How to find an excellent travel agent

[Psoque]

Hello. We are trying to find out how others here have found an excellent travel agent for cruises. I'm not asking for names (assuming that's not allowed here), but I would be very interesting to find out how can we locate an excellent travel agent.

 

I hear about people mentioning that their travel agents have done near-miraculous works to solve a problem or to make their vacation experience more enjoyable than otherwise. Obviously, saving money is a good idea, but I'm more interested in finding a travel agent who is smart, well-informed, and easy to contact. Also, I highly prefer an agent who is conscientious enough to do extra work on an already booked cruise (looking for price reductions, etc.).

 

Is there any way I can find one?

 

Thanks.

[ninkb]

. . . particularly when you are on a ship! I've gone for the lower prices and more amenities in the past and have had some TAs I've not gone back to. In fact, am dealing with one now that I'd like to discard!

 

However, we met a couple on a cruise and were impressed with them, first as people, then as travel agents. They checked on prices reductions for their clients even when they were sailing. They're helping us on one of our cruises now and have found price reductions twice for us. The confirmations come quickly, emails and phone calls are followed up on quickly.

 

Bottom line, it takes time to find one that meets your needs. But you'll get lots of suggestions from friends on board ships and friends who travel. It's worth having a few losers so you learn what you want and find it in a good one. Good luck in your search!

[margeecruiser]

I am also searching for a good T.A. I used one of the best/long-time independent agencies for my last cruise. I worked with the owner personally. Two weeks before my cruise, he closed the agency. I did not get any prior notice. His office worker had all the documents in her kitchen and was to send out all the docs to all their customers. I had to beg for my documents -- believe me, it was a mess. I have worked with 3 other agencies in my town, which is a medium sized town in Texas. I have been very disappointed with each one. I expect them to be experts, and have not found one yet.:cool:

[hermang]

I am also searching for a good T.A. I used one of the best/long-time independent agencies for my last cruise. I worked with the owner personally. Two weeks before my cruise, he closed the agency. I did not get any prior notice. His office worker had all the documents in her kitchen and was to send out all the docs to all their customers. I had to beg for my documents -- believe me, it was a mess. I have worked with 3 other agencies in my town, which is a medium sized town in Texas. I have been very disappointed with each one. I expect them to be experts, and have not found one yet.:cool:

 

Both happened to be members of our Temple. They advertised in the bulletin.

 

First TA we used for years til she decided to cater to business only travelers and close the storefront - moved to her house. Second one happens to be the wife of my Podiatrist - Also temple members. In this case she is constantly making the papers and trades. Her forte is Cruises and Resorts - up front she will tell me to make my own Air Reservations UNLESS its part of the cruise. She has taken wonderful care of us and all of our friends whom we recommended. Had an issue with one of her agents a few years ago - Net Net - she sent all three of us $100 check and fired the woman.

 

When we were doing Alaska we originally planned on the Vision - but by the time the other two couples made up their mind the land part of the cruise was fully booked. She said if we would consider Celebrity she could get us a better cabin, $200 OBC, Robes and Dinner at the Normandie - Oh yeah - for $600 less PP - Sold us on Celebrity she did.

 

Last year when the Millenium hit rocks off Villfranche and our cruise was cancelled - she had us rebooked witn in 2 days on the reverse voyage once they started up. I would not hesitate to recommend her to anyone.

[Host Walt]

Hello. We are trying to find out how others here have found an excellent travel agent for cruises. I'm not asking for names (assuming that's not allowed here), but I would be very interesting to find out how can we locate an excellent travel agent.

 

I hear about people mentioning that their travel agents have done near-miraculous works to solve a problem or to make their vacation experience more enjoyable than otherwise. Obviously, saving money is a good idea, but I'm more interested in finding a travel agent who is smart, well-informed, and easy to contact. Also, I highly prefer an agent who is conscientious enough to do extra work on an already booked cruise (looking for price reductions, etc.).

 

Is there any way I can find one?

 

Thanks.

 

Check out the Cruise Critic article titled How tgo find a cruise travel agent (click here to link).

 

Also, please keep in mind the Cruise Critic Guidelines regarding requesting names of, and recommending (not permitted) travel agents.

[amanda blake]

. . . particularly when you are on a ship! I've gone for the lower prices and more amenities in the past and have had some TAs I've not gone back to. In fact, am dealing with one now that I'd like to discard!

