  Work on developing a trusted relationship with your TA, and let them be your advocate.

Excellently articulated. My TA has great contacts at Paul Gauguin, which turned out to be a huge benefit just a couple weeks ago. I learned that the PG just recently changed their requirements to be able to scuba dive, and I had an issue with a couple of them (mainly because I've been diving for so long that I no longer log dives or bother with getting additional certifications). My TA was able to talk directly with the Marina Supervisor on the ship, who made an exception for me. So I will be able to dive on my upcoming cruise. If I didn't have a TA with such close contacts, I don't know if this would have been worked out.

 

That's just an example of the ways in which a TA can go to bat for you. 🙂 

[Keith1010]

In the end you have to decide what is best for you.

 

I consider myself savvy but my TA has saved me money identifying optimal ways to book us providing savings and has identified promotions or other amenities that I was not aware of.

 

What I recommend is a TA who is experienced with the cruise line(s) one wants to book with who knows how to cut through red tape to get things done and resolved expeditiously along with questions asked.

 

Read CC often enough and some of the questions people ask about and some of the issues people have could have been answered/avoided by having a good TA.

 

Like all professionals all TA's are not the same.  

 

Finally, the TA can provide amenities one can't get on their own and they are your advocate when things go wrong.

 

A good way to find a TA is to ask friends who you respect if they have a recommendation.

 

If you decide to continue to book on your own the world won't come to an end but you might learn that you are missing out on benefits that many others have realized over the years.

 

To me it's like a will. These days you can write your own will but having a strong lawyer writing it can help avoid mistakes.

 

Keith

[kool kruiser]

19 hours ago, Leejnd4 said:

 

Allow me to chime in with my agreement that you DEFINITELY want to book with a TA. And try to find one who is experienced with Crystal. This is true for nearly every cruise line - always better to book with a TA who knows the cruise line well, has contacts there, can answer questions for you, and even pull strings for something if necessary.

 

I know of too many people who made huge errors trying to book their own cruises...mistakes that would have been avoided if they'd used a knowledgable TA. And besides that, TAs will usually be able to give you some OBC. They can't "discount" cruises the way they used to many years ago - all TAs must sell cruises for the same basic price - but they ARE allowed to give you OBC, which can be a nice financial boon (and bring your overall cost of the cruise down).

The above, together with other comments in this thread, are perfectly accurate so far as US bookings are concerned, However, I note that, like me, you are UK-based. Our market is quite different. It is perfectly permissible for a Crystal cruise to be openly discounted. Indeed, our TA does and markets the fact, describing the discount as a ''bonus''. On the other hand, OBC is not generally available, unless it is a promotion from the cruise line. Of course, we also benefit from our statutory legal protections when using a TA and paying by credit card.

Finally, most (but not all) of our TAs are independent corporates and not members of the various  US networks. Different markets, different principles.

So far as I am concerned, currently I book in the UK as the cash discount offered is far better than the OBC available if I book in the US.

[Dizer65]

2 hours ago, kool kruiser said:

The above, together with other comments in this thread, are perfectly accurate so far as US bookings are concerned, However, I note that, like me, you are UK-based. Our market is quite different. It is perfectly permissible for a Crystal cruise to be openly discounted. Indeed, our TA does and markets the fact, describing the discount as a ''bonus''. On the other hand, OBC is not generally available, unless it is a promotion from the cruise line. Of course, we also benefit from our statutory legal protections when using a TA and paying by credit card.

Finally, most (but not all) of our TAs are independent corporates and not members of the various  US networks. Different markets, different principles.

So far as I am concerned, currently I book in the UK as the cash discount offered is far better than the OBC available if I book in the US.

Thank you.  I will contact a UK based TA I have been given details of and hopefully he will be able to advise.  

[Texoma]

Nobody has mentioned inquiry/booking with Crystal directly. 

Anybody care to chime in? 

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

[BWIVince]

1 hour ago, Texoma said:

Nobody has mentioned inquiry/booking with Crystal directly. 

Anybody care to chime in? 

 

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

I would never book with Crystal (or ANY cruise line) directly -- there's just no point.  You lose the incentives you may/usually get from an agent (especially those that are members of a consortium or do any volume of bookings with Crystal), you get bare bones service, and you lose your advocate (should you need it) since your "agent" is working for the supplier.  It's all down-side with no upside. 

 

Vince

[Texoma]

Thanks for your input, BWIVince,

 

I have a lot of $$$ credits and wonder how a T/A would earn commissions if only credits were used for payment. I would think the T/A would not be interested......or ????

 

 

[BWIVince]

35 minutes ago, Texoma said:

Thanks for your input, BWIVince,

 

I have a lot of $$$ credits and wonder how a T/A would earn commissions if only credits were used for payment. I would think the T/A would not be interested......or ????

 

 

 

It doesn't hurt to ask, honestly.  Different types of credits work differently, but if you're open with the agent about what you're booking with, I'm sure they'll make recommendations on how best to proceed when they see what you're working with.  

 

IME, though, if you have a relatively straightforward booking that doesn't involve a ton of their time in planning initially, they would probably be more interested in getting you as a long-term client than worrying about the commission on that one sailing.  If the first booking took tons of hours for them to help you plan before you even put down a payment, the value proposition might be different though.  The agents I've worked with over the decades all had the goal of long-term relationships, and worked hard towards that.

 

Vince

[crickette]

This thread has some info on how new Crystal is handling agent commissions.  I know it does not directly address your questions, but it might give you some insight to begin

discussions with your TA.

[Roland4]

4 hours ago, Texoma said:

Thanks for your input, BWIVince,

 

I have a lot of $$$ credits and wonder how a T/A would earn commissions if only credits were used for payment. I would think the T/A would not be interested......or ????

 

 

If you are taking about the Exceptional Inititiave credits, as a TA, I can tell you your TA's commission is fully protected. 

[Cruise-y]

I know this isn't going to be a popular response, but I think there are enough lurkers here that might appreciate it.  Please let me know if you are one.

 

First: There are many, many experienced and excellent TAs on this board and they provide a great deal of expertise and help to everyone here. I've gained from all of their top notch and informative responses. I would use any of them in a heartbeat. This is their lifeblood and I understand that.

 

For years, I had a superb liaison at Crystal who was, for me, as good as a TA. She answered my emails instantly at all hours of the day and night, even on weekends (like 10 pm on Saturday night or 7 am on Sunday morning), and she always had an immediate answer or solution. She arranged for personal items in my room (specialized electronic hook-ups, particular wines and alcohol, fruit, flowers, canapés, etc.). She easily changed rooms for me. I got generous OBC just like everyone else. I couldn't have been happier.

 

I did my own air because I used mileage credits, but she offered to do air, and if she had, I'm sure she would have arranged changes for me if needed.

 

With that all said, my special liaison lost her job when Crystal was bankrupted. She has moved on and not returned. I was assigned a new liaison, who was good for an email or two and then disappeared. 

 

I don't know if I can capture that magic again. I'm guessing probably not. I've always been a do-it-myself person and it's never let me down, but I'm waiting to see what happens when Crystal opens up online booking.