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Booking as a cruise package vs directly with RCCL


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I am working with a new travel agent as our previous one retired at the beginning of the pandemic. The new one has been recommended by a couple of friends, and has been a travel agent in our community for many, many years. 
 

In looking to book our next family cruise, she suggested that we consider booking as a package deal through Air Canada Vacations. The advantages she shared were lower deposits, not having to pay for the flight at booking though locked in right away, and both the cruise rate and flight rate were a couple hundred dollars less per person. (We are a family of 6, so that adds up.) She told me that ACV has contracts which allow them to book as a bundle at a lower rate. I imagine I will not be able to do any repricing if rates drop, but I also think that flights are unlikely to get any cheaper the closer we get. Any thoughts or questions I should ask? Of course, it would be great to save money with the package but not if it comes at a cost in other ways. Thank you!

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I would ask them about the repricing.  Most travel agents/agencies will do that, but I would find out upfront as we had one that did not.  The reason they are able to give you the discounts, etc is they have created a group and it gives them certain perks to use.  They may or may not be able to change pricing once you are assigned a stateroom.

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19 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Just about every major airline has a vacations segment to it.

Would there be any different restrictions on your reservation if it's booked out of Canada?

We are from Canada so either way, we would be booking it with Canadian pricing, etc.

 

17 minutes ago, TessOR said:

I would ask them about the repricing.  Most travel agents/agencies will do that, but I would find out upfront as we had one that did not.  The reason they are able to give you the discounts, etc is they have created a group and it gives them certain perks to use.  They may or may not be able to change pricing once you are assigned a stateroom.

My understanding is that we can choose our staterooms just like if we booked directly with RCCL. I assume we would not be able to reprice, however, if fares dropped, but I will ask that specifically.

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Also, make sure the new agency you selected follows Royal's policies and does not charge their own additional fees/penalties for changes/repricing/cancellations, etc. They get paid by the cruise line, should follow their policies/guidelines, and should not charge you for their normal/basic services.

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14 hours ago, Castle Cruiser said:

Any thoughts are questions I should ask?

  1. ARE THERE ANY FEES FOR YOUR SERVICES INCLUDING CANCELLING A CRUISE?
  2. Do I work with the same agent all the time, or is it round robin?
  3. What should I expect realistically in terms of turn around time on questions
  4. Do you (the agent you're working with) specialize in cruises? Have you been on Royal Caribbean?
  5. If I spy a lower price, will you reprice?
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2 hours ago, Matt said:
  1. ARE THERE ANY FEES FOR YOUR SERVICES INCLUDING CANCELLING A CRUISE?
  2. Do I work with the same agent all the time, or is it round robin?
  3. What should I expect realistically in terms of turn around time on questions
  4. Do you (the agent you're working with) specialize in cruises? Have you been on Royal Caribbean?
  5. If I spy a lower price, will you reprice?

Thanks for these questions. Yes, I have discussed these with the agent, and I feel confident in using her. She has been very responsive and is quite knowledgeable. She is the one who suggested we consider booking through the airline’s vacation division as they offer a bundle of cruise + air at a lower rate than booking each part separately with RCCL and Air Canada directly.

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