Top 5 Things to Look for In A Good Travel Agent for Your Cruise Vacation

Role of a Travel Agent

A travel agent is someone who looks out for your travel plans. All details from bookings to reservations need to be taken care of by them. In the case of a cruise vacation, it involves finding the best deals for you, keeping tabs on the lowest prices being offered, and getting you the cruise, you want, when you want it.

The best travel host travel agency have on their roll travel agents who can help you make the best use of your time like a professional. This means getting the most out of your cruise while meeting all your requirements as well. Keeping that in mind, let us see what are the top 5 things you must consider when choosing a travel agent for your cruise vacation.

· Extra fee — This may come as a surprise to some of you but the cruise fee includes in it any payment, they must make towards the agent who books the cruise or any commission in any form. This they include in the ticket price. This means that if your travel agent is looking to seek money from you or an extra fee in this claim beyond the price of the cruise ticket then they are looking to loot you. This is often a good litmus test for the honesty of the agency and the agent.

· Experience — While it may be unlikely to find a travel agency or a travel agent who has worked on the same cruise or route as the one you wish to be in, it is not very uncommon for the travel agent in cruise vacations to have some experience in the cruising business. This allows them to have insights into the workings of the cruise which they can share with you to your advantage. This plus factor can come in very handy for you.

· Turnaround time — Agents are not expected by you or anyone to be available 24*7 for only your queries, that is true. It is, however, good practice, to ask the agent or agency what is their average turnaround time for your requests or queries. You can use their answer here to see if it suits your needs and make a decision accordingly.

· Specific agent — There can be a case made out for both a specific agent assigned to you by the agency or a round-robin (whoever is available at the moment) system. The former allows a personal connection with the agent while the latter means your waiting time for answers will likely be much shorter. Ask the agency which system they work on and see if it matches your needs.

· Changing prices — Cruise prices are often subject to changes over short durations based on bookings, availability, and other factors. A good traveler is someone who is on the lookout for the lowest prices or for changing prices and banks on good deals. Make sure your agent takes the responsibility for these aspects of your booking so that you don’t have to spend your time on this or miss out on a great change to your benefit.

The above are the five top things you must not miss out on in analyzing as they can make the difference between a good and an ok experience for the cruise.

FAQs

· Is it necessary to choose an agent here?

It is more than advised when looking to book a cruise vacation for yourself to work with a travel agency and a travel agent. Cruising companies have tie-ups with agents and offer good deals to them. Not only that but by taking care of all aspects yourself, you may miss out on important documents, filings, or details leading to trouble for you and yours.

· Should I go with a cruise recommended agent?

The only reason for you to work backward and choose an agent based on the cruise is if you have monetary or other considerations for choosing only that cruise and having made up your mind wish to work with an agent to make the work simpler for yourself. Otherwise, it is best to choose an agent first and based on your needs and timeline, see which cruise works best for you.