In addition, you might want to look for an agent who is a cruise specialist -- either at a cruise-dedicated agency or within a larger general agency -- to get the best service. Be sure to inquire about any fees for using a travel agency prior to working with them. Be sure to ask any travel agent if they charge any fees for their services before working with them. Holsted, DK holiday homes: Houses & more | Vrbo There are many wonderful travel agents that specialize in Royal Caribbean. Booking with a travel agent gives your transaction a personal touch -- you have a resource for asking questions and someone to contact if something goes wrong during your travels. When you book through me, I'll make sure I understand your preferences, budget, and goals for travel. It is important to get a sense of on average of how quickly they will make changes after requesting. With everyone attached to their phones, laptops and tablets, many people assume that online is the only way to book travel. It is win-win. Unlike when you call into a call center and have to explain everything to them, your travel agent already knows you and remembers what kind of stateroom categories you tend to book, which dining rotation your family enjoys, etc. Of all the benefits a travel agent provides, this might be the least known, yet most important benefit of using a travel agency. Whether you cruise multiple times per year or you're new to cruising, the goal of Royal Caribbean Blog is for it to bea useful resource for keeping up to date with what's new and exciting with Royal Caribbean. They are the person that goes back and forth with Royal Caribbean on your behalf, offers options to you, and more. This means they are aware of your needs, remember the reasons why you chose what you booked, and are locked into assisting you with your cruise plans. Royal Caribbean Travel Agent Resources Reddit, Inc. 2023. His email: tom.baker@cruisecenter.com, Mary Jean Tully of Cruise Professionals by Tully Luxury Travel has for decades now sent a great many clients to all the luxury cruise lines. By booking with a travel agent, you can take advantage of the great service they provide, as well as the lower rates. In addition to the agent side of things, it is also nice to hear if they like to cruise with Royal Caribbean on their own. All ships have been updated adding guest-favorite experiences across an award-winning fleet, so that every ship is the best ship. If a cruise vacation for your family, friends, high school reunion or any other group sounds like a great idea, your first step should be to work with a travel agent. Find out how many cruises they've taken that year and with which lines they've personally cruised. They save you headaches and stress in solving these problems because they are your buffer between all of that. Offering diverse destinations and innovative amenities like rock-climbing walls,ice-skating rinks and our FlowRider surf simulator Royal Caribbean is perfect for travelers who want it all. Martin Juhl. Equally important, they are great advocates for you to be reimbursed for the inconvenience, especially when the fault is with the cruise line. Essentially, they never stop learning about cruising, and that results in being able to provide you an informed and complete look at all of your options. Read More, If you are holding on tight to your Future Cruise Credits (FCCs) waiting for the perfect time and itinerary to put them back in use, many of them expire soon! Don't you hate it when you have to explain the backstory of your current issue to someone each time you call? Do you remember the Stevie Wonder song, "I just called to say I love you"? The agent will keep you in his or her database, alert you to deals or sales and can even suggest future trip ideas. Royal Caribbean has told its travel agents any cruises that are canceled and converted to a future cruise credit will have their commission protectedon both the canceled booking and the future reservation where the FCC is redeemed. . Privacy Policy, 2023 CP Franchising, LLC, dba Cruise Planners. And whats the difference? This apparently means passengers booking directly with the cruise line cannot use the program. All rights reserved. Whether youre the lounge-on-the-beach type or an adventurer longing for exotic destinations - we truly are the only nation that stretches from coast to coast. All rights reserved. Travel advisor Shaliece Moser of Oh Sheesh Travel said she thanked Freed personally for the free cruise. If you are thinking of taking a Royal Caribbean cruise with friends, family, coworkers, high school classmates, random people from the internet, or anyone else and need to get a few cabins together for a group, then youreallywant to use a travel agent. . Extraordinary landscapes and wildlife, untouched nature and quiet trails to meander for hours (with a good map and plenty of water, of . 35 Royal Caribbean cruise tips and tricks that will make your voyage Answer It Royally with the worlds most imaginative ships, exciting destinations and signature, personalized service found only aboard a Royal Caribbean International Cruise. Travel Agents 23 Jan 2018 By: Matt Hochberg While the word, "secret" usually refers to a bit of information that is supposed to be kept under wraps, when it comes to Royal Caribbean cruises, a secret is really just a lesser-known tidbit or trick that many others may not be aware of yet. If you're used to booking travel independently, consider these reasons why you might want to make use of a travel agent to book your next holiday at sea. According to Freed, the change came about as a result of last year's hurricanes that impacted so many reservations. If you are thinking of taking a Royal Caribbean cruise with friends, family, coworkers, high school classmates, random people from the internet, or anyone else and need to get a few cabins together for a group, then youreallywant to use a travel agent. Use ASTA's consumer website to locate