T/A vs Direct.

[screwy]

Not sure if this as been asked before but are there any significant benefits by booking through a T/A.?
We get a 5% discount through the Blue Light card scheme when booking direct not sure if this applies if booked through an agent.? Do agents offer anymore obc.or discounts.?

[GillD46]

The agent we use hasn't offered a discount since Carnival reduced their TA commission some years ago, but I would use no other. In the event of a problem - and they do occur - she will fight tooth and nail to put things right and indeed helped us to a most satisfactory conclusion about 10 years ago, when I hadn't even booked through her!

For us, the superb service she gives, far outweighs a few pounds discount.

[david63]

I think that you have to look at each deal and then assess which is the better option - I don't think that you can generalise, even with the same TA it could vary from cruise to cruise.

For me booking direct has two advantages:

1. They will not go "bust" unlike TAs - something that has happened to us.

2. Certainly in my experience with P&O they only need the balance paying some three, or in some cases, four weeks later than a TA wants it paying.

[qbman1]

We have always booked direct and have been very happy with the service provided by the call centre. There have been a few glitches over the years but one call usually sorts it out. In such an event I am far more confident talking to the organ grinder....

[GillD46]

Speaking of paying the balance early, we have booked a holiday to Cyprus in September through BA and amazingly they only require payment four weeks before departure. And it is quite a lot of money, at least as much, if not more, than a cruise.

Amazing.

[GillD46]

We have always booked direct and have been very happy with the service provided by the call centre. There have been a few glitches over the years but one call usually sorts it out. In such an event I am far more confident talking to the organ grinder....

This was far more than a glitch.

We appealed to the cruise line several times, including higher up the ladder, and they very firmly said no each time. But this lovely lady, spoke to the "powers that be" and arranged for things to be sorted to our satisfaction as the circumstances were unusual. And we hadn't even booked with her at that point.

Again, I wouldn't use anyone else.

[Stephen]

We use both, P&O and Cruise Kings who we've always found to offer very good service and can usually offer a better deal on the main price depending on the length of cruise. It may not always be much, but it's better than nothing.

[qbman1]

We have always booked direct and have been very happy with the service provided by the call centre. There have been a few glitches over the years but one call usually sorts it out. In such an event I am far more confident talking to the organ grinder....

This was far more than a glitch.

We appealed to the cruise line several times, including higher up the ladder, and they very firmly said no each time. But this lovely lady, spoke to the "powers that be" and arranged for things to be sorted to our satisfaction as the circumstances were unusual. And we hadn't even booked with her at that point.

Again, I wouldn't use anyone else.

I quite understand that if you have confidence in your agent it makes sense to use them, Gill, particularly if they have gone above and beyond for you in the past.

I suppose I am lucky in that we have never encountered a problem that I cannot sort out myself.

[allatc]

We wanted to book an RCI New England cruise and could not find it on the RCI site. Had to book it through Vision Cruise (or Liverpool Cruise Club as it was then) We knew about the cruise because some american friends asked us if we would like to go with them.

[qbman1]

Mind you, there are often some good deals to be had by booking a future cruise on board. We got an extra discount for this coming Christmas on Oriana plus a thumping great OBC by booking on Adonia last summer

[barney]

My last four, I've used Cruise Village.
They give a bit of the commission back.
Not a fortune but have been between £50 & £70 cheaper than direct, but you need to ask
Downside is that you pay the balance about three weeks sooner

[GillD46]

Mind you, there are often some good deals to be had by booking a future cruise on board. We got an extra discount for this coming Christmas on Oriana plus a thumping great OBC by booking on Adonia last summer

Oh yes definitely, but then assign it to your chosen TA - if you use one.

[JoanneB]

I agree with Gill, we use a TA both because if there is an issue they help to sort it but also for her knowledge of ships and ports. She gives great advice about which cabins to choose, ideas for what to do in port and whether to use the transfers from the cruise company or get your own taxi etc etc.

Also recently she has saved us over £1200 on a cruise by spotting price drops and getting us the reduced fare honoured (not a Carnival line!)

And another UK TA once managed to trace the return flight tickets we had dropped in a taxi to the ship in Barbados when neither us the port or the ship could trace them!

[Raybosailor]

Whether it be a cruise or a land based holiday I look at three options.

First I look at the holiday deal online, then I try several T/A's for a deal, then and only then do I phone the holiday company's booking line and tell them what deals I have been offered. More often than not the holiday company's booking line will undercut both their own online quote and that of the T/A's, it was the case with my two previous P&O cruises so it is definitely worth a try.

Our next cruise with P&O will be the exception to this as we have some compensation from our last cruise plus after a ship visit on Britannia we placed a £50 p.p. deposit on a future cruise which gave us extra OBC and we have free parking.

The same rule goes for hotels on sites like Booking.com and Trivago if you phone the hotel direct you can often get a cheaper quote if you tell them you are looking at other hotels in the area.

