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You can book a cruise through a huge travel retailer with branches around the country, a local cruise agency or even a home-based agent who will talk cruising with you at your local coffee shop. You'll find pros and cons of working with the different types of agencies; for example, you might get more personal service from an independent agent but better deals from a large company with a high volume of bookings. Avoya’s team of staffers and wide network of independent agencies make for a cruise booking website that’s a bit different from the rest. Its front page shows the “Best Travel Deals,” which might include half-off cruise fares, onboard credit, prepaid gratuities, and free or reduced airfare.
Experienced Local Travel Agents
You will likely run into a lot of questions to which you have no ready answer. We suggest you stick with the websites mentioned here or other well-known spots. For more on getting the best deal on a cruise, see our 10 Rules to Getting the Best Deal on a Cruise here. 4.7 Overall Satisfaction Rating based on over 10,000 Ratings from our customers.
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If you buy something through our links, we may earn a commission. This is not necessarily a bad thing, but be aware if the agent seems to be putting you off the line you were originally considering, as this could be the reason. On the plus side, an agent who is a preferred supplier might have negotiated rates with the cruise line and be able to call in favors, such as that bottle of Champagne or a cabin upgrade.
LGBTQ-focused travel companies to help you plan a perfect cruise - The Points Guy
LGBTQ-focused travel companies to help you plan a perfect cruise.
Posted: Sun, 05 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
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You can sign up for price alerts, which will notify you by email when the fare on your selected itinerary drops. Travel news, itineraries, and inspiration delivered straight to your inbox. If you'd like to plan your vacation with the advice of a travel advisor professional, we can help you locate a travel advisor near you.Simply enter your five-digit ZIP code (USA) or your postal code (Canada) below. Travel professionals are there to help you plan your next vacation aboard a Carnival fun ship.
That's where specialized cruise travel agents come into play. Their expertise can help you avoid mistakes, whether you are a first-timer or a repeat cruiser checking out a brand you have not tried before. If you're interested in a specific type of cruising (such as river cruising or luxury travel), look for agencies that specialize in the line or type of cruising you prefer.
Shopping for Great Deals
You have to consider how much you're willing to pay, whether to book an inexpensive inside cabin or splurge on a suite, and which cruise line and ship are right for you. Add dinner seatings, shore excursions and cabin location to the list, and planning a relaxing getaway suddenly seems like a second job. There are dozens — if not hundreds — of websites that you can use to book your cruise. Frankly, not all of them look professional, so it is understandable you might question the legitimacy of a website or their deals.
At Cruise Planners, our cruise travel agents are dedicated and fully committed to providing their clients with the world-class service they deserve. Cruise Planners is a licensed, bonded, and insured travel agency with local travel agents in all 50 states. We are members of CLIA (Cruise Line International Association), NACOA (National Association Of Cruise Oriented Agencies), and ASTA (American Society of Travel Agents). Take advantage of the partnerships we have throughout the travel industry with top cruise lines.
This DIY approach might not be the best way to find your dream vacation at sea. Many agents become accredited cruise counselors through CLIA's Cruise Academy or take courses through the different cruise lines to become more expert at selling their products. Inquire whether the agent has attended any of these training programs. In addition, you can look for affiliations with the National Association of Cruise Oriented Agencies (NACOA), Better Business Bureau (BBB), American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) or even AAA. For instance, one recent search promoted free gratuities on trips booked through the site, but we couldn’t find any mention of this once we actually started the booking process.
Look for agents offering discounts, free perks and other incentives. If you don't see a sign or advertisement, always ask -- the agent may have fabulous offers the cruise lines won't let him or her publicize. In addition, ask if the agent can meet or beat the best price you've seen elsewhere. Find out if the travel agent has preferred status with any cruise lines or whether he or she belongs to travel consortiums that would enable him or her to get you better deals, upgrades, etc. But watch out -- some agents will push a particular line too aggressively for your tastes. You don't want to get caught in an agent's agenda if the cruise line isn't right for you.
Using the site’s cruise price prediction alerts, travelers can save up to 71 percent just by booking at the right time. When you think of Costco, you probably think of bulk food and toilet paper. But the next time you’re booking a cruise, it’ll be worthwhile to pull up Costco Travel, which is, unexpectedly, one of the best cruise websites. Using the seven-night Alaska example, Priceline brought up an itinerary aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Radiance of the Seas that starts at just $374 for the full week—roughly $53 per night. Hard-to-believe cruise deals like this show up on Priceline with regularity, which is part of what solidifies it as one of the best cruise websites. The initial interface comes off a bit clunkier than, say, Expedia’s or Kayak’s, but the tradeoff is that you can quickly search by cruise line, both standard and luxury, as well as by cruise length and departure port.
Most cruise lines, including Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line, have some version of a "Find a Travel Agency" search tool on their homepage. In most cases, its located in one of the menus located near the bottom of the page. If you're used to booking travel independently, consider these reasons why you might want to make use of a travel agent to book your next holiday at sea. In that case, you’ll want to contact the website that you booked through — not the cruise line (unless you booked through the cruise line’s website). For example, if you book through CostcoTravel.com, then contact them first for any price drops you see. So if you want to sail from Miami, you’ll see all the options from the port for every cruise line.
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