Going it alone doesn’t always deliver the best price or package, here are some reasons why a specialist cruise agent can get you the best deal ever:
1. EASE - An agent takes care of all the planning and makes sure that there is enough time for transfers etc. They can organise dinner reservations, pre and post cruise hotel nights, delivery of luggage to your cruise liner ahead of departure and a thousand and one things you would never think o, or would drive yourself insane trying to achieve.
2. KNOWLEDGE – Agents are acquainted with the places you will go, either through personal experience or through colleagues who have visited that port, sailed on that ship or made that journey in the past – as a result they can advise you on local customs, off-the-beaten-track shops and restaurants, and places to avoid because they are tourist traps – and they can advising you based on what they know of you, so it’s tailored information that meets your needs, not broad guidebook recommendations that may not suit you at all.
3. BARGAINS - Because travel agents are working directly with the cruise line they can get fantastic deals, they get loyalty bonuses for repeat travellers, push for upgrades and are there to advise you about which cabins may not be as much of a bargain as they appear (those next to the engines and the disco, for example, can be pretty noisy) so they can save you money and put on the right course to a real bargain.