a travel agent who has agreed to conduct their business activities in accordance with the organization's code of ethics. Vrbo offers the best alternatives to hotels. Royal Caribbean awards free cruise to every advisor at Travel Leaders Latest Deals Unpublished Special Offers! Travel Agents 07 Aug 2020 By: Matt Hochberg One of my top pieces of advice for any cruiser is to use a good travel agent, and the key word there is "good". Ultimately, you are looking for someone that works well with you. If you have special needs of any kind -- whether it's help in .css-hghiur{transition-property:var(--chakra-transition-property-common);transition-duration:var(--chakra-transition-duration-fast);transition-timing-function:var(--chakra-transition-easing-ease-out);-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:2px solid transparent;outline-offset:2px;font-weight:var(--chakra-fontWeights-medium);border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;cursor:pointer;color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);border-color:var(--chakra-colors-blue-base);}.css-hghiur:focus-visible,.css-hghiur[data-focus-visible]{box-shadow:var(--chakra-shadows-outline);}.css-hghiur:hover,.css-hghiur[data-hover]{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;}arranging a wedding ceremony onboard, ordering gluten-free or kosher meals, or dealing with accessibility issues -- a qualified agent should be able to make the proper arrangements for you or advise you on how to handle the issue yourself. The best bet is shop around. and our Royal Caribbean has many nuances, and the more experience an agent has, the more confidence you can have that they will take good care of you. A cruise travel agent will guide you through choosing your cabin and dining times, deposits and final payment, and options for shore excursions and specialty dining. Anyone can transfer a Royal Caribbean cruise reservation to a travel agent as long as you are within 60 days of the initial booking. The sales teams fromAzamara, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Silversea willguide travel advisors through the information about the CARES Act as they consider their options for economic relief. Look for the following: Many agents become accredited cruise counselors through CLIA's Cruise Academy or take courses through the different cruise lines to become more expert at selling their products. Beyond that, there is no cost to you. Good news, there may be time for you to do so! |, Cruise Planners travel agent is merely a selling agent and makes no warranty expressed or implied. Tom Baker, Cruise Center Tom Baker of Cruise Center specializes in large and medium-size ships from such lines as Celebrity, Oceania, Royal Caribbean, Regent Seven Seas,. Travel agents love to show their appreciation for your business, and that often comes in the form of small gifts. If they're charging for anything else beyond planning advice ( you spend an hour with them figuring out what kind of vacation you want) then I'd avoid them. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Royal Caribbean's new immersive dining experience is on track With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! You love your family, and enjoy spending time with your friends, but reminding Aunt Kathy to make final payment or figuring out if your bestie's 7 year old son needs a passport is not something you need or should be worried about. Best Cruise Deals - BCD; Services; Powered by Universe Business & Travel. Beyond being knowledgeable about the basics of cruising, they take tours of the ships to learn what makes each ship unique. This means you can focus on getting everyone excited for the cruise itself! . Equally important, they are great advocates for you to be reimbursed for the inconvenience, especially when the fault is with the cruise line. Royal Caribbean travel agent rate is a special discount offered to individuals who work as travel agents or are affiliated with a travel agency. Holsted | Map, Guide - Region of Southern Denmark, Denmark | AllTrails We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. The cruise line pays their commission. 20102023Regal Sea Media LLC. The support program will introduce new services and tools in the near future to continue helping travel partners during this difficult time. 10 Secrets Royal Caribbean travel agents wish you knew Best for: Dinner overlooking an iconic Disney attraction. It is a little different than planning a resort getaway, so here are a few tips to help you consider your options. Royal Caribbean announced today it is creating RCL Cares to show support of the travel agent community that aims toassist thousands oftravel professionals in theU.S., Puerto Rico and other U.S. territoriesdealing with the negative impact of the COVID-19 crisis. (Yes, every ship has bad cabinsyou do not, for example, want to be over the stern thrusters.) In fact, travel agents are more likely to save you money compared to doing it on your own. Lots of them. For immediate travel assistance, you may also contact a Royal Caribbean cruise travel agent directly by calling 1-800-683-0206. Use the search tool to locate agents in your area with a variety of levels of CLIA training. valiamo 5 yr. ago While the word, "secret" usually refers to a bit of information that is supposed to be kept under wraps, when it comes to Royal Caribbean cruises, a secret is really just a lesser-known tidbit or trick that many others may not be aware of yet. Essentially, they never stop learning about cruising, and that results in being able to provide you an informed and complete look at all of your options. If there is one suggestion I give to first time cruisers above all else, it is to use a travel agent to plan their Royal Caribbean cruise. Experience this 35.6-mile loop trail near Holsted, Region of Southern Denmark. They are paid a commission from Royal Caribbean, and there is no extra cost to you for their services. When you use