Book through rccl.com or online travel agent?

[smurd83]

I've been going back and forth between getting an aft balcony or a side balcony as this is my first cruise and I have no idea what to expect...but due to the plethora of excitement over the aft of the ship, I decided I want to reserve room 9390 (corner-aft) on the Adventure of the Seas. According to rccl.com, it IS available, so I went ahead and put a courtesy hold on it, but I'm not sure if I should book it through royal caribbean or a travel agent (I may be able to save about $200 if I go through an online travel agent - ecruise.com). Any thoughts? Will I be able to get this same room through a travel agent?

 

On a side note: I've heard you don't get any wind on the aft balconies...is that true? does it get really hot without that wind? Also, will I be able to hear the engines at night?

 

Thanks!

[FlorenceItaly]

keep your room and transfer it to a TA before final payment if you like. In the meantime, you have the room you want and may shop around for the best online deal, if you like.

 

We will be sailing in our first corner aft in October :).

 

 

Marie

[smurd83]

You can do that? How do you go about transferring it to a TA?

[FlorenceItaly]

for a cruise I have booked in 2008. I booked online with RCI, then shopped around for a TA to transfer it to. I called RCI and gave them her name and number, and then she called and took care of the rest. Done. But, be aware that as soon as you do transfer it to a TA, RCI will no longer deal with you. All transactions due to the reservation will have to be done through the TA.

 

Marie

[Rcl Obsesd]

Book through Royal Caribbean

[FR926]

Try A Real Live CLIA trained TA

[PhoenixCruiser]

I suggest booking with RCI, they are always available. If the price goes down (lets say for three days) and your TA is on vacation for a week you are SOL.

 

Good luck with your decision. :)

 

###

[Libby7]

Definitely stick with the aft corner - you will have a breeze, and being on the 9th deck you shouldn't hear any noise or feel any vibrations.

 

You have the best of all worlds in working with RCI initialy, and then if you don't want to handle the paperwork towards the end, keeping track of final payments, etc ...... you've had RCI long enough they should have found you the best deals ---- then have have the TA do the last minute paperwork.

 

Have fun!

[Vacation Nut]

I have booked every cruise through the cruiseline websites - and it has always been great. You can reach rccl on the phone and there is no hassle with waiting for a TA to make calls for you. I monitor cruise prices myself on the rccl website. There has never been a problem.

[Boo's Mom]

 

Also, do they have travel insurance through RCCL (and do I really need it?)

 

 

They do sell travel insurance through the cruiseline.

You are going to probably get a much better price by not going with the cruisline's product.

 

If you haven't already seen insure my trip dot com .......... it is a good site to compare companies and policies side by side.

 

I would say that it is wise to get insurance for your trip. Things happen.

It doesn't cost very much. Then, you will not worry.

 

We always end up with Travelex. (from the site above) It is a good product for a very low price.

Do not think that you have to pay a lot for a good policy.

The policies come with all kinds of price tags.

Shoot low...and you will see that the coverage is quite adequate.

[Driftwoodgal]

It is my understanding that all prices for cruises are supposed to be the same.

 

TA's can give you gifts, but check the true value of the gifts. An inflated price on a bottle of wine. It might cost $5 at home and they value it at $XX, so your discount might not be as big as you think it is.

 

I booked with a online TA and they wouldn't take a discounted coupon that RCCL offered. They told me that the cruise was already discounted.

 

Be sure that the online or regular TA will NOT charge you a cancellation fee if you have to cancel your booking. Also, remember as posted before that you will no longer have control of your booking. Your TA has control and they must talk to RCCL for you. I got a last minute price drop because I watched my prices on my cruise. I called RCCL and they beat that price drop because we qualified for a senior citizen discount.

 

I am sure there are lots of TA's out there that do an excellent job. I like to be able to call and make my own changes and ask my own questions and hear the answer from the horses mouth. If I have a question about the answer I am back on the boards to verify it here.

[FlorenceItaly]

The TA is giving me $500 obc. Keep in mind, we have a Grand Suite booked and it is high dollar, thus the generous obc. She will honor all price drops and coupons, and charges no cancellation fee. I would love to be handling the reservation myself, but the $500 obc was just too good to pass up.

 

 

Marie

[Boo's Mom]

I don't think they can discount the "cruise" price, but the TA's can surely give you a piece of their commission. This is how they are able to give you these cabin credits.

