How best to shop for a cruise? Need guidance

[Marc]

why would you ever book directly with a cruise line? You are giving up 8-10% kickback that you will receive from most reputable TAs. I frequent cruise critic, too, however, take with a grain of salt; it is only a small portion of the cruising population.

Marc

 

[Slim11]

I haven't read all the responses , but will say a cruise trip travel agent is helpful. If they are good they will even get some money back if the cruise price drops. Plus I have found they are the same if not better priced then any of the chep internet prices you see. Plus they will place you in a cabin on the ship that os suited to your needs and price points. Have fun.

 

[brett]

Any TA can get you a re-price if the cruise price drops outside the final payment window. You simply need to be aware of the price drop AND request a price adjustment.

Some TA's check for this but it is hit and miss. Best thing to do is monitor the prices yourself. Keep in mind that IF the cruise price is reduced your TA provided on board credit may be reduced slightly.

There are two possibilities in our experience. The cruise price gets reduced and you score a lower price (more common). Occasionally the cabin categories get consolidated enabling you to move to a better cabin at the same price you booked.

Either way...always check that your TA does NOT charge for re-faring or changing your cabin location. Most don't but ask before you book with the TA/agency.

On one cruise we had two price decreases. ON another, on advice from our TA, we cancelled outside the final payment window. Then rebooked several weeks later inside the final payment period because the price dropped considerably. The TA gave us a heads up that bookings on the cruise were light. We saved $400 each on on our balcony cabin and got a better cabin category by doing this.

Prices can go up and down quickly...within a day sometimes. SO...if you see a very good price, or if you see a price decrease on cruise that you have booked act on it immediately. Tomorrow could be too late!

 

[brett]

Here is one difference between a TA that specializes in cruises and one who is simply an order taker, ie books your cruise with the cruise line.

We only used our TA to book the cruise that we had preselected. She was a cruise specialist. We called her several years ago to book us on a cruise. We liked the cruise line.

Her first comment to us was....perhaps you should do some more shopping. She went on to tell us that several of her customers had recently returned from the ship and were not happy. Malfunctioning A/C, cabin flooding, broken toilets etc. Not just one client, several. She suggested we take a look at cruise critic reviews on that ship.

We did. No doubt at that particular point in time that ship was a dog. Lots of complaints. We dodged a bullet thanks to the candor and the knowledge of our TA. I realized than why she often emails us after a cruise to see how we liked the itinerary, the cruise line, and the ship!

 

[catii]

One thing I don't see here, is what you want to DO! Are you interested in walking/hiking/biking, or just sitting somewhere while you eat & drink? The cruise ship is just transportation, unless the shows excite you. Sure, there's lots of good food, but nothing is free.

DW & I decide on where we want to go, based on what we want to do when we arrive. In Japan, we toured ancient castles. In Australia, we toured wineries. In Turkey, we took cooking classes. And we didn't pay for the cruise lines for those activities, as it's easy to set them up yourself. As a first-time cruiser, you probably just want to "enjoy the ride," but keep an eye out for what you can do on future cruises!

 

[brett]

We have done just over 20 cruises.

One reason we have not had many after retirement is that they either do not give us enough time in places we want to go or see. We often want 2-5 days and more for the environs.

The other reason is that cruise ports are often well away for where we want to go. We stopped in Catania for a day on cruise. Not enough. Last time we spent 20 days touring Sicily and want to go back.

After spending five winters in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia we looked for a cruise. Nada. They port stops were either too short, too far from anything, or at overrun places like Ko Samui or Phuket where we would never go again...not even for a on day port stop.

So...choose your cruise carefully based on itinerary, time in port, location of port, etc. There are some real clangers out there.

Don't forget. The goal of the cruise line is to either keep you captive on board spending money or buying expensive ships excursions. For the latter, we have always been able to arrange much better private excursions at half or less than half of the. Without the obligatory stops at carpet shops, leather shops, trash and trinket emporiums, etc. And those cruise line recommended port stores. They are only recommended because they remit back to the cruise line a percentage of their sales! The name of game for the cruise line is on board spending!