Best place/way to book a cruise???

I've booked every cruise with RCI (not the cruise line) until my Oct 4th 2020.

"Pond or Pool. I think the pond is better"

I too search and research each booking I am looking into. I then drop the information off to the family's TA and let her loose. On the cruise in Jan we are saving more than the listed percentage and even get a hot deal on the hotel pre cruise. Gotta love that girl.

I always start with Vacations To Go, by using a large web based Cruise specialist it gives me lots of options to look into of multiple lines and destinations. It also gives me the 90 day and less listing of sale prices. Since I do not book far out this works great for me. After I find a cruise i"m interested in I will then price check it with the cruise line and with a couple of different online cruise booking sites. Most of the time the first place I book has the best price or the same price and some extra perks.

P.S. remember when you book your cruise to get Travel Insurance, get enough Insurance to also cover your hotel and flights. I have used travel insurance a few times and it has paid me back more then I have paid for all the trips I have inured.

TA

We use "Vacations To Go".

As usual Simon ... excellent advise

Here's our analysis of the various options:

https://cruiseline.com/advice/how-to-book/before-you-book/how-to-book-a-cruise

In short, it depends what you're looking for.

I am somewhat "risk averse" so I prefer to deal directly with a cruise line representative and even then get everything agreed to in writing. May not always be the best buy, but .... If we eventually sail with a line that doesn't have a direct contact, I plan to find a good travel agent (like one of our fellow posters, you know who you are).

I've had plenty of success going through a website specializing in cruises, but I have also scored some KILLER deals through the Cruiseline's individual website. All depends on the time of year, and current promotions