If you have spent anytime in the cruising community, you will probably come across someone asking if they should use a travel agent when booking their cruise. Let’s talk about some of the pros and cons!
The first thing you need to know is using a travel agent should never cost you any money. If a travel agent attempts to charge you for their services, find a new agent. Travel agents work off commission from cruise lines. In fact, if you book a cruise on your own, the cruise line just pockets that commission. You won’t see a dime of it. So whether or not you use a travel agent, your cruise will likely cost you the same, but it will never cost you more. On occasion an agent may have access to special deals or offers that can save you money. But if you are using a travel agent solely because you hope it will save you money, you are doing so for the wrong reason.
There are two main reasons to use a travel agent: One – a good agent will have knowledge of the cruise lines and destinations that can help you choose the right cruise for you. And Two – Travel agents will be an all-important mediator between you and the cruise line. When anything goes wrong or changes need to be made, an agent can contact the cruise line for you and work things out.
No matter what kind of vacation you are planning, you will want to use an agent that is familiar with that type of vacation. There are agents out there that work solely with booking cruise vacations and all that entails. You will also want to make sure your agent is familiar with the cruise line and destination you are looking to book to make sure you are getting someone that can help with recommendations and planning.
One of the main reasons, in my opinion, to use a travel agent is in case there are any problems. If you have issues with the cruise being changed or canceled, or flights being delayed or cancelled, your travel agent can sort all of that out for you. There are times when cruise ships are delayed coming into port for one reason or another, and I know I would much rather be able to make one phone call to my travel agent to get any flights or hotels changed than have to try to do that on my own while on a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean!
I have booked Caribbean cruises on my own multiple times and never had any issues. Using an agent wouldn’t have benefited me in any way. However, when it came to the shut down, I wish the cruises we had on the books had been booked through a travel agent. I know my mother spent hours on the phone fixing up issues we had with one of our cruises and trying to get it rebooked since we had already paid fully for the cruise that was cancelled. Having an agent would have definitely been to our benefit at that point!
So what are the cons?
While it is nice that having an agent means not getting stuck on the phone for hours if you need changes made or an emergency comes up, there are some downsides to having to rely an agent to make any changes needed to your booking because once you book through an agent, the agent will need to be the one to do it. When we decided to change our interior cabin to a balcony on our Norwegian fjords cruise, it took over two weeks and three emails before anything was done about it. I had given an entire list of available balcony staterooms to choose from in my first email, but it took so long to get it changed that I don’t think we even ended up with one of them. HAVING to rely on someone else for easy additions or changes can be annoying, especially if you have to ask several times.
As I said earlier, travel agents work off of the commission they get from cruise lines. While that means using a travel agent won’t cost you any extra, it also mean that all that helpful stuff you are often told an agent will do for you might be contingent on how much you are planning on spending on your cruise. I have worked with a few different agents over the years and when attempting to find an agent familiar with booking cruises around Norway, I had some issues. I was very upfront with the fact that we are budget cruisers. I don’t need someone trying to book me a cruise I cannot afford, and this vacation was already going to cost us a lot more than we usually spend due to flights alone! One agent just flat out told me that she didn’t think it would work out. I appreciated the honesty because the next person I contacted ended up ghosting me. I had spoken with her by email and on the phone. She had been advised of what our budget was and what ports we wanted as part of our itinerary. At first she seemed very helpful, but then she suggested a cruise line that was double our total budget. When I told her that the budget I mentioned was for our total vacation, flights and hotels included, and it was for both of us, her entire attitude changed. She said she would do some checking and get back with me the next day. I never heard from her again. Not even an email or text saying it wasn’t going to work out.
The next agent I spoke with is who we are currently working with on three separate cruises, including the one to Norway. He was very honest with me and told me that the reason I was having issues finding an agent is because they make very little commission off of budget cruisers, so if an agent has to put in a lot of research and effort into finding a client a budget cruise, they aren’t making more than a few dollars an hour. This makes sense, which is why I was hoping to find someone familiar with cruising around Norway… less research on their part.
I tell you this story so other budget cruisers can adjust their expectations when it comes to how much help you are going to get from a travel agent. I hear so many cruise bloggers, especially ones who are either travel agents, or work with travel agents, telling their viewers that travel agents will help you pick the ship and line best for you, help you figure out where and when to cruise, that they can help you with excursions, and so much more. And while it is true they CAN do those things, will they? I have yet to have any luck. Even with the agency I am currently using, I have found that I wasn’t getting suggestions that worked for us despite giving detailed information to them, almost as if they just did a cursory search and sent over the first few cruises they found. In the end, I found it was just easier to do the research myself and tell the agent to book me X stateroom, on X ship, for X date. I love doing the research, so it wasn’t a huge issue for me, I just wanted someone with expertise to help me with a once-in-a-lifetime cruise. Especially to a place where there are so many options!
Mom and I have joked that I should start a business where I do research for people to help them find the perfect cruise based on their wants and needs. I would create a questionnaire and use detailed info to find the perfect cruise for people. I ended up basically doing that for my Mom after she was given several Alaskan cruises as options from our travel agent, but the options given just weren’t what she was expecting. I knew exactly what she wanted (no questionnaire needed), so I looked through all the cruises available within her parameters, made comparisons, and gave her a few to choose from. Once she picked the cruise, I even went in and found her a few staterooms to choose from based on where on the ship I thought would be the best location for their needs.
I wouldn’t want to be a travel agent and have to deal with all the issues that come up and get stuck on the phone with cruise lines and airlines for hours every week, but I would enjoy finding cruises for people!
So is it worth it to have a travel agent when booking your cruise? I think so. While I feel confident booking cruises on my own, I have decided to use a travel agent from now on… just in case there are issues that come up. Yes, it can be annoying having to go through an agent to make small changes or additions to your bookings, but if real problems arise, I know I’ll be glad I have someone else that is there to worry about getting everything fixed. I just know not to expect an agent to dedicate the research time that I would when it comes to choosing a cruise.
Have you used travel agents to book your cruises? What have been your experiences doing so? Comment below.
Cruising From The Ozarks 