If there is one suggestion for cruisers above all else, it is to use a travel agent to plan a cruise. Many cruisers are unaware that the services provided by travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) are 100% free of charge. They are paid a commission from the cruise lines, and there is no extra cost to you for their services.
Since many first time cruisers are often surprised to hear that a travel agent is free to use, it got me thinking what other helpful bits of information might you not know?
Here's a quick list:
1. Many travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) are free to use
Many travel agencies do not charge you a fee for their services, because the cruise lines pays them a commission. This means there are no cancellation or change fees charged by the travel agent.
2. Some travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) specialize and focus on cruise vacations
Did you know a good travel agent that specializes in cruising can work with you every step of the way, not just when you actually book the cruise?
Prices can change many times, but Dancing Moon Travel is willing to work with you to watch for discounts when you book, and keep track of small changes that can benefit you. Perhaps they can save you some money, or offer you a means of upgrading.
3. Travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) will sit on hold with the cruise lines so you can binge watch Netflix
Everyone watches Netflix, right?
In all seriousness, one of the best reasons to use a travel agent is they will save you time. They will be the ones to sit on hold with the cruise lines and work to sort out any issues, questions, or discrepancies.
This means you do not have to, and that results in more time for you to do something...anything else!
4. You get one person to work with instead of someone different every time you call
Don't you hate it when you have to explain the backstory of your current issue to someone each time you call?
When you use a travel agent (Dancing Moon Travel), you get an agent who works with you from start to finish. 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.
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5. Travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) can help pick out shore excursions
Just like you, travel agents take cruises and have visited many of the ports you may be cruising to. Moreover, they are not just aware of what shore excursions are available, but also third party options that may save you time and money. They can research the options in port and assist in picking out the perfect plans.
6. Gifts of appreciation
Travel agents love to show their appreciation for your business, and that often comes in the form of small gifts.
It is great to walk into your stateroom and see a thank you note, a little extra onboard credit for spending onboard, or bottle of wine. For travel agents, they want you not to just book one cruise with them, but many more. So they work very hard to ensure you have a great cruise, and want you to know they appreciate your business.
7. Travel Agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) can help you arrange groups
If you are thinking of taking a cruise with friends, family, coworkers, high school classmates, random people off the street, or anyone else and need to get a few cabins together for a group, then you really want to use a travel agent.
Organizing a group is no simple task...but some travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) are experts at it. Everyone has their own needs, and by working with a travel agent, the agent can assist everyone in the group take care of stateroom choices, prices, payments and answering the usual first time cruise questions. This means you can focus on getting everyone excited for the cruise itself!
8. A travel agent (including Dancing Moon Travel) is there to fight for you if something goes wrong
Of all the benefits a travel agent provides, this might be the least known, yet most important benefit of using a travel agency. If you encounter a problem, either before or during your cruise, a good travel agent will be the one to contact the cruise line and not only rectify the issue but make things right again.
Unfortunately mistakes can occur before or during a vacation. It does not happen very often, but occasionally an error occurs that is not your fault. If that occurs, a travel agent is the one to sort it all out and get you back on track. Equally important, they are great advocates for you to be reimbursed for the inconvenience, especially when the fault is with the cruise line.
9. Travel agents (including Dancing Moon Travel) are trained and educated about all the cruise lines (all the time)
A really common excuse for not using a travel agent is, "Can't I just do it myself?". Of course you can, but travel agents spend a lot of time learning about all aspects of a cruise ship vacation.
Beyond being knowledgeable about the basics of cruising, they take tours of the ships to learn what makes each ship unique. In addition, they are educated in what other cruise lines offer, so they can better inform you as to how each cruise line stacks up against one another. 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.
10. Travel Agents (Including Dancing Moon Travel) learn what you like
A good travel agent works with you cruise after cruise after cruise after cruise, and they learn about what you prefer on a cruise. They will know your likes, dislikes and what is important to you when it comes to making vacation plans.
The benefit to you in all of this is it means a faster and simpler booking process. 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. Like so many of the other reasons to book a travel agent listed earlier in this post, the result is time saved and value added for you!
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