a travel agent, you get an agent who works with you from start to finish. We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. If that occurs, a travel agent is the one to sort it all out and get you back on track. Travel agents love to show their appreciation for your business, and that often comes in the form of small gifts. Write review. Courtesy of Tom Baker. This is especially important in today's world of cruising, where you have specialty dining reservations, shore excursions, WOWbands and more. When booking a cruise you need to consider, in addition to ship size (Small? Did you read all of this and realize you now want to transfer the cruise reservation you made directly with Royal Caribbean to a travel agent? Chances are that they will match it. Is it all up to you to find lower prices? Question the agents on cruising trends or up-and-coming destinations, and ask them to explain the differences between cruise lines. If the passengers would cancel and take a future cruise credit, the agent would not be paid by the cruise line until the subsequent cruise was taken. All travel agencies are free. Login - Royal Caribbean Cruise Agent With your support, we can create more exciting content and share with everyone! The best cruise agents will do a thorough job of interviewing potential clients to find out which ship, line and itinerary would be the best fit. Organizing a group is no simple task. Travel Agents working with Royal Caribbean - Travel Leaders They know the cruise lines and all their ships. Contact a Royal Caribbean Specialist for unpublished deals! They will be the ones to sit on hold with Royal Caribbean and work with the cruise line to sort out any issues, questions, ordiscrepancies. A round-robin agency means you have the advantage of getting serviced without relying on just one person's schedule. When you use a travel agent, you get an agent who works with you from start to finish. You dont call Royal Caribbean, wait on hold for an interminable amount of time, and have to deal with any of the footwork of booking it on your own. Individual agencies may have groups set up for specific sailings, and there is no reason they cannot add you to that group and take advantage of lower prices. Not only can they save you time by doing this, some agents will periodically check on their client's bookings if there is a new sale and see if they can get their clients a better rate. Look for agents offering discounts, free perks and other incentives. A good travel agent is paid commission by Royal Caribbean on the cruises they book, so you are not paying anything extra. If you gamble enough in Royal Caribbean's Casino Royale, you can might be eligible for significant cruise fare discounts through the Casino Royale program. You must have JavaScript enabled to use this form. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Royal Caribbean International. Not all agencies offer the same services, so be sure the one you are considering will help you in the areas you would like assistance. Of course you can, but travel agents spend a lot of time learning about all aspects of a Royal Caribbean cruise. By registering for Cruising Power you will gain access to the most up-to-date information on the promotions, offers and information from Celebrity Cruises and Royal Caribbean International Family of companies. It allows the agents to experience the onboard services and amenities at a reduced cost, which helps them better promote and sell it. Goldilocks had a simple predicament: choosing the right bed and bowl. Are you thinking of using a travel agent, but still have questions? By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. If you'd like to book a cruise through a travel agent, you can pop into a downtown storefront or search for cruise sellers online. This website uses cookies. Don't you hate it when you have to explain the backstory of your current issue to someone each time you call? He specializes in small ship expedition cruisescompanies like Aqua Expeditions, Ponant, Lindblad, Scenic, Aurora, and more. Prices can change many times, but a good travel agent is willing to work with you to watch for discounts when you book, and keep track of small changes that can benefit you. Empire . Take advantage of great travel savings, benefits, amenities, and upgrades today. Second, you will want to make sure they are providing the level of service we mentioned in this post. Simply tell one of our specialists where you want to go, and we'll help you figure out the rest. One of the most important things to know is that agents -- in particular, cruise specialists -- have been onboard the ships and can really give you firsthand advice about different cruise options. Using a knowledgeable and helpful travel agent can take the stress out of planning a Royal Caribbean cruise vacation, which can be a complicated and overwhelming task for the first-timer. Does anyone know a good preferred travel agency for Royal Caribbean? You are trusting this person with your vacation and (potentially) will communicate with them a lot, so you should make sure they arent impersonal or will treat you like a number. Ask them questions about their own experience to understand how well they know the brand. Each agency works differently and there are benefits to both approaches. If the agent has rarely cruised, you might want to take your business elsewhere. And if the price of your cruise drops after you book, a good agent will notice and refund you the difference in fare. Here are a few tips to get you started. A good working knowledge of the guest and service side of the cruise line is a great asset with any agent. If I did not think it would be extremely gaudy, I would highlight and add red siren gifs to this point, because I think it is the most important thing a travel agent does that many cruisers are completely unaware of when deciding on using an agent or not. If not, just leave blank, Top 5 things to look for in a