purchasing cruise tickets

I've used cruisecompete several times. You put in the cruise you want and travel agencies send you bids--just be sure that all port fees, taxes, etc are included so you're comparing apples to apples.

I would second the vote for http://www.CruiseCompete.com. I've had success here and I know a lot of people on this board swear by them.

They also have a nice video library with shorts about how cruise pricing works. This one about how to get the best prices on cruise tickets might be a good place for you to start:

http://www.cruisecompete.com/video_how_to_get_the_best_cruise_prices.php

I have used laura at Crucon several times. As a single its not cheap to cruise as you endup in many cases paying double and she has been superior in getting me discounted fares, and other perks, as well as helping with other issues. Crucon # 1-800-493-6609.
The smart thing is to check several out get ball park figures and then go with the place and person you feel you can work best with.

We're very happy with AffordableTours.com

Hi JC,

We had a good experience with www.cruise.com

We;ve booked a couple cruises with www.cruisesonly.com and were satisfied. Our last two were reserved through Costco Travel by telephone (can't arrange online) and again thought we got good prices.

Believe it or not, we've had a lot of success with Expedia several times. Also used cruise.com
Expedia, when dealing with 1 consultant has matched and given other special offers obc, free cabin upgrades, etc...
I thought I'd find better deals with others, buthave used them a few times. Also like Travelzoo.
Good luck.
Also, look into Tropicana juicy rewards if you travel with NCL. You collect points from caps and can easily get $100 obc.

Jeanie: Was wondering what you ended up doing. Any results to report?

I agree, like CruiseCompete

Check with my agent Alex from cruise.com at bestcruiseprices@aol.com, he's the best.

We've been very happy with Cruz Unlimited (our agent is Shari sharicruz@aol.com )- the best reason to use an agent is that they will often offer perks that the direct booking with the cruise line won't (on board credit, upgrades). Also - a good agent will keep an eye on the prices of your cruise, and if it goes down before you go, you can get the new price.

I tried both cruisecompete.com and three agencies, one mentioned in the replies and one that I used last year with satisfaction. I tried three cruises-one I had to pass because just after getting the quotes for a Mediterranean cruise, a decision was made to take a cruise with family in the Caribbean that was at the same time. This latter cruise involved multiple cabins. I then got quotes for an Artic Circle cruise in August. In all three cases I got the best price through Cruisecompete. I did check out the BBB rating and felt OK. So far have only paid deposit on the two cruises so the whole experience is not yet complete.

It depends. Some cruise lines do not allow TA discounts, so no matter what, you will pay the same through the TA or the cruise line direct. The small difference is that the TA may be willing to offer $25 to ??? on board credit (depending on the length of the cruise and cabin choice). We just booked Royal Caribbean 5 day cruise for the fall and any, and I mean any TA site I checked offered the same price that the cruise line did, no more, no less. Our TA offered $50 on board credit, so I guess you can consider that the discount. If we booked the owner's suite or the presidential suite the OBC may have been as high as $500, but that's only because these cabins go for $3 or 4K and up per person for a 5 day cruise.

Royal Caribbean is one of the cruise lines that do not allow TA discounts.

AA: You might be surprised. While rebating isn't allowed by RCL, that's far from the only way you can get discounts. For example, agencies often hold discounted group space on these sailings. The trick, of course, is to find the agency that happens to have space on the sailing you want, which is why it's always best to shop around (on your own or with a bidding site).