[Stephen]

Whether it be a cruise or a land based holiday I look at three options.

First I look at the holiday deal online, then I try several T/A's for a deal, then and only then do I phone the holiday company's booking line and tell them what deals I have been offered. More often than not the holiday company's booking line will undercut both their own online quote and that of the T/A's, it was the case with my two previous P&O cruises so it is definitely worth a try.

Our next cruise with P&O will be the exception to this as we have some compensation from our last cruise plus after a ship visit on Britannia we placed a £50 p.p. deposit on a future cruise which gave us extra OBC and we have free parking.

The same rule goes for hotels on sites like Booking.com and Trivago if you phone the hotel direct you can often get a cheaper quote if you tell them you are looking at other hotels in the area.

Top man

[towny44]

Not sure if this as been asked before but are there any significant benefits by booking through a T/A.?
We get a 5% discount through the Blue Light card scheme when booking direct not sure if this applies if booked through an agent.? Do agents offer anymore obc.or discounts.?

P&O also offer HSBC advance account holders 5% discount, as well as many other groups, and our TA will match this, and I assume most TA's will do the same, if asked.
Strangely our TA will not discount RCI group cruises by the same 5%, because they don't give as much commission as P&O, but RCI's prices are normally well below P&O anyway.
Like others we prefer to let our TA chase up any issues with the cruise line, saves us time and they seem to get a faster and more positive response anyway.

[Dark Knight]

if you are only booking the same old thing , yet again, then go direct
if you are looking for something different, god forbid on here, but some of us do more than a cruise, then go to the TA and get a much wider choice of options

[Raybosailor]

The last time I actually booked through a travel agent was in 1987, the kids were both in Germany for a week on a school trip so we booked a week in Marbella with Pickfords Travel. It was a pretty basic package but things were a bit tight for us in those days and this holiday was cheap and cheerful.
It was the first time we had been on holiday on our own since getting married which made it a bit special but since then we have preferred to do our our own travel arrangements.

[JoanneB]

It is mainly when things go wrong it is advantageous in my view to have a tA. Friends of ours had a China/Japan cruise last year with 3 days in Tokyo beforehand. The ship was caught in a typhoon on the cruise before theirs and ended up not arriving until 3 days after they were due to leave. Their TA ,who was the one who had contacted them at the hotel to tell them in the first place, rebooked their hotel on a daily basis as news came through,and managed the situation for them.

Others in the same hotel who had booked independently at first knew nothing of what was happening and then had to deal themselves with not knowing on a daily basis what was going on and had to renegotiate with the hotel.

Same TA also got them home when the Icelandic ash cloud disrupted flights back from another cruise...reminds me never to go away with these two though they are obviously trouble attractors!!

[Gill W]

if you are only booking the same old thing , yet again, then go direct
if you are looking for something different, god forbid on here, but some of us do more than a cruise, then go to the TA and get a much wider choice of options

Yes, if it's a bog standard cruise, I'm happy to go direct.

But if it's a 'big' cruise or one that typically sells quickly, I use Cruise Kings. I've been using them for several years now, and they've always been very good

If I wanted a land based holiday I'd use an agent, unless it was a short break in the UK or near continent

[JillAF]

We booked our first couple of cruises via a T/A but now tend to go direct and have never had any problems. Have always found if I have any query after booking that cruise line are able to deal with any problems.

[towny44]

Mind you, there are often some good deals to be had by booking a future cruise on board. We got an extra discount for this coming Christmas on Oriana plus a thumping great OBC by booking on Adonia last summer

You can always transfer or align the booking to your TA of choice, we have done this and then received some extra discount from them as well.

[Raybosailor]

Mind you, there are often some good deals to be had by booking a future cruise on board. We got an extra discount for this coming Christmas on Oriana plus a thumping great OBC by booking on Adonia last summer

You can always transfer or align the booking to your TA of choice, we have done this and then received some extra discount from them as well.

We got a good deal as well Cubie by booking onboard Azura plus we had some compensation credit from missed ports. Our next cruise will also be a Christmas cruise but on Oceana 21st December.

[Manoverboard]

We use either and only once have we experienced any unreasonable difficulties ... that was with Celebrity this year.

[qbman1]

Mind you, there are often some good deals to be had by booking a future cruise on board. We got an extra discount for this coming Christmas on Oriana plus a thumping great OBC by booking on Adonia last summer

You can always transfer or align the booking to your TA of choice, we have done this and then received some extra discount from them as well.

We got a good deal as well Cubie by booking onboard Azura plus we had some compensation credit from missed ports. Our next cruise will also be a Christmas cruise but on Oceana 21st December.

We'll be on the high seas at the same time then, Raimondo. Where is your jolly going ?

You shouldn't have mentioned the compo - Merv will be soooo jealous !