Booking your cruise directly with RC or using a travel agent??

[ajtaylor29]

I'm curious how most people book their cruises, either directly with the cruise line OR directly with Casino Royale if you have casino offers, or do you use a travel agent?

We have been using a travel agent for many years, mostly for RC but occasionally for other lines as well. I'm starting to consider changing it up, and wonder how easy/how much hassle it is to book directly.

So, for casino players - do you call Casino Royale directly to book your casino offers? Are they pretty responsive? 

I assume some people book their own online too.....?

[cruisinfly]

There are a lot of threads on this for you to search through but this really comes down to personal preference.

 

Some people love their travel agent, others have had bad (or unsatisfying) experiences with travel agents. I'm rather experienced and tend to know what I'm doing, often knowing far more about a cruise/trip than a travel agent. For some people/newbies, they may benefit from a good travel advisor.

 

I am in the camp that prefers to remove middle man and book directly with the cruise line. I've used travel agents in the past and never had an experience that made me want to use them again. In some cases, I've had bad experiences.

 

I've also seen frustrations when people experience issues and they have to work through a travel agent rather than the cruise line. I've seen people have issues with payments going through successfully when using a travel agent. A travel agent is often a stranger you hope you can trust with your money and booking.

 

I've generally had good experiences booking directly with the cruise lines both online and over the phone. 

 

About the only "benefit" I've gotten from a travel agent is a bottle of wine or some small OBC as a gift. Not worth the hassle in my opinion.

 

Good luck!

 

 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

Not that we've been on a lot of cruises, but we've always used TAs.  We've gotten price breaks and OBC to make it more financially "worth it".  

 

There's horror stories and good stories for both. 

[taglovestocruise]

21 minutes ago, cruisinfly said:

About the only "benefit" I've gotten from a travel agent is a bottle of wine or some small OBC as a gift. Not worth the hassle in my opinion.

 

Good luck!

 

 

Sounds like you had a pretty cheap TA. We have always received a easy $300 - $500. We sometimes book direct and then always switch to our TA. Last cruise had plenty of perks from Royal, we then switched to our TA and they added a $50 OBC, a $75 Spa credit, Specialty dinner for 2, a coke classic package plus a $180 shop card for the big box store after our return.  Only thing we can not do with our TA is bid for a Royal Up or get group booking prices. . 

Edited Wednesday at 07:38 PM by taglovestocruise

[neverbeenhere]

"My" travel agent gives 7-11% of the commissionable fare back in OBC.  Well worth it for us.

[Another_Critic]

8 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

... or get group booking prices. . 

Group prices has saved me lots of $$$.

[gfargo53]

how do you get group booking prices??

[cruisinfly]

That's awesome that some folks are finding great value from their travel agents! Keep in mind, they aren't giving you anything for "free". Those benefits simply come out of the cruise fare you pay them. The more commission you pay, the more they may give you. No guarantee they're offering the best price. (yes, I've done comparisons and have not found any real savings through a TA)

 

Still, if you've compared the lowest price through your TA vs. the lowest booking direct, and gotten a better deal, good for you!

[scubaslayer]

I had one TA that did very little work but was fantastic when I used them for Disney. I could have gotten the same price and "perks" direct from Royal. The TA I use now got us slightly more OBC ans surprised us with a free night of specialty dining. If using a TA, always let them know if there is a special occasion and shop around for agencies. Our next sailing I got OBC on top of a discount but it is for next summer, so if we are getting any surprises I don't know yet. I do always look at the website first to see what the current deal is.

 

Also we use a TA because it has made putting kids in a separate room easier than dealing with it myself. Sure we can do the cheat thing of an adult in each room and getting extra cards but it is a hassle. Plus the TA can pull up more inventory to find rooms that work for us and help us get the best deal.

Edited Wednesday at 08:06 PM by scubaslayer
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[Trailcon]

I basically book all of my own trips.  I then transfer the, to my TA.  I do this more out of loyalty as I have used this person for at least 20 years.  This person stuck it out all through COVID, not getting paid and handling my cruises. I am currently in the process of confirming another booking which will then be transferred to her.

[not-enough-cruising]

4 hours ago, cruisinfly said:

That's awesome that some folks are finding great value from their travel agents! Keep in mind, they aren't giving you anything for "free". Those benefits simply come out of the cruise fare you pay them. The more commission you pay, the more they may give you. No guarantee they're offering the best price. (yes, I've done comparisons and have not found any real savings through a TA)

 

Still, if you've compared the lowest price through your TA vs. the lowest booking direct, and gotten a better deal, good for you!

I use a TA all the time, I have NEVER paid "sticker price" for a cruise, the TA always has group space and the fares are always cheaper (sometimes considerably) the deposits are fully refundable, and there is always some type of perk thrown in (OBC, dining, wine.....) Also, some of those premium spots on the ship that show sold out when you look on the Royal website, are actually available and being held by travel agents for their customers.

 

The most important benefit, to me, without question, is anytime I have an issue I email the TA, and it is handled in a matter of hours.  No phone calls, no dealing with offshore customer service, no phone trees, and no endless waits on hold.

Edited Thursday at 12:17 AM by not-enough-cruising

[Sunshine3601]

5 hours ago, ajtaylor29 said:

 

So, for casino players - do you call Casino Royale directly to book your casino offers? Are they pretty responsive? 

I assume some people book their own online too.....?

We have been casino members for several years and always book directly through clubroyale.   They answer phone a lot quicker than main number and they can offer you great deals on cabin upgrades too!   

[ajtaylor29]

Thanks for all the feedback! My main concern was about dealing directly with Casino Royale to book, and how that experience is, since we've never dealt with them directly. It sounds like they are pretty easy to work with. We usually know exactly what we want to do, we just need someone to help finalize it, and/or offer options if our plan doesn't work!!

We book all other land travel ourselves. We book on Carnival directly (usually once a year - they have some great itineraries!) and that's always gone smoothly. I just didn't know how the RC interaction would be.

I believe that TA's can definitely provide valuable support and guidance - making their commission well worth it. I also believe that if you don't have a good TA, it can create more work on your part just to prod them to do their job (my case now!)

I think I've answered my own question!! 🙂

[PhillyFan33579]

I have booked every cruise I have taken myself and will continue to do so in the future. I realize i might be missing out on some perks from a TA, but I like having total control of my cruise. I also like being able to call the cruise line directly instead of being required to go thru a third party. I especially like being able to call the cruise line directly when I see a price drop online. That used to be a common occurrence in the past and I am starting to see price drops more frequently now. For example, two days ago I saved $753 on a cruise we have booked on Star in September 2025. It looks like prices for Icon and Star are starting to fall back closer to earth.