good travel agent for your cruise vacation, about Top 5 things to look for in a good travel agent for your cruise vacation, Top things you didn't know travel agents can do for your cruise vacation, about Top things you didn't know travel agents can do for your cruise vacation, Royal Caribbean offering travel agent community new support program to assist with COVID-19 impact, about Royal Caribbean offering travel agent community new support program to assist with COVID-19 impact, Royal Caribbean promises to protect travel agent commissions on deferred cruises from coronavirus concerns, about Royal Caribbean promises to protect travel agent commissions on deferred cruises from coronavirus concerns, Royal Caribbean announces its 2018 travel partners of the year, about Royal Caribbean announces its 2018 travel partners of the year, Royal Caribbean announces policy to protect full value of Future Cruise Certificates for travel professionals, about Royal Caribbean announces policy to protect full value of Future Cruise Certificates for travel professionals, Royal Caribbean honors travel partners of the year for 2017, about Royal Caribbean honors travel partners of the year for 2017, 10 Secrets Royal Caribbean travel agents wish you knew, about 10 Secrets Royal Caribbean travel agents wish you knew, Why first-time cruisers should use a Royal Caribbean travel agent, about Why first-time cruisers should use a Royal Caribbean travel agent, Royal Caribbean announces its 2015 travel partners of the year award recipients, about Royal Caribbean announces its 2015 travel partners of the year award recipients, being able to cancel up to 48 hours before the cruise. April 17, 2022 Running. These are the pillars of Royal Caribbeans commitment to you. Moreover, they are not just aware of what Royal Caribbean offers, but also third party options. Travel professionals can get started with RCL Cares at CruisingPower.com, where they can access highlights of the CARES Act, FAQs, Small Business Association resources and tips. What I love about using a travel agent is they price out various promotions Royal Caribbean offers and then tell me what is the best option. Cruise 101: How to Book a Cruise | Royal Caribbean Blog Royal Caribbean Travel Agent | Joy Your Travel Expert | Charlotte NC Using a travel agent isn't always necessary. With the global cruise suspensions, travel agents can help make sense of the refunds you get back, make requests for refunds or future cruise credits, and more. For our other international travel partners, please contact your specific Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises or Royal Caribbean International representative directly. Imagine having someone with a wealth of knowledge about Royal Caribbean that can help you with your particularcircumstances, preferences, and needs.Thats what a good travel agent provides. Congratulations to the returning and first-time Travel Partners of the Year award recipients.. If there is one suggestion I give to first time cruisers above all else, it is to use a travel agent to plan their Royal Caribbean cruise. A reader recently asked me how do you find a good travel agent, so here are the top five things to look for in a good travel agent. In addition, agents occasionally give you extra value on your booking -- such as prepaid gratuities, a free bottle of Champagne or onboard credit -- to sweeten the deal. You have one contact who gets to know you,is responsive to your requests & questions, and feels a vested interest in making sure you have a great trip. Arguably, the biggest "winner" is you. You have to consider how much you're willing to pay, whether to book an inexpensive inside cabin or splurge on a suite, and which cruise line and ship are right for you. It should be noted that some travel agencies do charge fees to their clients, although it is not the norm. This is typically a total non-issue, as most travel agents I haveencountered are incredibly pleasant and enthusiastic, but its good to double-check if things dont seem right from the get-go. Contrary to what you might expect, travel agents might actually be able to get you better deals than internet retailers or even the cruise lines themselves. Read More. Do you know about when you'd like to sail? Choosing a cruise is not the same as picking a hotel or flight, as there are many more options to consider. Have you used a travel agent before? They know deck plans in detail. They can research the options in port and assist in picking out the perfect plans. ", Royal Caribbeans 2015 Travel Partners of the Year award recipients are as follows:Chairman's Award for Overall Achievement, Cruise Planners- An American Express RepresentativePresident's Award for Overall Achievement, Vacation.comNational Partner of the Year, Expedia, Inc.Consortia Partner of the Year, Ensemble Travel GroupCorporate Incentive Partner of the Year, Maritz Travel CompanyLuxury Partner of the Year, CruCon Cruise Outlet Plus, Inc.Marketing Partner of the Year, Avoya TravelSoutheast Partner of the Year, Educational Travel Service, Inc.Northeast Partner of the Year, Autism on the SeasCentral Partner of the Year, AAA Allied GroupWest Partner of the Year, Auto Club Enterprises/AAA TravelCanada Partner of the Year, Have our travel agency partner get you a free quote for a Royal Caribbean cruise. Cruise Planners, American Express Cardmember benefits and travel deals. SVP Sales and Trade Support & Service Royal Caribbean International Vicki Freed announced to its travel partners that the cruise line is implementing a permanent policy to ensuretravel professionals will receive the full value of the booking's commission when clients redeem their Future Cruise Certificates. Even if there is not a global health crisis, things happen on a cruise. If you encounter a problem, either before or during your cruise, a good travel agent will be the one to contact Royal Caribbean and not only rectify the issue but make things right again.
