[784caroline]

I have always used a Travel Agent. The price a cruise line quotes you will or should be the same as a Travel Agent. The MAJOR difference is that the Travel Agent can provide you ON-Board Credits (OBC) which are like cash to be used for all your expenses while cruising. For ex on our recent 16 day cruise through the Panama canal, the Cruise Line and Travel agencies were all quoting the same price but the Agent offered us a $375 per cabin OBC...we took it. WE are also stockholders of Royal Caribbean (RCL) and for a cruise longer than 12 nights we get an additional $250 OBC/ cabin. If you booked directly with the cruise line or while you were on a prior sailing, any OBC provided by the cruise line at that time CANNOT be combined with the Stockholder OBC. SO for this Panama Canal trip we had a $625 OBC per cabin and believe me for a 16 day cruise you need all yoyu can get. Absolutely no reason not to take advantage of such offers.

BTW : AAA may be convient but they are not known to offer the best OBC deals. Selecting a Good travel agent really all depends upon your comfort level, and how much hand holding a traveller needs ie experience in dealing with diferent TAs. As with everything else not all TAs are created equal!

Insurance...you will never know you need it UNTIL you actually do need it. I typiaclly get insurance for primarily two reasons and its not for health benefits or lost baggage.
--- Medical evacuation easpecailly for transatlantic or some place far from home or exocit location. Believe me this can be expensive and $25000 does not go very far

--- TRip cancellation/modification......just in case something happens to a family member (elderly parent, child, spouse etc ) and you cannot make the trip or continue with a trip that has already started. Very importatn if you are booking during hurricane season or travelling from the North during snow season adn your travel plans dont allow an extra travel day to get to port to make the cruise.

[Avista]

784Caroline, You're post was extremely interesting. We just purchased 100 shares of Royal Caribbean stock this morning--hoping for those onboard credits. I'm a little foggy as to when we can use them. We already have 300 onboard credits for the Radiance next Oct. Purchased this cruise while on another RC cruise but then transferred reservation to our TA I think you are saying we cannot combine another 100 from the stock program to make it $400.

We also have a Monarch 4 day cruise coming up in Jan with no on board credits. We will get the $50 stockholders onboard credit for this one. We booked this directly through RCI.

Is my understanding correct?

We have always taken the insurance. This 4 day Monarch cruise is only $500, so are thinking of not taking the insurance. If a problem, we lose $500
Maybe we should take it. Haven't yet decided.
Thanks for your input!

[784caroline]

avista

You reading of my post is correct. You cannot combine RCL shareholder OBCs with any OBCs offered by RCL directly and that includes any incentives offer for booking on board. This change just took place in January 2009.

My question to you ....the $300 OBCs are they "ALL" from RCL or the TA or a combination of both?? I assume this is a 7 day cruise so if RCL offered you $100 OBC and the TA bumped that an additional $200 (Total of $300) the $100 RCL credit would offset the $100 Shareholder credit...so you still only get $300. Be aware.... Cruise price reductions do not effect Shareholder OBCs BUT can effect (most likely reduce)a TA OBCs

Looks like you will get the $50 Shareholder credit for the Monach sailing. The RCL Shareholder OBC program has been a great deal for us. Wished I bought the stock when it was below $10 earlier this year. Buying RCL stock today simply for the Shareholder OBC program is NOT a reason to buy the stock. I am amazed that the stock has been doing as well as it has given the drastic price reductions in crusie prices but they make up for it by on-board purchases by nearly filled cruise ships.

[Avista]

Caroline, We originally planned a repositioning cruise which gave us the $300 on board credit. When we came home, we changed our minds, went to our TA and she transferred everything to the Radiance cruise in Oct. We didn't think the $300 credit would transfer, but it did.

Do you have a Travel Agency you especially like? PM me if you prefer. Thanks.

[swrinfla]

Also as a former travel agent, I'll concur with 784caroline's observations.

After I have selected a particular cruise by my own on-line research, I still book through an agent with whom I used to work.

1) She almost always comes across a special deal (the trip I'm about to leave on she waved some magic wand and I was eventually upgraded five decks and five verandah categories for no additional charge!) even after I've booked.

2) She knows exactly what I want in terms of accommodations and Cruise Connection transfers; I never have to tell her again, unless I want something different.

3) She always sends me a bottle or two of wine!

4) She's always available in an emergency and can cope with virtually any "catastrophe!"

And, I always, always buy insurance. When I was an agent, I saw too many instances where clients lost a bundle of money because they had to cancel late and didn't have insurance.

SWR

[Avista]

Swrinfla,

Many thanks for posting. We've had 5 cruises--just enough to THINK we know what we are doing. We'll take your advise and email TA, let her on the reservation we made ourselves and get insurance. I think we'll feel better.