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Travel agent recommendations?

Hi all, Just found out today that my travel agent at Cruise.com has resigned. And I was in the middle of planning my next cruise with him too! He always got me incredible deals. I spoke with someone else at the same agency today and her prices were several hundred more pp than what he quoted me earlier this week. So now I need another travel agent. Does anyone have an recommendations? The only agent I've ever used besides Ajay was Skyscraper Tours (got excellent service and a good deal with them a few years ago). Looking forward to your advice... Britt

See my posts under the posts titled Why pay TA Commissions and EXPEDIA TRAVELS MAGAZINE. We found a TA by using the Bargain Finder feature at Cruisemates.com.

Check out cruise411.com, great prices.

I used Nancy Bogert with Cruise Planners. Her number is 800-561-0802. Her email is [email protected]. Nancy offers great service with excellent prices. I have been very pleased with her service. She is a MCC and really knows her cruiselines. Good luck!

We've always used the same TA. You acn reach her at this e-mail address. She's great!! [email protected] Toll Free 888 495-0066

Who was the agent that gave you a higher pp price? I booked a cruise with cruise.com and my agent is female. If you don't want to post her name here, you can email me.

I would not use Skyscraper Tours. The travel agent (Lori Cunningham) is unethical and has screwed up a lot of bookings for people I know. I know several who have had problems with her.

Do Not Use Liberty Travel Agency. If you have any problems they suddenly are like a senator at a hearing, "I don't recall". And their prices are inflated.

Cruise.com? their prices are higher than the cruise-line. I do not know how they get away with it. Paul

When we decide to book a cruise, many of us go to the same local travel agent in our town, the one we use to book all our vacations. But, times have changed. The local travel agent can no longer compete with the pricing that is offered by the large cruise agencies. The local travel agents are giving way to the large cruise agencies, just like the Momma & Poppa grocery stores gave way to the super markets and the corner hardware store gave way to Home Depot and Lowes. We may not like it, but that is the reality of the business world today. Mary & I suggest that the way for you to get the very best price for your cruise is to do the following. Get a quote from your agent, then call our agent Gari Senderoff and tell him we suggested you call him and ask him to give you his quote on the same exact accommodations. Make sure the accommodations you ask him to quote on are the same. If you do not have a cruise agent, I would strongly recommend Gari for you. He works for one of the top cruise agencies in South Florida, that has solid contacts with all the major cruise lines. He is a very personable, easy to talk to young man and is one of the 10 top agents in the country. We have booked 12 cruises with Gari in the last 18 months and have two more booked for the end of this year. Because of the business we generate and the respect we have for one another, we have a very close relationship. If you call Gari, make sure you mention our name and you can be assured Gari will do everything possible to make you happy. Gari Senderoff South Beach Cruises 420 Lincoln Rd. suite #320 Miami Beach, FL 33139 1-800-650-7245 Ext. 114 E-Mail [email protected] We're sending Gari a copy of this e-mail, so if you call, he will know we recommended him. If we can be of any further help, don't hesitate to drop us a line. Warm regards, Tom & Mary

Lowest price gaurenteed - Crucon.com - Patrice Walker 800-493-6609

I have had great luck using Costco's (the membership warehouse) travel service. I believe that Sam's Club has one also. The only downfall is that you must be a member of the warehouse to get deals. However, membership is only $30 for a whole year, shopping there is great, and the discounts are typically more than $100 pp. Jenna

If you haven't booked your cruise yet, I would love to help you. Our agency specializes in cruises and gets great pricing because we are part of Carlson Wagonlit- the largest travel franchise in the world. I am a fairly new travel agent that became a travel agent because I love to plan great trips- I've done this for the past 15 years for friends and didn't get paid for it. I love what I do and spend alot of time making sure my customers get the best deal possible on the right cruise for them. Give me a call (800)893-3764

Hi! Looks like you are getting plenty of recommendations, but I will add one more... I would highly recommend Les Rodner of The Cruise Planners. 1-888-246-2732 (toll free); www.2go2sea.com. He provided me with extremely good service and a great rate on our upcoming family cruise in December. Good Luck! Laura

Jenna - we booked a cruise with Costco for this past July and although we are members, we were told you do not have to be and they never asked for any proof that we were. They generally offer 10% off - the cruise we just booked for next year, though, they were higher than cruise.com. Our local agent met the price that cruise.com offered so we are booking with her.

Bobbie, Now that I think of it, I never did have to give them my membership number or anything! Thanks for mentioning that. :) You are lucky that your local agent was able to match the rate. Although I was totally pleased with Costco's service and will use them again, I orginally wanted a face-to-face travel agent to deal with, but my agent would match the price. Thanks again for mentioning the membership (or nonmembership) requirement!!

I have also used Nancy Bogert and she is wonderful! I can't say enough nice things about her. She is a cruise only travel agent, has her MCC (master cruise consultant status with CLIA), handles lots of group cruises and is a top producer within Cruise Planners. She provides excellent service and discounts her cruises - her prices are great. Here is her info: Nancy S. Bogert,MCC Cruise Planners 1-800-561-0802/570-323-0112 Fax 570-323-0702 [email protected] or [email protected]

Thanks everyone for the recommendations. I called a couple of the ta's listed and found a really helpful ta.