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»	Cruise Talk » Cruising 1.0 » Question about consolidators, bargains, etc

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Topic: Question about consolidators, bargains, etc

Thesauri
Just Boarded
Member # 2987

posted 04-27-2002 07:39 AM

Is there an appropriate place on the boards (or a place more appropriate or less inappropriate or a thread where this has already been done to death) to ask about consolidators and bargains?

Today I found one that looks too good to be true and I'm not sure what to look for, what questions to ask, etc. I've only cruised once so far and went through a travel agent. Thanks!

Posts: 3 | From: WV (on the Ohio River) | Registered: Apr 2002 | IP: Logged

Namlit
First Class Passenger
Member # 1940

posted 04-27-2002 03:20 PM

I'll tell you a strategy that has worked for me again and again, Thesauri:
Get the best bona fide deal you can on a cabin from a consolidator, then ask them to hold it. Now call your regular TA, and tell them the deal you found while you were "just looking around". Explain to them that you'd much rather deal with them, because you trust them, and ask them if they can match the price. They may ask a few questions about where you found your deal. (And this is where it is very important that you have an actually obtainable price, for the specific cabin you want, on a cruise you want to book.) Chances are very good that your TA will match the price, or at least come very close. Travel agencies need to keep their local customers to survive, and if there is any way they can get you the price you want, they'll do it.

Personally, I'd even pay a bit more than the consolidator price, just to have the peace of mind that dealing with the same agency I've used for 15 years provides. My TA has always been able to come within $25.00 of the best deal I could find online or via a consolidator for cruises. For my last cruise, my TA beat the best price I could find by $6.00, and I spent a lot of time looking.

Airfare is another story entirely.

Posts: 309 | From: Greene County, Indiana, USA | Registered: Apr 2001 | IP: Logged

gizmo
First Class Passenger
Member # 972

posted 04-27-2002 07:09 PM

Make sure you know if the port and taxes are included in the quoted prices. Always ask to have them listed on the quote.

Posts: 686 | From: Kennesaw Ga. (origianlly from Philly) | Registered: Dec 1999 | IP: Logged

Thesauri
Just Boarded
Member # 2987

posted 05-01-2002 04:03 PM

Thanks for the good words and the good ideas!

Th.

Posts: 3 | From: WV (on the Ohio River) | Registered: Apr 2002 | IP: Logged

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