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Using a travel agent


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Do you think that a travel agent is the best way to go when booking your vacation?  Do they get any inside deals that we can’t get on our own from the RC website?

I ask bc I actually love doing all the planning.  When we go to Disney, I do it all there.  The hotel, flight, all my fast passes etc so why wouldn’t this be any different?

Would I be missing out on getting a package deal or an excursion price break by using a TA? 

What’s your opinion.

Karli

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Welcome to the the Boards!  I was the same - I did all the planning.  Obsessively looking at the ROYAL's web site, building ghost reservations, calling RC Agents (unbelievable how much time was wasted) I let that go with MEI.  Now I focus on excursions and activities while MEI handles the rest.  Wow.  What a difference.  When you know you have a good TA, cruise planning is so easy and I can focus on what is important.  

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Just now, Bob_KY said:

 When you know you have a good TA, cruise planning is so easy and I can focus on what is important.  

This is the key. 

I also really enjoy all the planning, but there are times when I really appreciate having someone who can stay on top of things when I don't have time. For example, if I want to do something that is sold out, I don't have to check back every day for a cancellation as long as I trust my TA to make it happen for me!

Often TAs will throw in a small perk as well, like a bottle of wine sent to your cabin or some such. 

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There are some big box stores that will give extra discounts.  I also book all my own travel arrangements to most places except a cruise.  Using a TA helps me as I typically book connecting rooms and those aren't the easiest to find on my own.  I can and sometimes will tell the TA the exact rooms to book but she still does the booking as she needs to call RC since I have my kids under 21 in a room and we'll be in the other. 

That being said let me share what my TA (Nancy at MEI) has done for me in the past 6 weeks.  This is the first time in 5 or so years of cruising where I've had problems.

1.  My TA called me out of the blue to tell me about my July Navigator cruise.  RC moved one of the rooms (my kids room) to a different deck.  When we booked, the room had a 4 person occupancy but after dry dock it was only for 2 people.  My TA caught it and spent 3 days working on what she knew would be an acceptable solution to me.  She and her supervisor finally had both of the rooms moved so they are still connecting.  While she explained this to me, she casually mentioned the next problem in #2.

2.  May Symphony cruise.  RC said I suddenly owed a balance.  My TA showed them the paperwork that we were paid in full.  I think it was because I canceled the Key and rather than refunding me, RC somehow said I owed them the money.  My TA worked it out so I could get my refund and show it was paid in full.  I couldn't print out my set sail passes and she spent some time on the phone working through their IT issues and it was finally solved the day before my cruise.

3.  Another email from the TA.  "Did we cancel your 2 sons on your March 2021 cruise?  RC refunded the deposit for them."   She quickly put my 2 boys back on the reservation so I didn't have a repricing situation.

Talk about bad luck with RC over the past few weeks.  I've been dealing with a family crisis and absolutely would not have had the time to been able to resolve these on my own.  While I don't pay her a dime directly, she has been a wonderful advocate for me when problems come up.  And that doesn't even talk about my Alaska cruise where she's priced out so many different options for me.

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1 hour ago, karli813 said:

Do you think that a travel agent is the best way to go when booking your vacation?  Do they get any inside deals that we can’t get on our own from the RC website?

I ask bc I actually love doing all the planning.  When we go to Disney, I do it all there.  The hotel, flight, all my fast passes etc so why wouldn’t this be any different?

Would I be missing out on getting a package deal or an excursion price break by using a TA? 

What’s your opinion.

Karli

Karli, 

I don't think you get a better price from a travel agent, but you get service.  We have always used a travel agent because we are AAA members.  Aside from educating us about cruising and traveling to various embarkation ports, they have helped solve problems.  Sometimes they have canceled and rebooked cruises to get us the benefit of a special promotion.  We do get a bottle of wine and periodic OBC, and we sometimes get free specialty dinners or lunches.  But when American Airlines lost our luggage on a 3-week trip to New  Zealand and Australia, it was nice to know our agent was working on our behalf to find the luggage.  As was stated, we don't pay the agent anything for cruises.  There is a fee for airline tickets, so we only have our agent book those tickets when we are traveling overseas.  For the NZ/Australia trip, our agent found a lower price than we could arrange on our own.   I'd rather talk to an agent than fight computer glitches, which is why I prefer agents.   Most of my life I've done things on my own, and I've made mistakes that would have been avoided had I asked for help.  So now I ask for help when I can't be the "expert".

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Booked our first cruise with a travel agent , what a waste, I knew my than they did and they were a "recommended TA" no extra perks infact they charged me $25. Snce then I've been booking online with RCCL. and air2sea, easy to due and have not encountered a problem. One of my supervisors told me a story that she was cursing out of New Orleans when Katrina hit, the ship was extended one day at sea. she related that they had booked with RCCL and they just went to the  customer service counter and their return flights were taken care of while people that used a TA were franticly trying to call them to revise the onward reservations

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15 hours ago, karli813 said:

Do you think that a travel agent is the best way to go when booking your vacation?  Do they get any inside deals that we can’t get on our own from the RC website?

I ask bc I actually love doing all the planning.  When we go to Disney, I do it all there.  The hotel, flight, all my fast passes etc so why wouldn’t this be any different?

Would I be missing out on getting a package deal or an excursion price break by using a TA? 

What’s your opinion.

Karli

Way better prices out there NOT using Royal's website.......

 

Whether you book it on your own or using a TA to do it is a personal choice( I have found TA's to be hit or miss)

 

Guess it depends on how much free time you have as well..to shop around, watch for price drops, incentives from different sites etc

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I wholeheartedly agree that using a t/a is usually hit or miss but since this site has real life experience to support their recommendations, I'd at least give it a shot. I'm an agent that is wrapping up my franchise so I have the freedom to discuss the business side of things. We have the potential to make things very easy for you but are there good and bad agents "out there?" Soitenly, so the main thing I like to suggest is use an agent who actually cruises, at least occasionally (cubicle cruising does NOT count ;>)

The negative aspect to using any agent is giving up your control over the booking. The vets on these boards will confirm the withdrawal symptoms but it can be done. As stated you should be getting something for that though (best pricing, knowledgeable cabin selection and maybe an extra perk or two). 

 

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