Randyk47

In all fairness and accuracy if you use a full service TA and you pay the published cruise fare it does cost you something to use that service. It's all wrapped up in the fare and you don't see a separate bill for it but it's there, it's the TA's commission and that runs typically 12% give or take. Sure some TAs will throw in a bottle of wine, a small on board credit, an order of chocolate dipped strawberries, etc., etc., as a thank you for your business but I personally don't consider that much of a discount, rebate, or savings per se. That's all fine and good and if the person, couple, or group is taking a one-off cruise without being experienced in researching, planning, and booking a cruise then a full service cruise TA is probably the way to go. In fact, I'd highly recommend a full service TA for the novice cruiser. For us I use a TA for nothing more than the booking so I do business with one who rebates, in cash, a large portion of their commission. Through volume they make their money and I save on average 10% of the published fare.

Shipfish

Another thing a good full service TA has is that they can be a great help if something goes wrong. On the rare occasion that the cruise may be cancelled or delayed, or there is a family/medical emergency, they can take a massive logistical nightmare off your shoulders. I've known cases where people have had to go home mid-way through a cruise and instead of them having to spend time and money (in phone/internet fees) on researching and booking new flights they have called (often complimentary depending on the situation) their TA and they've organized it all for them.

Randyk47

While what you say is true it's also a situational and risk analysis decision. I'd put us at the very experienced and relatively lowest risk end of the spectrum and less likely to need a TA. While I don't know the OP's overall travel experience or family member situation I'll just say for discussion sake that he might be at the other end of the spectrum and would be advised to use a full service TA. The number of potential passengers and cabins in his situation alone is almost enough for even the most experienced traveler to seek the active help of a good TA. Of course finding a good TA is challenge and probably the subject of another thread or even board section.

pinniped

This is generally what I assume when I deal with ANY travel agent. They're getting paid and we're negotiating somewhere within a fraction of that payment. We undoubtedly will use a third-party site to book this trip, but I'm under no illusion whatsoever that it's free.

Two questions:

(1) What distinguishes a limited-service third party from a full-service one? What services are provided by the latter that aren't by the former? Am I likely to find better deals from the limited-service agents?

(2) In the airline/hotel world, the TA can actually GET IN THE WAY if things go wrong. (Hotels will actually make your stay worse on some third-party bookings!) You need them to be involved to manipulate some tickets, whereas if you book direct you often have an easier time resolving problems. I remember back in the day...being in an airline lounge, and having the airline agent say "you have to call your travel agent." Is it different in the cruise world? If I book third-party, can I still contact the cruise line itself about most things related to the trip?

Overall travel experience = very high. Cruises = none. Holds true for most of the group: although the in-laws aren't quite as nerdy about points , they are extremely well-traveled. (And they're Delta and Marriott elites, with their share of miles/points...) Just never done a cruise...

Randyk47

wrp96

For most of the major cruise lines these days, the price you pay will not vary between booking direct with the cruise line or with a TA, because most of the cruise lines prohibit most discounting. There are exceptions, like if a TA has an existing group booking - and a good one should tell you if they are booking you into group space vs. individually.

These days, typically how TAs distinguish themselves monetarily is offering "free" perks like onboard credit, free gratuities, reduced deposit, etc.

For your group, the reason to go with a full service TA is because you don't know the differences between cruise lines, ships, cabins, etc. A decent full service TA is going to be able to guide you to the right cruise line, ship, combination of cabins etc. You don't really have a large enough group to get a group booking discount on most lines (as that typically requires a minimum of 8 cabins on most lines).

And honestly, if it were just you and your wife, I would say book direct through the cruise line, as you obviously know how to handle travel issues on your own, etc. But an individual trip is a lot different than handling a group on a cruise. The biggest advantage for you is instead of you being the one everybody turns to for every question (which you won't necessarily know yet because you haven't been on a cruise), you just tell everybody to talk to the TA.

Randyk47

Not quite or a 100% right. My TA gives a cash discount in the form of a cashier's check that averages 10% of the cruise fare. What they can't do is publish or advertise those reduced fares on their website. While they might on some of the larger lines they don't generally have group or large blocks of cabins they're reselling. That kind of buying power is really reserved for the really big agencies and the larger lines like Carnival, Norwegian, etc.

Romelle

I read most of the posts to you. While very different, you are getting all sorts of good advice. My tidbits:

If one owns at least 100 shares of stock in CCL or RCL, one can get a $100 discount on one's cabin for each cruise booked within that particular company's lines. This might apply to your in-laws?

I like vacationstogo.com for the easy of using their web site. It is the most powerful I know of the cruise sites. Particularly the Custom Search where I can select areas and date ranges and all sorts of other things. Then changing to Price Per Night and sorting on that. The better bargains bubble right to the top.

I've booked with VTG a number of times. When I encountered some minor issues, they immediately helped me. I admit I'm very much of a DYIer though, and really don't want any hand-holding. Your situation is a whole lot more complex.

Some people on board like walkie-talkies for keeping track of kids. I'm usually traveling by myself, so can't really address that, but thought I'd mention that you do want to have something worked out ahead of time. There seem to be pretty good kid programs, but it may vary by ship?

I know some larger family groups agree that they will only all join together once a day at the dinner table. Otherwise the sub-families and individuals are free to do as they please. A good solution to too much togetherness and organizational problems I think.

Those automatic tips can be adjusted by just talking to the front desk.

I really thought cruises were for silly older very social rich people. I've found I can genuinely enjoy a fairly quiet time on one - library, reading, going to selected programs that make or build or educate, just watching the water and landscapes. And get to all sorts of interesting places. There is so much going on on the larger ships that one can pick and choose just what works for them. You may end up deciding you like cruises.

