Travel agent for sure. An online agency is a booking agent, then you can become just a # to them. A real TA works for you, not the cruiseline and also wants your return business so will do everything possible, within reason, to keep you happy
Very well said, Sue!! Couldn't have said it better myself, but then again, I am a little prejudice.
And, as Canarymoon said, agents are not immune to the economic conditions, so it's always very important to do business with a reputable agent. Not saying all small agents are good or all large agencies are bad, but just make sure they are stable in their business. That's the one good thing about doing business with a 'host agency' such as Cruise Planners, Cruise One, and some of the other biggies in the industry. If you have problems with the agent, at least you have a large corporation behind them who will back them up.
But also as we've stated many times, NEVER let the agency charge your credit card directly. Make sure the charge to your card comes directly from the cruise line. This is the number one way to protect yourself.
Wow, thanks for all the great posts. There is some really good tips and advice in there, seems like the majority of people prefer to book with a travel agent, I suppose you do get a personal service, and it is nice dealing face to face with the people you are spending your money with.
However, I wonder if the online booking agents are popular with those who like a good bargain, there must be something they are doing right, and some people would rather save a few pennies, then have that face to face contact.
I just want to emphasize a point made by Pete. Always check to see where your money is going. After making your booking check to see if the charge went to the cruise line. If not, cancel the booking and call your credit card company.
I guess I should have also said, "Always use a credit card which gives you added protection in a dispute". An ATM card doesn't afford the same protections and never ever pay by check. Many of the people that lost money in this last fiasco paid by check and it will be an arduous process to recover their money, if they ever do.
Again, the best price up front is not always the best value overall. Check for booking, change and cancellation fees of any kind. Check to see if the company you deal with will process price drops at full value, some agencies have been known to deduct the commission they would have earned when the price drops or coupons are available. Check to see if you can contact the company directly by phone. Service is a big factor you should consider.
Lastly, as Pete has said, never book with the cruise line.
When you do, you are dealing with someone who works for the cruise line. When you deal with an independant agent, they work for you. Guess who will be on your side if a problem crops up?
We always check on internet create the whole package calculate the price and offer it to my TA. Our experience is that the TA can offer even cheaper and I'm sure everything will
be arrange well. Book online is me to risky, you never know who is on the other side there is to many kidding.
Travel agent for sure. An online agency is a booking agent, then you can become just a # to them. A real TA works for you, not the cruiseline and also wants your return business so will do everything possible, within reason, to keep you happy
I purchased a cruise thru an on-line "ONLY" website before. You needed to know exactly what you wanted as they provided no assistance, very little info and NO phone # to contact..I was a little bit nervous about it all, but it really did go smoothly. I received what I paid for at a substancial savings..I can't really say what would have happened should something have went wrong, thankfully it was great..I would have recommened them to anyone.
But now that I have been booking clients myself, I can understand where problems may arise...So now I would recommend if you are going to purchase from a website on your own to a least make sure they have a contact phone # for customer service and better yet- several agents to choose from just incase you need to find a better fit. Some agents are better in certain areas than others, while some can do it "ALL"..
If you talk with a travel agent, ask them specifically about fax specials. These are really good deals that they don't publicize so you have to ask them if they have any.
If your going to book with someone online, google the name of the agency and see what comes up. I didn't with my last cruise and the online TA was very messed up, but if I had googled their name I would have found a TA.
If you talk with a travel agent, ask them specifically about fax specials. These are really good deals that they don't publicize so you have to ask them if they have any.
"Fax" specials are a thing of the past. Very rarely do we ever get anything faxed to us that's not emailed to us first. All of the cruise lines now prefer email as it's quicker, easier, and more preferred by everyone. If we get a special, it's always sent to us via email long before we ever get it via fax.
And a good travel agent will always let their clients know about specials they've received, publicized or not.
As a TA I too am obviously prejudiced on how to book but I just ran across a flyer from a TA an organization I belong to is running. Cruise price and air was $2875 per person. Just looked it up and cruise is $1065 and air is 532. Told my friend who is booked on it and the agent said they are not getting any more discounts than they already have. They had to pay the agent directly - NOT Royal Caribbean - big no no there for me. So they are stuck overpaying by about $1200 per person or so.
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...So now I would recommend if you are going to purchase from a website on your own to a least make sure they have a contact phone # for customer service and better yet- several agents to choose from just incase you need to find a better fit. Some agents are better in certain areas than others, while some can do it "ALL"..
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