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travel agent or book ourselves???

Angelmc8Angelmc8 member
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in Honeymoon Discussions
Hello.  Fiance and I are planning on taking a cruise around Greece/Mediterranean in Sept. 2010.  I've met with a travel agent and was surprised by how much they charge.  Does a travel agent give you a good enough deal to justify paying them, or can we do well enough by booking ourselves?  Any advice is greatly appreciated!  Also, if you can recommend a good cruise line, that would be greatly appreciated as well!!  
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Re: travel agent or book ourselves???

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    shauni27shauni27
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    i think right now you can find such good deals for cruises that it is worth the extra work to book it on your own.  with that said...a friend booked hers through a TA and it saved their trip--their flight to FLA was delayed so much that they missed the ship.  so their TA booked them on another flight to where the first stop was and put them up in a beautiful hotel for the night there, since their flight was getting them in a day or two before the ship was arriving, and they did not pay an extra dime at all.  it could be worth it if you are worried about any problems.  look around and talk to multiple travel agents, you might be able to find one who does not charge as much.  good luck!
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    FunnSunFunnSun member
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    I dont know about cruises but in our case we would have been lost without our TA ...she did everything for our DW and actualllly saved us money and we received upgrades and other extras that we would have not had if we booked on line for sure.  
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    akjp70311akjp70311
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    I vote for a TA too!
    I have always used a TA.
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    AndyNJennAndyNJenn member
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    I've always booked my own trips! I've been to cancun, jamaica, hawaii.. i've been everywhere! however I like to research the places as well, and i'll spend hours doing that and researching things to do once i get there.. to see what i like and what i don't! but i love doing that, so someone who wouldn't want to put in a little effort into researching, then i would say go with a TA!
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    EMF9903EMF9903
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    We used a AAA travel agent and its basically a service that goes along with your AAA membership.  I dont think its a exactly the same as other travel agents but they are very knowledgable and will do everything for you which I like.
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    Reilly626Reilly626 member
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    I went to AAA and another travel agent and Expedia.com beat them both, so have them do the work, then book it yourself online and save $!
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    ScorpiogrrrrlScorpiogrrrrl
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    Sometimes travel agents can get you the better prices...the thing to do is do your research. We too are taking a cruise a mexican riviera 6 night 7 day and our agent got us a cheaper rate then online..and its nice because they can package it all together for you. We also got which I think everyone should consider...trip insurance. We have the cancel for any reason insurance and its nice to have..also covers medical where your medical nmight not cover which is great if your out of the country.

    We are doing a honeymoon registry too..and before everyone goes off on me..lol..because it seems to be the thing people do on here instead of respecting peoples decisions its what was best for us. Our TA is handling it which is nice too. So it can relieve some of the stress to have a ta espcially for such an important trip. Perhaps if this was just the two of you going away for a weekend and not your honeymoon I would say book it yourself...but as one of the other brides pointed out..if something goes wrong it is nice to call someone to help you out of a sticky situation.

    Another thing to consider if you are cruising..give yourself a few days to get to your cruise in case of flight changed, delays etc...we are actually leaving a week after our wedding and arriving 2 days before at our port so we can relax and not worry about making the cruise on time. When we get back we are also staying an extra day to relax so we are not just hopping right onto a plane.

    Just figure out what works best for you and your FI and go with that..do your research. Know most places will price compare and some will not. I went to 4 agencies before I found one we like. Also many agencies will price match what you find on the internet. I walked in the doors of the ones I went to with a print out from the cruise line of what we wanted to do and what the different travel sites online were quoting us. Also take into consideration that sites sometimes charge hidden fees which can equal an agents fee..and taxes and all of that. GL! Happy Planning!
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    CCBelleCCBelle
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    Have you looked at the prices on line directly from the cruiseline?  We just booked a Celebrity cruise and learned that TA's are not allowed to charge extra.  They also may have added perks like OBC. 
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