CRUISE TIPS by Raye & Marty Trencher
According to Anne Campbell of Cruisemates;
"Cruise line CEOs recently got together at Seatrade, an annual industry
convention, to predict the direction of direct bookings. In booking direct,
the consumer skips the travel agent and goes straight to the cruise line web
site to book a cruise vacation. One thing the cruise lines like about this is
that they don't have to pay a 10 percent commission to a travel agent.
Historically, almost no one booked direct - until the advent of the Internet. Today, a whopping 15% of Carnival's passengers book directly, followed by Royal Caribbean's 10%. The other cruise companies' direct booking levels are still much lower. But many of them predict direct bookings will eventually reach 25 percent of their total business. Even though I've been on more cruises than I can count, I would always use a travel agent. Why? First of all, even though the cruise line saves 10 percent when I book directly, they don't pass any of that savings along to me. But more important, the travel agent is an impartial expert who has my interests at heart. He/she will steer me away from a cabin located underneath the show lounge or disco, or monitor price fluctuations and grab a better rate should one become available. The agent may also have a group rate on a better ship, which means I can afford a balcony cabin."
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