Originally Posted by
FlyerAVL
I used Royal Caribbean directly for this alaska cruise im going on and then I used United Cruises for one next year cause I got 10x the fare in United miles and it was the same price as the RC site. If you have a UA credit card then you will likely get between 7x-10x UA miles booking a balcony through United Cruises. just check prices and see if it matches.
The price matches. They seem to offer me 7X for the cruise I am looking at.
MileagePlus Cardmembers: Earn up to 7 miles Per $1 Spent
United MileagePlus cardmembers, earn up to 7 miles per $1 spent on the total price of your cruise based on stateroom category booked, excluding port charges, port expenses, taxes and travel protection.
Interior and ocean view staterooms earn 4 miles per $1 spent
Balcony staterooms and suites earn 7 miles per $1 spent
I had to log in with my UA account for that to show up -- without the offer was 4X for being a MP member.
Do you actually have to
use the UA card to pay for the cruise, or just have one? (I would rather use my CSR and earn 3X UR on the charges that use my UA card and earn 1X UA).
They also offer $100 OBC, compared to Amex' $200.
Originally Posted by
Schnit
i prefer booking direct because if you book through a TA the cruise line will not talk to you. You need your TA to call for you, can get annoying if you have special requests.
I don't really expect that to be an issue for us, but what sorts of things do you need to talk to the cruise line about? (I don't anticipate any schedule changes -- it's either the cruise we are selecting ... or a flight)
Originally Posted by
mahasamatman
I have an agent I use for most mass-market cruises, but for one-off cruises, I will often use cruisecompete.com and see what offers I get.
What benefits do you get from using an agent for mass-market trips - do you get any meaningful upgrades or more OBC? Or useful advice? (e.g., I am looking at the list of available cabins and it's somewhat daunting to decide...)