Travel Agent VS. on line booking
 

Should I book a cruise through a travel agent or do it on line myself? Which is less expensive?

Hello,
It truly depends on your destination, cruise line and travel agency. A lot of larger, local agencies (as well as online agencies) will block group space on popular sailings which will sometimes give you much better rates. Most cruise lines regulate discounting (not on groups) so you may find the rates to be the same. If you can find a good travel agent that's the road I would recommend so that you have someone who is working for you. Keep in mind, as a travel agent, I am a little biased.

Good luck! There are some great cruises out there :-)
Lisa

Cost is not the only thing to consider. A lot of times the price is the same whether you book it yourself or with an agent.

However, an agent can help you get the best cabin, amenities, etc. Also, when using a travel agent, you have someone (with special relationships and contacts at the cruise lines) who will work in your best interests to fix problems if you're unhappy with something during the cruise.

If you book online, you're on your own.

I don't cruise, but I've read that you are likely to get the best deal from a specialist agency (not just the one down the street). Suggest you re-post on the Cruise board here and check out cruisecritic.com.

If you are just booking a simple Caribbean cruise (and not one in the middle of winter), booking directly online is fine.

I think people are too obsessed with price. Prices don't vary that much. Yes, you might save $50 here or $75 there, but that's about all the variation you typically see. What you can get through certain agencies is a lot more direct customer service, and that's a good thing on a cruise. But if you are just booking a cabin guarantee, then I don't see the advantage in using an agent for the typical Caribbean cruise unless you are traveling from a distant or difficult to reach part of the country.

Remember that Expedia, Travelocity, and Orbitz are travel agents, albeit online agencies. They can and will give you customer service if something goes awry. Travel agents can rarely intercede during a cruise.

You can sometimes find good deals through specialist agencies.

In my opinion Easyclicktravel.com and Lastminutetravel.com are the best web sites concerning online booking
as they are two of the cheapest and the most famous ones for credibility, yet you should know that you can call them as well and ask your questions, so you're actually able to get the cheapest prices for the best service.
On the sites you'll be able to find wonderful photos, detailed descriptions, maps and guides and of course
hotels, flights, packages, cruises, cars, activities and coupons.
Highly recommended!!

In 2007 I booked a trip to Italy online through Gate 1 Travel and it was a flawless experience. Prior to purchasing my trip, I was able to contact a person who had posted a testimonial, and everything they said about their experience was right on the money. It was the same for me. I got an awesome trip for a great price and hassle free. It was my first international trip and of course I had some concerns, but it all went very well. I hope this helps some folks to decide which way they want to book their vacation.

excellent suggestions from posters. I'd also suggest looking at vacationstogo.com for extremely discounted cruises.

In the past 4 years, my wife and I have taken 2 trips to Puerto Rico, one to Panama and one to the Dominican Republic (all in January). We took our son and family with 3 young children to Puerto Rico last year. In all but the Panama trip, I did all the arranging through the Internet with only minor problems. We rented a car and went where we wanted to go. Additionally, we saved quite a bit of money over any travel package we investigated. We also met people native to the islands and had delightful times.

In Panama, things were different. We wanted to visit a northern island and could not tell quality from the internet. I wrote Latin Destinations, told them where we wanted to go both before the island trip and after the trip. They allowed me to choose hotels and did a flawless job of picking an excellent island location and coordinating all transportation for us. I figured it cost about 15% more than if I had done the arranging myself.

Take your pick. If you are the type who wants everything planned for you or perhaps does not have time to plan for yourself or decide quite late to take a trip, find an agent. If you will tolerate a bit of the unknown or have a limited budget and have time (or all 3 -as we do) have fun planning on your own. I'm doing that now for Belize. One suggestion -start planning early. We like to get our January planning done by mid July which means you have to start looking early in the year.