I really wonder what works best for people.
Do you use a local travel agent, a national agency, or go direct to the cruise line? Do talk by phone, internet, or walking into an office?
Are you pretty happy with how it works? Do you get good service and a good price? I am a cruise agent, but I am not going to advertise where I work or tell you to call me or anything like that:
AAA is over-sorry with the internet now a days you can find a much better deal online on the MANY discounted cruise wesbites. I get tons of people that call me every day and tell me either the price Amex or AAA gave them and everytime we beat it, by A LOT. Even before I did this, I always shopped online, the internet has made it great for consumers to get the best deal by shopping around!! Just do some leg work, you can really save yourself some money!
Good Luck! Where do you live? And do you have a AAA membership? (you know, roadside assistance....)
well I work for AAA & we're more then roadside assistance. I workin auto travel, I book hotel/car rentals, broadway shows, do trip tiks, etc. We have a full service insurance agency & travel agency. The travel agents are busy with cruises all day. They are very knowledgable. I would reccomend going to a travel agent or specifically AAA to talk to someone. If you're a AAA member you get special discounted rates, which are wonderful, if you're not a member, they CAN still book a cruise for you, you just don't get the extra discount. But a lot of times it's worth it to signup for AAA just to get the discount because you save that much money.
I wouldn't book online or on the phone because online you're not getting any info from a live person, and on the phone they are just trying to sell a cruise, they arent going to tell you about where to eat, and tell you their experiences, etc. Travel agents go on FAM trips all the time (free/low prices cruises & trips for agents to "familiarize" themselves with a place or cruise line so they can give informative information to the customer). I would definatley book with an agent. Although my travel agency has a web site, and my clients can access my sight and book their cruises through it, I always strongly suggest that you do your travel arrangements with someone you can talk to one on one. I personally do not like being a number, and I don't know many people who do like being "just a number". If I have a problem, I want someone to (****** at, and you can't get that through an on line service.
Hope this helped answer your question. I used to use one of the big online agents. However, I met my current agent when he arranged a ship tour for me (and others). I have found him to be honest and hard working. Unlike the big online agent I used to use, he is willing to help with things I did not book through him. Also, unlike the big online agent, he does not charge a separate booking fee. And he sometimes surprises me with gifts on board.
On my cruise in June 2007 on the Freedom of the Seas, he sent us wine, chocolate strawberries and coloring books for the kids. For my next cruise he increased my on board credit (OBC) by $100. He is helping me with my travel insurance needs for the one cruise I did not book through him (also the last cruise I will book without using him). And he is returning some shirts I bought on the Monarch of the Seas that were too small. He will then mail me the correct sized shirts (the size of the shirts was mislabeled).
If you want to contact him, his name is Bob DeAgazio, Worldview Travel, 7777 Girard Ave. # 106, LaJolla, CA 92037. Phone 858-459-0681 or toll free at 800-869-1533. He is a Virtuoso Member ("Specialist in the Art of Travel"). Here is a link to the company's website ...
http://www.worldviewtravel.com/ My first few cruises I used AAA as my travel agent. Of course that was 20 years ago or so and way before the internet. Then I used a different travel agency back when the cruise lines were not so numerous and they all pretty much published a booklet every year with all of their cruises. I would go to an agency and get the books and review them to come up with the one I wanted to do.
That worked OK up until about 7 or 8 years ago when the internet took off and all of the cruise lines eventually set up a web site and put all of their information online. Now I pretty much use the internet exclusively, with one exception. That one exception is I try to book my next cruise while I am on a cruise because in addition to the early booking discount they always give "on board credit" That means you cruise account starts with $50 or $100 to your credit per person, depending upon the length of the cruise.
Another reason that I migrated from using an agent is I prefer not to have to go through a 'middleman"; a person whom I talk to who relays the message and then tells me what the cruise line said. I had one cruise when this resulted in the wrong cruise being booked and I did not find out about it until a week before the cruise. I found out then because that's when the agent called to say my cruise documents were ready. It was too late to change things so I ended up on a cruise that I didn't want. So I just prefer to deal directly with the cruise line and on the internet is fine with me. All of what you need is right on the web site and if or when you have a question or concern you can always call the cruise line directly. You don't have to wait until you can catch your agent and you get your answer pretty much immediately. You cannot beat shopping for a cruise online. In my opinion its much better than just accepting what an agent tells you. If you do that you will never know whether you have all of the information and options. You can even go through the process of booking a cruise and find out what the total price is, and what deposit is required, and then cancel or quit the action.
I have booked now about 6 or 7 cruises on line and had no problem with the reservations. I have had to call the cruise line representative a couple or three times to make sure that things were as I wanted them and I have never had a problem doing this. Even when I plan to book while on a cruise I still do my on line research and print out a copy of what I want so when I talk to the "on Board Cruise Consultant" I can show them what I want. That works for me.
The other thing that I like about booking cruises online is I have complete control and access to my reservation. If I want to change anything or cancel a reservation (which I have done online) all of the information is there and things are taken care of immediately.
So ONLINE works best for me!!!! I have booked with a local TA when we booked our first cruise and when we organized a large group. This worked out well and I recommend it for those circumstances. I booked once through the cruiseline website once as they had a great last minute special. I once booked through an online website because they had a specific itinerary that I wanted. All three ways worked out beautifully. Do your research ( I start mine online) and then check out your other options. See if they have the same or better price. Just make sure all costs are included so that you're comparing apples to apples (port fees, taxes, fuel surcharge etc) I haven't booked yet...but i definitely play to book my 2009 cruise online with www.vacationstogo.com
You can get cruises for up to 75% off!
I've booked a lot of other vacations online and had no problems..thats the way to go these days...
Travel agents will charge you big-time!
I could have saved myself $1000 last time i went to Mexico if i had booked online over a TA...
Theres always people you can call if theres a problem... you can join a great cruise group here
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Cruiseaddi...
I always book straight through the cruise line itself. Watch the web site for good prices and then call the 800 number and book direct. You'll get your best extras that way. Be sure to asked about extras and upgrades... I have been on 20 cruises and what I do is either order or pick up a brochure find the cruise I want and deal directly with the cruise line. I am offered all the discounts and upgrades. I know I have checked.
My first cruise I used an agent but, when it came time for the second they seemed to busy. So the last 19 threw the cruise line & never has a problem. The one problem I did have was with something out of the cruise lines hand but, they stepped up and gave arather large discount on the next cruise.
Of course what works for one may not work for another. http://www.ticketsavvy.com :) | 