Is it better to go directly to cruiseline to book a cruise or use a travel agent?

Is it better to go directly to cruiseline to book
a cruise or go through a travel agent?

Been on three cruises so far and looking to book 4th
and have always used travel agent but was wondering
if it is cheaper to go directly to cruiseline.


Charlie

If you have never taken a cruise I would first try at least two different chat boards that specialize in rating various cruise lines and give fairly detailed feedback on their experiences. I have used the chat boards but don't recall their link right now. You can do searches in Yahoo (of course) and Google for the chat and message boards for cruise lovers. They would also be able to give you the financial best bet. I believe I (we) went straight to the cruise line we wanted to use. Try both to see where you get your best offer. You do know that waiting until 10 days or less from your cruise time can get you a better deal but I would buy my airline tickets 30 days out. I am not sure but think the Hurricane season is coming up in the next few months isn't it? Be careful about the dates you choose. Also pay close attention to the type of customer the particular ship and trip caters to. If you are going for romantic or singles you would not want a family-oriented ship and vice versa.

Yes, definitely book with a travel agent. I cruise all the time and have used a travel agent for every single booking. Several reasons why. The main reason is that she is able to tell me everything I need to know. She keeps me up to date on what I will need to board, passports, etc. She knows all the secrets and tips. She has lots of good ideas, etc. Some people say you can find this information by looking online, but I disagree. She knows a lot more than any source I have found online. Cruising can be really picky and if you don't have the right stuff, you can't get on the cruise and you have to go home. She makes sure I get the nicest ships, helps me pick rooms, get insurance, and tell me all the information I need to know about everything that is dealing with the cruise.

Second, you can go with an online discounter to maybe get a lower rate. But you really need to know a lot about cruising to make sure that you know what you are doing is correct and that you have all the right documents, etc. Plus, I have heard of many people, not just one or two, that have had problems with the booking. Some found out just before they were supposed to leave that they didn't have a booking, others had problems that weren't able to be corrected because they booked with the online discounter, etc. It can be a real headache and sometimes the cruise lines have difficulty working with your reservation if you book with the discounter.

Finally, my agent almost always gets me a much lower rate than I can get either thru the line or with a discounter. She is able to offer a group rate because her agency buys a group of rooms when the rates come out. So they are able to offer the lowest rates until their rooms sell out.

Plus, my agent doesn't charge anything for what she does. If they don't have a group rate, the price is exactly the same as going directly thru the airline. But sometimes Orbitz and stuff will add on a fee.

Finally it is the service that you get. If you get a good agent that specializes in cruises, it will be great. They can take care of everything for you and you don't have to worry about it. You still get to have fun by planning the vacation, but you don't have to have all the worry that is invovled.

Even though you have been on several cruises, the policies and other information is always changing. It can be risky to book it on your own or with an online discounter, probably more risky with the discounters. If you have a good agent, I really don't think there should be any question to continue to use them. My agent always gets me the same rates as the line or a little lower because the group rates they offer. She provides a wonderful service so I will continue to book thru her. Even if her prices were higher, the service is well worth it to me. I suppose if your agent doesn't really take care of things properly then that could be why you are questioning booking on your own. But I would never question doing it on my own, even if my agent was charging double. Just be sure to tell your agent any discounts you may have and they will be able to get the same rates from the cruiseline.

Hope this helps!

Kudos to tech_fanatic...use a travel agent.
You can book it online through a travel agency but directly with the cruiseline. The agency will be notified of you booking and you will still offer you the services that you would have recieved if you called the travel agency direct. Look for sites that have offer online booking that takes you to the cruise lines site. These sites where created for the travel agencies.

If you know how to do it online and are familiar with the various cruise lines and what they offer and the cabin and destinantion options, do it online. You will get the same price and discount, except maybe a big cruise wholesaler may have a special deal for a particular cruise that may save you a few dollars.

Otherwise, everything you need is online. I did my upcoming cruise in May online and did one last Oct online. If you do it online you can complete all of the precruise documents online also and print out your cruise pass; when you get to the port it speeds your checkin.