Sorry to ask- But search still down!

[SKOTTIEG23]

My wife and i have been waiting for Princess to announce their 2009 Europe itineraries for a while now. And now that we are a day or so from being able to book our dream vacation i have a few questions. I apologize ahead of time as I’m sure these things have been discussed before, but the search function has been down for a number of days and i want to make sure this vacation is perfect for us!

 

My first question is this- What are the benefits of booking through Princess as apposed to a travel agent? After reading through the posts it seems like most people use a TA and I’m just wondering what the reason is? Is it that big of a price difference?

 

My second question is about which category stateroom has the covered/semi-covered balcony? We plan on cruising on the Ruby Princess which is the sister ship to the Emerald(?) and i would like to be able to relax on my balcony without needing to retreat inside every 5 mins to cool off ( Also due to skin conditions i cant spend a lot of time in extreme conditions). Any help with this would be appreciated. I would hate to not be able to enjoy my balcony in the afternoons of my dream vacation because of me not doing my research.

[Toto2Kansas]

My first question is this- What are the benefits of booking through Princess as apposed to a travel agent? After reading through the posts it seems like most people use a TA and I’m just wondering what the reason is? Is it that big of a price difference?

 

 

Normally, TA's can discount the pricing and give you a better rate then booking direct. It is the one reason we always use them and don't book directly through the cruise line. The only benefit with booking direct with Princess is that your booking is controlled only by you. If you book through a TA and need to make changes, they can only be made by contacting your TA, Princess will not deal with you directly if a TA is envolved.

With the savings a good discount TA can give you on many sailings, it has been well worth going through a third party for us. We have saved enough on some cruises to pay for shore excursions and our shipboard account compared to booking direct. Depending on the sailing, and the ship, the savings can run from a few hundred to over a thousand dollars. Of coarse, this also depends on the length of cruise, ship and category stateroom you decide to book.

Sorry, but I can not recommend a TA to you, that you will have to investigate on your own as Cruise Critic does not allow us to discuss or suggest TA's on the message boards.

Best of luck.

[tinker 4]

Caribe deck is half covered and half uncovered

[Toto2Kansas]

And if you are looking for a mini suite, the only covered balcony offered is on the Emerald Deck, all others are totally exposed.

[paul929207]

Lke Toto, I always find better prices with a TA than those offered by Princess.

[SKOTTIEG23]

Thanks for the response everyone! Its a great help. After doing more research it does seem to be quite a bit cheaper. This leads to another question- Would it be easier to pick out the cabin/deck i want with princess then a TA?

[Hoyaheel]

Would it be easier to pick out the cabin/deck i want with princess then a TA?

 

A TA should be able to tell you what is available that fits your desire--I've never had any problem (I always call with the deckplan in hand--makes it much easier to be able to see what the TA is talking about while we're actually talking about it) And if I'm not sure about things like covered/uncovered balconies--I come here and find out before I actually book;)

[BJS]

Thanks for the response everyone! Its a great help. After doing more research it does seem to be quite a bit cheaper. This leads to another question- Would it be easier to pick out the cabin/deck i want with princess then a TA?

 

IF the cabin and deck are available the TA should be able to get it for you. It is first come first served no matter how you book.

 

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