Teri Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Matt, I am still a cruise newbie (Disney expert). I have booked 2 cruises on my own, but I would like a travel agent's help with booking a Mediterranean cruise for next summer, hoping for help finding a good cabin/price etc. I don't want to drive an agent crazy, but I do like to compare prices/dates, etc. I have heard an agent can help get additional discounts or have insights I do not. There are so many choices for this type of cruise. We are in the Dallas/Ft Worth area. I don't care if the agent is local, but want a cruise informed agent. Any ideas? markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Hi Teri. There are a lot of good travel agents and the key is to find one that you like and fits the criteria you mentioned. I'm obliged to mention MEI-Travel is a travel agency that sponsors this site and I have worked with in the past. In fact, one of their agents is on these boards and her username is Michelle. Full disclosure: they are a sponsor and pay me money to appear as such. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocLC Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 I was going to make the same recommendations, Matt, especially for Michelle. Plus, didn't she just get back from France? Regarding comparing prices, keep in mind that price isn't everything. You can get better pricing and/or more included things (e.g., insurance or gratuities), but this is ultimately coming out of the TA's commission. Also, some online agencies are difficult to deal with. For example, I can get better pricing or an onboard credit through my warehouse club; however, they charge a $75 every time there's a change (e.g., price reduction or a cancellation) even if such a fee is not imposed by the cruise line. Further, it's a call center type of operation, so I never deal with the same person when I call and I almost always have a 20 minute or longer wait. That said, they also saved my butt when I needed to change dates for a extended family vacation and I ended up booking over a weekend when I had a conference to attend. While I did have to pay the $75 change fee, they were able to reduce the price by about $100 per person, so I actually ended up saving money. markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted July 17, 2015 Report Share Posted July 17, 2015 Hello TXHappy to help you! and yes, I was in France in April and loved it -please email me directly and we can get you started on a fabulous trip! Thank you Matt and DocLC [email protected] markinct 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teri Posted July 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 19, 2015 Hi Michelle. I will contact you this week. I've listened to Matt's WDW Today podcast for years with Annette and have always heard great things about your agents, just had not realized they did other things than WDW. We are still not totally settled on details like dates, itenerary, etc., but will contact you to get started on this. And thank you to Matt and San Diego for responses. I need to figure out how to make names visible.. Matt 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michelle Posted July 23, 2015 Report Share Posted July 23, 2015 Thanks - happy to help you get this all booked! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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