PieEater Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 I recently booked my first cruise on the amplified Allure of the Seas direct through Royal Caribbean. Having watched a lot of Matt’s blogs he seems to recommend always booking through an agent rather than booking direct. I called a couple of large agents around the time that I booked and most were more expensive than booking direct except for one which worked out about £50 cheaper for exactly the same package (no $150 credit but the overall package was cheaper). This agent said I could transfer the booking to them. I have only booked in the last month so know I would still be eligible to do this. Should I transfer the booking to the agent? Can anyone tell me what the advantages of this rather than holding the booking direct with RCI? I presume I would still be protected by ABTA etc. We booked from the United Kingdom if that makes any difference. I would appreciate any advice you have. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAAAYTOOO Posted February 20, 2020 Report Share Posted February 20, 2020 Welcome to the blog, PieEater ! There are pros and cons with using an agent. Actually, there are many pros and only 1 con -at least, in my eyes. The only negative is that you lose personal direct control of your booking. The Agent must intercede on your behalf on all matters including adjustments or payments. The pros are many....especially in the rare situations where things don’t go exactly the way you think they will. In those situations, the Agent is priceless. Booking (and, most notably, booking adjustments) rules do differ from the UK to the US but I don’t know enough about UK rules to be of much help here. I believe that with UK rules, you cannot price adjust, should your cruise fare drop. I don’t know whether you realize this or not, but you can book under US rules (which will permit cruise fare price adjustments) if you book with a US agent. The sponsor of this blog site (MEI Travel) is such an authorized US/UK agent. Many of us here use MEI. The one rule is that you must pay in USD. Should you transfer your booking to an Agent ? Frankly, if everything goes as planned, there is no need for an Agent. However, things don’t always go as planned. Recently, with all of the uncertainty surrounding things the the Corona Virus, you just never know. Adding or subtracting people to/from your booking, changing staterooms, linking reservations to other bookings, booking excursions - all things that Agents handle for you, should you need them. Personally, I use MEI 100% of the time. They’ve saved me more than once...or twice. Whatever you decide, good luck and happy cruising ! PieEater and Jax 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 21, 2020 Report Share Posted February 21, 2020 When you say that it was more expensive to use an agent, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Taxes, port fees, gratuities and other costs may be missing from online quotes, whereas good agents will include that as part of the quote to avoid surprises. One thing you can also do is if an agent quotes you higher, let them know you're seeing a lower price. They can then compare and ensure you're getting lowest price, or at least explain why it';s not the case. Baked Alaska 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baked Alaska Posted February 21, 2020 Report Share Posted February 21, 2020 5 minutes ago, Matt said: When you say that it was more expensive to use an agent, make sure you're comparing apples to apples. Taxes, port fees, gratuities and other costs may be missing from online quotes, whereas good agents will include that as part of the quote to avoid surprises. One thing you can also do is if an agent quotes you higher, let them know you're seeing a lower price. They can then compare and ensure you're getting lowest price, or at least explain why it';s not the case. I'll add that your TA should never charge you a fee for THEIR service. The good ones do not. Period. FManke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted February 21, 2020 Report Share Posted February 21, 2020 Just now, Baked Alaska said: I'll add that your TA should never charge you a fee for THEIR service. The good ones do not. Period. Agree 100%. If a TA is charging you for their services, find a new one. FManke 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FManke Posted February 21, 2020 Report Share Posted February 21, 2020 1 minute ago, Matt said: Agree 100%. If a TA is charging you for their services, find a new one. +1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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