Do I need a travel agent? | Reasons to use an agent | Reasons to book online | Reasons to book through cruise line

Do I need a travel agent?

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My husband and I fiercely debated whether to use a travel agent or to book our cruise online by ourselves.

My husband is a Web savvy business traveler who books flights, hotels and cars online frequently. And while I am computer friendly, I find it comforting to have a live person saying at least 20 times, "No there won't be a life boat dangling in front of the window you're paying extra to have."

So we compromised. We talked with a travel agent, second guessed the travel agent and spent a week researching online. And then we booked the original cruise the travel agent suggested through the agent.

For many travelers price will decide how they book their trip. Are they going to find the best deal online, from the cruise line itself or from a travel agent?

"It's the first time the cruise lines have price integrity across the market place," says Brad Jones, director of cruise, tour and destination services for Orbitz. "Everyone really has the same rate for cruises out there."

Bob Sharak, executive vice president and chief marketing officer of Cruise Lines International Association, agrees. "The price is the price. The cruise industry on a whole is trying to level the playing field."

Sharak explains this is happening because the demand for cruises in 2004 has been high and has kept up with the supply of new ships. The CLIA expects 2005 to be the same, so cruise lines do not need to offer deep discounts. In fact, last year some cruise lines forbid travel agents from cutting their own commissions to offer clients discounts.

On the cruises we were looking at, I didn't find cheaper prices online or from the cruise line itself. There will be rare exceptions (group discounts or high volume bookings) where you might find a lesser rate, so cross check to be sure.

So who books your cruise isn't much of a factor, but when you book your cruise can lower your price. Because the ships are filling up, cruise lines are not forced to offer discounts at the last minute. This used to be common practice.

You will find the cheapest rates and best cabins (balconies!) if you book early, says Sharak. (One exception is if you are flexible enough to travel on one- or two-weeks notice.)

My experts varied slightly on how early to book. Sharak says 4 to 6 months in advance.

Aimée J. Ricca, owner of Bonne Amie Travel in Rockport, Maine, and one of the experts featured on the Travel Channel's Vacation Challenge, advises between 2 to 9 months for most times of the year. For New Year's and Christmas, book at least 9 months (and up to 18 months ahead for the best and worst cabins — they tend to go first). For Thanksgiving and school vacations, she says 6 to 12 months.

January to March is the busiest time of the year to book and 30 percent to 50 percent of the cabins are reserved in the first quarter of the year, says Sharak.

Now don't panic about having to book early and the possibility of prices dropping. In the present cruise climate, the price is unlikely to drop. But if it does, Ricca and Sharak say that any good travel agent will track your fare and most of the time will be able to adjust your charges accordingly or give you an upgrade. (Who knew?) Some online sites also will adjust the fare, too, but you'll have to call them with the change.

Booking through a travel agent

With so much information out there, a good travel agent can help you focus in a short time on a few lines or a few ships or a few destinations that would best match your needs. The agent I called immediately started asking questions and within five minutes focused on the cruise lines I felt we would be interested in.

Ricca says most Internet travel sites are actually travel agencies — that just make you do all the work. Here are some other reasons to use a travel agent:

• 90 percent of all cruises are booked through travel agents. Many of our readers suggested the same thing: "Use a professional travel agent."

• You do not get charged any more to use a travel agent than if you booked it through the line directly. "The cruise lines pay them, it's not money out of your pocket," says Sharak.

• A good travel agent should give you unbiased advice. We had already tentatively settled on a port and ship because we wanted to drive to the port to save money. When we told the travel agent our plan, she said she could not in good conscience put us on that ship and she refused to book it if that was our final choice. She didn't feel it would fit the experience we were seeking. I don't think the cruise line would have told us that.

• Many travel agents are certified through the Cruise Lines International Association and The Travel Institute. They have to pass tests and cruise in many cases to become accredited.

• A good travel agent should be watching your cruise fare and should adjust it if the price happens to go lower (unlikely at this time, but it does make you feel more confident about booking early!) Some online travel agencies will adjust to if you spot the change. Double check with your agent or online service to make sure they do this.

• With a travel agent you have someone to blame and/or someone to go to bat for you if something is goes wrong. "As a travel agent I have more clout than you do going direct," says Ricca. She explains she has a representative with each cruise line and is booking volumes of cruises each year — they have more reason to keep her happy when she's recommending lines.

Booking online

Brad Jones, director of cruise, tour and destination services for Orbitz, says that booking online is all about convenience and information.

"We've taken all the information that used to be for travel agents' eyes only, taken all that information that used to be a mystery to people, and made it accessible and easy to navigate."

He says getting people to feel comfortable booking cruises online is a progression — first people got used to ordering flowers online, then they got familiar with booking flights or paying a bill. He says next they'll be comfortable with booking a more expensive trip, such as a cruise. Many people already are.

• Online travel sites are generally open 24/7 all year long. We researched our cruises at 10 p.m. at night after the kids were finally in bed.

• Online sites offer powerful research tools, such as photos of the interiors of individual ships, deck diagrams, passenger reviews, professional reviews and matrixes to compare itineraries side by side. However, be wary of how old some ship information might be. One site made multiple references to changes coming to ships in 2003 — very disconcerting.

• Using the online services I could see how prices changed week to week. We could sail on several weeks and after seeing those price variations ($200 in some cases); we chose the cheapest week to travel.

• You may stumble across lines, boats and destinations you didn't know existed.

• Online travel sites offer the ability to research each line without getting entered into the line's data banks so no annoying phone calls or emails.

• Many online sites do offer round-the-clock operators to take your questions. Orbitz says their cruise specialists have sold cruises for at least three years and have toured ships or cruised themselves. You can ask for the same person.

• Since big discount aren't being given, some online services are finding ways to sweeten their deals, such as offering triple reward points on your credit card, free money for your ship credit card or gift cards to retailers such as Target.

• I was worried that if I booked online I wouldn't get to pick the exact cabin I wanted or choose my dining time. When I finally got brave I explored deeper into the site, I did find that it gave me those options and even asked if we were celebrating a birthday or anniversary. It also gave multiple chances to back out if you decided this wasn't the cruise you wanted.

Booking through a cruise line

• If you know which line you want to take, the cruise line should be able to answer all your questions in great detail.

• The cruise line is going to offer the same price as travel agents. However, they are not going to tell you about any other cruise lines that might match your needs.

• If you register on many of the cruise sites for information, the lines will contact you often. My husband asked for information from one line and we received weekly phone calls and emails for months.

• Once you've talked with a travel agency, the cruise lines do not want to cannibalize on that relationship. When I called to compare prices, the cruise line told me to call back my travel agent and book it through them.