One of the most popular questions within the travel industry is how to go about booking your holiday. Do you go straight to the cruise line and book direct, or speak to a travel agent for them to guide you through the process?
While most of us can book online and secure a holiday with the click of a mouse, there’s still something to be said about the efficiency and personal service of booking a holiday with a travel agent. Here are our top six reasons on why you should book your next cruise with a travel agent.
1. Peace of mind
If you’re new to cruise, or looking for something particular, a travel agent offers expertise and knowledge to put together your ideal holiday. From start to finish, travel agents guide you through the decisions required to create your package and ease your mind.
Laura Pedlar, from Cruise Lifestyle, said:
“I tend to opt more for fly cruises and therefore I prefer to book with a travel agent who can put together a package that includes flights and accommodation. It gives me peace of mind to choose a cruise holiday that is ATOL Protected.”
Cruise Lifestyle is a UK cruise blog dedicated to news, advice, destinations and lifestyle tips. You can visit it here: www.cruiselifestyle.co.uk
2. Get the best possible fare
Many travel agents have strong relationships with some of the most popular cruise lines, enabling them to offer competitive pricing and save customers money when they are looking for their perfect cruise. Cruise118.com offers their own Best Price Guarantee, meaning they can not only beat the cruise lines, but competitors too! With preferential rates and fantastic working relationships with top cruise lines, you are always guaranteed the best possible fare.
Other incentives with Cruise118.com include low deposits of £0pp and monthly payments, meaning that you can book that dream cruise and spread out the cost with simply, monthly instalments.
3. Find your perfect cruise
With expert knowledge and personal experience, a travel agent is often the perfect aide in ensuring you pick the right cruise for you. Akin to matchmaking you to your ideal cruise line or ship, they can answer all your questions with free access to their years of expertise.
Sanna, from Vegan Cruiser, said:
“Booking with a cruise specialist travel agent makes perfect sense, especially if you are new to cruising. Cruise agents know the market and match your holiday needs to the best cruise line for you. They know the current promotions to give you the best possible fare. Plus often they can quote cheaper trade prices. Going direct to the cruise line can cost you money! But us cruise veterans use agents too. I always get two quotes and go with the company that gives me the best service – and offers the best value package (not the cheapest).”
Vegan Cruiser is a blog which covers cruises, travel and life from a vegan perspective. You can visit it here: www.vegancruiser.co.uk
4. Receive extra perks
Alongside expert knowledge, travel agents can offer exclusive perks and incentives that most of the cruise lines can’t. These can include free upgrades, drinks packages, on-board spend, plenty of things which will make your cruising holiday that much more special.
Cruise118.com often promotes their own exclusive campaigns which can often be combined with the cruise lines’ own savings, meaning you can enjoy exclusive promotions that can’t be found elsewhere! This ensures you get the best value and some fantastic inclusions for absolutely no additional cost, including shopping vouchers, speciality dining packages and more.
Richard Terry, from Visit With Us, said:
“We’ve booked many times both direct and through an agent and being honest, we’ve found the experience to be quite similar. Using an agent has the edge though as they use their influence to push for extra little deals and perks and they tend to be a little more attentive.”
Visit With Us is a blog focused on cruise and travel. You can find it here: www.visitwithus.co.uk
5. Tailor-make a bespoke cruise
With flights, hotel stays, tours and cruises, there are plenty of decisions to make when booking a cruise holiday. Why not pass this to an expert and let them build a bespoke package which is unique to you and your party. A travel agent will look after everything from transfers, flight times and hotel stays, ensuring your holiday is smooth and effortless, leaving you to enjoy the stay.
Andrew Sassoli-Walker, from Solent Photographer, said:
“We always use a particular travel agent who specialises in cruises. When we cruised to Alaska in 2018 we wanted the holiday to be bespoke with a post cruise stay and departure home from a totally different airport. Our travel agent did exactly what we wanted, and it was a memorable trip.”
Solent Photographer is a website ran by Andrew, an award-winning freelance photographer and writer. You can visit it here: www.solentphotographer.com
6. Customer service
And last, but certainly not least, is the customer service. When you book direct – usually online – you just don’t get the same level of interaction as you would on the phone to an agent. Having a conversation about your holiday allows you the opportunity to ask questions and guide you through the process. This one-to-one personal service is something Cruise118 Cruise Concierge pride themselves on, being able to be reached on the phone, by email or even on live chat to assist.
The Cruise Concierge at Cruise118 offer bespoke service, getting to know customers on a personal level to ensure that they pick the right cruise for them. The team regularly receives positive feedback from customers, proving their passion for providing great customer service.
Ultimately, using a travel agent can often save you time, money and make travelling a whole lot easier. Think of them as your cruising guru, there to answer all of your questions and offer their expert knowledge on choosing the right cruise holiday for you.
If you would like to get in touch with our Cruise Concierge, you can call them on 0808 1234 118 or speak to them via live chat on our website.
Looking to book a cruise with p&o but I don’t know if to go direct & book with them are through a travel agent shop. P&o are giving the best price at the moment. But I’ve phoned them a couple of times & emailed them got no reply for both. All I wanted to know was something about the cruise. But with customer service being bad before I book. I am not sure now which is the best way. Thinking maybe p&o might not do go to travel with now. We’ve never been on a cruise before & it’s to the Caribbean so a lot of money if thing go wrong. Please can you help me out with what to do kind regards Tracey Eaton
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There are so many reasons as to why you should book your cruise through a specialist and this article covers some of the most important reasons. We always book through cruise agents and get much better deals than going direct to the cruise line.