the Cost of Online Travel Agents

An online travel agency performs just like a "brick and mortar" travel agency except for the fact that you don't have to get in your car to go to them! The online travel agency I utilized for an upcoming cruise was absolutely wonderful and saved me quite a bit of money. Their website was extremely user friendly and provided a vast amount of information. The search engine lets you search for cruises by cruiseline, destination, date of cruise, etc. They also have links to the various cruiselines to research them. Once you have decided when and where you want to go, it's as simple as picking a cruise, picking your cabin and clicking on "book it" You pay the travel agency and they then forward the payment to the cruiseline. The agency provides you with all the paperwork you need and forwards your booking onto the cruiseline. You are then able to go to the cruiseline's website and book excursions, order bon voyage gifts, etc. They also were very easy to communicate with, I emailed them and also phoned them and always received a prompt response. I would highly recommend using an online travel agency for booking cruises or other type of vacation.

I did a lot of research on pricing out an upcoming cruise with many online travel agencys. I discovered that many of the most popular ones I was familiar with charged a booking fee. This fee wasn't much, however, I'm a penny pincher and kept searching! I found several online travel agencys that deal strictly with cruises. Most of them do not charge you any booking fee and are significantly lower in price than if booking with the cruiseline directly. Booking a cruise online is perfect for someone who has already researched their vacation and do not need the assistance of a "real person" I already knew exactly which cruise I wanted and even knew exactly what cabin I wanted. I simply needed to find the lowest price and book it. Booking was very simple, just needed a credit card for the deposit amount and your typical personal information. After submitting this information they replied with a confirmation number and an email detailing the cruise itinerary and the date that the final payment would be due. I did have a few questions which were answered promptly and professionally when I telephoned their toll free number. I would highly recommend an online travel agency.

I would advise anyone utilizing an online travel agency to make sure you read through the contract they provide you. I do believe their cancellation policy fees vary and I found that some of them may also charge you for any changes you want to make after you have booked, for example, if you later decide to change your cabin, some companys may charge you a fee to make the change. I also found out that when you go to book a specific cabin category they will show you several cabin numbers as available. If you do not like any of those cabins try going to the cruiseline's website and check to see if other cabins are available that you do like, if so, call the online agency and explain to them that you know of a particular cabin that you would like to book that is not showing as available on their site; they will then book you in the cabin you tell them you want. After booking, printout all the information the agency emails you, this is your receipt. A lot of agencys will give you a gift of onboard credit, when you board the ship check at the reception desk to make sure it's been forwarded onto your account.