I would check before you book. Some agencies such as Cruise Value charge $75 per person to cancel. There are many that do not charge.

I used travelocity, orbitz, etc. I also called Cosco and AAA. Tried cruise 411 and a local travel agent. I was told by the Cosco travel agent that RCCL doesn't (didn't?) allow discounting.

Interesting. I'll look into that. a Costco agent once told me they can give deals on all the cruie lines they use.

I second the comment about not recomending cruisequick.com. Had a VERY horrible experience with them, and no phone number........forget it.

triptaker, could you elaborate? I am booked with them for Sept (5 cabins).

I would also like to know. I just booked with them for a April 2007 cruise. They came in $200 cheaper than anyone else.

I'm new to the cruising thing, but I did do quite a bit of research before I booked. I found the best rate for me (which happened to be a military rate) at vacationstogo.com and then talked directly with a military cruise expert at Carnival.

Also try www.cruisesonly.com, www.vacationoutlet.com, www.samsclubvacations.com (members get discount, but, RCCL does not allow it, that is true)www.cruises.com...most have Best price guarantee if you find lower rate in 48hrs-14 days (each one is specific on the time frame) they will match, etc...also have 24/7 cust serv & sales people available even if you book online...all same support staff behind the scenes....

Wednesday: How long has Sams had a travel club? I usually use Costco and if I recall correctly as of about 1 yr. ago an employee at Sams told me they did not have such a club. Anyway now I have more choices. Cheers, Larry. :-)

I also used to shop around but I don't have to do this anymore, since I already know my agent will beat any competition. His name is Alex at [email protected]. He works for Cruise Value Center and gets me even better prices than on website.

I have been on 15 cruises...."vacationstogo" is unbeatable, except by accident. If you can go short term you will be so surprised and probably want to send me a check. But mainly a cruise is what YOU make of it.

Larry/Jacketwatch, Sams travel has been around longer than a year - I remember getting a quote from them a few years ago. You can check their prices online (if you register).

Joan; Thank you. I'll check for brochures next time I'm there. I'll bet they are competitive w/ Costco. :-)

Hi jacketwatch...I am not sure how long Sam's has been selling travel, as they switched their backup company recently to the team at Cruises Only, I am not sure who did it before that...the largest cruise retailer. Same folks handle the cruise reservations behind the scenes...Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, and now Disney do not allow them to do the Sam's discount FYI. They do have a strict customer service policy and take it more seriously than other retailers though, in my opinion. and they charge no extra xcel or processing fee, only cruise line penalties..

Thanks Wednesday. Actually what I'll do asap is call them and compare the deal I got w/ Costco. We'll see. Cheers. Larry :-)