Travel Agent or No Travel Agent?

[LasVegasFitGirl]

I want to take a European cruise next year for our 20th anniversary. I always plan our vacations from start to finish and I'm very good at it. However, I was wondering if a the commission I would have to pay the travel agent is worth whatever benefits they can provide me or should I do it myself? Can they get me a cruise, hotel and airfare cheaper than I can get it which would offset the cost of their commission? Or is a travel agent just for those people who don't know how to plan their own vacations?

 

[mom418]

i dont have any advice about traveling. i've never used one but dont go on complicated vacations or really vacation at all lol.
but i love your sig. quote. hilarious! i laughed out loud. i would prob. wash my mouth with cheese haha.

 

[NRG Woman]

I am leaving on my 4th cruise on Royal Caribbean in two weeks. The first 2 we did through a travel agent, but times were different then. One of our friends and I have done much of the planning on this one.

We have a friend who is exceptional at researching/planning/finding deals, etc. I have to say our first couple of cruises were so easy comparatively. The travel agent knew all of the ins and outs, asked us a few questions and we got onto planning our wardrobes. Now you can do handle every little detail by yourself (at least on Royal Caribbean) on their website. The first couple of weeks after we decided to go I spent an enormous amount of time on the site planning. Once we got all of that done it is business as usual. So while it has been a lot more work this time I feel much more connected to the trip and also a lot less nervous. I know all of the ins and outs of how everything works and feel really prepared.

So the upshot is this...if you were someone who said they didn't like planning travel I would say it is easier to have a travel agent plan your trip. But since you said you are very experienced I think you will do really well planning the trip yourself.

Whatever you do have a great time

Shayne

 

[trixie108]

I totally agree with Shayne. I've planned trips myself, and through an agent. Although with the cruise we planned through the agent, we did not pay a commission. I think they get some type of commission through that particular cruise line (I think it was Royal Caribbean).

 

[handels]

I don't know specifically about cruises, I've never taken one. I do travel a lot and using a travel agent is a crap shoot. Sometimes they get much better deals, sometimes you can do better online.

My husband works for a hotel company and their internal agent sometimes trounces what I find online, but a couple of times she hasn't seen deals that I've found directly through the airline.

Also, she sometimes sees a past price that is lower and makes the airline honor it (like if the price has gone up in the past week), which is a pretty neat trick.

Your best bet is prob to do both. You are at no obligation to take what the agent finds. So, look yourself, ask an agent and if they find better than you, take their deal. I would have your info done before you go to them so you can tell them right away what you found so they know if it's worth their time to try to find a better deal.

 

[NinjaMom]

DS and his GF just returned from a month long European trip which included Germany, Austria, Rome, Paris and London. They researched & planned the entire trip themselves and had no problems at all.

This website is a great resource for help in planning a trip to Europe:
http://www.ricksteves.com/

 

[LasVegasFitGirl]

Thanks everyone!

I agree, I could do both. I asked him and he said the cruise line pays his commission and that he can get extras thru them that I can't get, such as wine or onboard credits. I think I'd like to make him do the work yet compare his with my own searches.

 

[lorrayne]

Hi Barb,

I too love to do all the research myself instead of using a travel agent. I would ask you this as well...are you a AAA member? They also can offer you these extras by booking either directly with the cruise line by asking for the AAA discount or through AAA itself.

In addition to looking at Rick Steves' site (which I highly recommend as well), I suggest you check out the tripadvisor site for some itinerary suggestions for day trips while in Port. I highly recommend you do this research yourself regardless of using a travel agent or booking the entire vacation yourself. You will save $$ booking directly with private tours than going through the cruise line or travel agent. Many time the cruise line will use the same tour group you book but at an inflated rate.

So, not sure if I helped or not. The travel agent may get you good deals on discounted airfare and hotels; however, be careful to ensure those airfare rates allow you to get frequent flier miles. Some of those consolidator fares don't allow you to accrue miles. Lastly, do your homework and book your in port tours yourself.

Lorrayne

 

[Jaffas]

I've been on a few cruises. I used to get incredible discounts as an airline employee, but now go through vacationstogo.com. I'm the opposite of the kind of person who plans everything in advance. We got a really good deal on a Panama canal cruise but it was a last minute thing, we booked it so close to departure that we almost didn't have time to pack! You can sign up for their newsletter and compare prices.

 

[Sheila S]

How fun!

Lorrayne's given you some great advice (everyone else, too!)

Another web resource to check out for port activities and cruise reviews is cruisecritic.com

I've taken 5 Mediterranean and European cruises and have booked both with a travel agent and without. I'm not sure there was any big advantage either way. I certainly like to do the research myself but where a group was involved, I felt more comfortable with the travel agent doing the booking. For example, I usually prefer search out smaller, non-chain hotels for their "character" but cruise embarkation can be smoother from one of the hotels the cruise line is using where they set up pre-boarding and whisk your bags directly from your room to the ship.

Finally, if you can avoid the middle of the summer, you may be able to avoid some of the crowds as well. I found the trips I've done in May and October much more enjoyable than July and August.

Whatever you do, have a wonderful time!

Sheila