Booking Carnival through TA

[ESR24]

If I book my cruise through a travel agent do I still get to login to the carnival site and see my cruise on there? I like being able to add excursions online ahead of time....will I still be able to do this? Also will I still be able to call the 800 number to ask questions?

 

I'm trying to book with a small group and the only way it seems that we'll be able to coordinate the bookings (because of payment issues) would be going through a TA.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

[Kurbanfan]

If I book my cruise through a travel agent do I still get to login to the carnival site and see my cruise on there? I like being able to add excursions online ahead of time....will I still be able to do this? Also will I still be able to call the 800 number to ask questions?

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Yes you can log in and your cruise will be there. You can also book excursions. All your other questions should go to your TA not the 800#.

[tggs726]

If I book my cruise through a travel agent do I still get to login to the carnival site and see my cruise on there? I like being able to add excursions online ahead of time....will I still be able to do this? Also will I still be able to call the 800 number to ask questions?

 

I'm trying to book with a small group and the only way it seems that we'll be able to coordinate the bookings (because of payment issues) would be going through a TA.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

You will be able to logon to the carnival site and see your cruise. You will be able to add shore excursions ahead of time. you will not be able to call carnival regarding your booking, they will only speak to the agent who the booking belongs to. If you have a good TA however they should be able to answer any questions that carnival can. may i also suggest using a cruise agent/specialist not a general TA, they will have much more product knowledge.

[dodge9]

Some TA's also still discount so you may even get a better rate with them than with Carnival!

[ESR24]

Thanks for the info. Anyone have a good cruise specialist/company that I should be contacting? I live in a pretty remote area and don't think I have any near me!

[sa7776]

Can't post recommendations on board ....

However, you can go to the Cruise Line Industry Association website and they have a locator for accredited and master cruise counselors.

[bleuiz]

Some TA's also still discount so you may even get a better rate with them than with Carnival!

 

We were a large group, all past Carnival cruisers except my parents....my TA paid the upgrade out of her pocket so my parents would be on the same deck as us.......

[Figtree]

We booked our last Carnival Cruises through a TA but I wondered about the pros and cons of booking directly through Carnival. Am I allowed to ask about those here?

 

I actually called Carnival several times to ask different questions and they never refused to answer or referred me to the TA. I could book shore excursions and do my Fun Pass online too.

[sa7776]

There have been many threads on this board on the pros and cons of booking with TA, Carnival, PVP's, etc. Each type has avid supporters.

 

Alot depends on the person IMO. I have seen people "do it themselves" and end up making choices that were not right for them (cruise line or port schedule that were not a good match) and I have seen people who have no problems.

 

If you have a good TA with knowledge of the different cruiselines and you are comfortable with them I wouldn't change. Many times TA's can actually give you better deals or some additional goodies. My TA always gave me great service and the best deals on the 6 cruises she booked for me. When she retired I felt confident enough to book on my own. Some of the PVP's and reservationists I have dealt with have been very good and very knowledgeable about the product.... others had never cruised and could only answer my questions after "talking to their supervisors".

 

Although some would disagree, I don't think there is any one way that's is better, its just what's best for each person.

[Duffys wife 1957]

We have a great TA..If you are interested in using a TA, word of mouth is usually a good bet.. I would go and talk to one, or more before choosing...I think that TA's are invaluable. I do admit that sometimes I give her information:o but she is always grateful... She is a wealth of knowledge..(They sometimes know things before the general public). I also have gotten many perks..Wine, cheese platters, coupons, numerous upgrades, fruit baskets ect..She handles all of our traveling from cruise to land...After awhile they get to know you so well that they know your preferences...(I look at it this way, it is their job so they are continuously hearing about different fares, rate changes and I don't have time to spend looking for all of the daily changes). If you find a good TA they are worth their weight in gold...

[CruiseGirlGage]

Honestly, it just depends on what your needs are. My husband and I used a local travel agent for our honeymoon cruise (our first cruise). We told her that we wanted to do the Tulum tour so she found a cruise for us with the longest time in port at Cozumel (the Carnival Victory out of Miami). It would have taken me hours upon hours to do this research ourselves (or should I say MYSELF, hehehe). There was both good and bad to booking with her. The good was that we had a great room (huge back wrap-around balcony) on a great ship. But there was bad too. She knew my husband was in the military and she never mentioned the veteran discount we could have gotten. Also, I wish she would have booked our airfare into Fort Lauderdale instead of Miami since that airport was a nightmare.

 

Our last cruise we booked directly with the cruiseline since that agency closed down and I was not impressed with the other local agency. I'm just not sure about using online travel agents since they all seem to charge a booking fee and/or cancellation fee. Sometimes our plans change and I really didn't like the $95 per person cancellation fee I had to pay with one online travel agent. I'll just continue booking myself until I find another travel agent that's a good fit for us.

 

So, I guess, in my opinion, if you know what you want and you've already found it yourself, book it directly through the cruiseline. Then, you can always look around for a travel agent to take over the booking if they can give you a better deal and/or offer perks or discounts.