Not getting off the ship when in a particular port, staying on board to just enjoy the ship is sometimes referred to as "steel beaching".

I've had inner cabins, windows and balconies. The window made a huge difference, as the room felt not so confining. The balcony not so much, as it seemed always on the wrong side of the ship. Rather than sit out on the balcony, I usually ended up going higher in the ship to open areas where I could see in more directions and further. But I'm OK with the inner cabins. Quiet, snug, and I can leave them whenever I want more space/light/air.

One trip I had a bathtub in addition to the shower. If you've any bathtub people in your group, that might be a consideration.

Romelle

Randyk47

Out of curiosity I decided, based on recommendations posted here, to check the vacationstogo.com website against my favorite Internet travel agency. I had tried vacationstogo.com several years ago and dismissed it as not competitive with my other providers. Did a notional booking this morning against a cruise (same ship, dates, and cabin category) we have booked for next March for comparison purposes. The results: vacationstogo.com offer was a $400 on board credit while my TA is giving me $1,000 in cash. I'll give vacationstogo.com credit for an acceptable offer and certainly better than years ago but, at least for me, not the winner.

pinniped

Randy, would your site offer anyone the same type of cashback rebate? Or is this something you get because you have a quasi-elite-status with them? (e.g., Something I'd only get if I booked many cruises.)

Are the rebates easy to read about and understand prior to booking? Or is this more of a negotiation, like buying a used car? (I tend to think of human travel agents and used car salesmen similarly, to be honest.)

Randyk47

The cash rebate is standard, the same for first time to the "x" times cruiser. It has nothing to do with my cruise status on a particular line or the number of times I've booked through them. (NOTE: If I get a discount from a specific cruise line because my cruise history that is included but separate from the TA's rebate.) Now that I've used my TA a number of times I feel comfortable just communicating via email and rarely call my agent but initially I did call and she explained their rebate, etc. We talk periodically, a lot last year when I was putting together a multi-couple Med cruise, but not exactly regularly. I've found them to be a nice blend between a traditional TA and an Internet based TA.

As for negotiation......not exactly like a car purchase nor are you really negotiating the cruise fare. Cruise lines publish pretty fixed rates for a specific ship, itinerary, date, and cabin category. What this means is that almost all TAs are working with this pretty firm fixed price. What you're looking for is the reputable TA who will give you the best balance of service along with whatever incentives, discounts, rebates, etc. they offer. Personally I've settled on the "show me the money" incentive along with an Internet TA who actually gives me a lot of support or at least as much as I want and need plus a bit.

12Mermaids

A few things I haven't seen mentioned (but admit to not reading every word):

1. When you decide what to book, you can make an initial payment, then pay for the remainder in installments (or just a downpayment and final payment). This helps consumers lock in lower rates by booking far in advance and helps the cruise lines assess inventory.

2. "Wave Season" is the big January through March sale on cruise fares. That's less important than in the old days, but still a good time to look.

3. Consider cruise lines or TAs that refund the difference from what you paid and the new, lower fare if the price drops after your final payment.

I took my first cruise this year and the process I followed incorporated a lot of the information pinniped has already received, with one additional research item (travel guides).

1. Used vacationstogo.com to find viable itineraries by date and desired location.

2. Researched cruise lines on cruisecritic.com, cruisemates.com, and using Fodor's travel guide to European cruises (checked it out of the library, but the Caribbean guide is on Amazon for $15.99).

Using the travel guide helped me answer a lot of questions about the different cruise lines without having to talk to a travel agent.

3. Decided on the best cruise for me and checked prices on the cruise line's web site. That's the baseline the op is looking for, imo.

4. Posted on cruisecompete.com. Waited for offers.

5. Called two TAs (one local, one out-of-state used by a trade organization with whom I collaborate).

6. Called American Express Travel and Costco Travel. They are a nice "split-the-difference" option between a brick-and-mortar TA and booking on a web site.

7. Evaluated all offers and booked using the one that best suited my plans. Fyi, Costco Travel had the highest shipboard credit offer, which I found interesting. Who knew? It's hard to beat cashback, but shipboard credit is also free money--it's just money that has to be used on the cruise.

8. Deal with shore excursions after booking.

Most cruise lines allow you to book excursions up to 30 days before departure, so there is no need to tangle that aspect at the same time as booking the cruise. I'm not familiar with Caribbean cruise destinations, but in most places there are local companies offering almost identical excursions for less than the cruise line's prices. And, as you mentioned, you and your wife might find less touristy options to explore at each port. Imo, the only reasons to book excursions through a cruise line would be (1) exclusive access to something you really want to see/experience or (2) to avoid red-tape related to applying for your own visa for Russia or another red-tapey destination.

Good luck with all of this and have fun!

mumum17

Thank you all or this very informative thread. I personally like to do everything DIY and the conversation here should really be read by not only newbies to the cruise world but even the semi-newbies like me.

Randy47, any chance you could pm me your TA, if that is ok with you and them? Thank you.

Randyk47

I will. I'm away from home but will be back late tonight so will send Tuesday AM.

Doc Savage

re: nickel and diming

This is all up to you, except for tips which are really de rigueur. And that's easy to budget for.

If you want to drink a lot of alcohol, you'll get stuck with pretty high costs per drink. There are ways around that for light drinkers.

The regular sit down dining has been very nice, I've never felt the need to pay extra for the fancier restaurants. I can't imagine them really being worth the extra cost. And the buffet and little specialty spots with hamburgers or pizza are free and open long hours when you don't want to be on a schedule.

Look into non-cruise line excursions and save 30% or more over the cruise line prices.