How do you pick a T/A

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wendyandbarry

Guest
Without naming name's what has made you go to one T/A or Agency?

We found our's 7 years ago when they had three office's in our town, now they have only one, they have become more of a Group Tour Agency then a individual Cruise Agency, the only good thing they still have, and why we still use them is they are part of the Virtuoso Group. Which is if you sail on certain cruise's they have listed, you get extra perks without having to pay more, which is great for us because we plan so far in advance.

Barry
 
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tomc

Guest
(1) Word of mouth. If someone has had good luck with a specific TA, that counts for me.

(2) Calling on the phone and asking a few simple questions that a newbie might bring up -- to see if the potential TA is any good. One, when the Volendam was just about to enter service, was: "Is this one of HAL's oldest ships?" Yes, the TA said, it's quite old. "Did they mention that in their brochure?" Yes, said the TA, I have the brochure open in front of me. "Thank you; bye."

(3) Visiting the TA to get a gut feeling. Any excuse; ask for a brochure, ask anything. I want to get an idea of what the TA is like, etc.
 
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ROSS

Guest
PRICE, KNOWLEDGE OF SHIPS AND ITINERARIES, PRICE AND PRICE. YOU MIGHT THINK I'M FOCUSSED ON PRICE BUT I FIND THAT MANY T/As ARE NOT GIVING YOU THE BEST PRICE. THE CRUISE LINES WORK ON VOLUME SO YOUR T/A SHOULD BE BOOKING ENOUGH TO GET THE MAXIMUM 15%. THIS WILL ENABLE YOUR T/A TO PASS ON THE BEST DISCOUNT TO YOU. I HAVE SAILED WITH PEOPLE THAT WERE PAYING THE SAME AMOUNT FOR AN OUTSIDE CABIN THAT I WAS PAYING FOR A SUITE!
KNOWLEDGE AND DEPENDABILITY GO HAND IN HAND WITH PRICE BUT PRICE COMES FIRST. I HAVE HAD MY T/A FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER BEEN DISAPPOINTED.
 
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stargazerm31

Guest
Word of mouth. Especially from those we trust at home, work or that you feel very comfortable with on the boards.

You see a lot of people giving Lori praise from Skyscraper Tours. The whole Stargazer clan uses her and have for years.
 
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BP

Guest
I use the same method as cruisernh. I have priced cruises on line from agents mentioned on this board and have used one while the other was overpriced.
 
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