USCG Teacher

Just seconding literally every post prior to mine.  I have enough hassles in my life, having the ability to offload one of them for $0 is a no-brainer to me.

A car? My guy is good but he can't compete with that. 🤣

I will join in on the TA All The Way crowd but I will also note that all TAs are not equal.  Many, many, many people start looking for a TA and are attracted by OBC or free goodies (specialty dining, etc.).  Be careful !  Those that hand out trinkets are not always the best "reservation managers" as @smokeybandit put it.  I'm not suggesting that all big box agencies are awful, but some are.  If you are looking for personalized, responsive and reliable service, I recommend a TA NOT from one of the big box/online agencies.  We have used MEI in the past and highly recommend them.

Just seconding literally every post prior to mine.  I have enough hassles in my life, having the ability to offload one of them for $0 is a no-brainer to me.

Just seconding literally every post prior to mine.  I have enough hassles in my life, having the ability to offload one of them for $0 is a no-brainer to me.

Just seconding literally every post prior to mine.  I have enough hassles in my life, having the ability to offload one of them for $0 is a no-brainer to me.

Just seconding literally every post prior to mine.  I have enough hassles in my life, having the ability to offload one of them for $0 is a no-brainer to me.

I went from self booking to using a great TA (MEI).  I'm OCD so it was difficult at first.  Now I find my cruise on the web and email the TA the ship, sail date, and cabin class I want and "poof".  I'll never go back to self booking.

I always use an agent. If you have a good one, it's not only easier,  but larger ones, like Cruise Planners or MEI, create corporate groups.  If you can get in one, they're a good deal.

I don't know if 3-4 cruises per year is frequent but I began using a TA when prices started going crazy and I would never book on my own again. Just to be clear though, my TA doesn't find me cruises, I find my own then ask if he has a group rate or any other promos.
If your TA has group rates and OBC like good ones do, yes, it's a mistake to just book yourself, price-wise.
I've only ever used 2. One was with MEI and I have nothing but good things to say about him. I see no reason why your TA would need to be anywhere near where you live. As long as they respond to e-mails promptly, that's all I care about.

I don't cruise very much anymore, just five or six per year, but when I was a frequent cruiser every cruise I booked had a TA involved with it.

I use a travel agent every single time. 
It’s not about booking the cruise.  It’s about who’s there to fix it when a problem occurs.

The reason frequent cruisers typically use a full service TA is that there are many things that can go wrong with your bookings - the most notable being cancellations.  Having a TA makes that experience much less of a hassle.  
I used to book my own cruises until the Covid cancellations forced me to spend a huge amount of time on the phone dealing with cancellations and FCC's.
Dealing with a cancelled 2024 Panama Canal cruise required a simple email to my TA.  I use MEI.
TA's cost nothing and you can still book on your own and then transfer the booking if you prefer.

You can find travel agents/agencies that will get you nice perks.

But the key aspects of a good travel agent is reservation management. In a way like insurance, you probably won't ever need their services after booking. But when you do, you really do.

This wouldn't even have phased me because it's the norm here in Philly and NJ...supermarkets charge for bags now

Stores in my state charge for plastic bags. Some don't offer them at all anymore leading up to a new law next year that bans them completely.

 

Airline unions have a very methodical approach to labor disputes. Agreeing to strike doesn't mean a strike is imminent or that it will ever happen

Can lead to some interesting events in Vintages, though, especially with some of "those" Pins on board.
 

Can lead to some interesting events in Vintages, though, especially with some of "those" Pins on board.
 

We appreciated your observations on this, and everything else you experienced on the trip.  Please do not let a few negative comments discourage you from continuing to share you adventures.  I am looking forward to the next one!

So other people on your cruises were offered a different price than you were?

OK? As is everyone else's on that item for your cruises. So what's your gripe exactly?
Did Royal promise a deal on every single item on every single cruise? If so, I missed it, and my apologies.

Here ya go…

That's not a great analogy. When a store has a sale, it's generally not 50% off everything in the store. Jeans may be $5 off, t-shirts may be 30% off, sweaters may be 20% off, and jackets may not be on sale at all.
That's not unfair to those looking for a jacket, it's just bad luck.