Originally Posted by jennj99738

I am not a novice cruiser but I don't book cruises frequently. I am looking to book a Holland America cruise for my mother and I in March. I have used cruisecompete.com before and did get a quote from them this time. I also received a call from a "personal cruise consultant" from Holland. She gave a higher price. When I asked about any on-board credit or other benefits she got a little defensive with me. She says she waits until she hears from Holland before she dips into her "pot of money" because why spend her money when she can spend Holland's? That's what she said. Also, when I said I wanted to think on this over the weekend she said that she gets paid for the booking and she isn't happy when she does this work and doesn't get the booking.

Needless to say, I wasn't very impressed with her. However, what she said next gave me pause. She recommended a guarantee rather than a specific cabin because verandas always sell out and 99% of the time, we will get a better cabin than we pay for. She says that when pax book a specific cabin, Holland is less likely to offer an upgrade because they think the pax chose that cabin for a reason. She also said that because she works directly for Holland she gets first dibs, so to speak, on bonuses and upgrades.

I have always used a cruise travel agent but does anyone have an opinion on this? Also, do you recommend the guarantee or a specific cabin? The difference is about $400 for the cabin which can better be spent on shore excursions if it's a good idea.

Thanks!