Travel agent vs. Travelocity

[niasmom]

I have quotes from both. Agent is coming in at $1885.12 for 5 Night, Royal Caribbean, Enchantment of the Seas. From Grand Rapids, MI to Ft. Lauderdale.

Web site comes in at $1534.00.

Both have insurance and flight and cruise included. The only thing travelocity does not have is transfers from airport, etc.

Can't I just hail a cab for cheap from airport to port, etc. Is it worth the $352.00 difference? I am a first time cruiser, but have received input from family that have gone before. Unfortunately, I feel alligence to my travel agent ( I have known for a long time), but $352 is alot of additional spending $$. Any thoughts?

Michelle

 

[Cruise cutie]

Hail your own cab..:thumb and save the $$ for frozen thingees..:grin..we never buy the transfers..as long as you have insurance I'd go for the lower cost..Joanne

 

[ljeanbrown]

I would get a cab and save the money. We have used Travelocity before for a cruise and they were just fine and all went well. They even had a special at the time that after your cruise was over you would get a pre-paid Master card for $100.00, so we saved even more :thumb

 

[mikeandlaurie]

Have to agree with Cutie and Laurie. I've booked my third cruise with Travelocity, it is fast and easy, and all of the decisions are yours. I especially like how you get to choose your stateroom - it is easy to click back and forth between category options to see what you are getting for your money. Also, I like how all the available staterooms "light up" with blinking lights while you are looking at the deck floor plan. You can see exactly where your stateroom will be.

I also have had some good experiences with their customer service people. If you want to call them you can use a "cruise expert" and get their extension to call them directly.

What I do with the saved money is buy a really good bottle of wine.

Blessings - Mike

 

[tgrove]

Have to agree. I booked our honeymoon 2 years ago through Travelocity, and had no problems. I have booked alot of stuff through Travelocity, and never had any issues.

The only thing would be if the price of the cruise was lowered for some reason. I am not sure if Travelocity would make the change for you, as a TA would.

Enjoy the cruise!

 

[sailingrose]

Just make sure before you choose Travelocity you read the fine print. Does it include taxes, port charges, airport fees, etc. Also check out the travel insurance and make sure it's a third party. You can use CSA or Travelguard for example. You con't want the cruiselines insurance as it's not as extensive coverage.

You could also try pricing with some other online agents. Good Luck whatever you choose.

 

[Lady Jag]

I would never use Travelocity. If there's a price reduction (and there is almost all the time with RCI just before sailing), they may not lower your price. I don't think you're getting the best price or the best service through them. Simply ask your TA to match Travelocity's price. Many TAs will do this if it's possible.

 

[days@sea]

The other things to look for that you didn't mention is-

(1) The figure from the Travel Agent looks to be a total figure with change at the end of it, but the Travelocity figure is a whole figure, which usually is a "cruise fare" before taxes and port fees.

(2) Are both quotes the exact same Category/Cabin Type?

(3) Are the flights the same? One could give you awful connecting flights or even double connections to undercut the price of another.

The biggest thing to look for is Value as well. Saving a few bucks may look good at the beginning. And most peoples vacation goes off without a hitch. ... But make sure you have someone to call who will personally take care of you if run into problems (ie. cancelled flight, delays, insurance claim-family emergency, change of date/cabin, etc).

Everyone is right, don't take the cruise lines transfers, instead take a taxi, it's cheap and close by.. and you don't have to sit on a bus waiting for me people to arrive at the airport. Whichever you choose, have a great cruise.

 

[ljeanbrown]

I disagree, The price I got from Travelocity WAS the total price including taxes and port charges, once you go to booking a cabin. When you just browse Travelocity it will add the port charge in the figure it shows you ,it does not excluded it , the tax gets added at the booking part just like most other online web sites. As far as Travelocity NOT giving you the cheapest price, They did with us. We got the best price out there and I looked every where! Not only were they the cheapest we also received $100.00 Mastercard after our cruise making it even cheaper than it was! And NO the price was not cheaper closer to the cruise than we paid through Travelocity. I am not saying this is always the case, but it is not right to say they don't give you the cheapest price either. I received very good customer service and they are always available to help in the event there is a problem. Now I don't always use them, I have an online TA that I use most of the time, but there are times that Travelocity has specials that no other TA can match and I have tried! In that case I use them and have had no problems and always had excellant customer service.

 

[ratlerfan]

I am glad everyone got a good deal and had a wonderful experience. That is always good to hear. It's the sad & frustrating stories that people need to know about. Emergencies can happen, problems can arise, flights can be cancelled etc. Life and it's twist and turns are uncertain. A travel agent can help you navigate the twists and turns and fight on your behalf to get resolution. Agents have connections, sales reps, people to contact that jump to your aid when there is an issue. An agent is well worth the small fee they charge, if they charge one. They do all the research and have the expertise and know the ins and outs of the business. In this fast paced world, I don't have time to check all of the million options that are available and know what I am getting. Agents don't get paid until a person books a trip and travels. They do tons of research for free basically. My agent asks for a research fee up front, but then applies it to my trip when I book it. This way, if I don't book, my agent gets paid something for her time. They are called consultants for a reason. They consult with you and try to match you to what best fits your needs. Again, I am glad everyone's trips turned out well, but it is something to think about. It is also good to keep your business local. It helps your economy instead of some other city or state's.