Pros and Cons of using a Travel Agent

[mills10]

I have never used a travel agency before and am considering doing so for my next cruise. What are some of the pro's and con's? I know I would get a on board credit for the agency I'm considering. Anything else?

We are about 90% certain we would do this cruise we are looking at, but in the 10% chance we don't how hard is it to cancel if we used a TA?

Thanks ahead of time for any insight you can share!

 

[mernin]

You need to do any changes & cancellations through a TA. For us, it’s just an email to her but it’s not instant like if you were doing it. That would be the con I can think of. Otherwise, not sure what another con would be. Same price but get the on-board credit.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Our TA sent us a nice gift basket with a host of things that were great on board. It was our first disney cruise so many of the items we wouldn't have thought about. I also like the reminders for payment, booking excursions etc. And in fact if you are busy most TA's can help you with those items as well.

 

[lanejudy]

If you may cancel, be sure to check the TA’s cancellation policy as they may charge a fee. Also check if the TA requires PIF earlier than DCL’s deadline.

Enjoy your cruise!

 

[ahain]

We use a TA solely for the OBC. I would actually prefer to manage my own reservations and I like the control of being able to book as soon as my window opens (my TA doesn't get to the office until at least 8:00)....if I would have waited for her to book my Hawaii cruise, I would have missed out completely. As it was, I waited for her as long as I could, but then I pulled the trigger and reserved myself when I saw the cabins were nearly gone. Then I transferred the reservation to her. Reserving myself and transferring cost me some OBC (I hget less OBC with a transfer than if she'd booked directly for me), I also would have missed out, so IIWII....

We do like the OBC which generally goes a long way towards covering the gratuities.

 

[DCLDVC1]

Pro: OBC
Cons: Everything else. We missed getting the room we really wanted because we couldn't get a hold of our TA. By the time she replied, the room was gone.

 

[kiford]

We use a TA mainly to not have to park on the phone for ages. Plus she knows what to ask, has had many useful suggestions, we arrange travel insurance through her and she's a single point of contact for any issues or concerns. We don't get much in the way of OBC or gifts but the knowledge, time, and peace of mind that comes with someone having my back is good enough for me. She told us about a new lounge that we had access to in the airport for our last overseas trip that I hadn't known about. It was amazing and a great start to the trip; I would never have even looked or thought to look for it. Totally worth it IMO (plus we got cancel-anytime addition to our trip insurance for no extra cost because of booking the flights through her and she advised me to hold my flight booking for 24 hours while we were deciding on whether to book that one or not because of information that she saw in her system and it doubled in price the very next day so we got it at the original price). She also lets me know about upcoming things, price reductions, special promotions, etc. so I don't have to monitor it. And she has lots of information about potential new places or trips to try that she knows I might like.

I rarely make changes to anything that would require a TA to intervene so that's not an issue for me and she's very responsive via e-mail and only a 5 minute drive from my office.

 

[mills10]

Thanks everyone! We booked the cruise. 5-night Baja from San Diego on the Wonder April 19th, 2020! Can't wait!