What are the advantages of booking a cruise through a Travel Agent?

Answer

Be sure you choose a Travel Agent who specializes in cruises, not someone who books a cruise now and then. They will be familiar with the personalities of different cruise lines. Once the Travel Agent gets to know you, they will be able to steer you to a cruise that is right for you.

Some people mistakenly believe that they can get a lower fare by booking directly with the cruise line, because the Travel Agent earns a commission. This is NOT true. If the price of a three-day cruise to the Bahamas is $1,500, the cruise line will NOT reduce the price just because they are not paying a Travel Agent commission. They will still charge you the full amount and pocket the difference. In effect, the cruise line pays the commission, you do not.

Travel Agents who specialize in cruises book A LOT of cruises. Thousands or tens of thousands per year. So, they are in a position to negotiate much better fares than an individual consumer. They can also request and receive free perks, like upgraded cabins, welcome baskets, free drinks, or free transfers, that most of us would not even dream of asking.

One thing to keep in mind however is that once you hand over your reservation to a TA you lose control over it and the line cannot discuss anything about it with you, the guest. I work for NCL and I hear it everyday, many people just don't understand this and get tied up in a huge push-pull between the two sides. They might just want to change their address or add a bottle of wine to their res but we cannot do it for them, only the TA can. I have heard so many stories from "my TA's in the hospital, out of town etc. and he cannot call" or "I call their office and the line is disconnected..." or the best of them all, "I called my TA and they told me to call you directly!" Oh boy....

There are many decent TA's out there but IMHO it is always better to do the leg work yourself and call the line directly. Like the answer before mine you really need to get a TA that deals only with cruising to really get any benefit out of it. Understandably there are so many lines with so many ships and so many itineraries that most TA's can't keep up. And finally the bottom line is: the price you get from a TA is usually the same as the price you would get if you booked it yourself (ridiculous '5% off a t-shirt and hat when you spend $50 in the gift shop' coupon books are NOT a great bargain!)

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