 

However, we met a couple on a cruise and were impressed with them, first as people, then as travel agents. They checked on prices reductions for their clients even when they were sailing. They're helping us on one of our cruises now and have found price reductions twice for us. The confirmations come quickly, emails and phone calls are followed up on quickly.

 

Bottom line, it takes time to find one that meets your needs. But you'll get lots of suggestions from friends on board ships and friends who travel. It's worth having a few losers so you learn what you want and find it in a good one. Good luck in your search!

 

you are very fortunate to have found these agents...

[Oceans&Rivers]

Although I would ideally like to use the same travel agent for each of our cruises, I have discovered that certain cruise lines, especially those at the upper end (Crystal, for one), have some top agencies and it pays to book travel with a top agent at one of those top agencies.

 

If the cruise is with a more mainstream line like Celebrity, then I do all the work myself, book my reservation directly with Celebrity and then check the Internet and sales and transfer my booking as final payment deadline approaches or if/when a special offer is due to expire.

[amanda blake]

Although I would ideally like to use the same travel agent for each of our cruises, I have discovered that certain cruise lines, especially those at the upper end (Crystal, for one), have some top agencies and it pays to book travel with a top agent at one of those top agencies.

 

If the cruise is with a more mainstream line like Celebrity, then I do all the work myself, book my reservation directly with Celebrity and then check the Internet and sales and transfer my booking as final payment deadline approaches or if/when a special offer is due to expire.

 

we usually do that as well....and did this time ..but because of slow sales, the price has been changing and celebrity has been giving other incentives...our agent has had to do far more work than usual when we transfer at final payment and that is the end of it....

[Oceans&Rivers]

we usually do that as well....and did this time ..but because of slow sales, the price has been changing and celebrity has been giving other incentives...our agent has had to do far more work than usual when we transfer at final payment and that is the end of it....

 

You mean, after final payment?

[amanda blake]

yes....

[Oceans&Rivers]

I know that what I say may not be popular, but here it is:

 

Most people who book after final payment are not getting the best cabins on the ship (though it can happen that they do), and they don't always get the best prices, either, but when they do get deeply discounted prices it means the cruise line has had to make price concessions to get the berth filled.

 

Why should the cruise line have to go back and readjust prices downward to everyone who made final payment at an agreed-upon price to bring it down to match the "fire sale" prices of last-minute bookers? If the price is for NEW BOOKINGS ONLY, then what is wrong with that?

 

The reward that early bookers get is in "cherry-picking" the best cabins and usually they also pay comparatively less than later-bookers. But the very cheapest rates are reserved for those last-minute sales, if there are substantial numbers of cabins to be filled and the only way to fill them is to deeply discount the cabins.

 

I think the cruise lines need to have the flexibility to do that without having to refund monies to everyone else who already made final payment.

 

Otherwise, the onboard food, upkeep, and service is going to continue to decline at a faster rate than it already is doing and some lines may not be able to have a successful business.

[amanda blake]

maybe because the cruise lines get to keep our deposits for a long time..in our case for a year and a half....multiply it by all the cruisers who give deposits in advance and that adds up to a lot of mula....capital for them to play with....in return they guarantee us the best possible prices if they go down...now it is only recently that prices have been steadily declining...in previous years prices had actually gone UP the closer we got to sailing date...

[Oceans&Rivers]

When I use the term "last minute," I am really thinking about six weeks to a month or even less before the cruise sails. That's when if a ship is really significantly under-booked that the price seems to plummet. How can a cruise line extend that deeply discounted rate to everyone else?

 

Celebrity more than most lines I know have some cabins that are so deeply coveted that folks are willing to pay money to hold those cabins.

 

The alternative may be that Celebrity will adjust the price of those cabins upwards. That is something I would hate to see happen, so I prefer that those who want the cabins that badly take the financial risk that after final payment the prices could go down.

[tourlink99]

Just to give you a little background, I was the owner/manager of some of the largest cruise agencies in the country. I had both great and lousy agents that worked for me. In most cases the lousy ones didn't last. After all, what kind of repeat business could you expect from an agent who didn't satisfy their clients. An agency without repeat business is out of business!

I left the business 6 years ago and just started cruising again in the last 2 years. Well the question is; who gets my business and why? Well I looked at dozens of websites of cruise agencies touting their great rates, connections, and great customer service. Well those promises easily roll off the tongue and sound nice, but these agencies all sound alike. Finally lo and behold I found a very large agency where you can actually visit their brick and mortar locations (I live 3000 miles away), or use their very easy to use website. But what really sets them apart was actual information on who their agents were, their names, pictures, qualifications, longevity with the agency and most importantly to me biographies of the agents, that they wrote themselves. I took a shot and booked a cruise with the agent whose info attracted my attention and frankly I found she knew "her stuff" and she has earned my trust! Not to mention booking my last 2 cruises.