 

We received a $1650.00 cabin credit (total for 2 cabins) on the cruise we just completed.

[dachshunddoglover]

What does OBC stand for?

[Boo's Mom]

onboard credit

[Gingee]

I have found that it is a little cheaper to go with a travel agent.

[love2vacation]

I think I need a new agent.:rolleyes: We have never received any of the "perks" you are talking about for our cruises. We were able to use a coupon that came out in our C & A mag. after we had booked our cruise. That is about the only help we have ever received.

 

That's why I am looking at booking through an on line agency, or the cruise company. The price has never been any less expensive with our TA vs the cruise company site.

[Loucat]

I have had experience with both. NEVER had a problem booking with RCC directly. The only thing you need to put in your calendar is when the final payment is due. They do all the rest. If you have a problem, your C & A status changes etc, they are there and there is no middleman. I have booked with online agencies and needed to remind them when final payment is due. I booked a cruise for this fall 1 year ago and have had nothing but grief from this agency (this is posted on another thread, " Need help with a terrible TA"). They had a great reputation but the individual agent was terrible. So-I now use RCC and a local agency where I can reach them and if my TA is not available, someone else helps out. In my experience, I will not try to save $$ and use an unknown unless them come with high marks. :D

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I have found that it is a little cheaper to go with a travel agent.

 

I still don't get how it is any cheaper booking with a travel agent?? Someone please explain this out for a dummy!

 

Bill

[Boo's Mom]

I still don't get how it is any cheaper booking with a travel agent?? Someone please explain this out for a dummy!

 

Bill

 

OK. Let me try.

 

These are completely pretend numbers, for the sake of explanation.

 

The cruise price is $2000. (2 people)

The cruiseline will sell if for $2000.

The Travel Agent must sell it for $2000.

 

The Travel Agent will make $200. commission for the sale.

 

In order to encourage you to buy from him, the TA will offer you a $75.00 cabin credit if you book with him.

He is taking the $75.00 from his commission.

 

Yes, this hurts his commission, but....he is looking for a high volume of sales.

 

************

How was that? make sense?

[S.S.Oceanlover]

That makes perfect sense and that is the way most cruiselines work but I was under the impression that they couldn't offer you any deals like that. I always see them offering little trinkets that I don't want nor would I use. Bottom line is they are worthless to me.

 

If agencies can offer onboard credit from their commission I'd be willing to book RCI again. I am out of the loop as far as RCI is concerned since I stopped even considering booking them since they started the no discount policy.

 

Thanks for taking the time to explain to me.

 

Bill

[Host Karen]

Looks like it's time for another reminder about CC's Community Guidelines regarding travel agencies:

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts will result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Any posts that suggest members to contact another member for a TA's name will also be removed.

 

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

[negc]

I suggest booking with RCI, they are always available. If the price goes down (lets say for three days) and your TA is on vacation for a week you are SOL.

 

Good luck with your decision. :)

 

###

 

Not if your TA is a good one and has a backup at his or her agency.

Getting misinformation from customer service reps is a common complaint, and unfortunately, the information posted on these boards isn't 100% accurate either. I'd prefer to deal with someone knowledgeable and who knows who to go to up the chain of command when the initial answer doesn't sound right.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Looks like it's time for another reminder about CC's Community Guidelines regarding travel agencies:

 

There shall be no third-party recommendation of travel agencies on any forums within Cruise Critic. General discussions regarding the TYPE of AGENCY to be used to purchase a cruise will be allowed, as long as no recommendations for any source of purchase are posted.

 

Touting of your personal cruise agent is not allowed on our message boards. Postings that contain "tell them John sent you" will be removed without notice.

 

Cruise Critic will remove violations of the "third-party recommendation" guideline without warning. Additional posts will result in permanent suspension of your posting privileges.

 

Any posts that suggest members to contact another member for a TA's name will also be removed.

 

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com

 

What is the policy on telling someone to email you because you know a good travel agent but can't recommend one on Cruise Critic?

 

Bill

[Host Karen]

I'm not certain I understand your question, Bill, but I'll give it another shot, especially in light of my poorly constructed final sentence. On these boards, members may not ask other members to e-mail a TA name, whether to supply it or receive it. If you would like further clarification, you should send an e-mail to community@cruisecritic.com.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Karen

HostKaren@CruiseCritic.com