There are lots of really good TA'S out there, but you cant find them by looking to save $10. Check them out, talk to them and ask questions. See if they can earn your trust and you will find they are worth their weight in gold.

All the best to you all, and most importantly have a great cruise! I know I will thanks to a top notch TA.

Mark

[rjg41]

Top Three Ways to find a great agent: 1) Referral 2) Referral & 3) Referral.

 

....and you are not going to get a great agent by shopping for one who will cut their commission to nothing. You get what you pay for.

[Cruise-A-Hoy]

Have used on-line agent and have had service problems. Never had felt comfortable dealing with someone I don’t see and/or don’t even know if they exist.

 

Know some of my friends that used independent agents working out of their house on a kitchen table. There have been several cases in my state where travel agent left clients hanging when they closed or moved out of state. In every such case it involved an independent working out of their kitchen. These people have no financial obligation

 

what I did was check local store front agencies, plenty around. I sat in their office and discussed booking a cruise and or other type trip. I use this time as an interview to see if they were friendly helpful and especially that I feel comfortable with them. Although there were several good ones I found one that I thought best and have stayed with her for years. She knows what I like, dislike and interested in regarding travel. As such she keeps me up to date on any specials that I would be interested in and changes in the cruise business that might interest me.

 

I enjoy investing and finance so I considered my decision based on my experience. A store front business has financial obligations and experiences. Being seen by others and part of a local business community give you some confidence in the agencies stability.

 

Another major consideration on my part was being able to walk into the office sitting with my agent and discussing a trip or getting them to assist with a problem.

 

BTW, her prices are competitive and I get many other items as a good customer. When my Passport needed updating she notified me and took the pictures free even though I had nothing booked at the time.

 

In my opinion the best way to find a good TA is look around you community and then interview them until you find one you like

[mmp13]

i found a TA I think is wonderful via a referal from people we met on a cruise. I work with her online and on the phone. She goes above and beyond for me and always seems to have all the time in the world to answer my sometimes silly questions. If she doesn't know the answer she gets is it for me. I have never met her face to face but feel like I know her. I think referals from people you know who travel frequently are one of the best sources !

[whogo]

I love the above and beyond excellent travel agent stories. Lets see, the perfect agent:

1. Has first hand experience of all ships on all lines.

2. Is first in line to get her customers free upgrades what with all her contacts in the industry and all.

3. Is available around the clock to answer your questions.

4. Can help you with travel troubles any time. Christmas morning, New Years Eve, on her daughter's wedding day, etc. just call her via her cell phone. She will get you to your port when your flight has been canceled, even when she herself is cruising!

5. Checks daily for price reductions.

 

Can you tell that I had nothing but trouble with the local brick and mortar agencies I was referred to? Two had been in business for 50 years. I quit looking and have had trouble free experience using the lowest price online agency I can find.

[MAXII]

My advise is to trust your instinct, be honest with yourself and be upfront and honest with whomever you choose on your expectations.

 

For us as DH and I travel internationally to family and we usually need complicated travel arrangements, importantly, I need to know that if things go wrong or there's a need for urgent travel, my T/A will be there to help.

 

We had an awesome T/A for 10 years (was DH's for about 10 years prior to us marrying too) who then retired. She referred us to someone who we used just once - he was efficient but took time in returning calls, we had to chase him to follow up on our inquiries and simply put, we felt if things went wrong we would not be able to rely on him.

 

Thankfully, after a referral from a friend, we found our current T/A. Right from the get-go when I called him (didn't have a trip planned at the time), I told him our disappointments with the most recent T/A and the type of service we would like. I new I had found a winner when he invited DH and I to pop in for a chat at his T/A so we could meet him in person!!!

 

Since then, in the last 6 or 7 years he always has made us feel we are his only clients. When things have gone wrong, he has pulled out all the stops and worked to make things right.

 

He is honest enough to tell us when the air price for one of our regular journeys in Europe could be purchased cheaper ourselves - once he worked out the flights that would work best with the rest of our itinerary and provided us with the internet address!!

 

And the thing that reassures me most when we travel - our T/A always reminds us to take his business card with us and to call or e-mail him anytime if needed.